What is a watershed?
If you cup your hands together and hold them under flowing water you’ve just made a very basic model of a watershed.
The top edges of your hands are ridges, the bottom edge forms a stream bed, and the middle of your hands are slopes of porous soil, which allow water to seep into the ground.
The gap at the end of your little fingers is where water flows into a lake or ocean.
Watersheds in Hawai’i
In old Hawai’i, land was divided into segments called ahupua’a, each with their own dependable source of fresh water. Ahupua’a ran from mountain to sea, and their boundaries were often closely parallel to those of watersheds.
Why do watersheds matter?
Traditional Hawaiians recognized that disturbing one part of the ahupua’a would have an effect on other parts. This is true of watersheds, because all parts of a watershed are connected by the water running over through and underneath the land there. The plants and animals living in the watershed depend on clean, fresh water and they also influence the way water moves and its quality. Healthy watersheds depend on healthy plant and animal communities. 
What can you do to help?
We all depend on watersheds for fresh water and many other resources, yet much remains to be discovered about them. Consider this an invitation to explore a watershed right here where you live and discover something new. Through careful observation you can learn a lot about how these amazing systems provide us and many other living things with life giving water. By understanding and learning to work with natures systems, rather than against them, we can protect and heal our watersheds.
Kahu Wai
Fresh water was as essential to life in ancient Hawai’i as it is today. Water sources were carefully protected and managed so that each person could get what they needed. The kahu wai, or “water masters,” were people in charge of making sure the water was protected and allocated equally for the good of the people and the land. Soon, you will be the ones making important decisions that affect our water. Then you will be the kahu wai.
Ka Wai - Water
What is water? Have you ever really thought about it? Most of us take water for granted. It seems to be nearly everywhere. It covers 71% of the Earth’s surface. Our bodies are also about the same percent water.
The unique properties of water moderate our climate and create weather patterns.
In Earth’s infancy there was no water. Earth’s first atmosphere was a dense could of ammonia, methane and carbon monoxide. Eventually, this toxic atmosphere was replaced with one made up of hydrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapor.
This is what caused the very first rains to fall on Earth. The composition of this new atmosphere caused a constant deluge of rain which lasted millions of years and created Earth’s oceans.
At first, the ocean water had very little salt. The salt level increased as water eroded minerals from the land.
As far as we know, Earth is unique among planets. Scientists believe there may are traces of ice on Earth’s moon and other planets in our solar system. Perhaps there is even steam and liquid water trapped under icy crusts on moons of Jupiter and Saturn, but without an atmosphere like Earth’s, liquid water would quickly float away and into space.
There are about 366 million trillion gallons of water on our planet. (It’s not every day you measure things in million trillions of gallons.) Only a very small part of this is fresh water – just 3%. About two third’s of this fresh water is now frozen in ice caps and glaciers. That leaves us with only one percent of the water on the planet that is fresh, liquid water.
Water is ancient. Almost all the water that originally rained down from Earth’s early atmosphere is still right here. Every drop you drink has traveled through oceans, rivers lakes, glaciers, clouds, the bodies of dinosaurs, trees and flowers.
Traditional Hawaiian Views About Water
Until after the post contact era of Kamehameha’s reign, Hawaiians had no concept of ownership of water or land, only rights of use. Water, like land, belonged to the gods and could not be owned by anyone.
“ Water, whether for irrigation, for drinking ,or other domestic purposes, was something that “belonged” to Kane-i-ka-wai-ola (Procreator-in-the-water-of-life) and came through the meteorlogical agency of Lono-makua, the rain provider... Water, then, like sunlight, as a source of life to land and man, was the possession of no man...”
Handy Handy and Pukui – Native Planters in Old Hawai’i
Fresh water is the source of life for all food plants, and thus was associated with abundance. The life giving god Kane was closely tied to fresh water, sunshine and vegetation, and prosperity.
“Fresh water as a life giver was not to the Hawaiians merely a physical element; it had a spiritual connotation. In prayers of thanks and invocations used in offering fruits of the land, and in prayers chanted when planting, and in prayers for rain, the “Water of Life of Kane” is referred to over and over again. Kane – the word means “male” and “husband”
– was the embodiment of male procreative energy in fresh water, flowing on or under the earth in springs, in streams and rivers and in falling rain (and also as sunshine) which gives life to plants.”
