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Hawaiians were primarily planters
of the land. By the time Captain Cook arrived in 1778, Hawaiians
had developed agricultural production far beyond any of their
Polynesian relatives elsewhere in the Pacific. What were their
main food crops and the agricultural practices that made them
so successful? |
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Land relies on The Ethnobotany of Hawaiian Taro
by Isabella A. Abbot, Native Planters in Old Hawaii by
E.S. Craighill Handy and Elizazbeth Green Handy, and Feathered
Gods and Fishhooks by archaeologist Patrick V. Kirch, for
information about Hawaiian agriculture. |
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| Hawaiian agriculture
was based on two main crop plants. The first was kalo
(taro), a water loving plant of southeast Asian origin. No
other Polynesian society admired kalo as a plant and
source of food as much as the Hawaiians. The Marquesans were
into breadfruit - the Tahitians into bananas - Hawaiians were
really into kalo. It was and is the heart of their culture.
In all of Polynesia, there were no extensive flat valley bottoms,
so perfect for kalo cultivation, that could compare to
those found in Hawai'i. (Abbot) |
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"Kalo kanu
o ka 'aina"
Taro planted on the land.
Natives on the land from generations back
''Olelo Noeau # 1447
"He kalo pa'a"
Unpounded taro.
Referring to a single
man or woman.
'Olelo Noeau # 666
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Second only to kalo as a crop
plant was 'uala (sweet potato) - tolerant of dry conditions
and capable of producing high yields, even in marginal soil.
Because 'uala is of South American origin, it was once
believed that Polynesians were from that area. However, our
recent understanding of the voyaging skills of Polynesian explorers
indicates that they acquired the plant in their travels, well
before European arrival. (Kirch) |
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'Uala
Photo by Sam Monet
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"He 'uala ka
'ai ho'ola koke i ka wi."
The sweet potato is the food that ends famine quickly.
The sweet potato is a plant that matures in a few months.
'Olelo Noeau # 946
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Other crop plants important to the
native planter: mai'a (banana), 'ulu (breadfruit),
ko (sugarcane), niu (coconut), uhi(yam).
Other plants extensively cultivated were wauke (paper
mulberry) for kapa, 'awa as a narcotic, ipu
(gourd) for containers and musical instruments, hala
for mats, and many other useful and medicinal plants. However,
crop tending activities were most focused on kalo and
'uala.
(Handy and Handy)
To the right, 'awa - used as a ritual drink and
as a remedy for sore muscles after a hard day of work in the
lo'i (taro patch). A little 'awa, a little lomi
lomi (Hawaiian massage) - aole pilikia (no problem).
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'Awa
Photo by Sam Monet
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"Ka
'awa lena o Kali'u"
The
yellowed 'awa of Kali'u.
Refers
to Kali'u, Kilohana, Kaua'i.
People noticed drunken rats
in the forest and discovered some very potent
'awa there.
Olelo Noeau # 1281
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The earliest planters did not immediately begin construction
of large irrigation systems for taro because their small population
did not require intensive production. For the first few centuries
following their arrival, slash and burn gardens, or shifting
cultivations, were their most efficient techniques. Land early
on was plentiful, and Hawaiian settlers also made extensive
use of the natural food resources - native birds, fish, and
shellfish. (Kirch)
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Arrival painting by Herb Kane
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| However, in the
period from A.D. 1100-1600, the Hawaiian population would
grow to several hundred thousand. It was at this time
that large irrigation works, dryland field cultivation,
and aquaculture were developed. This period was called
the Expansion Period, because the growing population,
having occupied all the choice agricultural lands, had
to expand into marginal areas with less agricultural resources.
(Kirch) |
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Alekoko Fishpond wall
Photo courtesy of the Baker collection,
Kaua'i Historical Society
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| It was in the
Expansion Period that stone- faced lo'i (pondfields)
and 'auwai (irrigation channels) were built. Around
the fifteenth century, the earliest loko 'ia (fishponds)
were built. The native population had become large enough
to provide the labor for these massive projects of agricultural
intensification. (Kirch) |
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It was in the Expansion Period that
the ahupua'a system of land management developed, along with
its associated social class structure. As the population grew
and the amount of available land and resources diminished, the
need to divide these resources and resolve territorial boundaries
increased - thus, the ahupua'a system. Residents
of an ahupua'a had free access to all the resources in their
ahupua'a, from mauka to makai. (Kirch) |
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Ahupua'a Illustration by Robin Y.
Racoma
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By the Expansion Period, the society had divided into a pyramid
type of structure, with the mo'i (king) at the top,
layers of ali'i (chiefs) below him, the konohiki
(managers) in charge of the ahupua'a below them, and at
the bottom the maka'ainana (common people).The maka'ainana
were the real native planters, and as their name suggests,
"the eyes of the land". (Handy and Handy)
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At the top of the pyramid,
ali'i nui Kamehameha I. 1816 pen and water color by Louis
Choris - The Honolulu Academy of Arts |
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| In return for their
use of the land, the maka'ainana owed the upper layers
of chiefs labor, loyalty, and a share of their agricultural
product . All rights to the land were with the ali'i,
and the ali'i could gain or lose power with a turnover
in chiefs above them. Changes in upper level ali'i rarely
affected the native planters because the maka'ainana
who faithfully cultivated the land were valuable to whoever
was in power. (Handy and Handy) |
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Maka'ainana
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Once constructed, Hawaiian irrigation
systems did not require much management. However, these systems
produced high yields for the labor invested.(Kirch) How did
the native planters view and manage their water
resources? |
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