in the pae ʻāina of hawaiʻi

on the island of oʻahu 

in the moku of kona 

in the ahupuaʻa of waikiki 

in the valley of mānoa

in the ʻili of kānewai



healing waters

do you hear it?

coming from the mauna

carving a path in the earth

from the poʻo to the hiʻu

cold and fast

yet gentle

it heals

do you see it?

where it flows it gives life

and has given life through many lifetimes

the wai of kāne

it knows

it knows the stories of old

it has been here before kanaka 

a gift from the akua of a far away place

they searched to find it, for us 

do you feel it?

the mana it gives

the clarity it brings

the questions it answeres that you didn’t know rest in your mind

the nourishment in every speck of being 

it is sacred

hoʻokahe wai hoʻoulu ʻāina

 let the water flow

let the land be productive. 

it’s here, for us

kānewai


by cara bock 


limahana of ka papa loʻi o kānewai



Hawaiʻi Place Names

Kānewai comes up in many places around the pae ʻāina in traditional place names. In the context of the spring in Mānoa, the name is referencing the moʻolelo of that area in relations to the akua Kāne and Kanaloa. 

  video reserved for UH students only

Recovery through Rennaisance 

Hoʻokahewai Hoʻoulu ʻĀina

The hui Hoʻokahewai Hoʻoulu ʻĀina was started during the Hawaiian rennaisance to restore the land that rests below the dorms of UH. 

Harry Kunihi Mitchell

Uncle Harry Kunihi Mitchell is a mahiʻai kalo from Keʻanae Maui. He is also a haku mele, and is a member of the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana. His connection to Kānewai started on the island of Kahoʻolawe. Students from University of Hawaiiʻs Hawaiian language program were on an access and had questions about the area of land under the dormatories at UH, where the students discovered a manowai and auwai systems. Anakala Harry came down and was the foundational kūpuna at the loʻi  who still has an imactful roll in the culture at kānewai. 

Eddie Kaʻanana

Uncle Eddie is a lawaiʻa and manaleo from Miloliʻi on Hawaiʻi island. There he learned to be a master lawaiʻa and mahiʻai from his grandparents. He came to Oʻahu to kōkua with Hawaiian emersion schools. Hos connection to Kānewai came from the Hōkuleʻa. When the crew of that waʻa came to assist with building the hale pili in mānoa he came with them and never stopped coming back. He will always be thought of as one of the founding kūpuna at kānewai. 


The fertile land in the valley of Mānoa started about 67,000 years ago. The streams that fill the valley today were routed by a massive lava flow and is the reason why the land in the ahupuaʻa of Waikiki is so valued. The Aliʻi spent most of their time there, most people think that it was becasue of the beautiful beaches and the large amount of fish in the oceans, but it was mainly because of the fertile land on the mauka side. It was a perfect enviorment to grow food, especially kalo, due to the number of streams. Everyone had the ability to have running water in their yards, and it was never a question if the water was clean, it always was. The valley was first settled in the 1400ʻs and kalo was the main crop grown. The number of kalo patches increced until the 1900ʻs before all of the Loʻi and fishponds were destroyed. The auwai, which is an irrigated canal that runs stream water to the loʻi, dates back to 1420 a.d. at kānewai, and is still used to this day. 

This series of work by Haley Kailieehu was created to represent the different bodies of water in Mānoa from mauka to makai. Highlighting the importance of this concept in ensuring balance and sustainability in your community. Lionʻs, Kānewai, and the oceans in the Ahupuaʻa are all acknowedged in this collection. All of these pieces now live in Kānewaiʻs resource center to continue sharing the moʻolelo of these sacred sources of wai. 

moʻolelo o kāne a me kanaloa


Kāne and Kanaloa are two of Hawaiiʻs four main akua. They take on different kinolau and control the different elements. Kāne is the akua of wai, or fresh water, while Kanaloa is in charge our oceans or kai. Together they travel from Kahiki and land on Hawaiʻi island. They visit a heiau and a kahuna there who gifts them abilities that pertain to the element. Kāne was gifted with the ability to hear wai moving underground. Together the brothers traveled from island to island giving water to the land. When they came out of the water near Kahala beach they decided to spend the afternoon surfing and became very sandy and parched. They decided it was time to search for the water. They went from Kahala all the way to Mōʻiliʻili without hearing anything. At this piont, Kanaloa began to have some doubts in his brotherʻs abilities and decided to tease him for it, but kā ne remained focused. Without luck they pressed on to Mānoa. Kāne put his ear on the ground and began to hear it, the rushing of the water benith the earth. He grabbed his ʻōʻō made of kamani and struck the earth, and there is was a fresh water spring, and they called it Kānewai. 

