Ahupua'a

In old Hawaiokinai, ahupuaokinaa was the common subdivision of the land. It consisted most frequently of a slice of an island that went from the top of the local mountain (volcano) to the shore, following the banks of a stream. Ahupuaokinaa varied in size depending on the economic means of the location and were meant to support roughly equal numbers of people.

Ahupuaokinaa is derived from Hawaiian "ahu", meaning: "heap" or "cairn", and "puaokinaa", pig. The boundary markers for ahupuaokinaa were traditionally heaps of stones used to put offers to the island chieftain, which was usually a pig.

There may have been two reasons for this kind of subdivision:
*travel: in many areas of Hawaiokinai, it is easier to travel up- and downstream than from stream valley to stream valley
*economy: having all climate zones and economic exploitation zones in each land division ensured that a sudden drought or overfishing would not starve any ahupuaokinaa or make one dependent on another.Rule over an ahupuaokinaa was given out by the ruling chief to subordinate members of the okinaaliokinai. On the larger mountains of Maui and Hawaiokinai, smaller ahupuaokinaa extended up to about 6,000-8,000 feet elevation, while the higher elevations of an entire district would be included within a single large ahupuaokinaa. These ahupuaokinaa, such as Kaokinaohe, Keauhou, Kapāpala, Keaokinaau, Keokinaanae, Puokinau Waokinaawokinaa, and Humuokinaula, were highly valued both for their size and because they allowed control over items obtainable only from high-elevation areas, such as high-quality stone for tools and okinauaokinau (Hawaiian Petrel) chicks. They were given to high-ranking okinaaliokinai, or often retained by the high chief personally.

Ahupuaokinaa today

Following the Great Mahele, most ahupuaokinaa were split up. Manukā, Puokinau Waokinaawaokinaa, and Puokinau Anahulu on the island of Hawaiokinai, are among the few large ahupuaokinaa that remain nearly intact under single ownership (with the exception of some kuleana lots), because they were crown lands owned personally by the monarch. In spite of this, the impact of the ahupuaokinaa boundaries can be seen in many areas today. For example, the ahupuaokinaa of Keaokinaau, near Hilo, was purchased as a single unit by the Shipman family to farm and raise cattle. Most of the land, however, was eventually sold off to become the large subdivisions of Puna. The line between the large northern lots (sold by the state as 30-50 acre farms) and 1-3 acre southern lots is the boundary between the okinaŌlaokinaa and Keaokinaau ahupuaokinaa (it is also interesting to note that this boundary follows the edge of the 200-400 year old okinaAilaokinaau lava flow, and the ahupuaokinaa of Keaokinaau was undoubtedly originally created from the land devastated by this flow).

Many local towns in Hawaii still maintain the names of the old ahupuaokinaa. In West Maui, the towns (north to south) Honokōhau, Honolua, Kapalua, Nāpili, Kahana, Honokawai, Kaokinaanapali, Lahaina, and Olowalu follow the ahupuaokinaa names, with each maintaining their local flavors.

ee also

*Waimea Valley

External links

* [http://kauaian.net/ahupuaa_poster.html The Kauaian Institute offers wall poster maps of the ahupua`a on Kaua`i, O`ahu, Maui and Hawaii islands]
* [http://www.nokaoimagazine.com/Features/7_4/Ahupuaa.html Ahupuaa: Land for the Good of All] Maui No Ka 'Oi Magazine Vol.7 No.4 (Jan. 2004).