Legend and tradition grew up about the hills and valleys of Hawaii.
The urge for deep-sea adventure decreased and interest narrowed
to the coastal seas. Voyaging canoes ceased to sail out from the
channel of Ke Ala-i-Kahiki (The Road-to-Tahiti) and trim their course
for the Equator. The long sea voyages of the northern rovers had
ended–Hawaii had become home.
– Te Rangi Hiroa, Vikings of the Sunrise, 1936
Before arriving in Hawai‘i, Polynesians were largely defined by their oceanic courage and ingenuity. Their homes and culture were revolved around the ocean. The god of the ocean, Kanaloa, was one of the highest gods in the Polynesian pantheon, and canoes as well as paddles were dedicated to him. But after long voyages from Henua Enata (Marquesas), Samoa, Tahiti, and Rai‘atea, the settlers in the Hawaiian archipelago found something that made them dig into the valleys and turn their eyes, once drawn to the ocean-lined horizon, to that of mountain ranges. The god of the land and forest, Kāne, and of peace and agriculture, Lono, grew in importance as the people’s roots grew deeper into this ‘āina. As a result, wa‘a moana (deep- sea ocean canoes) disappeared until the Hawaiian Renaissance inspired the construction of the Hōkūleʻa in 1975.
“We are trying in any way possible to get back to how our ancestors had lived and flourished,” Miki‘ala Pua‘a Freitas says one night in her valley home, the subtle sound of the river flowing in the background. Last December she had moved from her farm into the valley where her father and kūpuna had lived, leaving behind a shack, lo‘i kalo, choke mosquitos, overgrown cane grass, and an ineffable peace. She jokingly calls it the Waihe‘e Valley Country Club, a place on Maui where friends of hers from throughout Hawaiʻi gather to work, share, appreciate, learn, see, and value the world like those who understood this place better than anyone else. A sign from the defunct country club where the name originated is nailed to the entrance of the shack.
Mikiʻala was returning to her roots, living that kuaʻāina (backcountry) lifestyle reminiscent of her kupuna. The spirit of those ancestors give way to the mana of that valley and truly look after her as she makes this journey. Uncanny are the signs of their presence and the challenges they set forth to transform those who seek their way of life as well as their perspective. For a lot of us, we see that makaʻāinana working the loʻi kalo, cutting down the cane, and bathing in the cool rivers with a romance of a bygone era. We can visit and get muddy, even shed some blood and sweat for a day but to live it daily will severely beat the romance right out. Those that remain have truly found their calling amongst the ancestors.
Story and Images
Brendan George Ko
Featuring
Emily Anne Kaliko Spenser
Kaikai
Ka'u Pua'a Freitas
Michael Pollard
Miki'ala Pua'a Freitas
Mo'o and Haole
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