Hawaii
The push to save one of Hawaii’s only voyaging temples
Koa Heiau Holomoana is an ancient Hawaiian heiau (traditional Hawaiian place of worship) that was used to train navigators for ocean voyaging by using the alignments of the stones with the stars.
Hawaii Land Trust/Shibby StyleeOn Hawaii Island, in the hills of North Kohala overlooking the Pacific, a unique Hawaiian cultural site sits beneath the stars, free from light pollution. The ancient Hawaiian heiau, or temple, called Koa Heiau Holomoana, is one of the rare few dedicated to long-distance ocean voyaging. Some think it was built over a thousand years ago. A training ground for navigators, its standing stones are aligned, with keen precision, with islands on the other side of the Pacific, farther than the eye can see.
For decades, the coastline of North Kohala has been under threat of resort development, and the island’s county council supported its development.
Despite community opposition, one after the other, developers proposed large hotels, condos, homes and an 18-hole golf course on land that contains this sacred heiau and 174 other historic cultural sites, such as shrines, burials and trails.
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Hawaii Land Trust is raising $20 million to save Mahukona from resort development.
Hawaii Land TrustWhen the latest developer’s plans fell through, the Kohala community partnered with the nonprofit Hawaii Land Trust to try to buy the 642 acres and preserve the land into perpetuity. “There’s been a very, very long-term community use of Mahukona for a bunch of things, from recreation to cultural practice to subsistence gathering, and the community was worried that had that resort been developed, they would have lost access and ability to continue those practices,” Olu Campbell, CEO of Hawaii Land Trust, told SFGATE.
Hawaii Land Trust is actively campaigning to raise $20 million, to be used to purchase the land from a holding company, as part of an agreement that expires on Dec. 15. It has raised enough funds to acquire the property, but needs the total amount to support immediate stewardship activities. “I’m optimistic, but yeah, there’s definitely a chance that [we won’t reach it]. We’re about $1.3 million away from completing that goal,” said Campbell. The purchase would create 4 miles of protected coastline, including Kapaa Beach Park to the north and Lapakahi State Historical Park to the south.
“It allows us to continue to steward Koa Heiau Holomoana,” Chadd Paishon, expert navigator and executive director of Na Kalai Waa, a Hawaii Island organization that perpetuates traditional ocean voyaging. (Aside from the coastal trail, Mahukona is on private property and visitors are not allowed to visit the heiau without permission from Hawaii Land Trust.)
The Makalii is Hawaii Island’s long-distance voyaging canoe that’s part of Na Kalai Waa.
Hawaii Land TrustCultural revitalization
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Long before modern-day GPS and even prior to the invention of the compass, Polynesians voyaged across the islands of the Pacific by using the positioning of the stars, moon, sun and ocean swells to navigate their way. They traveled between Hawaii and the South Pacific on voyaging canoes for centuries. But for unknown reasons, voyaging declined and ceased in Hawaii around the 14th century. Some surmise that the voyagers’ time and energy turned to cultivating land for its growing population.
It wasn’t until the 1970s that Hawaiians, with the help of Micronesian master navigator Mau Piailug, rekindled their relationship with the voyaging traditions by building the double-hulled canoe Hokulea and sailing successfully to Tahiti in 1976.
Na Kalai Waa’s founders Clay and Shorty Bertelmann were involved in this resurgence of voyaging — and, in the 1990s, when they were building Makalii, their voyaging canoe for Hawaii Island, kupuna (elders) from Kohala introduced them, and Paishon, to Koa Heiau Holomoana.
“It had been in their family for generations,” said Paishon. “In the stories that we have learned, that particular heiau was used as a training ground, a school for potential navigators. And because we’re continuing that tradition of voyaging, they wanted us to know about the place and really to care for it. And so we basically, still utilize that heiau as our school.”
The Hawaii Island canoe Makalii is housed at Mahukona, where Chadd Paishon of Na Kalai Waa uses the navigational heiau as a school for navigators.
