Part Of The Ohana At Hawea

Yet another clean up at Hawea Heiau Complex this past Saturday and I am left thinking about my own personal connection to it. A few weeks ago I voiced interest about wanting to be involved in clearing the well if the time ever came. Shortly after that, a kupuna visited the area. As many different groups are now allowed to take tours. Such as the Hokulea PVS and such. I'm not sure if she was with them. But the kupuna mentioned that in order for progress to continue throughout the entire project, the well needed to be cleared out.
During the initial survey of the remains of Hawea complex. I was told that some archaeologists suggested that the well was of modern construction and could have been added to the list for removal. Although that statement was partly true. The well is most likely from a much older time period. Kaleo Paik mentioned that the higher construction above ground level was made with modern techniques and used cement between the stones, but below that is a more tightly stacked wall of stones that are similar to the way older inhabitants would have built around a spring...

 

Here is the well with its cement mortar above ground and it's condition when I first saw it on my first visit to the heiau clean up.

 

 

 

There I go down the well! I brought my Hi-Viz Giro helmet for safety and a little touch of  Hawaiian cyclist blogger, right! I also tucked my inside shirt in my pants and wore a hoodie, so roaches wouldn't get into any places on my body that would cause me to scream like a girl and cause a cave in. Before I went in, Kaleo took me to the side and said a prayer for protection and announced that I was entering the will in good intentions. She then rubbed some Hawaiian sea salt into my hands for protection. Which I then stuffed into my pockets. Later when Arnold took the second shift and entered the well, Kaleo wasn't around. So I took the salt that she gave me and gave him some while mentioning to the aina that he was about to enter with the same good intentions...

 

It smelt like decades of roach as I cleaned all of the modern rubbish and passed it up in a bucket. We filled three garbage bags of rubbish that morning.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 Another volunteer and Hawaii Kai resident, Chris brought this rope that we didn't end up using that day. But It came from the Hokulea and I thought that was very symbolic and special.

 

Along with a bunch of 40oz. bottles and plastic containers of all shapes and sizes, we found this pair of tortoise shell Ray Ban shades! I'll add it to the modern artifact collection pile that the grounds keeper Sam is building.

 

 

Here is the well that is finally giving up water after we simply cleaned it out. It is supposed to be capped somehow and they are still working on how to located it and uncap it. We were ecstatic when we saw water coming out from the ground. We took samples but I'm not sure what the results were. Kaleo offered up a very inspiring phrase, "Where are the waters of Kane? The waters of Kane are here at Hawea." I would like to interpret that in Hawaiian and use it as a slogan for the clean up effort!

 

 

I was invited to return at sunset on Sunday to be apart of the drumming ceremony to further advance the Hawea Heiau project and reconnect with the aina and the kupuna of the past. I don't have any images to share as it was very dark when we were getting started. Kaleo arrived dressed in a black dress. Unlike I usually see her, in her safari looking gear for landscaping and cleaning. She was accompanied by her lua group which all had some sort of drum or pu. They also had bamboo pu'ohe, as conch shell horns are actually of Tahitian or deep water cultures and not of Hawaii. We helped roll out mats under the trees next to the heiau. All of us that weren't a part of her group stood on the sides and I guess we all thought we were just going to watch what they were going to do. But we were mistaken because Kaleo asked us to come in closer for a blessing. She asked me to help her grind some Olena ginger roots against a small lava stone and then she mixed it with water and sea salt in a wooden bowl with ti leaves. She placed some of the mixture on each individual. First on the head, then from the shoulders to the hands, and then some sprinkled on the feet. While offering a quiet prayer.

As the ceremony began, Kaleo and another woman began to blow their pu'ohe to the four winds. Then Kaleo began to softly chant another prayer. When she was ready, she began to tap on her pu. The drummers in the back began to set the rhythm. A slow tap and not too loud. After about ten minutes of drumming by the specialists that brought them, the instruments surprisingly were being passed around. I caught a couple of rotations myself and reconnected with my "Explorations" days at Kamehameha School. This went on for about an hour and we all got blessed again with the mixture Kaleo made in her bowl. Later she decided to empty her bowl around the well and everyone that didn't get a chance to see it went up to it to get a look.

 

As we were leaving, one of Kaleo's friends Anne Marie. Invited me to her film premier on Tuesday Night during the Oiwi Film Festival. Entitled "Short Kine Stories." During her film she interviews peoples from all over Hawaii as they share short stories of a particular area. In one story she is with a man living in Waimanalo and he shares a story of a rock that was given to him to care for near his home. The story led me to take a trip to Waimanalo to look at it for myself...