Lē‘ahi (Diamond Head)

Diamond Head Beach by Katherine Brake

Diamond Head by Jonah Saribay

Diamond Head, I mean Kaimanahila, I mean Lēʻahi… I mean, ugh… I never believed that the Diamond Head Beach area was anything special to me. There were always many other surf and beach spots all around Oahu, when I was younger, my friends and I always sought out to visit the most common spots around Oahu to explore. Waimea Bay, Shark Cove, Cockroach Cove, Alan Davis, Diamond Head—not of our interest. In the beginning of this course, searching for the right surf spot to write a daily journal about was tricky, I wanted to find one of great interest. While steaming Surfline.com I noticed that there was a live feed of Diamond Head Beach to watch, and not being so familiar with it I chose to use this beach to learn more about the area in my daily journals. However, getting to do more research into the history and mo’olelo of the area around Diamond Head. I’ve uncovered interesting details about this sacred site that I’d never knew before, and today, Diamond Head continues to peak my interests.

Exiting the curvature round-about of Kapiolani Park in Waikiki, you reach a long stretch of road named after Oahu’s greatest monument—Diamond Head. It stretches around the monument itself into the Kahala district and along this coast is a beachfront that is full of historical and spiritual events. Surrounded by glamourous million-dollar properties and the barren dry hill side of Diamond Head crater, it’s not the lushest green mountains of the Ko’olau but the surf is calm, and the trade winds are always nice. On an average day, Diamond Head will get surf from around 2-3ft average, and mostly sunny skies with slight scattered showers that vary with the seasons. Winds blow at an average of 10-15mph pushing the tides North, North-West on a usual basis (Surfline, 2019). Diamond Head is a great spot for those who want to enjoy the calm tides and sun.

But historically, the Kanaka Maoli and local folklore hold such sentimental value of Diamond Head from the mo’olelo tied to it from it’s past. The Kanaka (Kanaka Maoli) named Diamond Head, “Lēʻahi or Lea’ahi, the ‘Brow of the Tuna’ or the ‘Ring of Fire’” (Young, 2017). “The brow of the Tuna” I felt was a very common subject name used in finding mo’olelo, it comes from a story about a fish from a reef off the coast of the southern shore near Waikiki, a La’i (Leatherback) fish named “Nahe”.

On the Eastern coastline near Waikiki Beach there is an area called “Kaimanahila” where a La’i fish named Nahe was born. One day, a wave swept the young La’i out to sea where he spent much of his maturing life, while most La’i grew up in the reefs. One day, a storm came and stirred the ocean in massive tides, and Nahe— still youngling, was washed out to sea away from Kaimanahila. Nahe matured in the open waters playing with the whales in the winter and sharks for the rest of the seasons. One day, a school of ahi tuna came into the area and Nahe’s shark companions sought out to hunt the school of Tuna. However, one ahi stood out from the others in Nahe’s eyes. Her name was Le’a and at first glance Nahe fell in love with her, he managed to convince his shark friends to spare her life and they listened.

The Mother Hina of the Heavens, Kanaloa, and Kamaka the lady of the Sea, convened together after hearing of Nahe’s triumphant love affair with Le’a and the sharks. They were so moved by Le’a and Nahe’s love, that they concluded that these two beings should be able to perpetuate life as one. So, from their love, an offspring was born, half La’i fish and half Ahi Tuna, known today as “Lai Ahi”, the only type of Tuna that can only be found off the coast of Kaimanahila crater, also known today as Le’ahi. (Lono, 2012).

Knowing the origin of Lēʻahi, I wanted to see how much more I can investigate the importance of the terminology behind “Lēʻahi” and the area of Diamond Head. Consulting Ulukau the Hawaiian dictionary, I couldn’t find translations to Lēʻahi. However, I tried the name of the place Nahe was born “Kaimanahila”, and sure enough the literal translation was “Diamond Hill”, the literal name of Diamond Head. It was interesting to see how Kaimanahila was once used in mo’olelo to personify the place of where Nahe was born, but post-love epic, the name of the area and monument converted to Lēʻahi. It almost seems like this mo’olelo helped the Kanaka change the name of the land by honoring the story of Nahe and Le’a by renaming the monument under a unified term combined with the terms “Ahi, La’i, Le’a, and Nahe” to form, Lēʻahi.

