Civic Clubs To Expand Their Cultural Reach
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Del.icio.usThree Hawaiian civic clubs are working hard to raise awareness of the Windward side’s ahupua’a, and they’re not just thinking locally - as demonstrated on a glass bottom boat tour of Kaneohe Bay hosted last month by the Ko’olaupoko club.
Guests on the Coral Queen were in Hawaii for a meeting of the Urban Affairs Association, a group of professionals focused on sustaining cities in a time of globalization.
“A friend working with this conference suggested that we provide the tour to further the group’s understanding and interest in Oahu’s cultural aspects, and since we’re in the midst of finalizing our Ahupua’a Boundary Marker Project, we felt it was a prime opportunity to help spread the word about that,” said Mahealani Cypher, president of Ko’olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club, which is collaborating with its sister clubs in Kailua and Waimanalo to install boundary markers.
They will be placed at the beginning and end of each of the bay’s 11 ahupua’a (traditional Hawaiian boundaries): Kualoa, Hakipu’u, Waikane, Waiahole, Ka’alaea,Waihe’e, Kahalu’u, He’eia, Kane’ohe, Kailua and Waimanalo.
Passengers enjoyed an educational lecture aboard the vessel, specifically focusing on Hawaiian history and the ahupua’a visible from the water along the Windward coastline.
“I lived in Hawaii once upon a time about 25 years ago and taught school on Maui, so it’s wonderful to be back and see the history being perpetuated in such a permanent feature as the proposed boundary markers,“said Judy Hutchinson of Sierra Madre, Calif.“It (the tour) is a beautiful way to help us all remember the historical and cultural significance of this area, especially since we are here to learn the best ways to work within a global economy and how best to plan cities, regions - and all in a sustainable, historically sound manner.”
Once approved, markers resembling street signs will replace the bright pink ribbons that currently outline the boundaries, possibly as early as June, Cypher said. Print materials also will be at libraries, the civic clubs, government agencies and tourist sites.
The clubs followed the last official Kingdom of Hawaii map from 1876 to determine the boundaries. The project began after the creation of the Aha Moku council in 2007, which drew public input on natural resource management issues. State designers have been working on culturally appropriate markers to accompany the signs.
“We just want people to be able to walk away from this knowing a little bit more than when they started,” Cypher explained, noting that representatives of each ahupua’a are needed for a steering committee to plan and coordinate the project. To volunteer, call 226-4195.
(The Ko’olaupoko club’s 9 a.m. glass-bottom boat tour - the first of two trips planned for this Saturday - still may have seats available. For more information, call 235-8111.)
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