The Menehune Fishpond, near
Līhuʻe, Hawai`i, on the island of
Kaua`i, is a historic Hawaiian fishpond. Also known as Alakoko Fishpond, it has been listed on the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.
The pond is bounded by a at a large bend in
Hulēia River. It has been deemed "the most significant fishpond on Kauai, both in Hawaiian legends and folklore and in the eyes
fKauai's people today". It is the largest fishpond on Kaua`i, is estimated to have been constructed in the 15th century, and may be the first brackish-water fishpond in the Hawaiian Islands. Its construction is traditionally attributed to the
Menehune
Menehune are a mythological race of dwarf people in Hawaiian tradition who are said to live in the deep forests and hidden valleys of the Hawaiian Islands, hidden and far away from human settlements.
The Menehune are described as superb craft ...
, a mythical people said to have inhabited Hawai`i before the arrival of the Hawaiians.
It was listed on the U.S. National Register in 1973; the listing included one
contributing site
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...
and one
contributing structure.
[ In 2021 it was purchased by ]The Trust for Public Land
The Trust for Public Land is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come". Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has compl ...
and conveyed to Malama Hule‘ia, which has been restoring the land since 2018.
References
Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii
Farms on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii
Fishponds of Hawaii
Bodies of water of Kauai
History of Kauai
Protected areas of Kauai
Buildings and structures in Kauai County, Hawaii
Geography of Kauai County, Hawaii
National Register of Historic Places in Kauai County, Hawaii
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