I make this inference based on the coastline’s name, Kaimanahila, and its’ positionality in the beginning of the story. In comparison to today, the name of Kaimanahila is officially Lēʻahi, and in local culture we currently acknowledge Diamond Head as Lēʻahi. Not being able to find a natural name for Lēʻahi, and according to the Ulukau, another translation to segments of Lēʻahi such as “Ahi”–fire, lightning, to burn in fire, destroy by fire” (2004). These are common ideals that are shared in religious forms, mostly associated with Pele the goddess of fire, and from the term Lēʻahi, I believe that this name change was intentional to honor their Akua and to also keep the integrity of their mo’olelo of Nahe and Le’a alive for generations to know.

Before Kamehameha the Great came to power, a mo’olelo tells of a great OG (Original Gangsta) chief that was fierce in the most amazing battle and conquering sagas of old-old Hawaii. The story of Kepakailiula tells of a great chief of Hawaii Island who conquered the Hawaiian islands before Kamehameha came into history. In some point of this mo’olelo, the King of Maui—Ka’akalaneo, provoked Kepakailiula into battle, the mo’olelo claims that Kepakailiula slayed Ka’akalaneo with a clean cut of his club from his crotch up to his head; slicing him in half (Fornander, 1918). The Ali’i Kakuhihewa of O’ahu heard of Ka’alaneo’s death and was so frightened by Kepakailiula that he offered peace to him, by overturning the crown as Ali’i of O’ahu to Kepakailiua. From Maui, he traveled to O’ahu with his foster fathers Kiinoho and Kiihele, his wives Makolea & Kapuaokeonaona, and the rest of his entourage. He agreed to these terms but left his fathers in-charge to govern the lands.

His wife Makolea was very fond of surfing, she always surfed at the best spots in the south shore, the most popular spot for the Ali’i was Kalehuawehe in Waikiki. Days after their arrival on O’ahu, Makolea went out to the Surf, but instead of taking off at their usual spot in Kalehuawehe, she went on her own to a spot near Le’ahi, where she met a scouting team that represented the King of Kaua’i—Kakipaananea, they were enchanted by her beauty so they kidnapped her at Le’ahi to become the wife of Kakipaananea. Furious, Kepakailiua set off by himself to Kaua’i to take back Makolea himself (Fornander, 1918).

To know that there was rich mo’olelo about the Ali’i that came before Kamehameha on O’ahu, is very fascinating. Kepakailiula is a chief that I’m not familiar with at all, nor did we ever learn of his story in school, probably because his mo’olelo was very obscure and graphic. But to know that Makolea, a Chiefess, was kidnapped while surfing at the spot I’ve been studying has been very mind-blowing. Historical events have happened at Le’ahi pre-Kamehameha era, and in this tale I feel like there are more aspects to Hawaiian history about Diamond Head that we know nothing about that we should know.