Hawaii Land Trust/Shibby StyleeArchaeoastronomical connections
The navigational heiau looks a bit different compared with other heiau in Hawaii, such as the large, stacked-stone heiau at Puukohola on Hawaii Island or the large enclosures of heiau Puu O Mahuka on Oahu. In contrast, Koa Heiau Holomoana is made up of upright stones pointing toward the sky. Paishon says its construction is similar to others found atop the island’s volcanoes and on Mokumanamana in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Like a map, the heiau’s standing stones are aligned with the stars used by navigators to lead to certain islands, Paishon explains. They’re pointed across the Pacific, toward Samoa, Cook Islands, Tahiti and the Marquesas. The stones are also not from Mahukona – they were brought to this spot long ago from other Pacific islands.
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Koa Heiau Holomoana continues to be used solely as a school for students practicing traditional navigation and is not open to visitation.
Hawaii Land TrustPaishon says Na Kalai Waa takes student navigators to the heiau to teach them about these connections between stones, stars and other Pacific islands. “It’s about understanding what islands are connected to which stones, so that in the process of the movement of the stars, you can see which stars align to certain stones and whether the other stars are in alignment to those particular stones,” he says.
The heiau helps prepare students before a voyage. Their next long-distance voyage is in two years. If construction had proceeded at Mahukona, development would have obscured the night sky, making it impossible to continue the practice, which is why Paishon sees this purchase as a necessary step for conservation. “It allows that part of our culture to continue,” he says.
Editor’s note: SFGATE recognizes the importance of diacritical marks in the Hawaiian language. We are unable to use them due to the limitations of our publishing platform.
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – After serving more than three years as commander of U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), Gen. Charles Flynn will step down Friday, Nov. 8.
He took command of the U.S. Army’s largest service component command in June 2021.
“One of the most challenging things about this command is the variations of the environment and conditions that exist across Asia,” Flynn said.
While the general is charming and engaging, he is also a battle-proven soldier, as indicated by the tabs on his chest, combat infantry, airborne, air assault, and pathfinder. Gen. Flynn is a mix of two worlds, military and diplomacy.
“There are a lot of tough decisions to be made in the coming years on a range of topics, but I think at the end of the day, that there is this trust and relationship and conversation and transparency and truth that comes from looking after one another, and caring for one another is really important,” he said.
Flynn has worked on building that trust on three fronts. First, he says, it comes to respecting the aina and the indigenous people of the islands.
“Being here and being respectful of what we are able to do, and being respectful of the people, the land, and the water, and all that goes with it is, again, that’s really an important part of actually being here,” he said.
Second, Flynn says, is building trust with other nations, like Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, and Australia, as seen at the recent Land Forces Pacific of LANPAC Symposium.
USARPAC‘s area of operations covers half the globe and consists of 36 nations and six of the world’s 10 largest armies.
“There is an automatic matching, if you will, of our ability to train here in Hawaii and then the ability to transfer that training, and advise, assist and enable the other armies in the region to improve. We are and remain the gold standard,” he said.
And third, the trust of the American people on ensuring U.S. Army soldiers are prepared for whatever missions they are called on to do.
“Our ability to train here and be able to train in the areas that we have access to here on Oahu and, of course, the Pohakuloa training area, what that really translates into is a degree of readiness that we can then bring into the region to do the things that we have to do with allies and partners in the region that are in those same environments,” he said.
As his time in command comes to an end, Gen. Flynn leaves with a grateful heart and will miss working with his soldiers in Hawaii.
At the same time, he will also miss the beauty of the islands and other aspects of life here.
“I am going to miss my relationships and friends. I’m also going to miss surfing, I do love surfing,” Gen. Flynn said.
“I want to thank Hawaii. I want to thank the people,” he said.
Flynn will relinquish his command to Lt. Gen. Ronald Clark Friday at a ceremony on Fort Shafter.
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
Commander, U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii, Col. Rachel Sullivan and KHON Host of Empowered Hawai’i, Jeff Mikulina, talk story about the Schofield Generating Station.
