Kaaina Mauna: Mauna Kea, neighboring mountain lands, and native practices described in boundary commission testimonies of kamaaina witnesses and residents from 1865 to 1891, districts of Hilo, Hamakua and Kohala Island of Hawaii

Author:

Maly, Kepa

Title:

Kaaina Mauna: Mauna Kea, neighboring mountain lands, and native practices described in boundary commission testimonies of kamaaina witnesses and residents from 1865 to 1891, districts of Hilo, Hamakua and Kohala Island of Hawaii

Year:

2002

Subject:

Testimony Land use

Summary:

In 1862, a Commission of Boundaries (the Boundary Commission) was established in the Kingdom of Hawaii to legally set the boundaries of ahupuaa that had been awarded to Alii, Konohiki, and foreigners during the Mahele. By the middle 1860's, land owners and their lessees were petitioning to have the boundaries of their respective lands - which were the foundation of ranching interests on Hawaii - settled. The mountain lands on the Island of Hawaii, including those completely surrounding Mauna Kea, made up the heart land of the largest ranch in the Hawaiian Kingdom. As a result, Commissioner G.M. Robertson began taking testimonies from native residents early in the Commission's history. Following Robertson's death, his brothers Rufus and Frederick Lyman continued the work and collection of detailed testimonies for the Third Judicial Circuit (Island of Hawaii). These testimonies of kamaaina (native) witnesses and resident foreigners, described the lands of South Kohala (the Waimea and Waikoloa region); Hamakua (the Paauhau-Kaohe region); and lands of the Hilo District (Humuula and lands to the east). The narratives cited in this collection have been excerpted from the testimonies given by native residents, or those given by surveyors who recorded the boundaries based on the testimony of native guides. The testimonies include descriptions of the land, extending from ocean fisheries to plateau lands, and mountain peaks. They describe a wide range of traditional practices, travel, land use, resource collection, and changes in the landscape.

Collection:

Monographs