On the rear end of Diamond Head, a slope was used for “Holua”, sledding on rafts of Ti leaves down the hillside. For the residence and the Ali’i of this area, this was a common pass-time and was very much enjoyed (Lau, Luckey, n.d). In other historical ties to Lēʻahi, the area itself was dedicated to places of worship all around the inner crater as sanctuaries to the Kanaka. These sanctuaries were known as Heiaus. Sacred sites of worship to the Hawaiian Akua that served as a place of prayer and offerings to intended gods all-year or in parts of the year (Pettit, 2019). The only people who could enter these Heiau were the Ali’i and his court, for others, it was forbidden (kapu) to enter. There are approximately five Heiau around Diamond Head, all used for the worshipping of the Akua. But one specifically at the base of Lē’ahi Papa’ena’ena, was established by Kamehameha the Great himself as a surfing Heiau where they prayed for good tides for surfing (Young, 2017). During the days of old, the Kamehameha establishing Papa’ena’ena at the base of Lē’ahi could have meant that Diamond Head’s significance to Hawaiian surf culture was very important. Maybe the sight itself was of great geological importance because of Pele? Or just the thought of setting up a heiau at a grand geological site made it important to the Hawaiians? According to John Pettit, Hawaiians have always payed grand amounts of merit to their Akua, for the Ali’i who were the only people who could enter a heiau, having one dedicated for strictly surfing was a big deal rooted in Hawaiian culture (2019). Lono was the closest Akua to be associated with surfing, but Kamehameha paying homage to Lono on Pele’s domain was very obscure to me. Why establish a surfing heiau there? Why not by the beach side? And why not in Waikiki near the water where the Ali’i play?

The story of Nahe and Le’a holds great significance to how the Hawaiians appreciated the natural world, personifying the land and animals to invoke the importance of Lē’ahi itself rather than the coastline that it is around, is a beautiful interpretation of love for the Aina. To know that Kaimanahila was more than just the previous name of Diamond Head, opened my eyes and questioned the existence of other mo’olelo that are tied to places in my community and how much cultural significance does my home really entail. Our interpretation of Le’ahi and Hawaii in general is limited and vague, because I’ve always interpreted Kaimanahila or Lē’ahi as a piece of respected land, but it is more than the coastline and the Ahupua’a of Waikiki, it was a historical site, it is sacred grounds, it’s both a recreational area for people to enjoy for surfing, and it also holds deep cultural significance to the Kanaka Maoli of old-Hawaii.

References

Fornander, Abraham. Hawaiian Antiquities and Folk-lore: The Hawaiians’ Account of the Formation of Their Islands and Origin of Their Race, with the Traditions of Their Migrations, Etc., As Gathered from Original Sources. Translated by Thomas G. Thrum. Bishop Museum Press, 1918.

Kahuna Lono. “Ka Mo’olelo O Leahi: The Legend of Diamond Head. Molokai Dispatch, 10 May 2012, https://themolokaidispatch.com/ka-moolelo-o-leahi-the-legend-of-diamond-head/. Accessed 24 February 2019. Lau, Dessi Ann & Luckey, Kenneth. “Diamond Head Crater”. Oahu Siteseeing Hotspots. http://www2.hawaii.edu/~turner/oahu/dhead.htm. Accessed 3 March 2019.

Na Puke Wehewhe Oleleo Hawaii. (2003). “Ulukau Hawaiian Electronic Library”. Retrieved from http://wehewehe.org/gsdl2.85/cgi-bin/hdict?a=q&r=1&hs=1&m=-1&o=-1&e=q-11000-00---off-0hdict--00-1----0-10-0---0---0direct-10-ED--4-------0-1lpm--11-haw-Zz-1---Zz-1-home-la%2527i--00-3-1-00-0--4----0-0-11-00-0utfZz-8-00&q=lei&j=pm&af=1&fqf=ED.

Pettit, John. “Hawaiian Religion”. Beginning Religion Lecture: Week 2, 14 January 2019, Spalding Hall, University of Hawaii: Manoa, Honolulu, HI.

Surfline. “Diamond Head Surf Report & Forecast”. Surfline. February 2019. https://www.surfline.com/surf-report/diamond-head/5842041f4e65fad6a77088a2. Accessed, 01-24 February 2019.

Young, Peter T. “Lēʻahi – Diamond Head”. 29 September 2012, Accessed 24 February 2019.

