Kawailoa Fields Research and Mapping Study

Kumano I Ke Ala (KIKA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and social enterprise empowering West Kauaʻi through native land rehabilitation, food system revitalization, workforce training and youth development. Their work is centered around purveying Hawaiian culture, designing restored agricultural spaces, engaging the next generation of cultural practitioners and increasing commercial production of kalo locally to secure long term community access to affordable native Hawaiian staple foods.

In 2024, KIKA entered into an agreement with the Kamehameha Schools to lease a 40-acre parcel in Kawailoa, Oʻahu to expand their existing programs. The following year, KIKA engaged UHCDC to conduct cultural and historical research on land use, land ownership, agricultural use, infrastructure needs, and to develop maps and manuals to inform future landscape and site plans for the Kawailoa fields.

Additionally, they wanted to understand the history of the Kawailoa fields, surrounding lands and community, and all that came before. This understanding will help to inform the kuleana associated with revitalizing and stewarding this wahi pana, and to assure proposed development plans honor the place and needs of this ‘āina.

Client: Kumano I Ke Ala
Principal Investigator: Kimi Makaiau
Project Staff: Malu Stanich, Hannah Valencia
Student Project Assistant: Logan Shiroma