HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

224

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES AND OTHER STATE AGENCIES RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF AND ASSIST IN THE PRESERVATION OF THE NU`UANU `AUWAI SYSTEM.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, ancient Hawaiian tradition held fresh water as a treasure from the gods, with each person along its way using that gift having a duty to the person below to preserve it for use by others; and

 

     WHEREAS, the waters of Nu`uanu start at its highest point in the Ko`olau mountains with the waterfalls of Waipuhia and Waipuilani, feeding the steams of Nu`uanu, Mo`ole, and Waolani; and

 

     WHEREAS, ancient Hawaiian inhabitants of Nu`uanu Valley developed an `auwai or water ditch system to take the waters from the three streams and distribute the waters to irrigate extensive lo`i ai or taro fields that were present throughout the entire valley, from its upper reaches down to below the present Judd Street; and

 

     WHEREAS, after damage to the `auwai system during the battle of Nu`uanu, Kamehameha moved to quickly restore the valley's agriculture production, summoning Kuho`oheiheipahu Paki to rebuild the irrigation system; and

 

     WHEREAS, "in three days, [Paki] rallied several hundred men to construct the tremendous Nu`uanu irrigation system which supplies the numerous pondfields....this irrigation system is known even today as the Paki `awai" ; and

 

     WHEREAS, as Nu`uanu evolved from an extensive agricultural area into a residential area, many residents did not realize the existence of or care about the ancient `auwai system traversing the valley and in many instances, parts of the Nu`uanu `auwai system were purposely closed, diverted, or covered up and as a result, out of fourteen original `auwai there are only about eight that remain either flowing or reparable; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Nu`uanu Valley `Auwai Study Group is doing its best to spread information on the historic origins of the Nu`uanu `auwai system and attempting to educate property owners on the value of ways of preserving this treasure; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Historic Foundation, together with the State Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, has named the `Auwai of Nu`uanu Valley as one of the nine most endangered historic places on its 2008 List of endangered places; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources and all other state agencies are requested to do everything in their respective areas of responsibility to protect and preserve the `auwai of Nu`uanu Valley; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Historic Hawaii Foundation, and Nu`uanu Valley `Auwai Study Group.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Nu`uanu Valley; `Awai