Fishpond symbol of ingenuity
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
HE'EIA — Five hundred years ago, ancient Hawaiians addressed the crunch of a growing population and shrinking resources with an ingenious solution — the fishpond — that could hold valuable lessons for the 21st century.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
"They were forced to adapt, and we are in the same situation because we are going to be forced to adapt quickly," said Clyde Tamaru, an aquaculture specialist with the University of Hawai'i Sea Grant College Program. "So hopefully, we use their wisdom."
Hi'ilei Kawelo, left, of Paepae O He'eia clears weeds at the fishpond with Halau Ku Mana students Kau'i Onekea and Maui Cambra.
Teaching new generations about the value of the fishponds is the latest installment in an ongoing outreach program at the Bishop Museum. The Traditions of the Pacific program begins tonight with a panel discussion, and continues Saturday morning with a tour of He'eia Fishpond.
Kimokeo Kapahulehua, a program panelist who has been restoring the Ko'ie'ie Fishpond on Maui, said fishponds were built to raise fish for the ali'i. They also demonstrate the sophistication and intelligence of early Hawaiians.
"They never need to go to Harvard to do that," he said. "They did it by the knowledge they had within themselves. They not only built a wall, they made sure the environment was made so they can get plenty fish."
Early in the development of their culture, Hawaiians stopped hunting and gathering and began farming when they realized their resources were finite, said Tamaru, also one of the program's panelists.
They created a sustainable culture to feed their people, protect the water supply and preserve the environment, Tamaru said, adding that today Hawai'i is facing similar challenges.
Any significant depletion in natural resources, especially in fossil fuels, could limit the amount of goods and food being shipped to the Islands, he said.
"What will happen to Hawai'i?" he said. "If you think about it, it's a little scary."
What: Traditions of the Pacific When and where: 6 to 7 p.m. today at Bishop Museum Hawaiian Hall; and 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday at He'eia Fishpond Fee: $5 each session, Bishop Museum members are free Reservation: Call 847-8296
Part of the answer could be found in the fishpond, a relatively simple but effective method to capture and raise fish for food, he said. Fishponds vary depending on what is being grown and include freshwater ponds between taro fields, he said. Others include large inland ponds like Kawai Nui and seashore ponds like He'eia Fishpond.
Lessons of old
Paepae O He'eia, a nonprofit educational and cultural group, uses He'eia Fishpond in Kane-'ohe to teach children about Hawaiian history and culture and the evolution of fishponds.
Students learn resource management and come to understand that ancient Hawaiians also were aware of the limited supply of fish in the ocean, said Hi'ilei Kawelo, who will be a panelist and is an instructor with the organization.
"The whole idea of fishponds is totally unique to Hawai'i," she said. "Our ancestors saw 400, 500 years ago you couldn't just keep hammering the reef."
Now, Kawelo uses the fishpond to teach lessons that emphasize taking only what is needed from nature.
"If you show that our kupuna recognized it was a real problem it becomes tangible to them," she said. "It makes sense."
Students at the fishpond this week said they enjoyed the experience. They study at the site twice a week, staying for about four hours, testing the water for oxygen and salt to make sure the fish can survive, said Kau'i Onekea, a junior at Halau Ku Mana, a public charter school in Manoa Valley.
Onekea acknowledged that although she is an ocean person she didn't know much about fishponds. At He'eia, she learned the importance of the ponds in the history of the Islands.
"This fishpond was owned by Kamehameha and since our genealogy leads back to Kamehameha it's important to maintain this fishpond," she said, adding that few of this style of fishpond remain in the Islands. "Because it's really big you can see how long it would take and how much hard work it was to build."
Modern civilization surrounds the He'eia Fishpond, which is adjacent to He'eia State Park, but a mangrove blocks the view of the nearby homes as a cool breeze sweeps across the pool surrounded by 1¡ mile of lava rock. It is one of the largest kuapa fishponds in the Islands.
Wayne Sterling, who sits on the advisory council for the Bishop Museum, said the new program is designed to make more of the resources at the museum available to the public and to create interest in the facility. The first session in the series about fishhooks drew a big crowd, Sterling said.
"It's a unique way of stirring the emotions and academic brain cells in all of us to learn something other than from just reading a book," he said.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
