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An examination of the history of land and water ownership in Lāhainā from the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi era to the Territorial Government Era to contemporary Hawaiʻi.

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In the aftermath of the tragic and horrific fires in Lāhainā, many scholars of our wonderful community shared posts via social media regarding the history of Lāhainā, which was filled with vast wetlands, fishponds, and abundant streams. This brought up a question: What happened to the water in Lāhainā? To examine and analyze this question, we must first look at the history of Lāhainā during the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.

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Before looking at the maps and diagrams, it is important to discuss where in Lāhainā we are talking about. "Lahaina Town" is located in the middle of the moku of Lāhainā, mostly in the ahupuaʻa of Waineʻe, Pūehuehunui, Polanui, Pāhoa, Paunau, and Kuʻia.

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In the kiʻi above, savethewetlands.org shows some of the different loko (ponds) that existed during the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi era, prior to development during the Territorial Era, in the ahupuaʻa of Waineʻe. The biggest and most well-known loko is Loko ʻo Mokuhinia.

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Mokuhinia is the name for the 17 acres of the spring-fed pond in the kiʻi above. This loko is known for its famous land bank, which was important to the Hawaiian monarchy, called Mokuʻula (about 1 acre in size). Mokuʻula was home to many Hawaiian aliʻi and mōʻī, including the aliʻi Piʻilani in the 16th century to King Kamehameha III, Kauikeaouli, in the 19th century. It was also the burial site of several aliʻi such as Keōpūolani and Nahiʻenaʻena. In moʻolelo (stories), Mokuhinia is often referred to the home of Kihawahine, the moʻo reincarnation of Piʻilani's daughter, Kalaʻaiheana. Not only does this loko have historical significance, but it was also important for the ahupuaʻa as a water source for loʻi kalo (taro patches) and home to many birds and fish of Lāhainā.

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This map was surveyed and drawn up by S.E. Bishop in 1884, during the reign of King David Kalākaua, of the moku and ahupuaʻa of Lāhainā. In zooming into this map, it is clear that most land at this time was still owned by Hawaiians including famous historical figures such as David Malo, Lot Kapuāiwa, and W.C. Lunalilo. Also shown in this map are the startings of plantations that grew exponentially in Lāhainā after the overthrow such as the Pioneer Mill Company. It is important to note how little land they owned at this time when comparing to their land in later maps. Another interesting thing to note of this map is the name "Loko Mokuhinia" in the ahupuaʻa of Waineʻe (more information is shared on the post "Loko ʻo Mokuhinia" and will come up in other maps as well)

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This article of Mokuʻula is taken from The Polynesian on December 26, 1846, during the reign of King Kamehameha III, Kauikeaouli. It talks about Kauikeaouli visiting Mokuʻula, which was his former residence, and visiting his ʻohana (family) who were buried there.

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This map was surveyed and drawn up in May 1883 of the ahupuaʻa of Wahikula, Paunau, Pūʻou, Pāhoa, and Hāhākea of the moku of Lāhainā. This map was created during the reign of King David Kalākaua. Similar to the Map Reg No.1262, most land at this time were owned by Hawaiians. It is also important to note Kahoma stream, which was an important water source for Hawaiian farmers as well as wetland ponds.

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More streams that were abundant and important during the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi era are ʻAlamihi stream and Kauaʻula stream. Both streams fed into taro patches and wetland ponds. ʻAlamihi, specifically, fed into the Loko ʻo ʻAlamihi.

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ʻAlamihi fishpond is another important source of water for birds and fish of Lāhainā. It contains historical, cultural, and archaeological importance to Hawaiʻi.

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During the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi era, plantations were already starting up all around Hawaiʻi. However, after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, and during the Territorial Government era, plantation businesses grew exponentially.

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After the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893, the insurgents formed the Republic of Hawaii and stole Government Lands, Crown Lands, and any lands controlled by the former government. These lands were called "Public Lands," and were classified by classes regarding their value to the Republic. The purpose of this Act for the usurping businessmen was to dispossess Hawaiians and give American immigrants easy access to land in Hawaiʻi. The president at this time was Sanford B. Dole, who played a big role in the overthrow. Dole was able to pick people that benefitted him and aligned with his beliefs on the Board of Commissioners, which sold and auctioned off Public Lands. Following the overthrow, the Republic made it hard for Hawaiians to buy land because they would need to sign a pledge of allegiance, which most Hawaiians and royalists especially would not do. Overall, this Land Act was a way for the Republic of Hawaiʻi to disenfranchise Native Hawaiians.

