Today, most of us know Honouliuli by its cities of ‘Ewa, ‘Ewa Beach, Kapolei and Makakilo, with their residential subdivisions and shopping malls. Many older residents remember a sparsely-populated landscape dominated by sugar cane fields. A few old-timers remember the ranches of Honouliuli that preceded the plantations. No one alive today witnessed the sweeping changes of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries; we know them only by historical records and oral tradition. Further back in time, the traditional Hawaiian period is recorded in legend and archaeology. The long period before Polynesians discovered Hawai‘i can only be reconstructed through the study of paleontology and the scientifically important plant and animal remains recovered from Honouliuli sinkholes.
Timeline
Natural History
The Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated land mass on Earth. This isolation resulted in the evolution of a diverse land snail fauna and several species of large flightless birds. Much of the early natural history of the Hawaiian Islands has been collected from the limestone sinkholes of the Honouliuli coastal plain.
Land Snails
Over millions of years a few land snails arrived on O‘ahu Island by chance, perhaps transported by birds or on floating tree trunks. Once here, they evolved into more than 750 species found only in Hawai‘i. Among the best known are the pūpū kani oe, celebrated as singing snails in Hawaiian legend. Most of the endemic land snails are now extinct, victims of habitat change and introduced predators in the last 200 years.
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of the Oahu Army Natural Resource Program
Natural History
The Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated land mass on Earth. This isolation resulted in the evolution of a diverse land snail fauna and several species of large flightless birds. Much of the early natural history of the Hawaiian Islands has been collected from the limestone sinkholes of the Honouliuli coastal plain.
Flightless Birds
Sinkholes on the Honouliuli coastal plain contain bones of large flightless birds that scientists refer to as moa nalo, or "lost fowl." Ancestors of these birds flew to the islands, where they found an environment without ground-dwelling plant eaters. Over millions of years they evolved small wings useless for flight and stout bills useful for cracking nuts and seeds. Scientists believe the moa nalo were driven to extinction by the Polynesian rat, which was introduced about AD 1000.
Reconstruction of the Oahu Moa-nalo, Thambetochen xanion, from the Late Pleistocene. (C) Stanton F. Fink
Natural History
The Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated land mass on Earth. This isolation resulted in the evolution of a diverse land snail fauna and several species of large flightless birds. Much of the early natural history of the Hawaiian Islands has been collected from the limestone sinkholes of the Honouliuli coastal plain.
Primordial Lowland Forest
Pollen collected from deeply buried sediments of a pond on the Honouliuli coastal plain comes from plants that grew here before Polynesians discovered the islands. The pollen record indicates a forest unlike any that exists today in the islands. Dominant plants included loulu, ‘a‘ali‘i, and a legume found today in the wild only on a sea stack near the island of Kaho‘olawe.
Traditional Hawaiian Era
The coastal plain of Honouliuli is the hottest and driest region of O‘ahu. Hawaiian folklore includes the journey of the goddess Hi‘iaka, beloved sister of Pele. When Hi‘iaka traverses the Honouliuli plain and passes Pu‘uokapolei she stops to pick a ma‘o blossom and chants these lines:
The sun is exceeding hot on Pu‘uokapolei
The ma‘o growth is stunted on the seaward plain
Traditional Hawaiian activities in Honouliuli centered in the uplands of central O‘ahu, the bottom lands along Honouliuli Stream and the rich fishing resources of Pu‘uloa (Pearl Harbor). Traditional Hawaiian sites are also found at several locations on the Honouliuli coast, where fisher folk harvested the bountiful products of the sea.
Polynesians Discover and Settle O‘ahu
The earliest evidence for Polynesian settlement of O‘ahu is the presence of fine particles of charcoal buried deep in the sediments of a pond on the coastal plain of Honouliuli. Introduction of the Polynesian rat led to drastic changes in the lowland forest and the rapid extinction of large, flightless birds.
Traditional Hawaiian Era
The coastal plain of Honouliuli is the hottest and driest region of O‘ahu. Hawaiian folklore includes the journey of the goddess Hi‘iaka, beloved sister of Pele. When Hi‘iaka traverses the Honouliuli plain and passes Pu‘uokapolei she stops to pick a ma‘o blossom and chants these lines:
The sun is exceeding hot on Pu‘uokapolei
The ma‘o growth is stunted on the seaward plain
Traditional Hawaiian activities in Honouliuli centered in the uplands of central O‘ahu, the bottom lands along Honouliuli Stream and the rich fishing resources of Pu‘uloa (Pearl Harbor). Traditional Hawaiian sites are also found at several locations on the Honouliuli coast, where fisher folk harvested the bountiful products of the sea.
Hawaiians Establish Settlements on the Coastal Plain
Archaeological evidence for Hawaiian settlement on the Honouliuli coastal plain dates to about 400 years after the islands were discovered by Polynesians. Sites interpreted as fishing camps are located near the shoreline. Large pieces of charcoal were deposited in a pond on the coastal plain of Honouliuli, indicating the presence of fires nearby. The sweet potato, ‘uala, an important food plant in dry regions of the islands, was introduced to Hawai‘i at about this time, as was the breadfruit tree, 'ulu, which Hawaiian tradition claims was first established near here.
