Project Overview (from Executive Summary in 2012 Master Plan)

2011 Slideshow:
Aerial Progress Report

Kahua O Kāneiolouma (Kāneiolouma Complex) is a cultural site containing the remnants of an ancient Hawaiian village at Poʻipū, Kōloa, Kauaʻi. The 13‐acre complex, presently under the jurisdiction of the County of Kauaʻi and designated as the Poʻipū Beach Mauka Preserve, contains numerous habitation, cultivation, sporting or assembly, and religious structures dating to at least the mid‐1400’s.

The Goals of the Project:

To preserve and perpetuate Hawaiian culture through protection and restoration of Kahua O Kāneiolouma.

To honor and respect the sacred places of Kāneiolouma while enhancing educational and recreational opportunities at Poʻipū.

To provide a living link to Hawaiian traditions and heritage through expanded knowledge and experience of cultural practices.

Kāneiolouma is wahi pana, a storied place. It is considered sacred to the Hawaiian culture as well as an important historic landmark for the residents of Kauaʻi. Within the complex, an intricate system of walls and terraces trace the architecture of an ancient way of life. Remnants of house sites, fishponds, taro fields, above ground irrigation channels, shrines, altars, and idol sites lie relatively undisturbed near the scene of epic battles and legends in history spanning a millennium. Near its center, the complex contains what may be the only intact Makahiki sporting arena in the state. The site also contains the sacred spring of Waiohai.

Video Interview:
Professor Keao Ne Smith

Largely intact but in need of rehabilitation, surrounded on all sides by roads and encroaching development, the ancient kahua has suffered instances of flooding, disturbance, and theft of sacred rocks. These incidents were part of the impetus for formal stewardship protection. The complex has also succumbed to dense vegetation overgrowth, and its rock walls are undergoing slow deterioration and collapse with time. Without efforts for preservation and repair, this rare and remarkable heritage site would undoubtedly be lost.

Members of the Native Hawaiian group Hui Mālama O Kāneiolouma have unofficially cared for Kahua O Kāneiolouma for more than a decade. The group has an enduring vision and mission to protect, restore, interpret, and share Kāneiolouma as a public cultural preserve.

Video Interview:
Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho

Under a Stewardship Agreement signed in August 2010, the County of Kauaʻi has granted formal custodianship of the Kāneiolouma complex to the group. The importance of this work to all of Kauaʻi has been recognized by inclusion of this project in Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho’s Holo Holo 2020 plan.

In the Holo Holo 2020 plan, Hui Mālama O Kāneiolouma is taking the lead in the restoration and interpretation of the Kāneiolouma complex, following the outline provided by Native Hawaiian archaeological expert, Henry E.P. Kekahuna.

Kekauna, the gifted and prolific surveyor of Hawaiian heiau, envisioned a restoration at Kāneiolouma that would create an “authentic Hawaiian village” to serve education, cultural, and tourism needs, while preserving and perpetuating ancient Hawaiian culture and history. In partnership with Kauaʻi County and the local community, this project will develop a public cultural preserve integrated within the popular visitor destination of Poʻipū Beach Park. Kekahuna’s detailed maps and descriptions provide an authentic blueprint to guide the work.

2010 Slideshow:
Stewardship Photos

Under the Stewardship Agreement, all work is subject to approval by the County, through the Parks Department, in consultation where appropriate with the Kauaʻi Historic Preservation Review Commission and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources State Historic Preservation Division. The Master Plan addresses a seven year horizon, with work in four overlapping phases.

In Year 1 (2012) the work of the project involves establishing site security, clearing vegetation, planning for rock wall rehabilitation, and increasing public awareness, knowledge and respect for the site. Acquisition of funding and in‐kind donations, and procurement of an adjacent land parcel, as well as continued assistance from the County, are crucial to progression through succeeding phases.

In Summary: This is a volunteer‐driven, knowledge‐rich, partnership‐based endeavor which honors the values, traditions, and achievements of Hawaiian ancestors in southern Kōloa, Kauaʻi. The project is informed and guided by Hawaiian culture and strengthened by County and community support. The intent is to preserve in perpetuity, for all people, the sacred site at Kāneiolouma and ensure that irreplaceable knowledge and heritage are passed on, to the future.

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