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In 1896, similar to the Land Act of 1895, Act 61 made it legal for the Republic of Hawaii to basically steal land from Hawaiians that were on or near salt or fresh water. Simply put, Act 61 created a Board of Health that would determine if certain land was "unsanitary" or "detrimental to public health" due to water levels on the land being low or improperly drained. Any owner who had land that was deemed unsanitary by the Board of Health would be subject to improvement by the Minister of Interior and required to fill their land at their own financial expense. If they were not able to do this, the government would "correct" their land. If the landowners could not pay the government back for their services, they would auction off the land. An important fact to note is that Hawaiians cherished water, whether it be fresh or salt water. All water was a direct resource to the livelihood of Hawaiians and important to Hawaiʻiʻs plants and animals. In the eyes of the Republic of Hawaii, the wetlands that were adored by Hawaiians were considered dirty swamps and the streams that fed Hawaiians for generations were exploited.

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To understand what happened to Lāhaināʻs water, we must first discuss the historical and political events that led up to, and ultimately triggered, the misplacement of land and water.

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On January 17, 1893, a group of haole (foreign) businessmen, who at the time called themselves the Committee of Safety, illegally overthrew the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi with support from the US military. These descendants of missionaries only had one purpose in mind when planning this manipulative event, to benefit and profit themselves and their businesses, mostly including plantations. Instead of correcting this hewa (crime), the United States took advantage of this and eventually annexed Hawaiʻi through a joint resolution to gain military power in the Pacific. Through this time period of the Republic of Hawaiʻi and the Territory of Hawaiʻi, many acts and laws were passed to further haole people and businesses, while at the same time disenfranchising Hawaiians and their rights to land and water. Two important acts that were passed that essentially made it able the insurgents to steal land and water from Hawaiians were the Land Act of 1895 and Act 61.

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The Maui News - November 16, 1917 & DAGS - Map Reg No. 2581, 1916

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This newspaper article from the The Maui News on November 16, 1917 speaks about Mokuhinia pond. Additionally, the map surveyed in 1916 by Walter E. Wall during the Territory of Hawaiʻi era shows Mokuhinia in the ahupuaʻa of Waineʻe of Lāhainā. It is important to note the different terms that is used for Mokuhinia in comparison to older maps from the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi era. This shows an important difference in how the haole government officials and Hawaiians saw these wetlands.

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He Wahi Moʻolelo No Kauaʻula a Me Kekāhi ʻāina o Lahaina i Maui

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Under Act 61, and backed by the previous post referring to Mokuhinia as a swamp, the Territorial Government declared that Mokuhinia needed to be filled for the public healthʻs "safety" under an executive order. This excerpt is taken from the puke (book) He Wahi Moʻolelo No Kauaʻula a Me Kekāhi ʻāina o Lahaina i Maui, by Kepā Maly, and recites the accounts of W.D. Aiken in September 23, 1901. Aiken at the time was a Sub-Agent Fourth Land District and wrote to Edward S. Boyd, the Commissioner fo Public Lands, about his surveying of Loko Mokuhinia. In his trip to Lāhainā, Aiken claimed that Mokuhinia was a "swamp," a term that is often referred by haole, and a "menace to the health of the people, as it is full of filth." It is important to note that in his letter, he clearly states that filling Mokuhinia in would make the land more valuable and suggests to sell the land. This shows that the motivation behind Act 61 was to benefit and profit from stolen land. The result of this was the filling of Mokuhinia to be replaced by a baseball field and a basketball court which still exists today. ʻAlamihi, a fishpond not as well-known and reported on as Mokuhinia, was also covered due to similar circumstances and is now a parking lot.

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The Honolulu Advertiser - November 13, 1995

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The Pioneer Mill Company, Ltd. was established in 1860 by James Campbell, Henry Turton, and James Dunbar. As seen in the map above, Pioneer Mill started out small in the ahupuaʻa of Panaʻewa and grew cane and manufactured sugar. By 1874, the owners added the Lahaina Sugar Company and the West Maui Sugar Company to Pioneer Mill and the business grew exponentially. During this growth, Pioneer Mill got their hands on more land and needed more water as the years went by to grow cane.

