WKIP COHORT OF 2011

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LOCATION:  KAHUWAI, PUNA

The second cohort, Kokolo Ke Aa of the Wahi Kūpuna Internship Program (WKIP) was held in the coastal village of Kahuwai, Puna Hawai‘i. The WKIP partnered with the Kalawe ‘ohana as well as Keala Pono Archaeological Consulting Services to help conduct archaeological investigations and mapping. The purpose of this project was to identify cultural sites located within an un-surveyed 7.6 acre parcel located near the coast. The interns assisted in completing a reconnaissance survey by documenting and mapping a number of cultural sites within and adjacent to the 7.6 acre parcel.

2011 INTERNS + THEIR PROJECTS

1. Lokelani Brandt
E HŌ MAI I KA ‘IKE. GRANT US KNOWLEDGE

If you plan for a year, plant kalo.
If you plan for ten years, plant koa.
If you plan for one-hundred years, teach the children.

Her project focuses on developing E Hō Mai I Ka ‘Ike, a place-based educational
curriculum that promotes stewardship of cultural resources by immersing students in the
cultural landscape, Hawaiian traditions, lore, values and introducing students to the field
of anthropology at Kahuwai. Kahuwai is the name of the pre-contact Hawaiian village
and the name of the ahupua‘a in which the village is located. This remote village, located
in the moku (district) of Puna on Hawai‘i Island, is an ideal location to provide a strong
foundation for the study of social sciences, natural sciences, language arts, mathematics
and many other disciplines. The main objective of E Hō Mai I Ka ‘Ike is the
dissemination, promotion and intergenerational transmission of place-based knowledge
specific to Kahuwai.

2. Halena Kapuni-Reynolds​
KAHUWAI OR KAHUʻAI? TENDING TO THE STORIES OF THE PAST THROUGH PLACE NAMES ​
Hawaiian place names are a valued tool that has preserved the histories and unique
identities of many areas throughout the Hawaiian Islands. The ahupua‘a of Kahuwai
provides us with two names that communicate two different stories of this place.  By
dropping the [w] and adding a glottal stop, we are left with the second place name,
Kahu‘ai.  The name Kahuwai speaks of a freshwater spring found near the coast that was
the water source for the village, whereas the name Kahu‘ai refers to the abundance of
food that was stored and produced there.  Through research and translations of 19th
century Hawaiian language newspapers (1830-1860) and oral accounts of Kahuwai, both
names are consecutively referenced. By focusing on native Hawaiian resources, I have
concluded that both names are valid and therefore should be perpetuated and honored for
future generations.

3. Darcy E. Perez
Na La‘au Kuhikuhina: Utilizing the knowledge from our Environment
My research project focuses on the growing, planting, and agricultural techniques of the
po‘e (people) of Kahuwai Ahupua‘a. As part of my research, I examined how they
cultivated food crops in the bare pahoehoe lava fields to sustain their village. I have
further investigated the many types of native and invasive plant species in the village and
documented their effects on the archaeological structures still standing today. As a result
of my findings, I have developed a flash card booklet about the plants of Kahuwai and
their traditional uses, which can be used to teach keiki and visitors alike to learn about the
important relationships between Kahuwai’s natural and cultural resources. By

documenting the plants that still thrive in the village today, visitors can have a better
understanding of how the people of Kahuwai lived and flourished in their unique
environment. My project themes address the importance of research, documentation, and
comprehension of the natural environment when conducting cultural resource
management projects.

4. Maka Valdez
E Nihi Ka Helena I Ke Ala: Tred lightly on the Pathways of our Ancestors
Proper cultural protocol not only takes place at a cultural site as a matter of a simple
gesture, it is an on-going process. For my internship project I took a more indepth look at
what protocol is to Hawaiians when visiting and working at wahi pana. In particular, I
focused my project on our internship site, Kahuwai, and looked at themes such as what is
cultural protocol and when should it take place; the importance of wahi pana today; and
how protocol should be incorporated into CRM work. My end product, in the form of a
video, is not intended to be the “Final Say” in all things culturally relevant with regards
to Hawaiian protocol, but rather a beginning of a much needed conversation. A
conversation about ethics and lawena, or behavior, when anyone (anthropologist,
archaeologist, or kanaka) visits a wahi pana.

5. Alex Miller

6. Koa‘ekea Wold-Brennon

INTERNSHIP PHOTOS