Nestled along the south shore of Molokaʻi in the ʻāina section of Kaʻamola lies a place of deep cultural, ecological, and historical significance: Keawanui Fishpond.
This 55-acre loko kuapā (closed wall fishpond) serves as the land base for ʻĀina Momona, a Native Hawaiian organization dedicated to environmental restoration, cultural education, and food sovereignty. While once part of a vibrant network of dozens of thriving loko iʻa across Molokaʻi, Keawanui today stands as one of the few remaining fishponds in Hawaiʻi that remain operable: a living classroom, a source of sustenance, and a symbol of resistance.
Keawanui is not simply a place – it is a legacy. Hawaiian fishponds represent some of the most sophisticated Indigenous aquaculture systems in the world.
These ancient engineering marvels are uniquely designed to raise fish sustainably, relying on tidal flows and carefully placed sluice gates that allowed juvenile fish to enter and mature before harvesting. These systems reflected a deep understanding of the natural world and an ethic of reciprocity between people and place.
But the story of Keawanui is also a reflection of the broader struggle that faces Hawaiʻi today. The impacts of colonization, overdevelopment, and climate change have left most loko iʻa in disrepair or destroyed. Coastal degradation, invasive species, and sea level rise now threaten not just our fishponds, but our food systems, our culture, and our ability to thrive as Kānaka ʻŌiwi in our homeland.
ʻĀina Momona’s work at Keawanui is an answer to that challenge. Under the leadership of Executive Director Walter Ritte – who has spent over 25 years restoring fishponds across the pae ʻāina – the site has become a beacon of resilience and renewal. Walter’s decades-long dedication to Keawanui has transformed it into a place of learning and reconnection.
Generations of youth, community members, and visitors have walked its walls, listened to its stories, and labored in its waters. What they gain is more than knowledge – they gain identity, purpose, and belonging.
The restoration of Keawanui is not merely about reviving an ancient food production method. It is about reclaiming a worldview.
It is about restoring the symbiotic relationship between people and ʻāina. At a time when Hawaiʻi imports over 85% of its food, investing in traditional systems like loko iʻa is not just wise – it is urgent. These systems are inherently sustainable, climate-resilient, and culturally grounded. They represent the type of regenerative economy and land stewardship that our islands desperately need.
As we look to the future, Keawanui offers a blueprint. It teaches us that our survival as Hawaiians – and as an island community – will depend on how well we honor and apply the knowledge of our ancestors. It reminds us that food security is inseparable from cultural security. And it compels us to act boldly to restore what has been nearly lost.
To build a just, equitable, and pono Hawaiʻi, we must reinvigorate our ancestral practices. We must support grassroots organizations like ʻĀina Momona who are doing the work, day in and day out, to breathe life back into places like Keawanui.
Because in that fishpond – in the stones of its walls, the rhythm of its tides, and the hands of those who care for it – we see not only what was, but what can be. Keawanui is more than a fishpond. It is a vision for the future.
