What has been your most ‘Hawaiian’ experience? The Old Lahaina Luau? The Hana Taro Festival? For me, a visit to the island of Kaho`olawe provided a powerful introduction to the traditional Hawaiian experience. Recently I joined a group of people who camped and worked together for 4 days and three nights participating in a work project hosted by the Protect Kaho`olawe `Ohana.

Kaho`olawe is a small uninhabited island 6 miles southwest Maui. Hawaiians fished, farmed and lived all over the island for over a thousand years. In ancient times, the island was a place of healing and of training. It was called Kanaloa for the god of the ocean, and was a central place where kapunas (elders) taught navigation skills. In modern times, Kaho’olawe was used for ranching. Through 1988, feral goats and sheep overgrazed the island, destroying most of the plant cover and causing massive erosion. Much of the island’s soil was removed, and the surrounding coral beds covered with silt. Kaho’olawe was taken over by the US government in 1941 and used for target practice by the Navy. Those of you who were on Maui in the 80’s should remember the roar of jets and the thud of explosions.

As soon as it was taken by the Navy, the Protect Kaho`olawe `Ohana (PKO) was formed and began a campaign to regain the island for the Hawaiian people. Eventually, Congress passed a law in 1993 which recognized the cultural significance of Kaho`olawe, stopped the bombing, ordered the Navy to clean the island of unexploded ordinance, and promised to return the island to the state of Hawaii to be held in trust for eventual transfer to a Hawaiian sovereignty. Contractors hired by the Navy (including one of our neighbors) have made tremendous progress, and will have most of the surface of the island free from ordinance by November 2003 when the Navy is scheduled to return the island to the state. The cleanup effort has focused on several key areas on the island, including Hakioawa, the valley where we camped.

Each month, the PKO has access to the island for 4-5 days. Some of these visits are used by the kua (core members of the `Ohana) for cultural practices. Most of the visits are used for education and restoration projects where members of the PKO (who are volunteers themselves) host a group of volunteers such as myself. A key aspect of the experience is to practice a lifestyle that involves physical challenges, a connection to nature, and a strong sense of togetherness as a group. The entire work project is wrapped in a number of traditional cultural and spiritual practices. The leaders of this group are very committed and serious about their mission on Kaho`olawe. Besides leading the cultural practices, they always take time to explain the meanings behind the chants and ceremonies.

Our visit began a project to stabilize an archeological site knows as Hale o Papa (Papa is the mother of the islands in Hawaiian mythology). The site is the location of a woman’s heiau (place of worship) and burial ground. Erosion near the heiau has started to uncover some of the burial sites and threatens the heiau. Hawaiian people believe strongly that it is there responsibility to protect the resting place of their Kapuna (ancestors). We were there to collect rocks to be used in a retaining wall.

The adventure began on a Thursday morning near dawn at Makena landing. When the Pualele, a 33-foot fishing boat, appeared in the bay, we all gathered our plastic packed gear, waded into the ocean and swam to the waiting boat. After a 40 minute ride punctuated by some excellent whale watching, we arrived at Kaho`olawe. . Here the group recited a chant asking permission to arrive on Kaho`olawe then jumped into the water and floated the equipment up to the beach. Disembarking was a bit more challenging as the waves were breaking on the shore and the bottom was strewn with large rocks. A total of three boatloads delivered ~30 men and women from around the state, from all walks of life, drawn together by a love of the `āina(land), and a desire to kōkua (help) along with ~20 kua from the PKO who would be our teachers and coworkers for the next 4 days.

