Living the Lo‘i

A restored taro patch becomes a place for learning.

Island Scene Online
Posted: October 1, 2003

By Jill Engledow

There are many trails on this lush, green coastline in Haleakala National Park's Kipahulu district. Some wind down to where the ocean splashes against the cliffs, others follow 'Ohe'o stream and its many pools up the mountain.

But this hike is different. Hosted by someone with genealogical roots that go back centuries on this coast, it leads to ancient taro patches that have been restored to once again grow the staple food of Hawai'i.

Hike leader Tweetie Lind meets her guests at the park headquarters near the famous Seven Pools at 'Ohe'o. Lind is one of the founders of Kipahulu 'Ohana, created to establish a living history program in the park. The 'Ohana began the free public hike program last year.

From park headquarters, the hikers follow Lind on a fairly easy, unmarked one-mile trail uphill to the lo'i. Along the way, she pauses to explain remnants of the past, drawing on her intimate knowledge from walking these trails for many years. She recalls the families who once lived in houses now reduced to tumbled stone walls, and in the tiny 1930s-era house that's been completely restored by the National Park Service. The coffee bushes scattered in the forest's shade are reminders of the old-timers who lived here in sugar plantation days -- kupuna who "really liked their coffee," Lind says with a grin.

Lind leads hikers across a pasture where cows stop to stare, then takes them under some trees and into a clearing. Bordered by neatly mown grass, heart-shaped taro leaves cluster in tidy patches. Sun gleams on these lo'i filled with water from a hand-dug 'auwai (ditch) system. This is the Kapahu Living Farm, whose restored taro patches are the centerpiece of the Kipahulu 'Ohana's work. With 15 lo'i cleared and producing, and more waiting to be uncovered, the 'Ohana also has planted coconuts, 'ulu (breadfruit), sugar cane, citrus, bananas and watercress.

If visitors are in the mood for a hands-on experience, they can get right into the work of weeding and planting taro. Knee-deep in chocolate-colored mud, they not only learn how hard the people of old had to work to feed themselves, but also sample the peace and feel the spirit of life close to the 'aina.

"Sometimes, when we're pau work, we just sit here and listen," Lind says. "You hear the trickling of the water, and you feel something so sacred here."

When the mud has been rinsed off in the ever-flowing 'auwai, Lind or her husband, John, might open a coconut, cut a stalk of sugar cane, or serve up a taste of cooked taro or 'ulu. Lind sometimes pulls out her 'ukulele and treats her guests to a song.

While the public hikes are relatively new, visitors have been learning about Hawaiian culture and agriculture here for a couple of decades. From the beginning, the 'Ohana has welcomed student groups, starting with a University of Hawai'i class.

Now, organizations like 'Ohana Makamae, Hana's family resource center, frequently bring at-risk clients here. The center helps local residents with everything from substance abuse problems to career development, and likes to give its clients a glimpse of the culture and the feeling of peace that comes from connecting with the land.

"The lo'i are so beautiful -- it gives a wonderful sense of how people once lived," says one woman who is a client of 'Ohana Makamae. "Working there helps us to understand how much work it took to feed the people."

Program director Kit Gillette said a visit to the farm and working the lo'i gives her clients a sense of pride. "They get a sense of place and belonging, which then translates into how they see themselves and how they see their children."

Kipahulu 'Ohana president and founder Mike Minn said a day in the lo'i is a good learning opportunity for kolohe (mischievous) kids who are not especially academically oriented.

In the "structure outside of structure" on the farm, they can have fun, throw mud, and be productive at the same time, away from city ways and video games. "Some of them don't want to leave," Minn says.

The lo'i had long been lost to the jungle when the late Tevi Kahaleauahi began to unearth the old taro patches in 1973. After his death, the jungle returned. When the Linds and Minn decided to take on the job about 1980, they had to start all over again, reclaiming the old lo'i from Christmas berry, guava trees and thick brush.

The three founded the Kipahulu 'Ohana in 1995 and negotiated an agreement with Haleakala National Park to create a living history program. The agreement allows them to restore native plants and trees, conduct tours of the farm, build hale, and provide on-site demonstrations of native crafts. They plan to market the products of those demonstrations in a store, or hale ku'ai, now under construction by master builder Francis Sinenci.

A diverse array of individuals helps in the 'Ohana's work; the nonprofit organization's board of directors has broadened beyond its Native Hawaiian founders to include members who are first-generation residents of the area. Increasingly, the partnership of old and new is shaping the future of the Living Farm, though its goal still is to reflect life in Hawai'i before 1848, the year of the Great Mahele, when land was reapportioned among crown, government, chiefs and commoners.

The Kapahu fields were an important food source in those long-ago days. Today, Kipahulu's people need money as well as poi, so the group is looking for ways to create jobs and income for area residents. A neighboring organization, the Kipahulu Community Association, is building a structure that eventually will include a certified kitchen where farm products can be processed for sale.

But the significance of the farm goes beyond economics. For the first time, there is a strong Native Hawaiian presence in Haleakala National Park. And the lo'i demonstrate the efficacy of the ancient methods of taro farming. Like the farmers of old, Kapahu's farmers are completely organic.

"It's very unusual to have an organically managed lo'i," where no pesticides or chemical fertilizers are used, says Stephan Reeve, a soil scientist and Kipahulu 'Ohana board member.

Instead of adding chemicals, workers in the Kapahu lo'i pull the weeds and push them back under the water, where they become green manure, breaking down to fertilize the taro. Modern scientific testing shows that this old method produces good quality soil.

Which just goes to show that the 'Ohana is on the right track, preserving for today's people the practices of those who, like the taro, flourished here in centuries past.

For more information about the Kapahu Living Farm tour, check the Kipahulu 'Ohana Web site. To arrange for a group visit, call the 'ohana at (808) 248-8974 on Maui.

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Original article URL: http://www.islandscene.com/ohana/2003/031001/restoration/index.asp