Mahele

Kepā Maly and Onaona Pomroy Maly completed a review of all the original land title records of the Hawaiian Kingdom recorded during the Māhele ‘Āina (Land Division) between the years 1847 and 1855. For the first time, all of the Māhele records have been compiled in one collection, and the original Hawaiian-language documents of the Native Register and Testimony collections were translated by Kepā Maly for this program. The results provide readers with significant documentation coming from those who lived on and knew the land in a traditional manner. The Māhele documents describe land use, residency, and the practices of the families of Honouliuli and its smaller land subdivisions. With this information, we are able better to understand the history and cultural landscape of Honouliuli. While much has changed in the last 170 years, the spirit of place, the named places, and lives of those who came before us are still present on the land. Their history adds value to our own lives and community.

Traditional Hawaiian Land Stewardship

In pre-western contact Hawai‘i, all ‘āina, kai lawai‘a, and natural resources extending from the mountaintops to the depths of the ocean were held in “trust” by the high chiefs—mō‘ī, ali‘i ‘ai moku, or ali‘i ‘ai ahupua‘a. The right to use plots of land, fisheries, and natural resources was given to the hoa‘āina at the prerogative of the ali‘i and their representatives or land agents, often referred to as konohiki or haku ‘aina.

The Māhele ‘Āina Claims and Awards

The Hoakalei Cultural Foundation (HCF) seeks to provide the public with access to the rich history of Honouliuli Ahupua‘a—bringing traditional and historical documentation that has time depth, and that is factual, to the attention of all who care for this land. The research is being conducted in a wide range of archival collections, and incorporates primary—first account—documentation from both Hawaiian- and English-language resources.

Residency: Land Ownership and Access

By the time of the Māhele ‘Āina (Land Division) of 1848, which granted chiefs, native tenants, and a number of foreigners fee-simple title to land, major changes in the Hawaiian way of life—residency and subsistence practices—were occurring across the islands. Among the notable changes in Honouliuli was that the southern, ocean-facing shore of Honouliuli was all but abandoned by the native tenants. The one exception was along the inland shores of Pu‘uloa, where foreigners gained control of the land and engaged native Hawaiians as employees of newly developing businesses.

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