Olowalu is a community on the west side of the island of

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

in the state of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. It is located about south of

Lahaina Lahaina ( haw, Lāhainā) is the largest census-designated place (CDP) in West Maui, Maui County, Hawaii, United States and includes the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a resident population of 12,702. Laha ...

on the Honoapiilani Highway. It is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP), with a population at the 2020 census of 100. It sustained a large population, governed by the high chiefess Kalola, daughter of Maui ruler Kekaulike, and grandmother of Keopuolani. It was home to a traditional farming community until the arrival of the Europeans, who replaced it with a

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

. The massacre in 1790 described below, as well as the labor-hungry

sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...

trade, contributed to the site's decline. A substantial real estate development is under consideration for the area. The area is home to one of Hawaii's most striking reefs.

Puu Honua

From ancient times, Olowalu was considered a place of refuge, or ''puu honua'', by Hawaiians. Persons pursued for committing an offense against a family group or an ali'i (royal) were untouchable once they stepped inside its borders. Violating sanctuary was punishable by death. For Pacific Island cultures, maintaining a peaceful order was a deep cultural tenet. For people on Maui, Olowalu created an interval of space and time to resolve disputes.

Massacre

In 1789, Captain

Simon Metcalfe Simon Metcalfe (also spelled Metcalf) (c. 1741 – 1794) was a British-born American surveyor and one of the first American maritime fur traders to visit the Pacific Northwest coast. As early visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in 1789, Metcalfe and ...

set out on a

maritime fur trading The maritime fur trade was a ship-based fur trade system that focused on acquiring furs of sea otters and other animals from the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and natives of Alaska. The furs were mostly sold in China in ...

mission with two ships: the large ''Eleanora'', and the tender , a

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

under command of his son

Thomas Humphrey Metcalfe Thomas Humphrey Metcalfe (also spelled Metcalf) ( – March 16, 1790) was an American maritime fur trader who worked with his father, Simon Metcalfe. After being separated from his father in a storm, Thomas sailed a small schooner with a crew of ...

.Ralph S. Kuykendall, ''The Hawaiian Kingdom '' The ''Fair American'' was captured by the Spanish during the

Nootka Crisis The Nootka Crisis, also known as the Spanish Armament, was an international incident and political dispute between the Nuu-chah-nulth Nation, the Spanish Empire, the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the fledgling United States of America triggered ...

and taken to Mexico, but quickly released. The Metcalfes had earlier agreed to rendezvous in the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

Kealakekua Bay Kealakekua Bay is located on the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii about south of Kailua-Kona. Settled over a thousand years ago, the surrounding area contains many archeological and historical sites such as religious temples (heiaus) and also ...

. The ''Eleanora'' had arrived by January 1790, and met chief Kameeiamoku who boarded the ship to welcome them. Something he did must have offended Simon Metcalfe, who had the chief flogged. This was to have severe consequences later. The ''Eleanora'' then sailed north to the island of Maui to trade and resupply. One night a small boat was stolen and the night watchman was killed. Captain Metcalfe fired his cannons into the village, and captured a few Hawaiians who told him the boat was taken by people from the village of Olowalu. He sailed to Olowalu but found that boat had been broken up for its nails. Nails were treasured in

ancient Hawaii Ancient Hawaii is the period of Hawaiian history preceding the unification in 1810 of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great. Traditionally, researchers estimated the first settlement of the Hawaiian islands as having occurred sporadicall ...

, which lacked metal

smelting Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including silver, iron, copper, and other base metals. Smelting uses heat and a ch ...

technology. Metcalfe invited the villagers to meet the ship, indicating he wanted to trade with them. However, he had all the cannons loaded and ready on the side where he directed the canoes to approach. They opened fire, killing about one hundred Hawaiians, and wounded many others. About five or six weeks later the ''Fair American'' arrived at the

Island of Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii ) is the largest island in the United States, located in the state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of , it has 63% of th ...

where Kameeiamoku was waiting at Kaūpūlehu. The schooner's crew of five were easily overwhelmed and four were killed, including Thomas Metcalfe. The lone survivor was Isaac Davis. King

Kamehameha I Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiikui Kamehameha o Iolani i Kaiwikapu kaui Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; – May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii. T ...

found out about the incident when another sailor,

John Young John Young may refer to: Academics * John Young (professor of Greek) (died 1820), Scottish professor of Greek at the University of Glasgow * John C. Young (college president) (1803–1857), American educator, pastor, and president of Centre Col ...

, was captured by Kamehameha's men when he came ashore from the ''Eleanora'' to inquire about the ''Fair American''."Boatswain John Young – his adventures in Hawaii recalled
published February 14, 1886, New York Times archive Kamehameha decided to spare the lives of Davis and Young, who became valued military advisors during his subsequent battles and negotiations with later visitors. The

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

s of the ''Fair American'' were salvaged and the schooner refloated. Simon Metcalfe eventually left the island without realizing that he had indirectly caused his own son's death.

