Gifts from the Northwest Coast
Back Gallery of the Hawai`iloa Exhibit
O ka la`au o ke kula e noho ana i ka `aina, o ka la`au o ka `aina e nalowale aku ana.
The trees of the plains will dwell on the land; the trees of the native land will vanish.
A prophecy of Kalaunuiohua, predicting that trees from other lands would flourish, while native trees became extinct.
(`Olelo No`eau #2413; Pukui 1983)
For 2 years, volunteers searched the misty nahele (forests) of Hawai‘i Island, looking in vain for koa trees big enough for the ka`ele (hulls) of Hawai`iloa. The large trees were no more; Kalaunuiohua's prophecy had come to pass. This was a painful reminder of the need to m lama (nurture) the `aina (earth) to insure the continuing availability of traditional resources.
To replenish our Hawaiian nahele (forests), 40 volunteers
returned to Keauhou on a Sunday morning in 1990, this time
to plant 3,000 hehu (seedlings) on conservation land.
Gifts from the Northwest Coast
Back Gallery of the Hawai`iloa Exhibit
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