The hosts of Empowered Hawaii on KHON2, a monthly TV series on sustainability issues, approached U.S. Army Garrison Hawai’i, to feature a portion of the show on the Schofield Generating Station. The monthly TV series features positive stories of progress toward Hawai’i’s sustainable future. Their next episode will be featuring and exploring the role of biofuels as Hawaii moves toward 100% renewable energy. U.S. Army photo by Selina Gentkowski
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KHON Hosts for Empowered Hawaii, Kelly Simek and Jeff Mikulina, Mike DiCaprio – Hawaiian Electric, Vice President Power Supply. U.S. Army photo by Selina Gentkowski
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Pictured Below:
KHON Hosts for Empowered Hawaii, Kelly Simek and Jeff Mikulina, Keith Yamanaka – U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii, Energy Branch Chief. U.S. Army photo by Selina Gentkowski
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Videographers, Film Crew for KHON, Alan Yonan – Corporate Communications/Hawaiian Electric, Keith Yamanaka – Energy Branch Chief, KHON Hosts Jeff Mikulina and Kelly Simek, Mike DiCaprio – Hawaiian Electric Vice President Power Supply. U.S. Army photo by Selina Gentkowski
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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawai’i — In a show of unified commitment to energy security and sustainable practices, U.S. Army Garrison Hawai’i and Hawaiian Electric (HECO) joined forces to highlight the capabilities of the Schofield Generating Station (SGS). Featured on KHON2’s “Empowered Hawai’i” series, this collaboration underscores the Army’s readiness to support Hawai’i’s renewable energy goals and wide community resilience.
Col. Rachel Sullivan, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Hawai’i, Keith Yamanaka, chief of the Energy Branch for U.S. Army Garrison Hawai’i, and Mike DiCaprio, Hawaiian Electric’s vice president of Power Supply, met with “Empowered Hawai’i” hosts to discuss the 50-megawatt facility’s critical role in powering O’ahu in emergencies, utilizing sustainable biofuels (cooking oil), and reinforcing the island’s energy grid stability. The episode, scheduled to air on Nov. 26, will bring public awareness to the unique attributes of SGS and its contributions toward Hawai’i’s renewable energy vision.
“Schofield Generating Station is a unique facility, not only because of its capacity to support Schofield Barracks, Wheeler Army Airfield, and Field Station Kunia in emergencies but also because it represents a strategic partnership with Hawaiian Electric that leverages renewable energy to strengthen resilience for both the military and the local community,” said Col. Sullivan.
The facility, located on military grounds at Schofield Barracks and safeguarded from coastal threats, can generate electricity for up to seven days on its fuel supply and as long as 30 days with on-island resources. Additionally, SGS plays a crucial role in stabilizing the island’s power grid, stepping in during periods of low solar and wind production to prevent rolling blackouts and aiding recovery after outages.
Keith Yamanaka highlighted SGS’s importance, noting, “Our collaboration with Hawaiian Electric enables us to literally jumpstart other power plants on Oahu and potentially support up to 16 Army installations on O’ahu. This partnership truly amplifies our resilience capabilities, allowing us to be prepared for any crisis while supporting Hawai’i’s clean energy mission.”
Hawai‘i has set ambitious renewable energy goals under the Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative, aiming for 100% renewable energy in the electricity sector by 2045. SGS remains at the forefront, representing the Army’s dedication to renewable initiatives that safeguard the environment and community. With its renewable biofuel capabilities, SGS is prepared to operate independently of the grid during natural or man-made emergencies, ensuring that the Army can fulfill its mission and support O’ahu if requested.
In response to the Army’s commitment to clean energy, Mike DiCaprio, Vice President of Power Supply at Hawaiian Electric, added, “This partnership with the U.S. Army demonstrates our shared vision for a sustainable future, and we’re proud to bring renewable energy advancements to the forefront here in Hawai’i.”
The Schofield Generating Station stands as a testament to the power of collaboration in achieving energy security and sustainability, illustrating the Army’s unwavering support for Hawai’i’s clean energy future.
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