Fishpond offers window into old Hawaiian ways
2/17/13: No
boardroom, no PowerPoint presentations, no catered lunch. Executives of a
Waikiki hotel found their professional development meeting at He’eia Fishpond
to be a big change from the norm.
Most of them were
recent arrivals to Hawaii who didn't know much about local history and culture.
Their agenda for that day in September 2008 included fishing in the pond,
gutting their catch and cooking and eating it.
"The looks on
their faces as they were cleaning the fish were priceless; they were all pretty
squeamish," said Kelii Kotubetey, assistant executive director of Paepae o
He’eia, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that cares for the pond. "But
the knowledge they gained from the experience was equally priceless. When they
left, they said they now understood a lot of time, skill and work are involved
to take fish from the pond to the plate."
Kotubetey learned
that lesson as a volunteer in the summer of 2000. Armed with handsaws and
loppers, he and several friends went to He’eia Fishpond to help remove mangrove
whose aerial roots were growing into the pond's rock kuapa (wall) and weakening
it. To retain water in the pond, a strong wall is essential.
Mangrove also harms
the pond's environment because sediment and decaying organic matter build up on
the shrub's roots over time. And large stands of mangrove prevent tradewinds
from circulating the surface water. Circulating water creates oxygen, which is
essential for fish to survive.
"It didn't
take long for us to recognize the serious problems the pond was facing with
invasive plants and a rapidly deteriorating wall," Kotubetey said.
"We knew clearing mangrove was vital to the pond's health."
Over the next year,
he continued to volunteer whenever he could, meeting others who shared his
commitment to restore the pond and spread the word about its cultural and
historical significance. To develop the network and receive funds to reach
these goals, they realized they needed to establish a nonprofit organization.
In September 2001,
Kotubetey became one of the founding members of Paepae o He’eia, which means
"a support of the ahupuaa (land division) of He’eia." In a vivid
dream that he had around that time, he said, "I saw He’eia Fishpond clear
of invasive plants and with a fully restored wall. I saw families laughing and
playing there — a healthy community thriving around the pond. Twelve years and
40,000-plus visitors later, Paepae o He’eia is still striving to make that
dream a reality."
Centuries ago, alii
(royalty) built ponds to raise fish for consumption during the winter months
when tumultuous ocean conditions made deep-sea fishing dangerous. The ponds'
sizes varied, depending on the availability of materials to construct them and
the number of people they were intended to feed.
Scholars estimate He’eia
Fishpond is 600 to 800 years old. Measuring 88 acres, it is encircled by a
1.3-mile kuapa — the longest of its kind in Hawaii. Passing coral and basalt
hand to hand, it took villagers throughout He’eia three years to build the
wall, which stands about 5 feet high and 12 to 15 feet wide.
Five of six makaha
(sluice gates) are in working condition and control the flow of fresh water
from He’eia Stream and salt water from Kaneohe Bay into the pond (depending on
the tide, the depth ranges from 2 to 5 feet). Brackish water is ideal for fish
cultivation because microscopic algae, the primary food of fish in the pond,
thrive in it.
Mirroring what was
abundant on nearby reefs, awa (milkfish), amaama (Hawaiian striped mullet),
mamo (sergeant fish), manini (surgeonfish) and moi (threadfish) were among the
species the Hawaiians cultivated long ago.
"Some ponds
were reserved at all times for the alii and their retinue," Kotubetey
said. "Commoners used others to supplement the fish they were catching
from the ocean. There were more than 400 fishponds throughout the Hawaiian chain,
so it's hard to imagine the alii, who represented a small percentage of the
population, were the only ones eating fish from the ponds."
In its heyday, He’eia
Fishpond produced 100 to 200 pounds of fish per acre per year. Legend says
Meheanu — a large moo (lizard) that can also appear as a mullet, a white eel or
a woman — is the kiai (guardian) of the pond. Lupe Kiai Nui, a giant stingray,
is the kiai that patrols the ocean by the kuapa, keeping poachers away.
"Visiting He’eia
Fishpond is an amazing experience because it is so many things," Kotubetey
said. "It's a living testament to the ingenuity of the Hawaiian people, a
working aquaculture farm, an outdoor classroom with relevance to many
disciplines of learning, a place for the practice of Hawaiian traditions, and a
refuge for spiritual and mental renewal."
According to him,
Hawaiian fishponds are on a par with the pyramids of Egypt, Stonehenge of
England and the moai (monolithic human figures) of Rapa Nui in terms of
engineering. "To build the ponds' walls, the Hawaiians fit stones tightly
together in the ‘dry-stack' method of construction, which uses no mortar,"
he said. "The ponds might not be as famous as other stonework around the
world, but they are just as remarkable and impressive, and they provide
something none of the others can: food for their communities."
Cheryl
Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for
the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.
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PAEPAE O HE’EIA
Address: 46-077 Ipuka St., He’eia
Guided one-hour tour: $40 for five to 10 people, $60 for 11-20 people, $100
for 21-40 people. Visits by individuals, couples and smaller groups are
allowed, but no guide will be provided. Kamaaina rates are listed; call or
email for visitor rates.
Fishpond Experience (kamaaina rates): $150 for one to 20
people, $200 for 21-40 people, $250 for 41-50 people, $300 for 51-60 people.
This three-hour visit includes a guided tour and a service project.
Time: Arranged upon booking; reservations
are required
Phone: 236-6178
Email: sales@paepaeoHe’eia.org
Website: www.paepaeoHe’eia.org
Notes: The one-hour tour and the Fishpond
Experience are offered Monday through Friday. Participants for these
activities must be mobile.
Wear comfortable clothes and footwear (the terrain is
rocky, uneven and often muddy). For the Fishpond Experience, participants
must wear covered shoes, sunscreen, a hat and clothes that they don't mind
getting dirty. It's a good idea to bring bottled water, lunch, a towel, a
change of clothes and a plastic bag to hold dirty clothes.
Paepae o He’eia welcomes volunteers to assist in its
restoration efforts. Community workdays are scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30
p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of most months. Due to limited
parking, the number of participants for each workday is capped; please call
to reserve a spot.
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some areas are perfect for fishes and it depends upon the habitat of that area.
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