11-26-2013, 12:03 PM
The first counts of Hawaiian populations were done by sailing along the coasts and counting people on the beaches. Currently archeologists are constantly revising the population estimates upwards, some estimates put the population close to the current population. The Polynesians first settled on leeward sides of islands close to the ocean, then they steadily moved up slope and around to the windward sides. Taro can be grown on land or in fresh water, so it is a good staple for these islands.
The ahupua'a systems were mostly wedges defined by watersheds that stretched from the ocean to the mountains and encompassed a wide variety of different ecosystems that allowed them grow, hunt, fish or gather for all their needs. But it was also a system without private land ownership where everyone on the ahupua'a either grew fat together, or starved together if there was a famine. People also moved within the ahuapua'a depending on what activities they were involved in. Obviously fishing happened at the shorelines, and firewood and timber were collected at higher elevations. There were also kahuna and konohiki who strictly controlled land and resource use to protect the ecosystems that supported the people. So the Eden Roc lands were probably not the site of a permanent village, but would have been part of an ahupua'a and been used for specific purposes. Bing maps actually have all the ahupua'a marked and it looks like it is either in the Ola'a or the Kea'au ahupua'as.
Sorry for the mini lecture but this is something I teach every year, and have been fascinated with since we moved here. The more I learn, the more respect I have for the Polynesians who came here and thrived. A good video that explains a lot about our Islands is "Hawaii 4D" if you can find it, it explains the ecosystems of the islands and how people have fit themselves into it, both in the past and in the present.
Carol
The ahupua'a systems were mostly wedges defined by watersheds that stretched from the ocean to the mountains and encompassed a wide variety of different ecosystems that allowed them grow, hunt, fish or gather for all their needs. But it was also a system without private land ownership where everyone on the ahupua'a either grew fat together, or starved together if there was a famine. People also moved within the ahuapua'a depending on what activities they were involved in. Obviously fishing happened at the shorelines, and firewood and timber were collected at higher elevations. There were also kahuna and konohiki who strictly controlled land and resource use to protect the ecosystems that supported the people. So the Eden Roc lands were probably not the site of a permanent village, but would have been part of an ahupua'a and been used for specific purposes. Bing maps actually have all the ahupua'a marked and it looks like it is either in the Ola'a or the Kea'au ahupua'as.
Sorry for the mini lecture but this is something I teach every year, and have been fascinated with since we moved here. The more I learn, the more respect I have for the Polynesians who came here and thrived. A good video that explains a lot about our Islands is "Hawaii 4D" if you can find it, it explains the ecosystems of the islands and how people have fit themselves into it, both in the past and in the present.
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb