He ʻāina wela ʻiʻo nō ʻo Kona – ka ‘aoʻao Kona hoʻi o ka mokupuni o Molokaʻi. Aia ʻo Kawela ma kēia ʻāina wela a maloʻo. ʻAʻole like ia me nā ʻāina uluwehi ʻo Hālawa mā ma Naʻe. Akā ʻoiai ua neoneo ka hiʻohiʻona o Kawela uka ma ka nānā ʻana ua hoʻowaiwai ʻia ka ʻāina ma kai, ma ke kaha nuku muliwai, e nā kahawai o Kawela me ʻŌnini.
Ma ia nuku la, ua kūkulu nā poʻe kahiko i loko wai no ka mālama ʻana i iʻa. ʻO ka ʻawa a me ka ʻamaʻama nā iʻa mōmona o ia mau loko wai ʻo Kakahaiʻa, Kanoa (ma Makakupaia Iki), Uluanui a me kekahi aʻe. A, ma muli o ka mālama ʻana i nā kānaka i ka ʻāina a me ke kai, ua lilo ʻo Kawela i ʻāina mōmona.
Ua mahuʻi mai nā kānaka hulikoehana, ʻo lākou nā mea ʻike hana lima o ke au i hala, ua hoʻonoho kanaka ʻia ʻo Kawela ma kahi o nā 1200 A.D. a ua haʻalele ʻia ma ka wā o nā kaua a Kamehameha. Ma ka makahiki 1795, ua ʻauheʻe ʻo Kalola me kāna kaikamahine ʻo Kekuʻiapoiwa Liliha a me kā ia nei kaikamahine ʻo Keōpūolani (moʻopuna a Kalola) iā Pihanakalani, Wailuku i o ʻIao me ʻOlowalu ā hiki aku i Molokaʻi. Ua alualu ʻo Kamehameha iā lākou a ma Molokaʻi i hāʻawi ʻia ai ʻo Keōpūolani i wahine nāna e Kalola.
Ma Kawela paha, ʻaʻole paha lākou i hoʻomaha ai ma muli o ka puʻuhonua ma laila (Nānā Kiʻi 1). Ua hoʻopalekana ʻia ka puʻuhonua i nā kānaka i ka manawa a Kapiʻiohookalani, keiki aliʻi a Kualiʻi o Oʻahu, i hoʻouka kaua ai i ka ʻohana o Alapaʻi ma Kawela i ka makahiki 1736.
ʻOkoʻa nā hale a nā kānaka i noho ai ma laila – ʻokoʻa i ka hale maʻa mau a kākou e ʻike nei he hale Hawaiʻi. Ua hōʻike mai ʻelua mau kānaka hulikoehana,ʻo Marshall Weisler a me Patrick Kirch, i ke ʻano o ka nohona ma mua o ka haʻalele ʻana o nā kupa mai Kawela. Ua noʻonoʻo ʻia e lāua, ʻo ia nō ka manawa ma hope o ka hala ʻana o Kalola. Ua nānā lāua i 72 mau mea kūkulu (e.l., kahua hale, paia, ʻunu, heiau) i loko o ka ʻili laulā o Kawela me Makakupaia Iki, he 442.5 mika i pāhoʻonui lua ʻia.
Hoihoi nā paia pōhaku paukeʻekeʻe ma nā mahele maloʻo o uka o ka ʻāina mōmona o kai. Noʻonoʻo nā kānaka hulikoehonua ʻelua he mea hōʻiliʻili nā paia pōhaku kālawa no ka hoʻāhu ʻana i lepo mōmona i lawe ʻia e nā ua ma ka wā ua, ma ka Hoʻoilo (Nānā Kiʻi 2). Ma kai, aia kekahi mau puna wai a ua ʻeli nā kānaka i ʻauwai ma ke owāwa i mea e lawe i wai kahawai i nā māla o lalo.
ʻO kekahi mea hoihoi a Weisler lāua ʻo Kirch i ʻike ai, ʻo ia nō ke ʻano o nā wahi nohona ma Kawela. Ma muli o ka wela o ia wahi, ua noho aʻe nā kānaka ma nā lapa a me nā hene kualono i ʻoluʻolu nā hale i ka makani. Ua hāmama kekahi ʻaoʻao i nā makani ʻoluʻolu a hoʻopaʻa ʻia kekahi ʻaoʻao me ka paia pōhaku. Ma nā kauhale ʻohana, aia nā wahi no ke kuke ʻana, ka hana kapa paha, hana makau, a pēlā aku a hōʻike ʻia kona ʻano ma nā mea i ʻeli ʻia. ʻO ke kinona maʻa mau o nā paia nā kinona C, J, me ka L.
Aia ʻelua wale no kahua me ke kinona huinahā maʻa mau. He mau wahi no ka hoʻomana ʻana. ʻO ka mea nui aʻe ka Hale o Lono. Aia ia wahi kapu ma ka ʻaoʻao hikina o Kawela a ʻo ia nō kāhi i hoʻiliʻili ʻia nā ʻauhau no ka Makahiki.
Aia kekahi mau ana i noho ʻia e ke kanaka ma Kawela me nā koena mea kanu a me nā mea i hana ʻia e ke kanaka e like kekahi hoe me ʻelua mahele. Aia kekahi kiʻi o ia hoe kūikawā ma ka puke waʻa a Tommy Holmes. ʻO kekahi mea hoihoi ʻē aʻe ke koena kapa i hana ʻia me ka ʻākōlea (Boehmeria grandis). ʻAʻole i hoʻo-palapala iki ʻia ma mua kēia ʻano kapa. He hōʻike nō naʻe i ke akamai o ka poʻe kahiko e hoʻohana i ka mea i loaʻa a e hoʻomaʻa e noho ma kēia kaianoho Kona.
