AISP Kamehameha Highway Guideway - Honolulu Rail Transit Project

Cultural Surveys Hawai‘i Job Code: MANANA 1
Background Research
Waiawa
Waiawa Ahupua‘a extends from the Middle Loch of Pearl Harbor to the crest of the Ko‘olau
Range. The seaward portion of ahupua‘a is watered by Waiawa Stream, which is fed by both
Waiawa and Mānana Streams, that join at a junction in the inland portion of the ahupua‘a. Near
this junction is a long ridge called Lae Pōhaku (“stone point”), which is the boundary between
Waiawa and Mānana Ahupua‘a. Some historic maps also indicate a peak called Pu‘u Pōhaku
(“stone hill”), located on the boundary between Waiawa and Waipi‘o Ahupua‘a.
The meaning and correct pronunciation of Waiawa is in dispute. It is variously spelled
Waiawa or Wai‘awa, which leads to different interpretations. Awa is the word for milkfish
(Chanos chanos), while ‘awa is the word for the native ‘awa plant (Piper methysticum), which
was used to make a mild narcotic drink.
Other traditional accounts suggest that Waiawa may have been acknowledged in early times
as the site of a special variety of the ‘awa plant:
…When the wondrous maiden [Ke-ao-melemele] arrived at the entrance to the
mountain of Konahuanui, all the offerings were in charge of Ke-anuenue, a
puko‘a or reddish brown pig, a clump of dark ‘awa (pu‘awa popolo) which was
not common in these islands. This variety of ‘awa now grows in the upland of
Waiawa, down here in ‘Ewa. [Kuokoa Jan. 17, 1885, cited in Sterling and
Summers 1978:19]
Tin Hu Young, a lifelong resident of Waiawa, suggested a different origin of the name
Waiawa:
…In fact, the name “Wai‘awa” means water and ‘awa. You know the meaning of
‘awa? ‘Awa is that kava root that you drink, Hawaiians call it ‘awa. I kind of
didn’t like the idea they called it “bitter water.” Because ‘awa is a little bitter
when you drink it, so Wai‘awa—Wai‘awa Valley was an area known in the
ancient days of harvesting ‘awa root. It was a ceremonial drink that they had. Of
course in the old days only the royalty used that root, until later on, and then the
commoners would use it. Then you could sell it in the market and go buy it, like
other things. So, Wai‘awa was a source of that. But, I like to think that the
meaning of “bitter water” for the name Wai‘awa, to me, could come from—
because the area is the farther lot, the bottom on the lowland, mauka of Pearl
Harbor. And when I used to watch the water, the rivulets would come twisting
and turning like little ‘awa roots, twisted. If you ever harvest that ‘awa root, you
got to see, its like a big root coral. It’s all tangled into each other. And it reminds
me, when it flooded down in the lowland, all these little rivulets, twisting and
turning, like the ‘awa root. But it’s just my romantic—it’s just because I live
there. I don’t want them to say, Ehh you live in bitter water? [Interview with T. H.
Young, October 9, 2002, in Bushnell et al. 2003:9-10]
In addition to the awa fish (milkfish; Chanos chanos), and the ‘awa plant (Piper
methysticum), the Hawaiian word awa can also be translated as: harbor, cove, or channel (Pukui
Archaeological Inventory Survey Plan, HHCTCP Construction Phase II, Waiawa, Mānana, Waimano, Waiau,
Waimalu, Kalauao, ‘Aiea, and Hālawa Ahupua‘a, ‘Ewa District, Island of O‘ahu
TMK[1] 9-7, 9-8, and 9-9 - Various Plats and Parcels
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