Historic mill plans old-style rice tower

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau

HANALEI, Kaua'i — The Haraguchi Rice Mill museum will build a traditional yagura next month — a watchtower to keep away birds.

"In the old days, most every rice farm had one of these towers," said Rodney Haraguchi, president of the foundation that runs the Hanalei Valley museum on rice cultivation.

Yagura were generally 10 to 15 feet high, with a platform on top where someone — usually a kid — sat and watched for birds. They often were placed in the middle of rice fields, and tied with bits of fabric and clanking empty cans extending in all directions, like a maypole. An attendant would pull the strings to frighten birds that attacked the crops.

While wetland taro cultivation dominates the valley flatlands today, rice was the primary crop for a century, until 1961. The Haraguchi Rice Mill includes a restored mill and much of its equipment.

Hawai'i high school and college students and Native Hawaiians are invited to participate for free in the weeklong yagura-building project, which includes meals and camping accommodations. Others will pay $525 for residents and $975 for nonresidents, a tax-deductible portion of which will go to the museum.

Traditional timber framing techniques and local materials will be used, with building sessions conducted by the Fox Maple School of Traditional Building of Maine. School director Steve Chappell, who will oversee the project, said he hopes the program will demonstrate alternatives to imported building materials.

Harvesting and joinery techniques will be taught 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 5 to 9 as parts are built for the 18-foot yagura frame. The tower will be raised on April 10.

For information, visit www.foxmaple.com/kauai2002.html, write to kilauea@aloha.net or foxmaple@foxmaple.com, or call the rice mill at (808) 651-3399.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.