Ka‘alāwai Beach (Cromwell’s)

by Zabela Olascoaga

on March 28, 2019 for ENG273 He‘enalu (Surfing) Instructor: Lane “LaneSki” Davey

There are over 120 beaches on the enchanting island of Oahu, each with its own personal story of the origin and hidden treasures. Personally, one of my favorite beaches on the island is Ka‘alāwai or otherwise known as Cromwell’s beach. This small strip of land is located across the street from the famous Diamond Head Crater, behind the mansions of Kahala. Covered in soft white sand with a shallow reef offshore, Ka‘alāwai is not the best place for recreational swimming (though there are some natural pools hidden between the rocks), but it is best known as a great local spot for spearfishing, surfing, and soaking up the sun. This south shore beach was once a quiet, mellow spot only known to a few residents, over the past decade, Ka‘alāwai has become increasingly popular with magazines articles and travel reviews encouraging tourist to find the “hidden” beach. What was once a peaceful residential retreat has become Oahu’s party beach for tourist and travelers who decide to take a break from the Waikiki scene. Truly this is no surprise, the island has been exploited since the 19th century, but in a culture as logogenic as Hawaii, I knew there must be more than the hot spot version of Ka‘alāwai we see today. For this paper, I researched the various transformations Ka‘alāwai has gone throughout the past few decades. This includes mo’olelos from its pre-contact days and its modern-day reputation.

Ka‘alāwai earned its title as a secret beach. When I first began researching the history of this beach I could only find information regarding Leahi or articles regarding Doris Duke who built her famous Shangri La summer home on the east side of the area. What I did find was a collection of Native Legends including a legend of Ku-ula, the Hawaiian god of fish. According to Hawaiian Folk Tales, the mo’olelo begins on Maui. After the death of the King of Hana, son of Ku-ula, Aiai grabs the stone of Ku-a-lanakila declaring all fish, crabs, and sea creatures alike be welcome back to the shores of the island. Aiai became well known across the land, teaching the locals how to properly capture the fish with various nets and techniques. He went fishing all over the island, created proper fishing grounds and there was not a beach he left untouched. Once the entire island was well trained in the art of fishing, his father sent him off to teach again on the other Hawaiian island including Oahu. Aiai began on the east side at Makapu’u where he established pohaku-ia (fish stone) for redfish and for speckled fish and called it Malei. He slowly made his way down the island to the south shore where came to Ka‘alāwai to placed a white and brown rock that attracted the aholehole to the shallow reefs of Ka‘alāwai one can see today. The story continues as the son of the fish god goes around the island placing magical rocks to attract various sea life to the fishing spots of Hawaii. Nearly every time I visit Ka‘alāwai I see people loaded with their fishing supplies getting ready to enter the sea or coming out of the water with a small net full of dinner. Hidden in the shallow pools, are communities of crustaceans including ‘a’ama (rock crabs) and hermit crabs. As I walk down the beach searching for sea glass I see the shore covered in white and brown rocks that look like freckles on the sand. The same rocks that Aiai placed to attract the little grey fish many moons ago.

Ka‘alāwai is surrounded by landmarks. A few miles north of the beach area is the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, to the west sits the remarkable Leahi (Diamond Head) Crater, and to the east lies a charming, yet mysterious Islamic mansion that sits above the black lava rocks. What sort of place could this be? Decorated with elite Islamic collections, it is incredible to believe this museum of a mansion was once a summer villa. Shangri La is an Islamic inspired palace built by tobacco heiress Doris Duke, daughter of James Buchanan. Being the daughter of a millionaire, Doris Duke was able to live a grand life of travel and enjoy a wide range in hobbies such as journalism, wildlife conservation, surfing, and oriental art. During her honeymoon around the world with James Cromwell, Duke, and her husband became infatuated with Honolulu and purchased an oceanfront property at Ka‘alāwai where she would have architects and designers from all over the world build her luxury beach home from the ground up. One of Duke’s many hobbies included interior design. She had many homes across the united states, each with a specific theme in mind. She gained inspiration for Shangri La from her adventures in Morroco, Egypt and other parts of Africa. Moroccan workshops were hired to create furniture, colored-glass windows, ceilings, and screens and purchased nearly 1,000 Iznik tiles initiates collecting Iznik ceramics for many decades. As a creative persona she was, Duke understood the transitional space in Islamic architecture and expressed this by moving Islamic tentage indoors in her new Hawaiian setting. Her husband James Cromwell, would dock his boats in the ocean next to their property which is how the beach received the name Cromwell’s. Unfortunately, the love between Duke and Cromwell did not last long as they divorced several months after Shangri La was finished in 1937. Doris Duke did not only spend her money on herself, during her lifetime she founded multiple non-profit organization to spread awareness about art, AIDS and ecocentric thinking. Before her death in 1993, Duke created the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art in order “to promote the study and understanding of Middle Eastern Art and Culture”. Today, Shangri La functions as a historical art museum, owned and operated by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (DDFIA). Her legacy lives on through the fifth largest collection of Islamic art in America resting on the south shores of Oahu.

