Pōhaku, Kalo, Wai: Stewardship in Contemporary Hawai’i

Abstract

The bottoms of the deep, verdant green cliffs of Limahuli Valley were once terraced in stone pools of soaking kalo (Colocasia esculenta). Kalo is more than plant, its presence extends into mythology and origin. The old Hawaiian planters named it, the eldest brother of man’s own ancestor. For these planters, the arrangement of kalo, water, and stone was the heartbeat of the valley.

The past two centuries have left the valleys without their stewards. This thesis is a direct critique of the practice of forest conservation and restoration, a 21st century response to land dispossession. Arrived at through extensive fieldwork, historic research and re-invention of past practices, the project offers a paradigm of ecological restoration that enables community through a framework of design and knowledge building between people and `āina (land, earth).