March 11, 2008

It’s been years in the making – a thoroughly researched, comprehensive, richly illustrated book covering one thousand years of Makena area’s history. A collaborative effort, it was made possible by a grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs with additional funding from Maui Tomorrow Foundation, Inc., and support from the Kukahiko Foundation.

This document, called Project Ka‘eo: the Challenge to Preserve Cultural Landscapes in Modern Makena, is fascinating to read. “It makes Makena’s ancient history come to life,” according to a press release; “The historical portion of the book builds on past research efforts by local and national authors and historians and includes the recollections of many Makena residents. It is dedicated to Makena’s kama‘aina families and UH Ethnic Studies Department Professor Marion Kelly, who first researched the region in the 1980s. Project Ka‘eo is based upon solid scholarship, but does not shrink from examining controversial subjects –  such as the irregularities in efforts to document and preserve the region’s cultural landmarks.”

Project Ka‘eo is the result of more than two years of research by archaeologist Theresa Donham and historical researcher Lucienne de Naie, with support from Maile Lu‘uwai, president of the Kukahiko Foundation. “I wrote this grant to honor the ancestors of all the families in Honua‘ula and specifically my Kukahiko ancestors. It is our intent to share our research and knowledge with all those interested in the preservation and protection of these invaluable resources,” said Lu‘uwai.

“There is so much more waiting to be discovered in Makena,” added de Naie. Her research calls for planning efforts to preserve “cultural landscapes” rather than isolated cultural sites, seeing such areas as “living universities” for the future generations of native Hawaiians. The report recommends that the knowledge held by local families be seen as a valuable part of that history.

“So many Maui families share in Makena’s history,” Irene Bowie, Executive Director of Maui Tomorrow, said. “Our goal is to provide this report to everyone who would like to pass these stories on.”

Ka‘eo is the traditional ahupua‘a name for the lands between Keawala‘i Church near Makena Landing, Pu‘u Ola‘i (by Little Beach) and the upcountry village of ‘Ulupalakua.

On Thursday February 28 in Wailuku Library’s Hawaiiana Room, a presentation was given by de Naie and the book was formally released. After a blessing by Stan Franco of St. Theresa’s Church in Kihei, de Naie introduced Kehau Lu‘uwai, who spoke about the close ties to the Makena area of the Kukahiko family that she and her sister Maile are a part of. They recently had a reunion with over 1,000 people attending. She said; “We know we can’t stop development, but we can help the developers build in a more responsible way.”

de Naie then welcomed Maui County Council Member Michelle Anderson, who said, “I hope this sparks a movement to really stress the importance of our Hawaiian heritage.” She spoke of her hanai grandmother, the late Inez Ashdown, and stressed the importance of Ashdown’s work in recording the recollections of Hawaiian kupuna.
“Most of Hawaiian history was passed down orally. To have those recollections, stories and genealogies and place names recorded means so much. Inez was able to capture the history and meaning of a place, keep them alive.” Regarding the Ka’eo book project, Johnson said, “She would be proud of Lucienne and Theresa; Inez was the historian for the County of Maui for twelve years... We’ve allowed our cultural sites to fall at the bottom of the list. Lucienne makes it so accessible for everyone who wants to learn more. I hope this effort will kindle a new passion and understanding for the ancient Hawaiian way of life, because to this day it has never gotten the recognition it deserves. It was so deeply spiritual. Every culture across this planet can learn from them.”

And de Naie said, “Unfortunately, for the most part it’s a sad history of not giving these sites their due. This whole process deserves to be done in a better way. Inez’s work was a great inspiration; she was a delightful person.” de Naie mentioned the skepticism that many of Ashdown’s theories were first met with, although she often was later proved to be correct.

Anderson jumped in, saying, “I want to put to rest false rumors regarding Inez. She was the victim of extreme jealousy by people in the academic realm who did not consider her an historian emeritus; developers didn’t like her either. Every Hawaiian who knew her held her in high regard. Those rumors are totally false.”

Ed Lindsay then spoke up. “She was a close friend to my family too. She was a scribe, and listened to the old folks, took down every word they said.”

Regarding the book’s highlighting of archaeological sites in the Makena area, Lindsay said, “Too often they’ve been cut up, bulldozed or put as decorations in people’s back yards. Those things are testimony to pre-Columbian times, to how our ancestors traveled the ocean and were the best navigators of humankind. A work like this gives credibility to who we are. Everywhere in the world, places of antiquity are preserved and honored. Only in Hawaii are they being destroyed... this could be the beginning of where Hawaii needs to go.”

de Naie then said, “This project, which took two private foundations and a public agency to make it happen, is a model; we need one of these for every ahupua‘a on Maui.” She spoke of Marion Kelly, who was “the first to interview people, back in the eighties when there had already been ten years of building in the area, with no archaeological surveys and no kupuna interviews having been done. No one had thought to talk to the people. It was invaluable to me to take these stories and connect them to the sites in the area.

“We hope to set aside a window of undisturbed history in perpetuity. Archaeology,” she explained, “is expensive, so it’s usually only done if people have to get it out of the way so they can build over the land… it is my hope that through the informed public, the landowners will realize the need to build with respect, leaving things to have their inner connectedness.

“About 130 of the nearly 1,000 documented archaeological sites in the area have been destroyed, and  many others may remain undiscovered,” de Naie explained. She also said that she wants to see more young Hawaiians become archaeologists, stressing the need for living preserves.

There followed a lively discussion of ahupua‘a and living styles in the old days. Anderson said, “People were transient; they moved up and down the ahupua‘a; it was not just a stagnant population... there was a deeper purpose to everything.”

Lindsey then said, “Makena means bountiful – it had a rich abundance of people, resources, fish.” He added, “Many times archaeologists only look at an area through a western set of values. You have to look up, look out to the horizon, check the alignment of places with the stars and planets, equinoxes and sunrises and sunsets. Western eyes tend to take things apart and study the parts individually, but then you might miss something and not see the connections between things. Hawaiians tend to look at things holistically. The connections and alignments of places on the islands with the stars are amazing; it rivals the height of the Mayan civilization.”

de Naie then spoke of the many hours Theresa Donham had spent creating maps of the area. “Makena has natural springs, nice sand beaches, relatively calm currents; this was a busy center for commerce.”

Regarding land being bulldozed and mansions recently built at a coastal area of Makena called Maluaka, de Naie said, “I have to ask myself if I could have done any more. Additional burials have been uncovered at the Maluaka Beach Club Project, just blasted to bits; little pieces of bones mingled with the shattered rocks. This land is owned by Everett Dowling, who also owns a portion of Wailea 670 and another 1,800 acres of Makena. I wonder if it haunts him at night; hopefully it will be a learning experience for him.”

This 400 page work is currently being distributed free to local planning agencies, libraries, schools and community and cultural organizations.

“We are grateful to OHA for this opportunity to let more of Makena’s significant history be known,” said Maui Tomorrow’s Executive Director Irene Bowie. “This book tells a fascinating story of the ancient chiefs, fishing villages, ceremonial sites and colorful figures that peopled Makena’s past.”

Electronic versions of the book can be downloaded at http://projectkaeo.blogspot.com/.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs can be contacted at info@oha.org. Maui Tomorrow Foundation, Inc., is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting Maui’s future through research, education and outreach. To learn more, go to www.maui-tomorrow.org or call 808- 268-0303.

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Jan Welda