Catherine Stauder's Comments
| Bill Here is something interesting from Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin. 76, 1922 (if you use checks the Bull. No. - mine is not clear on the Xerox). Author Fowke (What do you know about him?) At Niumahu, 2 miles from Lihue, on the road leading south and west from the harbor of Nawiliwili, is a fishpond known as Alakoka. It is a short distance above the mouth of the river, where the little valley widens in a half-moon shape, the stream flowing close to the bluff on the right. The bottomland on the other side is so low as to be swampy. Along the river hank on this side is a heavy wall of stone and earth, reaching the higher land at each end, thus forming a pond of 15 or 20 acres in which the ancient Hawaiians kept their surplus catch of fish. The wall has been raised and strengthened by its present owner, A Chinese, who raises ducks instead of fish. P.S. Will have a copy made of the picture of the fishpond taken in the 1890's when apparently it was not being used. Notice
- he does not call it "Menehune" fishpond in 1922. I don’t have a copy
of Bennett handy so I cannot tell if he remarks that the Chinese owner
raised the wall. |
Not
one of the early travelers around the island mentions alekoko. The
earliest accounts is that picture which I sent you and some later
remarks that local people do not remember its being used before the
1920s when it was repaired. The 1946 tidal wave-tore wall apart
necessitating repairs. Coney had the place. They threw bags of cement
on it. Brigham's trip in 1820-no remark about the pond. |