Chase Vonnordheim
30 years in the future
Hello, my name is Chase. I have been going on these field trips to Kahalu’u and learning about Hawaiian Heiau and plane table mapping. The Hawaiian term for plane table mapping is hui kaha pohaku- group that measures the placement of stones. I have learned a lot of stuff that I didn’t know about Heiau. The same thing goes for plane table mapping. I am going to talk about something that nobody knows, not even me. What Hawaii would be like 30 years into the future. I am just going to guess what it’s going to be like from what I have learned.
I predict Hawaii 30 years in the future will be way different then how it is now, especially with the rebuilding of Hawaiian Heiau. The Heiau have come a long way in less than 30 years so I think that in 30 years there will be way more rebuilt Heiau. The Pao umi Heiau was a Heiau that our class was working on to help rebuild it. I think we helped a lot in the rebuilding process. We had to clean up debris around the Heiau and then map it very closely.
By Chase Vonnordheim
My relationship with the land has changed a lot since the project began. When this project first started I didn’t know that much about Heiau and plane table mapping. I was surprised about how many different things there are to learn about the Hawaiian culture.
Through out all these field trips I’ve just been learning more and more about Hawaiian culture and plane table mapping. Before these field trips I didn’t know the cardinal points in Hawaiian, Akau-north, Hema-south, Hikina-east, komohana-west. I also didn’t know anything about plane table mapping. But now I know how to map a rock wall or a Heiau and also how to set up a plane table. I also learned a lot of new Hawaiian terms that I didn’t know before.
I think that by learning about all these things and helping to map a Heiau made me more in touch with my Hawaiian culture. These field trips were a really good experience for me. What I’ve learned during this project I think are things that could be used in a future job. I thought it was really cool that we got a chance to help rebuild a Heiau.
My relationship with the land is different then what it was before we started going on these field trips. I have grown more in touch with the land and have more respect for the land now. Before we started going on these field trips I had respect for the land but not even close to how much I have now. Learning all these Hawaiian things just made me realize how important this land is.
The tools we used to map these Heiau were a tripod, plane table, stadia rod, plumb bob, compass, tri ruler, masking tape, drawing paper and an alidade. That is a lot of tools we had to use. In 30 years I predict that there will be fewer tools needed to map a Heiau. Tools that would make it way easier. More technology will be used rather than just hard work. There will be Heiau getting built even faster than they are now because of new technology.
Kealakehe High School students have been participating in this project for a couple years so far and have already rebuilt a couple of Heiau. I think that there are just going to be more and more people helping out with this cause because people want to bring back the roots of Hawaiian culture and keep Hawaiian traditions. With all these new rebuilt Heiau I expect that people will see how important this is. I am not too sure all these things will happen because nobody can predict what is going to happen in the future. These are just thoughts that I have that I think could possibly happen.
How are Hawaiian Heiau similar to other ancient stone structures of the world?
By: Chase Vonnordheim
Machu Picchu and Giza were both built for their rulers. Some Hawaiian Heiau are built for the ali’I, which are the chiefs. There is a Heiau by the King Kam hotel where a chief use to stay. Giza is a tomb that holds the dead pharaohs. There are Heiau similar to that because there are sacrificial Heiau like Ke’eku. Ke’e means a sudden shift and Ku means to stand. Kamalalawalu was a chief of Maui who got sacrificed at Ke’eku by Lonoikamakahiki.
Chicken Itza and Stonehenge were both built to be used as calanders as well as Hapai’ali’I which is a Hawaiian Heiau. Hapai means to be pregnant and ali’I means chiefs. The summer solstice is when the sun sets on the northwest corner. It is the longest day of the year. Short night, long day. The Hawaiian name is Ke alanui polohiwa akane. The winter solstice is when the sun sets on the south west corner. It is the shortest day of the year. Long night, short day. The Hawaiian name is Ke alanui polohiwa a kanaloa. Some Heiau are built on ahupua’a. Ahupua’a is a section of land that stretches from the mountain to the sea. Those are the four stone structures that are similar to Hawaiian Heiau.
Noelani Cosma
Some thoughts I have had since going on the field trips…..
My relationship with the land has changed since the project begun because before I went to the field trips I didn’t know much about the heiau or the meanings of them. Now that I have gone to three field trips I know why they are restoring the heiau and taking great care of the lands that are very sacred to the Hawaiian people. The relationship that I have now for the land is more respectful and more caring because I was told and taught by my Uncle Mahealani Pai the meaning of the heiau the boys and girls worked on and meaning of the heiau surrounding the property.
Why it is important to be precise on your measurements is because if we write down wrong measurements it could affect the map and the project in off and incorrect. We scale down rocks and measurements on to the large map on the area that we are doing. We scale the rocks down because it is easier to see it on the map that we were drawing. If you take wrong measurements then the points on the map would not be the same on the site.
Noe, you brought such energy and enthusiasm to the project. And you answered a ton of questions at the board.