Ka papa loʻi ʻO Kānewai 

The more current history of Kānewai comes with the construction of the University of Hawaiʻi. During the time of settlment in Hawaii, people started taking away native hawaiian cultural practices and replacing it with haole traditions. There was a time where there were almost no loʻi or fish ponds at all. The land that now makes up Ka papa loʻi o Kānewai was historically a place of kalo cultivation, it was eventually passed down the Kamehameha line to Bernice Pauahi Bishop estates. After contact it became Japanese and Chinese farms where rice patties were made. Eventually the land was passed to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where they were going to build dormatories. Due to the amount of water the and the constant floods of that area they could not start construction and the land was eventually condemmed, it became a dumping ground and was forgoten about. There were a group of students who lived in the dorms overlooking that ʻāina, who were in the Hawaiian language program. Curious about the area they went walking down by the stream and saw a portion of the auwai that was dug out. They knew this was used to connect water from the kahawai to loʻi. The students decided to reach out to practitioners around Hawaiʻi. Kahoʻolawe was were they connected. The Hawaiian language program sent a group of students on a mālana ʻāina access to the island of Kahoʻolawe. That is where to students grew a connection with ʻanakala Harry Kunihi Mitchell from maui, whoʻs son was lost at sea with George Helm. The students had questions about the area and auwai they found just under where they lived. Uncle Harry decided to pay a visit and helo the students. He confirmed that it was an auwai and this place in Mānoa historically was a loʻi kalo. Those students decided there was action to be done, so the formed a hui called Hoʻokahe wai Hoʻoulu ʻāina, let the water flow and let the land be productive. Together they decided to clean up all of the trash and start community work days to restore the land. Eventually the first loʻi was built on the mauka side of the land, they named it Uhai. From there the land was terraced the all of the patches were dug out. The land was restored to itʻs original intention, culture and cultivation. The Kūpuna created four pillars to conduct yourself by when you spend time at Kānewai. The first is mālama ʻāina to love the land, we recall the story of Hāloa the first born kanaka. The second is laulima, many hands working together. Kānewai could not have been created through the work of one person, only through collaboration and connection could a place like this thrive. Finally we have puʻuhōnua, meaning a sanctuary or safe space for anyone who has pure intentions to come and feel a connection with ʻāina. 

my pilina with ʻāina

My personal connection to kānewai started in papa ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi 101 my first year at the university of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Kumu Pōmai took us there for a day of hana and to learn the moʻolelo of the place that so many people didnʻt know was on campus. I remember the feeling of putting my feet in the mud for the very first time, everything about it was new to me and I just remember thinking "if I were to do this every day, I would be happy". Feeling the lepo under your feet, seeing the water follow you as you walk around the patch, the change you can make by putting your hands in the earth, it was all so moving. I didnʻt know that one day in papa would change my life forever. During the Covid pandemic, I spent most of my days at Kānewai growing my connection to kalo and the ʻāina it grew in. It was easy to say that I was addicted. After spending my spring there, the director of the loʻi Makahiapo Cashman told me I should think about applying. At that time I was out of work because of layoffs and was mostly homebound due to covid restrictions. I could not think of a better way to spend my time. I was excited and soon after became an official limahana. Confucius said if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life, it was hard to believe until I started working at Kānewai. I spent my days under the sun and in the mud learning about the land and water that surrounds me. Working at Kānewai has introduced me to my passion in life, mālama ʻāina to care for the land that cares for you. The water taught me that strength and consistency can create huge change. The kalo taught me to slow down and notice every little detail, growth takes time and patience. Realizing that art is just my means of communicating the importance of being a part of a community that cares about native traditions and practices. Knowing the way to a sustainable future is looking to the past for guidance from our kūpuna.  Showing keiki how cool it is being a farmer so the next generation can be even more passionate about ʻāina than us. Kānewai has taken me all the way to Kahoʻolawe, just like the students that restored this place years ago. What an adventure these waters have taken me on, the work I thought I never would have the privilege of doing. It is my promise in life, to aloha ʻāina every day, from mauka to makai, mālama the place you call home. Let the wai show you the priorities in life. Kānewai has always been a place of healing waters, stepping into it, you can feel the history it has. I hope everyone can learn to love the land because that is how we can save our hōnua.