Perhaps you’ve noticed how this point juts out into the ocean? This is Kawaihoa Point. Its name means “companion’s water”. The name Kawaihoa tells a story. It is a story of a god’s gift and the respect it commanded.
Kawaihoa Point is where the god Kāne once thrust his cane. He struck the land to bring forth fresh water. Kāne and his brother Kanaloa used this water. They prepared their ‘awa drink with it. ‘Awa is a root. Hawaiians used it to make a narcotic drink. They also chewed the root for a numbing effect.
Imagine Kāne standing right here at Kawaihoa Point. He is a powerful figure creating a source of life. The spring at Kawaihoa no longer exists. But its story lives on. The water was treated with great respect. It was Kāne’s water. People only used it for drinking. They never used it for laundry.
Tragedy struck when someone disregarded this tradition at Kawaihoa Point. They washed laundry in Kāne’s water. The water “pau” or dried up. The Hawaiians were deeply distressed. An old woman from Maunalua shared this story. She was born in Hahaione valley. She recounted how the water vanished.
The people sought a girl who was “ulapa’a”. This means a girl who had not yet menstruated. They found a seven-year-old girl. She carried offerings to Kawaihoa Point. A ceremony was held. They offered a black pig. The water returned but not with its original force. Then someone washed laundry there again. The water was gone entirely. Another spring at Punalu’u beach in Ka’u suffered the same fate.
This tale highlights the Hawaiian respect for water. Water was a gift of the gods. Kāne created it with his cane. The waterhole was located near Kawaihoa Point. It was some distance mauka or inland of Kawaihoa Point. Today it is gone. The “puka” or hole was still there. But later, mechanical army “ducks” were running all over. They stirred up dust. The place where offerings of fish were given was gone. It was all for “improvement”.
Maunalua Bay stretches from Kawaihoa to Kūpikipiki’ō. Kūpikipiki’ō is also known as Black Point. Maunalua means “two mountains”. This refers to Koko Head and Koko Crater at the eastern end of the bay. British Captain Portlock tried to rename it “King George Bay” in 1786. But the name Maunalua remained.
The ahupua’a of Maunalua was known for its large fishpond. It was called Keahupua-O-Maunalua. The pond was used to raise mullet. It was also home to many water birds. The coastal plains were a famous sweet-potato planting area. It was called Ke-kula-O-Kamauwai.
Victoria Kamāmalu leased Maunalua to William Webster in 1856. He was a cattle rancher. In 1866, it was transferred to the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate. The area was vital for fishing and farming until the 1950s. The fishpond was transformed into Hawaii Kai’s housing in the 1950s and 60s.
So, remember the story of Kāne’s water. Remember the respect it once commanded here at Kawaihoa Point. It’s a reminder to cherish and protect our natural resources.