Master craftsmen train next generation in traditional uhau humu pōhaku while an ancient fishpond system emerges from decades of neglect
By Moani Tolentino, Hui Mālama o Kāneiʻolouma
In a powerful act of cultural reclamation, Hui Mālama O Kāneiʻolouma (Hui) has embarked on an ambitious restoration project at Ke Kahua ʻo Kāneiolouma (The Kāneiolouma Complex) on Kauaʻi.
The Hui is simultaneously rebuilding ancient interior walls using traditional Hawaiian building methods, while clearing overgrowth from the complex’s long-buried loko iʻa (fishponds) – Hawaiʻi’s sophisticated pre-contact aquaculture system. It is the most comprehensive restoration effort within this 20-acre wahi pana in modern times.
The Kāneiʻolouma Complex is a multi- purpose cultural site that dates back to the 1400s. It included a heiau, house sites, a freshwater spring, loʻi with both irrigation ditches and above-ground aqueducts, and fishponds. It also included a hula mound and a large area situated in a natural amphitheater that was used for sporting events during Makahiki.
The restoration project centers on two critical cultural preservation efforts: master stone masons training 20 apprentices in the ancient art of uhau humu pōhaku (dry stack masonry) to restore interior walls, while a parallel effort is underway to clear decades of invasive species and debris from the ancient fishponds in the complex’s southwest corner near the Waiʻōhai resort.
Supported by $425,000 in grants – $400,000 from the State of Hawaiʻi and $25,000 from the Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation – this work represents Phase III of a comprehensive cultural preservation effort to restore this 600-year-old village to its pre-contact state.
Led by master craftsman Peleke Flores, who trained under renowned Kumu Palani Sinenci, the restoration effort utilizes only traditional materials and protocols, ensuring cultural authenticity across all elements of the ancient village system.
“A lot of people would look at this and see just rocks. They don’t know that there were taro patches here, and fishponds, and a whole Makahiki arena,” said Flores. “Hopefully we can bring back some of those traditions and be able to teach this to the next generation.”
Meanwhile, the fishpond restoration brings to light the sophisticated integration of ancient Hawaiian life, wherein freshwater from the sacred Waiʻōhai Spring once flowed through loʻi kalo before nourishing the loko iʻa that provided sustainable protein sources.
After being buried for decades, these engineering marvels, unique to Hawaiʻi and a testament to the ingenuity of our ancestors, are once again becoming visible.
Kāneiʻolouma is in Poʻipū on Kauaʻi’s south shore. Visitors to the area can now witness living Hawaiian culture in action across multiple systems. Unlike museum displays, Kāneiʻolouma offers authentic cultural experiences wherein visitors can observe traditional building techniques, learn about integrated agriculture and aquaculture systems, and learn about the spiritual significance of this wahi pana.
When fully restored, the village will showcase traditional hale, functioning loʻi kalo connected to the fishponds by ancient irrigation channels, and the only intact sporting arena in the pae ʻāina. Plans include an interpretive visitor center offering guided cultural experiences to connect modern audiences with the sophisticated, sustainable practices of ancient Hawaiian civilization.
Hui Mālama o Kāneiʻolouma Executive Director and Poʻo Rupert H. Rowe has been actively working to restore the complex since 1998. “As long as I walk on this land the mission is the complete the past so that we can have a future in our culture; so that we can share the sacred Kāneiʻolouma Heiau with the world and our island,” he said.
The Hui is launching a two-year campaign to raise $5-7 million to complete the restoration of all the village’s systems culminating in a statewide Makahiki festival planned for fall 2027.
For more information or to support the restoration effort, visit kaneiolouma.org.
Hui Mālama O Kāneiʻolouma is a nonprofit established to protect, restore, and perpetuate the heiau complex as a living cultural preserve. Under a stewardship agreement with the County of Kauaʻi, effective through 2037, the Hui leads all restoration efforts there with guidance from cultural experts, practitioners, and community volunteers.
