HONOLULU STAR ADVERTISER - Column: He wahi pana ‘o Waihe‘e

HONOLULU STAR ADVERTISER - na Hoaloha Westcott

Synopsis: On the north side of Maui sits a legendary place called Waihe‘e. Hawaiians have inhabited the area since 300-600 AD. There are two heiau and huge sand dunes where many generations are buried. The Hawaiian Islands Land Trust purchased the land and now use it as an historical and wildlife preserve, open to the public.

Aia ma ka ‘ao‘ao ‘ākau o ka mokupuni ‘o Maui he wahi pana i kapa ‘ia ‘o Waihe‘e. Ma waena o nā pu‘e one a me ke kai, aia kekahi kahua nui, kahi i noho mua ‘ia e ka po‘e Hawai‘i ma loko o nā makahiki 300-600AD. ‘Oi noho lākou ma laila a hiki mai ke kenekulia ‘umi kūmāiwa. He ‘umi kūmāono kā ho‘i nā kenekulia! Ua kūpono nō ia wahi, a nui ho‘i ka ‘ai a me ka i‘a. Kahe mau nā kahawai mai luna mai o Mauna Kahalawai a hiki i ka ‘ae kai. Ua ka ua, a ola ka nohona o ka ‘āina. Ua uluahewa ‘ia ka makalae e nā ‘ano limu like ‘ole a ua maika‘i ho‘i nā paena wa‘a.

‘Oiai nā Hawai‘i e noho ana ma ia wahi, he nui nā mea a lākou i ho‘okumu ai, e la‘a me kahi kūlanakauhale i kapa ‘ia ‘o Kapoho, ‘elua heiau ho‘i i kapa ‘ia ‘o Kealaka‘ihonua a ‘o Kapoho, he mau lo‘i kalo, he loko i‘a nui, a he loko i‘a kalo nui, me kekahi mau māla ‘ai. ‘O ia mau mea, ua mālama mau ‘ia e ka lāhui, a ua ma‘a lākou i ka uku kuwala i ka ‘ai a me ka i‘a.

‘Oi aku ka nui o ka heiau ‘o Kealaka‘ihonua ma mua o ka heiau ‘o Kapoho. Ua kūkulu ‘ia paha ua mau heiau nei e kekahi Ali‘i i kapa ‘ia ‘o Koi. He ‘alihikaua ‘o Koi no Kahekili. Ho‘ola‘a ‘ia ‘o Kealaka‘ihonua no ke akua ‘o Kū, a he luakini ‘o ia. Aia ia heiau ma ka ‘ae kai, a nona kekahi alahele loloa e hō‘ea ai i ka lae ‘o Kalaekaho‘omano. A he nani ‘i‘o nō ke ‘ike aku.

Ma uka o ia wahi pana, e kū mālie ana nā pu‘e one i kapa ‘ia ‘o Mauna‘ihi. I ka wā kahiko, ua ho‘ohana ‘ia ua pu‘u nei i wahi e kanu pa‘a ai i nā kānaka i hala. No laila, nui hewahewa nā iwi kupuna ma ia pu‘u. Aia he ‘elima pā ilina ma ia kahua, i mālama ‘ia ma hope o ka hō‘ea ‘ana mai o nā malihini. Kipa ‘ia na‘e nā pā ilina e nā mamo o ka po‘e i kanu pa‘a ‘ia i laila.

I nā malihini i hō‘ea mai ai i ke kenekulia 19, ua komo ‘āina ‘ia kēia wahi no nā limahana mahi kō, a no ka ‘ai mau‘u ‘ana o nā pipi, a laila, ua ho‘okumu ‘ia kekahi hale ‘uwī waiū ma laila. Ke‘ehi ‘ia nā pā pōhaku o nā heiau e nā pipi. Ua luku ‘ia nō ho‘i ia mau paia e ko ‘Amelia pū‘ali koa i ka wā o ke Kaua Nui ‘Elua. I ka MH 1946, luku hou ‘ia mai ua mau heiau nei e kekahi kai nui a Kahinali‘i.

Ua kū‘ai ‘ia ‘o Kapoho e ka ‘ahahui ‘o Hawaiian Islands Land Trust i ka MH 2004. Ho‘okumu ‘ia he 277 ‘eka i wahi e noho ai nā holoholona lōhiu. E mau ana ka hana a ia ‘ahahui i ke kāpae ‘ana i nā mea ulu malihini, a me ke kanu ‘ana i nā mea ulu maoli. I kēia manawa, hāmama ia kahua i kēlā me kēia lā no ka ‘oli‘oli o nā po‘e a pau. Nani maoli nō kēia wahi pana ‘o Waihe‘e.