Mokolii (), also known as Chinaman's Hat, is a basalt islet in Kāneʻohe Bay, Hawaii. Mokolii is part of

Kualoa Regional Park Kualoa Regional Park is located at Kāneʻohe Bay, on the island of Oahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The park covers across the road from the Pali-ku (cliffs) of the Koʻolau Range. The beach front is white sand and 1/3 mile offshore is the smal ...

and located offshore of Kualoa Point, Oahu. The islet was at one time part of a basaltic ridge on Oahu before marine erosion separated it. Mokoli'i islet Chinaman's Hat

Etymology

Mokolii translates from Hawaiian as "little lizard." "Moko” is an older form of the word "mo’o" and means "lizard" or dragon-like creature; "li’i" means "small" or "tiny." According to the Pele epic in Hawaiian mythology, while the goddess Hiʻiaka was traveling to retrieve Pele’s lover, Hi’iaka killed an evil giant lizard at Kuala. Part of its body fell into the bay and became Mokoli’i: the island is the tip of the tail sticking out of the water. The closest land on the main island is Hakipu’u, which bears the broken spine of the lizard, with "haki" meaning to break or broken and “Pu’u” meaning the hill or back. The alternative name of Chinaman's Hat derives from a comparison of its shape to the Asian conical hat. Of this alternative name, scholar

kuʻualoha hoʻomanawanui kuualoha hoomanawanui is a Native Hawaiian author who is known for her scholarship on Pele. Early life and education Born in Kailua, Oʻahu, hoʻomanawanui also spent part of her childhood on Kauaʻi at Wailua Homesteads. Attending the Univer ...

has written: "It completely erases the Native perspective of the ‘āina as mo’o, a living entity that Hi’iaka—a female, no less—overpowers…Mokoli’i doesn’t exist in isolation as 'Chinaman's Hat' does." A resolution was introduced at the Hawaii State Legislature in 2007, requesting that the

Hawaii Tourism Authority 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 state ...

discourage the use of the name "Chinaman's Hat" in favor of Mokoliʻi, noting that the name "Chinaman's Hat" "has no historical or cultural significance" and "is offensive to many people of Chinese ancestry." The resolution did not pass the legislature.

Flora and fauna

Both wildlife and plants of Mokoliʻi have been affected by the presence of non-native species, in particular the

black rat The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus ''Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is n ...

and

yellow crazy ant The yellow crazy ant (''Anoplolepis gracilipes''), also known as the long-legged ant or Maldive ant, is a species of ant, thought to be native to West Africa or Asia. They have been accidentally introduced to numerous places in the world's trop ...

. Although other species of birds previously nested there, the wedge-tailed shearwater is the only species of bird that nests on Mokoliʻi. Seventy-two species of plants have been identified, the majority of which are invasive non-native species. Native plants thrive in the coastal margins and include ahu awa (''

Cyperus javanicus ''Cyperus javanicus'', also known as the Javanese flatsedge, is a sedge of the family Cyperaceae that is native to Indonesia and Australia. Description The rhizomatous glaucous perennial sedge typically grows to a height of and has a tufted h ...

''), naupaka ('' Scaevola taccada''), and ilima ('' Sida fallax''). Invasive plants which dominate the slopes are '' Lantana camara'', Spanish needles (''

Bidens alba ''Bidens alba'', which belongs to the family Asteraceae, is most commonly known as shepherd's needles, beggarticks, Spanish needles, or butterfly needles.''Bidens alba''. Ed. Linda C. Duever. FLORIDATA: 21 Nov. 2003. 27 May 2013. ''Bidens'' means ...

'' var. ''radiata''), and christmasberry. The island was designated as a critical habitat for Carter’s panicgrass (''Panicum fauriei'' var. ''carteri'') by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 1983. In 2002, the USFWS initiated a program to eradicate rats from Mokoliʻi.

History

Mokolii was under private ownership until the 1970s, when the City and County of Honolulu purchased it.

Access

Mokolii is owned by the City and County of Honolulu and is protected by state and federal park regulations. It is open to the public from dawn to dusk. It can be accessed by kayak, boat, surfboard, or by swimming, or wading at low tide. There is also a 20-minute hike to the top of the island.

References

External links

Mokolii Island on Google Maps
As of 15 July 2011
Mokolii Island on Yahoo! Maps
As of 27 May 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Mokoli'i Islands of Hawaii Stacks of the United States Geography of Honolulu County, Hawaii