Honu'apo Park Resource Management Plan

2.4 Historic and Cultural Setting
Honuÿapo Park Final Resources Management Plan
Honuÿapo has a rich historic and cultural background. The abundant coastal and
marine resources and the presence of fresh water springs at Honuÿapo Bay allowed
for the settlement of thriving villages as early as the 14 th century in this part of Kaÿü.
This section briefly describes the history of Honuÿapo in the larger context of
historic events in Kaÿü and the Hawaiian Islands. Additional information on the
history of the region is presented in Appendix B – Cultural Resources of the
ahupuaÿa of Honuÿapo, Hiÿonaÿä, Hökükano, Kaÿaläiki, Hïlea Nui, Hïlea Iki, Nïnole
and Wailau written by Rechtman Consulting.
2.4.1 Area Pre-contact History
In Kaÿü, where the land is dry and rugged, a few small communities were initially
established along sheltered bays with access to fresh water and rich marine
resources. Punaluÿu, Nïnole, Käwä, and Honuÿapo were four well-established
coastal villages in Kaÿü because they had sheltered bays and access to fresh water
in the form of coastal springs. According to radiocarbon dating sample results from
the 2004 inventory survey conducted by Haun & Associates at Honuÿapo, some
permanent habitations on areas of higher ground date back to the mid-1400s. At
Honuÿapo, the coastal springs formed a brackish pond with direct connection with
the ocean, which was used as a fishpond.
By the fourteenth century, ma uka lands were being turned into dryland agricultural
fields. By the fifteenth century, residency in the uplands was becoming permanent,
and there was an increasing separation of the chiefly class from the common
people. Coastal (kula kai) villages depended on marine resources and used these in
turn to exchange with their ma uka (kula uka) relatives for foods and other
resources that they could not grow along the shore (Handy et al. 1972:555).
Land Commission testimonies taken during the Great Mähele of 1848 for areas
around Honuÿapo indicate that dryland taro and sweet potatoes were the most
commonly cultivated crops between 500 and 800 foot elevations. In the 1,500 to
3,000 ft elevation zone, yams and arrowroot were cultivated in the lower portion of
the zone and bananas, forest taro, and plantains were cultivated in the upper
portion. The forest zone in Honuÿapo began at about 3,000 ft elevation on the
southern flank of Mauna Loa.
2.4.2 Post-Contact History
Western Contact
Captain James Cook visited South Point on Hawaiÿi Island for the first time on
board his ships the Resolution and Discovery in January 1779. Cook recorded a
large village at Ka Lae (South) Point and also noted volcano damage in the region.
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