One of the various gems of Hawaiian culture is their logogenic terminology. Old Hawaiian literature placed a high value on names and reputations. Before researching the literal definition of Ka‘alāwai on Wehewehe, I attempted to deconstruct the word myself. With Ka‘alāwai’s fishing background in mind, I presumed the name must have been relating to water or water-related sports. Due to prior knowledge of Alāwai Canal, I understood that alāwai means waterway or channel. As for Ka, it is a popular term used at the beginning of various Hawaiian names with diverse interpretations. When I searched Ka on Wehewehe I found over 10 definitions of Ka ranging from an assertion of dominance, a preface to a speech or chant, overthrow, and farm work. The one I found to be closet related to Ka‘alāwai is the definition from Andrew’s Hawaiian Dictionary in which Ka stands for “To radiate or proceed in a direct line from a point, as in making a fish-net or weaving”. Alāwai stands for a canal. Together Ka‘alāwai means waterway or land division, a place of fishing grounds. It was with great precision that Hawaiians gave the Ka‘alāwai to the small south shore beach.

Visiting the beach after this extensive research I now appreciate Ka‘alāwai not only as a local beach for relaxation but as a spot of mixing cultures. A unique aspect of Hawai’i is the high tolerance for an array of cultures. I believe, the rise of native Hawaiian culture appreciation has kindled a recognition of the beauty of nonwestern practices. It is pleasing to see the practice of classical, native fishing is still being appreciated at Ka‘alāwai. Shangri La still rests upon the dark rocks carrying the legend of a great female art scholar. There is a sort of satisfaction that comes with knowing the history of a favorite beach. Understanding the true, intended meaning of the name gives off a sense of closer relations to the islands hidden treasures.

Bush, Olga. “Relocating to Hawai‘i: Dwelling with Islamic Art at Doris Duke’s Shangri La.” International Journal of Islamic Architecture , Intellect, 1 July 2014, www-ingentaconnectcom.eres.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/content/intellect/ijia/2014/00000003/00000002/art00007.

Nakuina, M.K. “Hawaiian Folk Tales.” A Collection of Native Legends, Project Gutenberg, 2019, www.gutenberg.org/files/18450/18450-h/18450-h.htm.

Nā Puke Architecture, Wehewehe ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.” Nā Puke Wehewehe ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Na Ka Hale Paʻi o Ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi, 2004, wehewehe.org/.

“Shangri La Is a Museum for Learning about the Global Cultures of Islamic Art and Design through Exhibitions, Digital and Educational Initiatives, Public Tours and Programs, and Community Partnerships.” Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design, 2019, www.shangrilahawaii.org.

