Hawaiʻi B-WET

Ahupuaʻa (traditional land division)

A couple of people in jeans and hats stand at a wire fence in the mountains looking down across an expansive coastline. — Participants take in the view of the ahupuaʻa from the Kohala Coast on Hawaiʻi Island. Credit: The Kohala Center

Definition

An ahupuaʻa is a division of land, which is often oriented vertically extending from the uplands and usually includes portions of the sea, that is part of a larger traditional resource management system established by ancient Hawaiians to sustainably utilize the resources throughout the islands. The ahupuaʻa was developed and maintained as a practical approach for environmental stewardship and management of human-nature relationships. The ahupuaʻa encompasses an intimate understanding of the holistic connections, functions, and interactions between the lewa (sky), honua (Earth), wai (freshwater sources), and kai (sea). Within the ahupuaʻa, human interactions and the use of biocultural resources were strictly managed through laws and social norms that were passed from generation to generation. This was a prominent practice and significant accomplishment in the history of traditional Hawaiian society. Today, ahupuaʻa management weaves Native Hawaiian knowledge systems, values, and practices with contemporary tools through community partnerships working towards biocultural restoration.

A group of students in neon yellow shirts stand knee deep in a wet taro patch. — The Hawaiʻi B-WET program acknowledges traditional Hawaiian relationships between humans and their surroundings by supporting locally relevant Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences for students and providing opportunities for them to build relationships with the ʻāina (land). Credit: Kīpahulu ʻOhana

Creating Opportunities for Connection to Honua

The Hawaiian Islands are an excellent resource for environmental education and provide a multitude of “hands-on” laboratories where students can see, touch, hear, feel, and learn about earth processes and the dynamic interactions of different ecosystems within an ahupuaʻa. The islands’ complex, diverse, and unique ecosystems can be brought to life in the classroom through Meaningful Watershed Education Experiences, also known as MWEEs. Hawaiʻi B-WET projects must describe and address the direct connection to the specific ahupuaʻa where activities will be conducted.

Weave in Ahupuaʻa Knowledge: Native Hawaiian cultural knowledge (traditional place names, stories of place, chants, etc.) should be incorporated into the student's educational experiences and professional development to enhance the participant’s understanding that nature and culture are interconnected. Experiences should demonstrate to participants that they play a role in supporting local action to care for their environment through community based ahupuaʻa stewardship initiatives.

Amplify Ahupuaʻa Stewardship: For many place-based community organizations and families, ahupuaʻa stewardship is a daily practice of restoration for future generations. Projects should include a plan for growing long-term partnerships with community organizations and networks to provide hands-on learning experiences for participants that deepen their understanding of contemporary ahupuaʻa management. Projects can focus on a specific environment within an ahupuaʻa (including marine environments), but applicants should demonstrate how the focus area fits within the greater concept of ahupuaʻa and broader community stewardship initiatives. These stewardship efforts should be sustainable to ensure continuity after the B-WET funding is completed.

A group of students and teachers walk along a lava pathway near the ocean. — Hawaiʻi B-WET students walk along a coastal path in preparation for their Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience. Credit: Mālama Kai Foundation