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After the illegal overthrow of 1893, Government and Crown lands, which became Public Lands, "were made available in fee-simple interest to plantations and ranchers." Through the Territorial Government, Pioneer Mill Company, Ltd. was able to acquire 14,000 acres by the time they closed down in 1999.. W.D. Aiken, Sub-Agent Fourth Land District, wrote to Edward S. Boyd, Commissioner of Public Lands, about selling Public lands to the Pioneer Mill Company in the early 1900s. This included many lots in Lāhainā. According to the File Plan maps of Pioneer Millʻs lots, land was strategically purchased adjacent to streams such as Kahoma stream.

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How Water Was Stolen By Pioneer Mill Co., Ltd.

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How Water Was Stolen By Pioneer Mill Co., Ltd.

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According to the File Plan maps of Pioneer Mill Co., Ltd., lots were strategically purchased next to streams and ditches including Kahoma, Kahana, Kauaʻula, and Honokahau. To see an in depth examination of exactly how much water was taken through mountain streams, wells, and ditches, please refer to the puke excerpts to the right from He Wahi Moʻolelo No Kauaʻula a Me Kekāhi ʻāina o Lahaina i Maui, by Kepā Maly.

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He Wahi Moʻolelo No Kauaʻula a Me Kekāhi ʻāina o Lahaina i Maui, by Kepā Maly

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Pioneer Mill Company purchased land including water rights. Most acreage purchased was used to grow cane, while the other acreage of land were developed to acquire water for their crops. This included numerous pumps, wells, power stations, and reservoirs. As business grew, so did their need for water. This resulted in millions water being taken from streams and watersheds, continuing to increase throughout their years of operation. Not only were they taking away water that flowed into important ponds mauka of the mill, they also thought they were entitled to more water, even going as far as suing Native Hawaiian tenants makai to the mill, who used stream water for their loʻi.

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The Honolulu Advertiser - December 26, 1895

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This newspaper article recounts the judicial proceedings of the lawsuit between Pioneer Mill Company, Ltd., and Native Tenants. Pioneer Mill sued a group of 60 Hawaiian, kuleana land owners to "enforce the amount of water, method and time of its use upon lands ownerd or held by both parties." The water from Kauaʻula Valley was an important source for Hawaiians to irrigate into their loʻi and was shared by Hawaiians of Lāhainā for centuries. Interestingly enough, the territorial court ruled in favor of Hawaiians, suggesting that the traditional way of sharing water by filling loʻi from the top of the land and letting the rest of the water flow makai was the best way to share the water. Unfortunately, even this ruling was not enough for the Pioneer Mill, which led them to take any other water they could get their hands on. This exploitation of water is the reason why ponds such as Mokuhinia and ʻAlamihi were considered "swamps," as so much water was diverted makai to Pioneer Mill that these ponds did not receive the water they should have.

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The work of kiaʻi (protectors) from the Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement to now, after the Lāhainā fires.

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The Honolulu Advertiser - February 2, 1993

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After the Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement of the 1970s and 1980s, Hawaiians began uncovering and planning solutions to injustices faced during the overthrow and Territorial Government Era. In the 1990s, many organizations were established to restore Lāhainā and its important historical sites such as Lahaina Restoration Foundation and Friends of Mokuʻula. At this time, it was finally recognized that much of the loss of water in streams and wetlands were due to the fact that Pionere Mill Co. irrigated so much water. These organizations began to prioritize and reintroduce these important wahi (places) that were lost due to the loss of water.

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Here is another newspaper article featuring Mokuʻula and the importance of uncovering what was lost due to these important historical wahi being covered up by the Territorial Government.

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This newspaper article shares how the Lāhainā community, Hawaiians who have a history in this ʻāina for many generations, meet to discuss the importance of restoring Mokuʻula.

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It is important to understand the history of Lāhainā regarding land and water, because it affects Lāhainā today. The exploitation and stealing of water contributed to the fact that Lāhainā became dry, even though it was once abundant in streams and wetlands. After the Lāhainā fires, there was a renewed interest in restoring Lāhainā with the best interests in Hawaiians. Before, Lāhainā was catered towards tourists and its history as a culturally and historically significant wahi was lost. In the article "Denby Fawcett: Show Respect For Lahaina By Restoring Its Once Lush Wetlands," written right after the fires on August 22, 2023, the Lāhainā community were already seeing this as an opportunity to rebuild Lāhainā by restoring it culturally first. Keʻeaumoku Kapu, a former member of Friends of Mokuʻula and activist of Lāhainā, shared that it was important to not rush redevelopment and to let survivors heal and get a say in how they want to restore Lāhainā. Archie Kalepa, surfer and activist from Lāhainā, commented that "we have the opportunity to rebuild from ground zero." It is clear that although many Lāhainā restoration organizations might have dissolved, the Lāhainā fires sparked a renewed interest and importance to restore Lāhainā to what it was during the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi era, before the Territorial Government and sugar plantations destroyed Lāhainā.