Kaimana Beach

by Keliʻiokalani Kamelamela-Dudoit

on April 1, 2019 for ENG273 He‘enalu (Surfing) Instructor: Lane “LaneSki” Davey

The pockets of chalky sand makes up Kaimana Beach between the War Memorial Natatorium and the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel. The translation for Kaimana is called diamond. This gem of a location called Kaimana Beach is a place that everyone should learn about. From the mountain to the ocean Kaimana Beach is aligned with Kapiʻolani Park. In history, a heiau (place of worship) was built on Kapiʻolani park. The ocean was a factor in the area of Kaimana Beach. Before the name Kaimana Beach, it was called Kapua Fishery. Many stories were created at Kaimana Beach coming from our Hawaiian ancestry family. One story coming from the Kahanamoku family. Another story coming from the Kamehameha family. Also, I would want to share my story about how special Kaimana Beach can be.

From a contemporary point of view, Kaimana Beach is a new name to Hawaiʻi. Kaimana Beach comes from the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel. The original name comes from the name Kapua (Ka-pua). Kapua is an ancient surfing area which is on the Waikīkī Beach in Oʻahu. Kapua was also used as a fishery in the 1900ʻs. Maps on Oʻahu will indicate Kapua fishery will cover the area which is known now as Kaimana Beach. On December 28, 1902, an enormous steamship called Silvertown cruised there way towards Kaimana Beach. Silvertown came from San Francisco, California. From there travels overseas, they anchored a telegraphic line with them from California to Hawaiʻi. After a long sail across the Pacific Ocean, David Piʻikoi Kahanamoku (the uncle of Duke Kahanamoku) greeted the men on the Silvertown steamship to the Oʻahu island. The act of the telegraphic line marked it as the first telegraphic line from Hawaiʻi to the United States. The first message was sent from Hawaiʻi to President Theodore Roosevelt in Washington D.C. on January 1, 1903. The telegraphic line still lies on the beach floor in the Kapua channel on Kaimana Beach.

Kapiʻolani Park sits on the western edge of Diamond Head. On Kapiʻolani Park there lived a heiau (a place of worship) where Native Hawaiians could visit. The name of this heiau was called Papaʻenaʻena heiau. This heiau was relatively big measured from 130 feet in length and 70 feet in width. The Papaʻenaʻena heiau was not only for worship. When heiauʻs was built, each heiau had its own purpose. This heiau was used as a hale umu (oven house), a drum house, and as a lele (altar). Papaʻenaʻena heiau holds a lot of mana (power) that gives the ʻāina positive energy. Mōʻi (ruler) Kahekili of Maui built the Papaʻenaʻena heiau in the year 1783. During Kahekiliʻs conquest of Oʻahu, Kamehameha interrupted Kahekili with his presence. Kamehameha and Kahekili fought each other which ended at Nuʻuanu in 1795. This battle between Kamehameha and Kahekili was known as the Battle of Nuʻuanu. King Kamehameha was victorious during his conquest of Oʻahu. The Papaʻenaʻena heiau was very much involved with the battle of the Pali because Kamehameha used to order his men to sacrifice the defeated aliʻi (chiefs) of Oʻahu at the heiau. The heiau was used as a sacrificial heiau for 35 years. By the 1850ʻs, the heiau was falling apart and for the stones that were left behind was carted off to build Waikīkī and the walls at Queen Emmaʻs estate.

On the border of Kaimana Beach, another structure was built. The structure was called The Waikīkī War Memorial Park and Natatorium which opened in the year 1927. Leading up to the construction of the Natatorium local citizens established a War Memorial Committee which had groups by the names of the Daughters and Sons of Hawaiian Warriors, Central YMCA, St. Andrewʻs Cathedral, Hawaiian Womenʻs Guild, Kamehameha Alumni Association, Hawaiian Civic Club, and etc. I am grateful to know that as alumni of Kamehameha Schools at Kapālama, I know that I am apart of the Waikīkī War Memorial Park and Natatorium committee. This natatorium was and still is a swimming pool. The swimming pool is over 100 meters long, double the size of an Olympic pool. On the mauka (mountain) side of the Natatorium, there is a wall that has names of 101 fallen soldiers engraved on a plaque. The names of the fallen soldiers were shown to the public in the year of 1931. According to Brian Ireland, “ Since only eight Hawai‘i residents died by enemy action under the U.S. flag—the others having died of other causes before and after the war’s end—the Memorial obviously exaggerates the death toll, thus magnifying the sacrifices made by “Hawaiʻi's sons” (Coalition). The death of our Hawaiians that represented Hawaiʻi during that time of World War 1, I am very much grateful for their service. The Waikīkī War Memorial Park and Natatorium is a way we can remember the names that fought for the people of Hawaiʻi and the United States.

