A 1,200-foot-long ti leaf lei made by the Kohala community on Hawaiʻi Island was draped across Pololū Valley over the weekend. It's a symbol of protection from increased development — and of community solidarity.
Dozens of community members from North Kohala and across the island spent their weekend making ti leaf lei that, when twisted together, would span the width of Pololū Valley.
Lineal descendant Kekoaopololū Kealoha said ti leaf symbolizes safety and protection.
“And so the idea that they are protecting the sand dunes, which is where there are burials, you know, iwi kupuna are there,” Kealoha said, “That lei symbolizes a boundary, it symbolizes protecting a space that is sacred to us because that’s our kupuna.”
The final lei laʻī measured 1,200 feet long. Community members held protocol at Pololū Valley Lookout before draping the lei down in the valley.
Niuliʻi resident and Kohala High School teacher Aoloa Patao took part in the annual lei ritual.
“When we went down into the valley, besides roping the lei laʻī across the valley floor, we also did a little maintenance,” Patao said. “And so we used some chainsaws and we got rid of a lot of invasive species going down the trail and tried to make it as safe as possible for future visitors.”
Patao and Kealoha are with the Protect Pololū Project, a group of lineal descendants, cultural practitioners, and community members focused on protecting Pololū through education and stewardship.
“The idea of presenting a lei of Pololū is really indicative of our connection to that place and our commitment to that place to make sure that we preserve it for future generations,” Kealoha said.
The lei ritual comes as community opposition grows over a proposed development on the Pololū Valley rim.
Landowner KP Holdings LLC wants to create a five-lot subdivision on nearly 200 acres on the valley ridge, said Hāwī resident Toni Whitington.
“The opposition has to do with turning the rim of the valley into what are large homes that intrude on the valley,” Whitington said. “The decision on the subdivision will be made by the county planning director because it is an administrative decision, it is not one that is subject to public hearing either by the planning commission or a public comment period.”
This land on the Pololū Valley Ridge is zoned agriculture, which allows lots of 20 acres. This means the proposal does not need to be reviewed by the Leeward Planning Commission or any other public hearings.
Whitington — also a writer for the Kohala Mountain News — said writing letters to Hawaiʻi County Planning Director Zendo Kern is the only way the public can voice their concerns.
Whitington reported that the county Department of Water Supply raised concerns that the project is located beyond the existing water distribution system. She said Kern deferred a decision on the subdivision to May 19 to allow the landowner time to make sure it meets the county code requirements for water.
KP Holding LLC is a subsidiary of the Surety Kohala Corporation, which bought up much of its land holdings after the closure of the plantation in Kohala. So, this is one of Kohala’s largest landowners. Whitington said the opposition to this project has some history to it.
“Surety Kohala tried to, attempted to several years ago to make a 10-lot subdivision on the same land, and that proposal was not moved forward because of community protest over that proposal,” Whitington said. “So it's not surprising that this proposal is also of a concern to people.”
The concern raised by members of the Protect Pololū Project is that allowing this subdivision makes way for gentleman farm estates and compromises the community’s ability to carry out their generational kuleana to steward the delicate ecosystem in Pololū.
Patao said the lei ritual is a reminder that there is a growing community of Kohala residents opposed to increased development in the area.
“Having events like this is not only important to Kohala but it's important to all of Hawaiʻi. Every family, every community, every island has their very special places,” Patao told HPR. “And it’s really important for us as people who are from here and who love these places to rise up and take care of it and really be the stewards for this place.”
