MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 6, 2022
Contact: Herb Lee, Jr., President/CEO, Pacific American Foundation
herblee@thepaf.org
808-927-5646
Launch of New Digital Waikalua Loko Fishpond Oral History Archive
Preservation stories told by cultural practitioners, scientists, teachers, and docents.
Pacific American Foundation, a Native Hawaiian educational nonprofit, announces its new online Waikalua Fishpond Oral History Archive. The curated collection contains video, audio recordings, and transcripts of interviews by the members of the former Waikalua Loko Fishpond Preservation Society (WLFPS), a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoration of the fishpond from 1995 to 2015.
The 11 acre, 400 year old fishpond was once a jewel of Hawaiian engineering and sustenance in Windward O‘ahu at the southern end of Kāneʻohe Bay. After 20 years of restoration work under the Preservation Society, a new nonprofit, the Pacific American Foundation Hawai‘i, Inc., transitioned in as the deed owner, continuing the stewardship work. They have established the fishpond as an outdoor community classroom, laboratory and aquacultural resource.
The Archive presents interviews of cultural practitioners, Windward Community College faculty, scientists, curriculum developers, archaeologists, and docents. Their stories describe how elementary, high school and college students came to the fishpond to learn, and how members of the community volunteered at workdays over a period of 27 years.
Those interviewed recount the ways curriculum developers and teachers translated the pond’s ecosystem and utilization into educational materials in science, math, social studies and language arts, offering meaningful ways to help solve problems within our community. To date, this vibrant outdoor community classroom has served over 120,000 students, teachers, families, and volunteers.
The purpose of the Archive is to document and perpetuate the legacy of the fishpond as a bridge connecting traditional Hawaiian knowledge to contemporary science and technology. We hope, as the Archive continues to grow, that it will inspire, prepare, and empower the community to walk in the footsteps of our ancestors, so that navigating and solving current problems may be informed by the wisdom of many generations of storytellers.
The Archive is the product of a collaborative partnership among The Pacific American Foundation, Windward Community College, ‘Ōlelo Community Media, and Cultural Surveys Hawai‘i. Grant funding was provided by The Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and The Hana Group.
Visit the Waikalua Fishpond Oral History Archive: thepaf.org/oralhistory
How did the restoration of a small 400-year ancient Hawaiian fishpond capture the imagination of its founders to create a journey of continuing innovation in modern times?
Our archive tells the stories of how the Fishpond earned its rightful place as a living cultural resource for the future.
Walking in our ancestors footsteps helps us look across the horizon of seven generations, and offers advice for the future. The stones have been reset. Waikalua Loko l’a is our “piko” or center and continues to inspire us to love (aloha ‘ãina) and care (mãlama ‘ãina) for this precious place called home.
In modern times, the fishpond bridges indigenous wisdom to contemporary knowledge that helps solve community problems. With a Native Hawaiian cultural approach, we embrace the powers of observation, interpretation and application, teaching and empowering students of all ages.
We tell the stories of how the fishpond was restored and transformed into a laboratory of innovation in education, research, and teacher training. We have created curricula, community collaborations, and partnerships that reach across the ocean to seek and share wisdom and aloha, and create a path to careers that will better serve the community.
As we develop our archival collections, we are committed to the collaboration, engagement, and partnership in order to malama traditional knowledge and practices. Waikalua Loko l’a serves as our piko for the community to leam about both ancient and moder Hawaiian fishpond practices. In 1995, the Waikalua Loko Fishpond Preservation Society was created to perpetuate the practices of the Hawaiian fishpond to further its educational purposes and to physically beautify and revitalize the pond. In 2019 Pacific American Foundation Hawaii, Inc.. became the deed owner of the Fishpond. We continue our commitment to learn, teach and add to the knowledge to develop better stewardship practices to maintain, sustain, and restore the pond for future generations.
We interviewed kúpuna members of the Preservation Society, some of whom are now in their 70s – 90s. Their stories chronicle the revitalization of what was once a jewel of Hawaiian engineering and sustenance, the Hawaiian fishpond in our windward backyard at the southern end of Kane’ohe Bay.