King Kamehameha the first unified the islands of Hawaiʻi. Kamehameha fought many aliʻi (chiefs) for land. According to The Founder, it says, “ When Kamehameha with his many soldiers came over from Hawaiʻi in his canoes, the first of the canoe fleet of Kalaimoku, Kamehamehaʻs Chief Warrior, landed at Kapua” (Founder 523). Knowing that Kamehameha the first placed his foot on the sand and soil of Kapua it is such an incredible discovery. I have walked and swam in Kapua all this time not knowing that Kamehameha the first landed his waʻa (canoe) over there. Kamehamehaʻs Chief Warrior, Kalaimoku, landed in Kapua with 340 soldiers. During Kalaimoku and Kamehamehaʻs fleet to Oʻahu, they are here to fight Kalanikūpule and his chief warrior Pihana. Eventually, Pihana and Kalanikūpule ceded the land to Kalaimoku and Kamehameha the first. This marks the sixth battle for Kamehameha and ends the battle between Kamehameha and Kalanikūpule as he disappears. Kamehameha holds an abundance of history in the area of Kapua. The stories that occurred from the Papaʻenaʻena heiau and the battle of Kamehameha and Kalanikūpule will always be remembered.

The area of Kaimana Beach is made up of many different names that were generated from the community. The first name I would want to discuss is Sans Souci. This is a beach that is in the ahupuaʻa (land division usually extending from the uplands to the sea) of Waikīkī, Oʻahu. In 1884, Allen Herbert bought the land where the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel is located. Allen opened a lodge area that he named Sans Souci, in the French language it translates to “without a care,” after the palace of Frederick the Great in Potsdam. Another name that was found is called Sandbars. Sandbars are a surf site at Kaimana Beach. Off Kaimana Beach and east of this popular surf spot called Old Manʻs, waves form and create sand boils. The sand boils at Kaimana Beach are known as sandbars.

The next name for Kaimana Beach is called Peaks. Peaks is another surfing site at Kaimana Beach besides Sandbars. This surf site is located on the west side of the Kapua Channel. The name Peak comes from the waves that overlap each other every day at Kaimana Beach. The wave at Peaks shows one singular point on the wave. Thus, making it difficult to ride because the wave at Peaks does not last very long. The next name I would want to explain for Kaimana Beach is called Dig Me. The name Dig Me beach originated in the 1980ʻs when the beach was popular with many people wearing the latest swimsuits. This is a beach that will be remembered by the crowd it lures in and the beauty it presents. Another name is called Gold Coast. This name was given by real estate agents to the Waikīkī coast from the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel to the south end of Kalākaua Avenue. The real estate agents thought that Kaimana Beach was “as good as gold.” The condominiums that you see now were built in the 1950ʻs and 1960ʻs. The Gold Coast is now condominiums which is the only beachfront condominiums in Waikīkī.

Throughout my childhood, I have made a connection with the ʻāina (land) at Kaimana Beach. Until this point and time, I have never lost connection with that part of the island. My grandparents live in Waikīkī and I have built roots there with the land and the ocean. Coming from the island of Molokaʻi, the majority of our time is spent going to the store, going to school, and going to the beach. The beach is where the body can heal spiritually and physically. On Molokaʻi, I learned that going to the ocean rejuvenated me. Moving from the island of Molokaʻi to Oʻahu I had to find a place where I can cleanse myself. The beach I chose was Kaimana Beach. Personally, Kaimana Beach can heal people from any negative concern that is going on in their body and mind. By going in the ocean it also gives you a reason to have fun and take life in the moment. Many people get so caught up in their ways that they do not make time for themselves in the ocean.

