Visitors discover the roots of malama ‘aina in Ha‘ena
T
he earliest Polynesians on Kaua‘i believed that it was their responsibility to malama ‘aina, to care for the land as one would care for their own family. That long tradition of stewardship isn’t lost on Kawika Winter, Director of the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s Limahuli Garden and Preserve in Ha‘ena. “Malama ‘aina is definitely a concept followed by the ancestors, and is something we find very relevant in today’s world. The things that were developed in Hawai‘i worked very well. Instead of creating a new system, we just need to look back to what worked for hundreds of years,” Winter said. “We’re just trying to get back to that — more in-tune with things. The concept of malama ‘aina is one part of that.” In the shadow of Makana Mountain, near where the highway ends at Ke‘e beach, the lush Limahuli Valley has become a time capsule, an echo of old Hawai‘i, and the highlight of many a vacation. Spanning three distinct ecological zones, the area is home to hundreds of varie-ties of Hawai‘i’s tropical flora, some of which only exist within its emerald walls. The valley is also home to numerous ancient cultural sites, lo‘i kalo (terraces for growing taro), and popular Limahuli Garden and Preserve. Limahuli Garden, the space visitors are most familiar with, runs both mauka and makai of the main road. Part of The National Tropical Botanical Gardens, it includes a selfguided, three-quarter-mile loop trail that leads visitors through the grounds. (Guided tours are also available.) In addition to learning about native Kaua‘i plants such as papala kepau and hala (screwpine), visitors to the garden become familiar with many of the Polynesian-introduced flora, including ‘ulu (breadfruit), kalo (taro), mai‘a (banana), ko (sugar cane), ‘awapuhi (shampoo ginger), kukui (candlenut — the Hawai‘i state tree) and ‘awa (kava). In Hawaiian, the word Limahuli translates to “turning hands,” a fit-
ting name for land that has been worked as a garden for hundreds of years. When the early journeymen Polynesians settled on Kaua‘i, archaeologists believe that the fertile Limahuli Valley was one of the first places they inhabited. But the island they discovered looked vastly different than the Kaua‘i we know today. As the volcanic Hawaiian chain evolved hundreds of miles away from the nearest land mass, very few plants found their way here without the aid of man. Scientists believe that only 240 insects, 15 land birds, 135 ferns, and 291 flowering plants were established in the islands prior to the first Polynesian canoe landing on its shores around 200 A.D. In order to survive in their new home, the settlers began to propagate the plants they had brought with them from afar, often appropriately referred to as “canoe crops.” One of the most important plants was taro, known as kalo to the early Hawaiians. Water was diverted from Limahuli Stream, which begins 3,300 feet above sea-level and includes an 800-foot waterfall, to feed the crops. The lo‘i kalo, seen near the visitor’s center today, have been dated at more than 700 years old. Moving forward many decades, it was kama‘aina Mrs. Juliet Rice Wichman in 1976 that turned what is now the 17-acre Limahuli Garden over to the NTBG, with the hope that future generations could enjoy a glimpse of the Hawai‘i that once was. Her grandson, Charles “Chipper” Wichman, donated an additional 985 acres in 1994, which became Limahuli Preserve, the acreage above the lower valley. The valley property is so extensive that plants thought lost to extinction have actually been rediscovered there. Koli‘o Ke‘eok‘e, Kaua‘i’s native white hibiscus, was thought to have been wiped out until massive 30-foot-tall trees were uncovered deep within the Limahuli Preserve by the NTBG staff in 1976. In the spirit of Mrs. Wichman’s gift, the goal of the non-profit Limahuli Garden has been to preserve the valley as a living classroom in order SEE GARDEN, PAGE 2
VOLUME 4, NUMBER 2 SUMMER 2017
LIMAHULI GARDEN