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Niuhelewai Moʻolelo
Niuhelewai Moʻolelo
A long, long time ago, Kapālama used to look very different. This was before Kamehameha Shopping Center and the Bishop Museum were built. This was a time when Kapālama had many healthy loʻi kalo (taro patches). Fresh water flowed from the streams through the loʻi kalo and into the fishponds where fish were born and raised for food.
The area of Niuhelewai in Kapālama was believed to be another home of Haumea, a powerful Hawaiian akua. (Project Aloha ʻĀina, 2009 Pacific American Foundation).
Haumea was an akua and no one who fell in her way was saved; all would be eaten up. One day, a voyager named Kaulu wanted to go sightseeing through Kapālama, but Haumea would not allow him. When Kaulu came to the home of Haumea, he found the akua asleep, so Kaulu woke her up. Haumea then asked Kaulu: "Where are you going?" Kaulu replied, "Sightseeing." "You cannot go any further; this place is sacred to me and death shall meet those who disobey." Kaulu then asked her, "Are you strong?" Haumea replied, "Yes." Kaulu again said, "Yes, I will return and tomorrow I will come again, when we will fight. Haumea assented to this.
The reason why Kaulu deferred the fight with Haumea was because he wished to get some nets to catch Haumea with. These were the nets of Makaliʻi...Kaulu then flew up to Makaliʻi and asked for the nets. Makaliʻi allowed him to take them, and Kaulu returned with the nets and he again found Haumea asleep. Kaulu then surrounded the house with four thicknesses of real fish nets and two thicknesses of the nets of Makaliʻi. When Kaulu saw that the house of Haumea was completely encompassed with nets, he called out in a loud voice....
When Haumea heard the call, she woke up and looking about saw that she was entirely surrounded with nets. She then began to tear them with her teeth. After cutting through the four thicknesses of fish nets she came to the nets of Makaliʻi. At these nets Haumea was unable to cut them, and became so entangled and exhausted that she went to sleep. While asleep Kaulu set the house on fire, which consumed Haumea, killing her. (Fornander Coll. Legend of Kaulu. Vol V, p 368; also in Vol IV, p530.)
Worksite Plans
Worksite Plans
Douglas ʻEha Hiu, 7th Grade Social Studies kumu is currently in the development phase of this space with his Aloha ʻĀina Club and class haumāna. Their initial brainstorm includes growing plants for food, fine arts, and lei. These include: kalo, hibiscus, tiare/maile, manoa lettuce, eggplant, lilikoi, wauke, ohiʻa lehua, aloe, kukui, avocado, naupaka kahakai, and puakenikeni.
In addition; a hale, tool shed and shoe racks will be designed and hopefully produced by students.
We are looking for partnerships on campus to join in on the care and to benefit from the harvest as well!
Please contact ʻEha @ dohiu@ksbe.edu for more information.
Kahekili defeats Kahahana
Kahekili defeats Kahahana
In the beginning of 1783, Kahekili sought to add Oʻahu under his control. Kahekili invaded Oʻahu and Kahahana, landing at Waikīkī and dividing his forces in three columns (Kahekili’s forces marched from Waikīkī by Pūowaina (Punchbowl,) Pauoa and Kapena to battle Kahahana and his warriors.)
Kahahana’s army was routed, and he and his wife fled to the mountains. For nearly two years or more they wandered over the mountains, secretly aided, fed and clothed by his supporters, who commiserated the misfortunes of their former king. Kahahana was later killed.
Some of the remaining Oʻahu chiefs sought revenge and devised a wide-spread conspiracy against Kahekili and the Maui chiefs. The plan was to kill the Maui chiefs on the same night in the different districts.
However, before they could carry out their plan, Kalanikūpule found out their intentions and informed his father, Kahekili. Messengers were sent to warn the other chiefs, who overcame the conspirators and killed them. (Apparently the messenger to warn the chiefs in Waialua was too late and the Maui chiefs there were killed.)
Gathering his forces together, Kahekili overran the districts of Kona and ʻEwa, and a war of extermination ensued. This event was called Kapoluku – “the night of slaughter.” (Newell)
Men, women, and children were massacred; all the Oahu chiefs were killed and the chiefesses tortured. (Kamakau) The waters of the Niuhelewai stream were turned back, the stream being dammed by the corpses. (Fornander)
"Historical Hawaiian Ruins Uncovered on Kam Campus", Honolulu Advertiser, May 21, 1961.
"Historical Hawaiian Ruins Uncovered on Kam Campus", Honolulu Advertiser, May 21, 1961.
Heiau at Kamehameha School
A bulldozer making way for progress in Honolulu uncovered some historical Hawaiian ruins Friday.
Found was a stone heiau-- an old Hawaiian place of worship--that had been covered by bushes for decades on the grounds of the Kamehameha Schools.
Dr. Kenneth Emory, staff anthropologist for the Bishop Museum, said that the heiau, measuring about 40 by 30 feet, was used 15- to 200 years ago by Hawaiians to pray for rain and good crops.
"We call it an agricultural heiau," he said. "It's not one of human sacrifice."
A construction crew discovered the ruins as they were working on a development project near the prep school gymnasium on the Kapālama Heights campus.
When the bulldozers plowed through undergrowth and struck the edge of the heiau, Joseph Ahui, a surveyor for Bishop Estate, was called over to examine it. He determined immediately that it was a man-made structure and probably a heiau similar to others he had seen in the Islands.
This was confirmed by Emory later in the day.
Next to the main platform of the heiau are two stone burial mounds. One is round, about 15 feet in diameter. The other is oblong, 15 feet long and four feet wide.
Emory said yesterday that the find is a significant one for Hawaiʻi.
"There is so little left of Hawaiian history," he said. "At one time there were many heiaus such as this scattered throughout the Islands. But many were destroyed to make way for construction work."
Keola Levenson created a Niuhelewai Experience that is set in a real-time 3D environment (Unreal Engine 4) depicting what the area around Honolulu Community College (Niuhelewai) could have looked like pre-development. The environment is based off information collected through research and old maps. In an effort to stay as true as possible, the skybox and landscape were created using USGS topographic data. Niuhelewai Experience will allow users to explore the environment as well as interact with and identify native plants and objects.
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