Recently, I have visited Kaimana Beach with my family. It was my brothers 3rd birthday and my whole family gathered together at the beach. It was a great time to spend with family and enjoy each others company. On that day, the wind was from north to south with the current of the water going from west to east. As I entered the water of Kaimana Beach, it was freezing cold like ice cubes hitting your chest making you lose your breathe. Falling slowly into the water, I swim out to the orange flag with my uncle for a nice little exercise. With an infection by my ear lobe I realized that puss was uzzing out as I was swimming. It made me realize that salt water heals your body. It was a great experience because the infection by my ear was multiplying day by day. So, to jump in the salt water at Kaimana Beach it was refreshing to know that if I ever had another infection I could go to the beach and be cleansed. I advise everyone to go to the beach for spiritual and sometimes medical reasons.

My grandma is an Native Hawaiian Practitioner for Waikīkī Health, she has always used the ocean as a way to clear the body from any bad spirits. She deals with many foreign people that make there way to Hawaiʻi to learn about the importance of the Hawaiian culture and to deeply connect with the ʻāina (land) at Oʻahu. In order for foreign people to learn about another culture like the Hawaiian culture they would need to follow protocol. The protocol needed for them to be pono (right) is to go to the ocean or to pikai. According to Wai Ola it says, “ Essentially, when the water of purification (wai huikala) had sea salt in it, the ceremony was pikai. Sometimes ʻolena (turmeric) or limu kala (sea vegetable) was added to the seawater for an enhanced outcome. In the hale puloʻuloʻu (house of purification sweat ceremony) that I conduct, I like to use awa (kava kava), ʻolena and sandalwood (ʻiliʻahi) to reconnect to the real power we have within” (Makaʻala 13). The word pikai is the use of saltwater and freshwater. In other cases, it can be a root based, plant based, and wood based material. Pikai is a Hawaiian traditional practice that our kūpuna used to purify an area or a person from spiritual contamination and harmful energies. There are a few places that she could send these foreign people to pikai but she highly suggest people to go to Kaimana Beach. My family is very grateful to have a Hawaiian healer in our family. Whenever my grandma feels like our family is not pono, she sends our family to Kaimana Beach to pikai. In her own words she would say, “go pikai” or “go ocean.” From this assignment, Kaimana Beach has blessed me with the opportunity of learning about the history and figuring out what is the most important thing about Kaimana Beach. It is the love we have for ourselves, the ‘āina, and the Hawaiian culture.

Cited Bibliography

Coalition, Kaimana Beach. “History Archives.” Save Kaimana Beach, 19 Apr. 2015, savekaimanabeach.org/category/history/.

Founder, Abraham. “Fornander Collection 5 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive, 1918, archive.org/details/FornanderCollection5/page/n523.

“Hawaiʻi Place Names: Shores, Beaches, and Surf Sites.” Ulukau, ulukau.org/elib/cgi-bin/library?c=cpn&a=q&q=%22kaimana%2Bbeach%22&summarise=1&l=en&w=escapewin&t=1.

Makaʻala. “Wai Ola: Water of Life.” Indigenous Medicine, 29 May 2014, manaola.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/wai-ola-water-of-life/.

Pukui/Elbert/Mookini. Nā Puke Wehewehe ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, 1974, wehewehe.org/gsdl2.85/cgi-bin/hdict?e=q-11000-00---off-0hdict--00-1----0-10-0---0---0direct-10-ED--4-------0-1lp0--11-haw-Zz-1---Zz-1-home-kaimana--00-3-1-00-0--4----0-0-11-00-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&d=D89709.

To-Hawaii. “Kaimana Beach.” , Oahu, 2006, www.to-hawaii.com/oahu/beaches/kaimanabeach.php.