What travelers need to know about the Lahaina Fire, water rights and Native Hawaiians

21.07.2024 - 18:07 / lonelyplanet.com

Jul 20, 2024 • 8 min read

This article is adapted from an essay written by Savannah Rose Dagupion for the Maui Guidebook due to publish August 2024.

Between the ridges of the West Maui Mountains and above the town of Lahaina is the Kauaʻula Valley, home to numerous Native Hawaiian families – including the Palakikos.

The Palakikos live on their ancestral land, a property accessible by dirt roads and surrounded by lush native trees and plants. The sound of trickling water resonates as it flows through their kalo (taro) patches, fed by the adjacent stream. The water is cool and fresh, coming straight from the mountain above. According to Daniel Ku’uleialoha Palakiko, “The sun’s rays greet us every morning from over the slopes of Mauna Kahalawai. Then it says goodnight as we watch it set beyond the ocean horizon.”

But according to residents, living in this valley asks for more than having a secluded area where you can build your house and raise a family. “The area requires more of a vigilant protectorship of our various rights [as Native Hawaiians],” Palakiko explains. Because their property runs along the river, the Palakikos work with federal agencies to prevent water overuse and mismanagement. The family also ensures their Native Hawaiian access and gathering rights are used to mālama (take care of) the ʻaina (land).

Conversations surrounding Native Hawaiian rights, development, and water mismanagement and diversion have only grown in the wake of the devastating Lahaina Fire. Palakiko has been working to aid families and educate the public on how the recent disaster boils down to water rights.  

The biggest scourge on Native Hawaiians and their land came during the plantation era, when water management fell into the hands of plantation owners. Once Kamehameha I had united all the islands into the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1810, many foreigners noticed the value and beauty of Hawaii’s land. They started businesses here and introduced concepts such as land ownership and leasing – a contrast to the Hawaiian worldview, in which no one owns the land and everyone does their part to take care of it.

In 1848, the Great Māhele occurred, changing Hawaii’s landscape forever. Land was divided and redistributed due to foreign influence, and although King Kamehameha III attempted to protect Hawaiian lands, foreigners took ownership, marking the start of the plantation era.

According to Palakiko, “These Western minds realized that we had all this verdant ʻaina that could be utilized in large-scale agricultural efforts…Because of the plantation era, a lot of concepts that we as kanaka maoli [Native Hawaiians] weren’t familiar with [were] suddenly taking precedence, [like] accessing land as a resource to make money.”

Palakiko’s