Kapihaa, A Village along the Leeward Shore of Lanai
Grant Funds, Community & Archaeological Volunteers and Castle & Cooke Resorts, LLC join the Lanai Culture & Heritage Center (Lanai CHC) in Developing an Interpretive Trail at an Ancient Lanai Village Site.
In 2007, the Lanai Culture & Heritage Center, in partnership with the Lanai Archaeological Committee (LAC) and Castle & Cooke Resorts, LLC (CCR), entered into agreement to develop an interpretive trail across a section of the coastal plain of leeward Palawai. The area, known as Kapihaa, was set aside in the late 1980s as a preservation area of some 28 acres, and is the home of a diverse group of traditional features, ranging from house sites, planting areas and tool workshops, to religious sites.
In October 2008, the County of Maui, Office of Economic Development and Hawaii Tourism Authority awarded a grant to the Lanai CHC for development of an interpretive trail in the Kapihaa preservation area. That grant, along with funding from the LAC and CCR sponsored implementation of work on the interpretive trail, which began that October with students from Lanai High & Elementary School (LHES), assisting archaeologists in plotting GPS coordinates of sites.
Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps (Lanai High & Elementary School participants, led by Zack Anguay and Makoto Asing), Cultural Surveys Hawaii Staff and Lanai Community Volunteers joined by Executive Director, Kepa Maly, prepare to work at Kapihaa. (Photo KPA-316)
The Lanai CHC, in partnership with archaeologists from Cultural Surveys Hawaii (under the direction of Hallett Hammatt, Ph.D.), and labor support from LHES, the Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps, members of the Maui (Wailea-Kihei) Rotary Clubs, and community volunteers from Lanai, has initiated work on improving view planes and trail access through the Kapihaa preserve.
Interpretive signage for wayside exhibits, and a detailed brochure, providing those who travel the trail with information on the history of Kapihaa Village and Lanai can be viewed here.
- Kapihaa Trail Brochure Page 1 (PDF)
- Kapihaa Trail Brochure Page 2 (PDF)
- Kapihaa Trail Brochure Page 3 (PDF)
- Kaphiaa Trail Brochure Page 4 (PDF)
- Kapihaa Trail Brochure Page 5 (PDF)
CCR has provided public access along the Kapihaa Interpretive Trail covering a distance of about one-half mile, between the upland trailhead to the Fisherman’s Trail on the coast. The County-Hawaii Tourism Authority funding was a part of the product enrichment program, meant to provide residents and visitors with the opportunity to experience special resources in Hawaii. The Kapihaa Interpretive Trail provides travelers with a one mile round trip journey through time, and is the first project of its kind on the island of Lanai.
Photographs by:
- Isa Cocallas (Rotary Clubs Maui)
- Kepa Maly (Lanai)
- Albert Morita (Lanai)
- Warren Osako (Lanai)
The slide show depicts scenes from the Kapihaa preservation area, and participants in work projects to make the interpretive trail accessible and safe. Major work on the trail was undertaken on May 2nd 2009 (with the Wailea-Kihei Rotary Clubs and Lanai residents), and during the week of July 13-17, 2009, by LHES youth participating in the first ever “Kupu: Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps” summer program on Lanai, in partnership with staff of Cultural Surveys Hawaii.
Kapihaa Preservation Area
The Kapihaa preservation area covers some 28 acres, and contains at least fifteen distinct sites, made up of more than 60 features (SIHP No. 50-40-98-86). The preserve contains several types of sites, including a well-preserved traditional village complex. The cultural resources of Kapihaa offer us a unique opportunity to see how traditional people lived, worked and worshiped on Lanai. The walk through the Kapihaa preservation area reveals cultural resources that have remained much as they were when they were abandoned close to 200 years ago. This preservation area was set aside to ensure that present and future generations could experience the legacy of Lanai’s traditional people, and the interpretive trail helps you walk safely through the preserve, allowing you to see some of the cultural and natural resources of Lanai. Interpretive signs found along the trail will introduce you to the landscape and identify several different types of sites, including agricultural fields, residences, ceremonial sites, and lithic workshops.