Ahupua'a
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In old Hawaiʻi, ahupuaʻa 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. Ahupuaʻa varied in size depending on the economic means of the location and were meant to support roughly equal numbers of people.
Ahupuaʻa is derived from Hawaiian ahu, meaning: "heap" or "cairn", and puaʻa, pig. The boundary markers for ahupuaʻa 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 Hawaiʻi, 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 ahupuaʻa or make one dependent on another.
Rule over an ahupuaʻa was given out by the ruling chief to subordinate members of the ʻaliʻi. On the larger mountains of Maui and Hawaiʻi, smaller ahupuaʻa 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 ahupuaʻa. These ahupuaʻa, such as Kaʻohe, Keauhou, Kapāpala, Keaʻau, Keʻanae, Puʻu Waʻawʻa, and Humuʻula, 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 ʻuaʻu (Hawaiian Petrel) chicks. They were given to high-ranking ʻaliʻi, or often retained by the high chief personally.
[edit] Ahupuaʻa today
Following the Great Mahele, most ahupuaʻa were split up. Manukā, Puʻu Waʻawaʻa, and Puʻu Anahulu on the island of Hawaiʻi, are among the few large ahupuaʻa 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 ahupuaʻa boundaries can be seen in many areas today. For example, the ahupuaʻa of Keaʻau, 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 ʻŌlaʻa and Keaʻau ahupuaʻa (it is also interesting to note that this boundary follows the edge of the 200-400 year old ʻAilaʻau lava flow, and the ahupuaʻa of Keaʻau was undoubtedly originally created from the land devastated by this flow).
Many local towns in Hawaii still maintain the names of the old ahupuaʻa. In West Maui, the towns (north to south) Honokōhau, Honolua, Kapalua, Nāpili, Kahana, Honokawai, Kaʻanapali, Lahaina, and Olowalu follow the ahupuaʻa names, with each maintaining their local flavors.
