Ka'ala Cultural Learning Center

Wai'anae, O'ahu, Hawai'i - UH Public Administration Outing, December 2000
Wai'anae ahupua'a. Dry land taro. Our class learning about taro.
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The left most picture above is taken looking down the valley towards the ocean. In ancient times, the swath of land from the mountain ridges, through the valley floor, to the ocean was referred to as an ahupua'a. In a literal translation, an ahupua`a is a land division marked by ahus (heaps of rocks or cairns) topped by a pua`a (a symbolic image of a pig) indicating a form of tribute due to the chief or konahiki of the ahupua`a.

The middle image shows an example of dry land kalo (taro) used primarily in making taro chips.

The photo on the right is a shot of my classmates. A better bunch of people you will not find. They are (left to right), Tommy, Paul, Keith, me, Chantalle, Tammy, RaeDeen, Nadine, Cecile, Morris, Glen (sitting), Troy, Leon, Erin, Dana, and Orhon.

Hiking to the wet land taro patch or, in Hawai'ian, lo'i Everyone in the mud, digging for and removing rocks. Everyone working together on a really small boulder.
The shot on the left side is our class hiking from the dry land kalo patch to the wet land lo'i (or patch).

The middle image shows us digging up rocks which must be removed before the new kalo is planted. It is back breaking, dirty work but someone has to do it.<G>

The picture on the right shows the guys working together to get a small boulder dislodged from the mud.

That's me. Trying to wash off the mud.
The last shot is of me trying to get some of the mud off of my hands after a good days work.