After setting up camp, we answered the call of the pū, (conch shell), to gather at the common area for lunch. (We ate very well!) Before each meal, we joined hands, and offered a pule (prayer) to give thanks and to set the stage for the work ahead, or to review the day that has passed. Before starting to work, we all participated in a hi`uwai or purification ceremony. Gathered on the beach, facing a magnificent view of Maui, we were prompted to leave our problems behind, to clear our minds of the various stresses and difficulties that we all carry through our daily lives so as not to convey these to the work that we would be performing. In silence, each of us waded into the ocean for a symbolic cleansing, then walked to the work site a few hundred yards up a dry stream bed. At the site, Kelei, a member of the `Ohana, gave a chant of invocation, asking for permission to perform the work that we were about to undertake, and to remove any kapu, or intentions, that may have been placed on the pōhaku (rocks) that we would be gathering.

The work was simple, but physically challenging. We formed a line down an embankment and along the streambed. A few members of the team selected appropriate pōhaku from the ground, and fed these to the head of the line. The rocks were passed person-to-person to the tail of the line where they were respectfully stacked. After building a huge pile (and taking a break) the line would move down the stream bed where we picked up the rocks from the pile we just made, and passed them downstream once again. Finally, the pōhaku WAS PASSED up a steep embankment to Hale O Papa. During the session on Thursday afternoon we just started to develop our technique. By the end of the next day, we became most expert at passing rocks. The group developed an amazing focus and efficiency in their work collecting about 6 tons of rocks in our day and a half of work. While simple, passing rocks is very strenuous. They were heavy! At the end of a hot, sweaty workday, we went to `au`au (bathe) in the ocean before sundown.

Each night, after dinner, we spent time as a group to learn; about each other, about the island, about the `Ohana and the Hawaiian culture. Each of the kua shared their personal stories about their culture, and the forces that brought them to devote so much of their time and energy to the restoration of Kaho`olawe. All volunteers, some members of the `Ohana make the trip every month. One woman, Pi`ikea, has been visiting Kaho`olawe since 1980. I was deeply impressed by their commitment to their culture. In the morning we woke to the sound of the pū which summoned us to the shore. There we recited the chant named E Ala E to aid the sun in its efforts to start a new day.

On Saturday most of the group went on a hike to the top of the island. Along the way we saw a large number of archeological home sites in the valley near where we camped. We also saw, firsthand, what happens to an island when all of the topsoil is eroded or blown away. The exposed ‘hardpan’ (subsoil) is a vivid red/orange color that is extremely dense

. Nearly impervious to water it covers vast expanses of the island. We also saw signs of survival, in a century old Wiliwili tree that somehow escaped the goats and the bombs, and signs of renewal, in sprouting `a`ali`i bushes and flowering `ilima. We all carried bags of seed that we spread as we hiked in an effort to re-vegitate the island. A highlight of the hike was a visit to Pu’u Moa`ulaiki which is the second highest point on the island and the location of a lele(alter) and the "Navigator’s chair". This is the spot where ancient travelers gathered to learn the skills of navigation by the stars. To show our respect for this sacred place, we walked the path to the pu’u barefoot and in silence. Gathering near the lele, we contemplated Kaho`olawe while thinking of those who were there before us and enjoying incredible views of the island as well as the surrounding channels and islands.

That afternoon we broke camp and packed. We slept under the stars on the beach Saturday night to facilitate a pre-dawn departure. Saturday night, after dinner, everyone shared their thoughts and feelings about their experience on Kaho`olawe. A recurring theme through our visit and work on the island was one of healing. Hawaiians believe that the island of Kaho`olawe is central to their culture, just as it is located at the center of the island chain. Tradition teaches them that people would come to the island to heal. In many ways the restorative work that we were doing on the island was felt by many to be a part of a healing process for the island. On this trip I met some very strong and devoted people who have worked for many years to first gain access to their island, and then to take steps to restore it. From the pictures that I saw of the island before, and what I saw firsthand, I know that this has been a tremendous struggle, and a tremendous accomplishment. Even though our time on the island was relatively short, my experience there was a very powerful one. Hopefully you will join the PKO on a trip to Kaho`olawe one day. I know that I will return.

Thanks to Neole Caveney from the Sierra club for her help with this article.

Matt Wordeman

April 2002