Countless Generations of Hawaiian Friends

For centuries, Polynesians provided good company. In 1795, King Kamehameha united all Hawaiian Islands under one kingdom. Honouliuli was given to Maui Ali‘i, Kalanimōkū. In 1848, the Great Māhele  (land division) began, and Honouliuli Ahupua‘a was awarded to Ali‘i Wahine. However, through the Kuleana Act of 1850, common Hawaiians were allowed to petition for the land they cultivated. Kalo (taro) and ‘uala (sweet potato) were the most commonly grown. People protected me with strict kapu; in return, I nourished the land and gave them the most ono (delicious) poi they ever had.

Wahi Pana of Pu‘uloa

Pu‘uloa was a treasured place for the Native Hawaiians along with many others. It attracted all kinds of fish and delicious oysters. Native Hawaiians built many fish ponds near the water’s edge where my freshwater reaches the sea. The taro patches helped filter the water of impurities and also provided nutrients to the fish. The fish ponds were so rich, there were more fish than people could eat. For centuries, I listened to children’s laughter as they chased after alae ke'oke'o (Hawaiian Coot) by the wetland where soft makaloa plants were best for nests. Then the laughter mixed with not so distanced moo...

Then Came the Cow

The land holdings of Māhele created the framework for large commercial and governmental operations for the next five decades. The thunder of hooves and long, deep lowing could be heard across the Ewa plain. Cattle ranches proliferated. Like a game of chess, the Native Hawaiians and new settlers engaged in fierce competition for dominance. After a decade, most Native Hawaiians were out-maneuvered by foreign businessmen. Savvy capitalists such as Isaac and Daniel Montgomery, John Meek, James Dowsett, and James Campbell came to control the majority of the land in Honouliuli.

The Sugarcane Migration

Cows weren't the only thing multiplying across the plain. When Mr. Campbell discovered the underground aquifer, lines of sugarcane quickly began to zig-zag across endless fields. Imported laborers brought varied languages, foods, and customs with them. Houses sprouted up and developed into communities. My purpose as a drinking water source was expanded to meet the area's growing agricultural need. Sugarcane was an innocent but thirsty crop. Their growers were greedy Moger, using poisonous fertilizers spread across the soil, they quickly polluted my once pristine waters. The mangroves they planted to prevent water runoff became an invading army, settling in and conquering the native species before them.

Battleships are not Fish

After the annexation of Hawai‘i in 1898, the United States began its military occupation. When the U.S. Navy first set up base at Po‘uloa in 1908, I mistook the large gleaming battleships for oversized fish. They expanded their territory clumsily, leaking oils and chemicals into the water. I was already choking on toxins before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The formidable ships quickly neutralized in a fiery inferno before being consumed by the waters below. As they began making enemies of each other, the humans also began to fight against nature. The destruction they left in their wake made the water uninhabitable for many creatures. Fish filled up with noxious substances. Those that survived ceased to be healthy enough for human dinner.

The Internment Camp

The roar of propellers and crashing of bombs heralded swift change, like a bugle calling for all who hear to awaken with haste. Like a bleary-eyed soldier emerging from a dream, I could barely register the events around me before crowds descended on the plain. Forcibly shifted from homes to tents, from neighborhoods to quarters, and from citizens to prisoners. Three years of seven compounds of guard towers and buildings for thousands to languish among. My home was reduced to hell valley.