Early Historic Period
Captain James Cook’s third Pacific voyage from 1776 to 1780 accurately located the islands of Hawai‘i on Western maps of the world. Through the rest of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, increasing numbers of Western ships landed in the islands. These ships introduced Western weapons that promoted warfare among ali‘i, greatly altering traditional social structures. The visitors also brought with them Western diseases that killed large numbers of kanaka maoli.
Kamehameha and Kalanimōkū
Kamehameha's conquest of O‘ahu in 1795, which culminated in the famous battle at Nu‘uanu Pali, brought about changes in the administration of Honouliuli Ahupua‘a. Kamehameha gave the panala‘au (conquered land) of Honouliuli to Kalanimōkū, a Maui ali‘i who served as Prime Minister under Kamehameha I, Kamehameha II, and Kamehameha III.
Early Historic Period
Captain James Cook’s third Pacific voyage from 1776 to 1780 accurately located the islands of Hawai‘i on Western maps of the world. Through the rest of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, increasing numbers of Western ships landed in the islands. These ships introduced Western weapons that promoted warfare among ali‘i, greatly altering traditional social structures. The visitors also brought with them Western diseases that killed large numbers of kanaka maoli.
Māhele
The Māhele (division of lands) marked a turning point in Hawaiian history. It introduced private property to Hawai‘i and broke many of the traditional bonds between ali‘i and maka‘āinana. The first stage of the Māhele divided lands among ali‘i. Honouliuli Ahupua‘a was awarded to the ali‘i wahine, Kekau‘ōnohi, the niece of Kalanimōkū and a granddaughter of Kamehameha through Kīna‘u.
Early Historic Period
Captain James Cook’s third Pacific voyage from 1776 to 1780 accurately located the islands of Hawai‘i on Western maps of the world. Through the rest of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, increasing numbers of Western ships landed in the islands. These ships introduced Western weapons that promoted warfare among ali‘i, greatly altering traditional social structures. The visitors also brought with them Western diseases that killed large numbers of kanaka maoli.
Kuleana Act
Once the lands of Hawai‘i had been divided among ali‘i, the Kuleana Act of 1850 allowed maka‘āinana to petition for lands that they cultivated and inhabited. Kuleana claims in Honouliuli Ahupua‘a were located along streams where kalo could be cultivated, and inland near the base of the Wai‘anae mountains. No kuleana claims were made for lands on the coastal plain.
Consequences of the Māhele
Distribution of lands during the Māhele concentrated land-holdings and set up the institutional framework for the large commercial and government enterprises that characterized the Honouliuli coastal plain through the last half of the nineteenth century.
Ranching
Grazing of small herds of cattle, and eventually larger ranching operations, began to develop in Honouliuli by the 1840s. Initially, native tenants and a few foreign residents vied for access to the land. By the 1860s, few native residents could compete, and individuals like Isaac and Daniel Montgomery, John Meek, James Dowsett, and James Campbell came to control the majority of the land in Honouliuli.
Consequences of the Māhele
Distribution of lands during the Māhele concentrated land-holdings and set up the institutional framework for the large commercial and government enterprises that characterized the Honouliuli coastal plain through the last half of the nineteenth century.
Sugar Cane
Establishment of the Ewa Plantation Company initiated a series of major changes on the land. Thousands of acres were cleared for sugar fields, work force populations were developed, housing and commercial interests grew, and traditional cultural resources were erased from the landscape. Sugar cultivation dominated Honouliuli Ahupua‘a through the 1970s.
Consequences of the Māhele
Distribution of lands during the Māhele concentrated land-holdings and set up the institutional framework for the large commercial and government enterprises that characterized the Honouliuli coastal plain through the last half of the nineteenth century.
Great Land Colonization Scheme
One of the first residential developments for Honouliuli was proposed by Benjamin F. Dillingham, James Campbell, and other businessmen as part of the Great Land Colonization Scheme. According to the Scheme, "an exceptional opportunity is offered for acquiring homesteads, by a system of deferred or gradual payment as may be agreed upon."
Consequences of the Māhele
Distribution of lands during the Māhele concentrated land-holdings and set up the institutional framework for the large commercial and government enterprises that characterized the Honouliuli coastal plain through the last half of the nineteenth century.
Military Occupation
The US military presence in Hawai‘i altered the face of Honouliuli. Areas where native Hawaiians and large landowners lived at Pu‘uloa-Honouliuli were condemned, including family lands of Dowsett-Parish, Kealoha, Kealakai, Campbell, Stephenson, and others. Military activities directly impacted lands of the Hoakalei program area as roads and training grounds were developed across the region.
Residential and Commercial Development
The modern era in Honouliuli has been one of residential and commercial development. A growing population and rising land prices spurred demand for housing outside the port town and capital city of Honolulu. Although the first Honouliuli development scheme was launched at the end of the nineteenth century, the pace of development picked up after statehood in 1959 and has risen steadily since the decline of sugar cane cultivation in the 1970’s.
Rapid Population Growth
The population of Hawai‘i grew very quickly during the twentieth century. At the beginning of the century in 1900 about 154,000 people lived in Hawai‘i. At the end of the century in 2000 the population was 1,211,537, an increase of nearly eight times.