The Multilayered History of Kōloa

A Virtual Presentation  

Thursday, November 14, 2024

12:00 to 1:00 p.m.

Virtual (via Zoom)

Cost: Free, registration required

Join Historic Hawai‘i Foundation and guest presenters for an introduction to the multilayered history of Kōloa, Kaua‘i!

Highlighting the newly released Kōloa Story Map, this one hour virtual program will share:

  • An introduction to Kōloa through wahi pana and mo‘olelo;
  • A peek into the history, purpose and documentation of the Kōloa Field System;
  • A look at the emergence of sugar and Kōloa Town (did you know Kōloa was the site of the first sugar mill in Hawai‘i?);
  • A short, guided tour of the Kōloa Story Map’s features and navigation.

The Kōloa Story Map spotlighting Kōloa, Kaua‘i, is the latest installment in the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation Story Map series utilizing an innovative digital platform to bring the history and stories of Kōloa to life through an interactive, multimedia experience via armchair viewing or in person.

The map weaves together historical and cultural information, photographs, historic maps, oral histories and current aloha ‘āina and community efforts to present a mosaic of Kōloa town and the surrounding area. The story map platform serves as a vital tool for both preserving Kōloa’s heritage and engaging the community in the ongoing efforts to protect and celebrate its cultural and historic legacy.

The history of Kōloa is in many ways Hawai‘i’s history in microcosm.

~(Wilcox) as noted in “The Kauaʻi Album”

Presenters

Dr. Hallett H. Hammatt
Dr. Hallett H. HammattArchaeologist, founder Cultural Surveys Hawai'i
Dr. Hammatt founded Cultural Surveys Hawaiʻi in 1982 and has been active in the field of cultural resource management for over 50 years. He has been at the forefront of shaping Hawaiʻi state historic preservation practices and currently serves on the Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation Board of Trustees. His expertise in Hawaiian archaeology includes agricultural systems, sediment studies, lithic studies, and geoarchaeology.

The ahupuaʻa of Kōloa is especially dear to Dr. Hammatt. Under Francis Ching, he spent a large part of his early career documenting one of the largest and most distinctive complexes of agricultural fields and associated habitation sites in the state, known as the Kōloa Field System. Since the 1970s, Dr. Hammatt has worked to uphold his passion and commitment to Kōloa, educating through his experience and continuing to advocate for the preservation of this place.

Ada Henne-Koene
Ada Henne-KoeneLocal Historian
Ada Henne-Koene first came to Hawai‘i in the 1960s and worked in Honolulu for six years before being offered a job in Bangkok, Thailand. After six years in Bangkok, she moved to Seoul, Korea as an office manager on a United Nations Development Project which would study the ports of South Korea. On this project, she met and married a Dutchman, Arie Koene, and after nine years they finished in Korea and moved to the Netherlands. From there Arie’s work took them to many countries. They spent weeks, months, and years, in 72 countries, where they made friends and learned about the cultures. She has edited, written, and taken photos for several books. She and Arie retired to their beloved Kaua‘i. She recently wrote the soon-to-be-published, “Kōloa Plantation Days, a Talk Story”, which explains why the Kōloa community has a Kōloa Plantation Days Celebration every year and has done so since 1975.
Natalie Yokoi
Natalie YokoiGIS Director, Cultural Surveys Hawaiʻi
Natalie Yokoi is from Kailua, Oʻahu. She has collaborated with Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation to create story maps for a number of beloved places. Natalie believes story maps are an opportunity to learn about, experience, and understand places in a more diverse and intimate way. She has enjoyed working with the people of, and who love, Kōloa and hopes to share some of this place’s abundant history through this story map.
Kamālamalama Ishii
Kamālamalama IshiiStudent, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Aloha! ʻO wau ʻo Kamālamalamaonālani Ishii! No Kōloa mai au a he haumana kulanui au!

I am Kamālamalamaonālani Ishii! I was born and raised in Kōloa, Kaua‘i and am currently attending the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, majoring in Hawaiian Language and Education. Last year, my classmates and I researched the various wahi pana in the ahupuaʻa of Kōloa as part of Kumu Puali’ili’imaikalani Rossi’s Hawaiian Language 201 at Kauaʻi Community College, then wrote our findings in both in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and English. Some of the information we provide include moʻolelo (stories), mele about the places, and breakdowns of their names. I hope you all enjoy learning about Kōloa as much as I love kuʻu home ʻo Kōloa.

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation and our project partners are excited to introduce the Kōloa Story Map!

Click the PHOTO ABOVE to access the Kōloa Story Map.

Kōloa Story Map: Aloha wale ka Pali o Kōloa; Ke Ala Huli i Waihānau

The course of history through the life-giving waters of Kōloa

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation developed the Kōloa Story Map in collaboration with project partners, Cultural Surveys Hawai‘i; Kōloa Community Association, Kaua‘i  Community College, Kaua‘i Historical Society, Hui Mālama o Kāneiolouma, Mālama Maha‘ulepu, Kōloa Plantation Days and the Royal Order of Kamehameha at Kaumuali‘i. Teak Ruby-Ano provided contemporary photography. Special mahalo to Lee Gately.

Explore the ahupua‘a of Kōloa, its important waterways, history, archaeology, and historic town center in an engaging, interactive digital map.

Story Maps bring the history and stories of our well-loved communities alive and help deepen our connection to the places we care about. Enjoy the journey in person in Kōloa or from the comfort of your own home.

A special mahalo to our program partners!