O wai hoʻi Nā Wai ʻEhā o Maui? I loko o ke mele a Alice Nāmakelua i haku ai, ʻo “Nā Wai Kaulana,” ʻo lākou nō ʻo Waikapū, ʻo Wailuku, ʻo Waiehu, a me Waiheʻe. He mau kahawai nō lākou ʻehā a ma muli o ka piha pū o ka wai i kahe mai uka a i kai ua lilo ka ʻāina a puni iā lākou i ʻāina mōmona a waiwai no nā kānaka.
ʻOluʻolu ka nohona o nā makaʻainana ma Nā Wahi ʻEhā ā hiki i ke kūʻai ʻia ʻana i ka ʻāina no ka mahi kō e Claus Spreckles ma ka makahiki 1882. He mea kanu “makewai” ke kō no ka mea no ka loaʻa o hoʻokahi tana o ke kō ua pono e hoʻohana i 4,000 tana o ka wai. ʻO ia ke kumu nō ka lawe ʻānunu ʻana i ka wai mai nā kahawai ā hiki i ka pani ʻana o nā wahi mahi kō. Ma hope aku o ka pani ʻana, ua hoʻomau nō naʻe ka lawe ʻana i ka wai ā hiki i ka hoʻoponopono ʻia ʻana i ka pilikia e ka ʻaha hoʻokolokolo e hoʻihoʻi i ka wai i nā kahawai.
No laila, ma muli o ka hoʻoholo ʻana e ke aupuni e hoʻihoʻi i ka wai i Nā Wai ʻEhā, ua hiki i nā kānaka mahi ʻai ke hoʻōla hou i kā lākou mau loʻi kalo e like me Nohoana Farms ma Waikapū, he ʻāina o ke kupa mahiʻai ʻo Hōkūao Pelegrino a he kuleana i ili iho iā ia mai kona mau kūpuna, mai ka makahiki 1848. Ma kēlā manawa hoʻokuleana ʻāina, ua loaʻa 1,300 a ʻoi mau loʻi kalo ma Waikapū. ʻO Waikapū paha kāhi helu ʻekahi o nā wahi mahiʻai ma ka loaʻa ʻana o ke kalo ma Maui a ma Hawaiʻi Nei paha. Eia kekahi mea hoihoi ʻē aʻe, ʻo Waikapū wale nō ke kahawai o Nā Wai ʻEhā e puka ana ma ka hema o Maui – ma Maʻalaea. Hānai kēia kahawai i ka loko ʻo Keālia, he kaianoho no nā mea ola like ʻole e like me ka aeʻo, ka ʻalae, a me ke koloa.
Kokoke iā Waikapū ʻo Wailuku. Ua kūʻai lilo kēia ʻāina e Spreckles a lilo i ʻili kūpono, ʻo ia hoʻi he ʻāina kū ʻokoʻa mai ke ahupuaʻa. Ma muli o ka ʻoihana mahi kō ua hoʻololi ʻia ka inoa o ke kahawai ʻo Wailuku i ka inoa ʻo ʻIao. Akā ua paio noke ka Hui o Nā Wai ʻEhā e hoʻāla hou i ka inoa ʻo Wailuku a ua koho paloka ka Papa O Nā Inoa Hōʻikehonua Hawaiʻi ma ka makahiki 2015 e hoʻihoʻi i ka inoa ponoʻī ʻoia hoʻi ʻo Wailuku.
Kāʻalo kēia kahawai nui ʻo Wailuku iā Pihana me Hale Kiʻi, kāhi noho aliʻi o Kekaulike. I ka manawa a Kamehameha i hoʻouka kaua ai iā Maui, aia ʻo Keōpūolani ke noho nei ma laila me kona makuahine ʻo Kekuʻiapoiwa Liliha me kona kupuna ʻo Kalola. I kēia manawa, kahe hou ka wai i ua wahi kapu la a hoʻi nā mea ola e like me ka ʻoʻopu i ka wai.
Ma ke kūʻono ʻo Kaʻehu ka palena o Wailuku me Waiehu. Aia ma laila kekahi kaianoho o nā manu ʻōiwi like ʻole e like me ka ʻaeʻo, ʻūlili, ʻakekeke a pēlā aku. ʻO ka makani o Waiehu ka makani Hōʻeha ʻili a ʻo ka Līlīlehua ka ua. Ua maloʻo loa kēia kahawai i ka wā o ka mahikō no ka mea ua lawe pau ʻia aʻe la ka wai no kēlā mea kanu ʻānunu ʻo ke kō.
ʻO Waiheʻe ke kahawai kahe wai loa a kahe nui o Maui. Mai Mauna Kahālāwai kēia kahena wai. I uka o Waiheʻe ma nā pali ka wailele kaulana ma nā mele ʻo ʻEleile. Ua ʻōlelo ʻia e nā kupa o ka ua Kiliʻoʻopu, “Ka wai hoʻihoʻi lāʻī o ʻEleile,” no ka mea inā kīloi nā kānaka i ʻaukī i ka pūnāwai ma laila, ua iho a lilo, ea aʻe, a hoʻi mai ia. Ma laila nō, ma ua pūnāwai nei, kāhi a nā ʻohana o Waiheʻe i waiho ai i nā piko o ke keiki. Ua ʻikea!
