Hanohano Lanai
(Lanai is Distinguished)
The link at the bottom of this page will take you to a detailed ethnographic/traditional cultural properties (TCP) study, titled “Hanohano Lanai–Lanai is Distinguished. An Ethnography of Kaa Ahupuaa and the Island of Lanai” (KPA/LCHC, May 2011), prepared under Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Grant No. 2575.
The study documents: (1) research methodology & criteria; (2) an introduction to Lanai’s history; (3) the first ever detailed collection of traditions and history of Kaa Ahupuaa; and (4) a synthesis of findings from a limited archaeological reconnaissance survey of Kaa Ahupuaa, conducted under the right of entry agreement granted to the Lanai Culture & Heritage Center from Castle & Cooke Resorts, LLC on September 24, 2010.
This study represents the first part of four documents which are being prepared as a part of the OHA grant. Kumu Pono Associates LLC and the Lanai Culture & Heritage Center contributed the entire funding amount for development of the ethnographic/TCP study. Funds from the OHA grant were expended in undertaking the limited archaeological reconnaissance survey covering six weeks—including four days of aerial transects—conducted in partnership with Cultural Surveys Hawai‘i, and in completing other aspects of work for study development.
Because Lanai Culture & Heritage Center is working on a two year schedule for application of the grant funds, with 16 months remaining in the grant cycle, three additional study components are not yet complete.
The ethnographic/TCP study, “Hanohano Lanai…” is a thorough and complete work. Because Kepa has personally been gathering information from elder Lanai natives since the 1960s, and has collected archival materials for Lanai from local and national repositories over the last 30 years, it is unlikely that a more detailed and thorough collection would be compiled by other researchers. The ethnography is a stand-alone document with a wide range of research and public interest applications.
The archaeological investigations are, on the other hand, severely limited by lack of funding and time in the field. This said, the limited reconnaissance survey conducted under this grant is telling by what has been discovered in just six weeks of survey. Most of the sites documented have not been previously described, and it is logical to assume that the archaeological survey which would be required on the nearly 22,000 acre study/project area will reveal much more. This work is meant to set a foundation upon which to build further field research methodology, and provides us with a base line from which to move forward.
“Hanohano Lanai…” was formally presented to Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs at the Community Board meeting on Lanai on June 15th, 2011. Copies for public review have also been placed in the Lanai Community Public Library, and at the Lanai Culture & Heritage Center.
OHA Chairwoman Colette Machado described Kaa as a “unique, vanishing landscape,” in Hawaii. The link below provides all interested parties with access to the study, and it is our hope that the study will provide readers with a new depth of understanding and appreciation for the rich cultural/historical legacy of Lanai. Through such awareness, the landscape might be cared for, and not vanish and be lost to future generations.
The low resolution pdf file is 6 mb, please allow time for download).