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The biggest takeaway we should have from the fires is that we are still here and fighting. As a community, we have the strength to not let our ʻāina and wai be taken again. We have the kuleana (responsibility) to protect our Hawaiʻi from foreigners and tourism. Working together only makes our community, values, beliefs, and best interests stronger than ever. Ola ka wai! Lāhainā Strong!

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Fawcett, Denby. “Denby Fawcett: Show Respect for Lahaina by Restoring Its Once Lush Wetlands.” Civil Beat, Honolulu Civil Beat, 15 Sept. 2023, www.civilbeat.org/202 3/08/denby-fawcett-show-respect-for-lahaina-by-restoring-its-once-lush-wetlands/.

Baker, Mike, et al. “As Inferno Grew, Lahaina’s Water System Collapsed.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Aug. 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/08/13/us/lahaina-wat er-failure.html.

“Mokuhinia.” SAVE THE WETLANDS, South Maui Save the Wetlands Hui, 18 Apr. 2023, savethewetlands.org/mokuhinia-wetland/.

“’Alamihi Fishpond.” SAVE THE WETLANDS, South Maui Save the Wetlands Hui, 5 Apr. 2023, savethewetlands.org/alamihi-fishpond/.

Map 1137. Department of Accounting and General Services, State of Hawaii, surveyed by S.E. Bishop, ags.hawaii.gov/, 1883.

Kuhua Tract No.3. Department of Accounting and General Services, State of Hawaii, surveyed by James M. Dunn, ags.hawaii.gov/, 1954.

Map 2214. Department of Accounting and General Services, State of Hawaii, surveyed by W.A. Wall, ags.hawaii.gov/, 1901.

Map 2414. Department of Accounting and General Services, State of Hawaii, surveyed by S.M. Kanakanui, ags.hawaii.gov/, 1907.

Maly, Kepā. He Wahi Moʻolelo No Kauaʻula a Me Kekāhi ʻāina o Lahaina i Maui (A Collection of Traditions and Historical Accounts of Kauaʻula and Other Lands of Lahaina, Maui). Vol. 1, Part 1, Kumu Pono Associates LLC, 2010.

Maly, Kepā. He Wahi Moʻolelo No Kauaʻula a Me Kekāhi ʻāina o Lahaina i Maui (A Collection of Traditions and Historical Accounts of Kauaʻula and Other Lands of Lahaina, Maui). Vol. 1, Part 2, Kumu Pono Associates LLC, 2010.

Doi, Herman S., et al. Public Land Policy in Hawaii: Land Reserved for Public Use. Legislative Reference Bureau, State of Hawaii, Honolulu Hawaii, 1966.

The Honolulu Advertiser, newspapers.com, April 27, 1918.

“Lahaina will be featured at discussion Thursday,” Honolulu Star-Bulletin, page 11, newspapers.com, March 29, 1965.

“Mokuʻula: burial ground to ballpark,” The Honolulu Advertiser, newspapers.com, November 13, 1995.

“Rural Sketches of the Hawaiian Islands: The Pioneer Mill,” The Pacific Commercial Advertiser, newspapers.com, March 26, 1864.

Saito, Deborah and Susan Campbell, “Pioneer Mill Company,” Plantation Archives, Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association, https://www2.hawaii.edu/~speccoll/p _pioneer.html, 1986.

Young, Peter T., “Pioneer Mill,” Images of Old Hawaiʻi, https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/pi oneer-mill/, August 2, 2013.

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For my research project for HWST 301, I decided to examine how Lāhainā, a moku (district) once recognized for its wetlands and streams, became so dry, contributing to the intensity of the fires of August 2023. E ʻoluʻolu, click on the kiʻi (pictures) to enlarge them. For easy navigation of Lāhaināʻs history from the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi era to contemporary society, read the introductions and titles to follow along smoothly. Mahalo ā nui!