Agriculture

Historically, Traditional Hawaiian planters filled these arable lands or kula with food and material crops. Olowalu was known for dry land

taro Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...

and luxuriant shady

breadfruit Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family (Moraceae) believed to be a domesticated descendant of ''Artocarpus camansi'' originating in New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippi ...

groves. Other crops such as

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...

and plants that produced useful materials for clothing, shelter and transport, such as

kukui ''Aleurites moluccanus'', the candlenut, is a flowering plant, flowering tree in the Euphorbia, spurge Family (biology), family, Euphorbiaceae, also known as candleberry, Indian walnut, ''kemiri'', varnish tree, ''nuez de la India'', ''buah ker ...

, wauke, '

olona The Olona (''Olona'' in Italian; ''Ulona'', ''Urona'' or ''Uòna'' in Western Lombard) is an Italian river belonging to the Po Basin, long, that runs through the Province of Varese and Metropolitan City of Milan whose course is developed ent ...

, pili and naio were also plentiful. A meandering stream and network of irrigation ditches nourished these crops.EIS Volume 1
/ref> Throughout most of the 19th and 20th centuries, the area was farmed for sugarcane and a

sugar mill A sugar cane mill is a factory that processes sugar cane to produce raw or white sugar. The term is also used to refer to the equipment that crushes the sticks of sugar cane to extract the juice. Processing There are a number of steps in pro ...

operated there.

Geography

The top of the Olowalu ahupuaa on Pu'u Kukui reaches feet. Its boundaries trace downhill between LThau Mountain on the north and LThau 'Ula Mountain on the south. Olowalu Valley and '

Iao Valley Iao Valley ( Hawaiian: ''Īao'': "cloud supreme", pronounced similar to "EE-yow") is a lush, stream-cut valley in West Maui, Hawaii, located west of Wailuku. Because of its natural environment and history, it has become a tourist location. It w ...

were linked by an ancient trail until landslides covered the summit. Olowalu Valley opens up to a fan-shaped

alluvial plain An alluvial plain is a largely flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A floodplain is part of the process, being the sma ...

. When the Olowalu hills were cleared of sandalwood and hardwoods, Olowalu Valley became a much dryer environment, from mountains to shore. Reforestation of LThau with sandalwood and 'ohi'a lehua is a major long-range goal of the OCR, and a huge undertaking requiring partnership with the

Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is a part of the Government of Hawaii, Hawaii state government dedicated to managing, administering, and exercising control over public lands, water resources and streams, ocean waters, co ...

(DLNR). Increased condensation drip in the high forest, added to conservation methods on the kula, are an opportunity to restore past moisture levels to Olowalu Valley. Every activity in an ahupua'a was carried out within the context of a spiritual and cultural belief system that maintained harmony, balance, and peace for both seen and unseen life forms of all creation. Restoring the OCR is a foundation for bringing the concept of sanctuary back into present day culture, and redeeming the powerful history of Olowalu as a functioning pu'uhonua.

Cultural reserve

Olowalu Cultural Reserve (OCR) was founded in 1999 as a community-based,

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

to support and promote the revitalization of traditional

Hawaiian culture The culture of the Native Hawaiians encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms practiced by the original residents of the Hawaiian islands, including their knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits. Humans ...

, restoring native habitat, protecting historic and cultural sites and providing educational experiences to students, residents and visitors. In 2006 OCR began restoring 74 acres from Olowalu Valley to the ocean along Olowalu Stream. OCR is restoring the former irrigation systems and loi's for cultivating taro and other traditional. It is also creating an educational and cultural puuhonua or sanctuary.

Olowalu Town

The community is sparsely inhabited today.Olowalu Town
official web site for the community Coordinates are . A planned community called ''Olowalu Town'' was announced in 2005, but as of 2012 had not been constructed. Plans called for constructing 1,500 housing units, a shopping area, relocating the current highway and installing related infrastructure. On August 3 the Maui County Council voted 7-1 to incorporate Olowalu (previously designated "Agricultural") within the "

urban growth boundary An urban growth boundary, or UGB, is a regional boundary, set in an attempt to control urban sprawl by, in its simplest form, mandating that the area inside the boundary be used for urban development and the area outside be preserved in its natural ...

" of the Maui Island Plan. The development is controversial because it is adjacent to one of Hawaii's healthiest and most unusual

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...

systems. The sheltered reef features large coral heads that are estimated to be hundreds of years old, as well as a rare

manta ray Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, '' M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, '' M. alfredi'', reaches . Both have triangular Pectoral fin#AnchPect ...

cleaning station A cleaning station is a location where aquatic life congregate to be cleaned by smaller creatures. Such stations exist in both freshwater and marine environments, and are used by animals including fish, sea turtles and hippos, referred to as cli ...

and

Blacktip reef shark The blacktip reef shark (''Carcharhinus melanopterus'') is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, which can be easily identified by the prominent black tips on its fins (especially on the first dorsal fin and its caudal fin). ...

nursery.

Gallery

Image: Olowalu beach looking north.jpg, Olowalu beach looking north Image: Olowalu beach looking south.jpg, Olowalu beach looking south File:Olowalu West Maui surf spot (44826166645).jpg, Olowalu beach, West Maui surf spot

Notes

References

* Smith, Katherine Kama'ema'e. Pu'uhonua: The Legacy of Olowalu *

External links

Draft EIS Volume 1Draft EIS Volume 2
{{Maui County, Hawaii Populated places on Maui Ancient Hawaii Census-designated places in Maui County, Hawaii Census-designated places in Hawaii