Handy Handy and Pukui – Native Planters in Old Hawai’i
The word wai, when doubled (waiwai) meant wealth, because an ample supply of fresh water made it possible to grow abundant food to trade, give as gifts and feed one’s family.
The word kanawai, literally translated as “belonging to the waters”, refers to a code of law in old Hawai’i. Equal sharing of water with one’s neighbors was considered the root of all other law.
Where people farmed land along streams, each farmer took what was needed and no more so that the farmers below him would also have enough.
No more than half the flow of a stream could be diverted by an irrigation ditch at any time. This practice allowed enough water to remain in the stream to support the creatures living there and to deliver moisture to vegetation along the length of the stream bed.
He Mele no Kane
He ú-i, he ninau:
E ú-i aku ana au ia oe,
Ala i-he’a ka wai a Kane?
Aia i ka hikina a ka La,
Puka i Hae-hae;
Aia i-laila ka Wai a Kane.
E ú-i aku ana au ia oe,
Aia i-hea ka Wai a Kane?
Aia i Kau-lana-ka-la,
I ka pae opua i ke kai,
Ea mai ana ma Nihoa,
Ma ka mole mai o Lehua;
Aia i-laila ka Wai a Kane.
E ú-i aku ana au ia oe,
Aia i-hea ka Wai a Kane?
Aia i ke kua-hiwi, i ke kua-lono,
I ke awáwa, i ke kaha-wai;
Aia i-laila ka Wai a Kane.
E ú-i aku ana au ia oe,
Aia i-hea ka Wai a Kane?
Aia i-kai, i ka moana,
I ke Kua-lau, i ke anuenue,
I ka punohu, i ka ua-koko,
I ka alewa-lewa:
Aia i-laila ka Wai a Kane.
E ú-i aku ana au ia oe,
Aia i-hea ka Wai a Kane?
Aia i-luna ka Wai a Kane,
I ke ouli, i ke ao eleele,
I ke ao pano-pano,
I ke ao popolo-hua mea a Kane la, e!
Aia i-laila ka Wai a Kane.
E ú-i aku ana au ia oe.
Aia i-hea ka Wai a Kane?
Aia i-lalo, i ka honua, i ka Wai hu,
I ka wai kau a Kane me Kanaloa--
He wai-puna, he wai e inu,
He wai e mana, he wai e ola.
E ola no, e-a!
The Water of Kane
A query, a question,
I put to you:
Where is the water of Kane?
At the Eastern Gate
Where the Sun comes in at Haehae;
There is the water of Kane.
A question I ask of you:
Where is the water of Kane?
Out there with the floating Sun,
Where cloud-forms rest on Ocean's breast.
Uplifting their forms at Nihoa,
This side the base of Lehua;
There is the water of Kane.
One question I put to you:
Where is the water of Kane?
Yonder on mountain peak, on the ridges steep,
In the valleys deep, where the rivers sweep;
There is the water of Kane.
This question I ask of you:
Where, pray, is the water of Kane?
Yonder, at sea, on the ocean,
In the driving rain, in the heavenly bow,
In the piled-up mist-wraith, in the blood-red rainfall,
In the ghost-pale cloud-form;
There is the water of Kane.
One question I put to you:
Where, where is the water of Kane?
Up on high is the water of Kane,
In the heavenly blue, in the black piled cloud,
In the black-black cloud.
In the black-mottled sacred cloud of the gods;
There is the water of Kane.
One question I ask of you:
Where flows the water of Kane?
Deep in the ground. in the gushing spring,
In the ducts of Kane and Loa,
A well-spring of water, to quaff,
A water of magic power--
The water of life! Life! O give us this life!
Translation by N. Emerson
Ka Wai Ola -The Water Cycle
Ka ‘Ōpua – Clouds
As the sun’s heat warms the oceans, water vapor rises into the air, leaving heavier salts and minerals behind. Water vapor is normally invisible in the air, but when it rises and cools, it condenses into very tiny droplets which remain aloft. These droplets are so tiny that it would take about fifty billion of them to fill a tea cup with liquid. We know these better as clouds.
At any given time Earth’s surface is about half covered with clouds. There are about 340 cubic miles of water floating above us in clouds every day, and every drop of it falls back down as dew, rain, snow, ice hail or fog. Each water molecule remains in the air as vapor for an average of ten days before it falls again.
Ka Hau – Snow and Ice
High in the upper atmosphere temperatures are much lower than on the Earth’s surface, so when water vapor rises it freezes and falls back to the ground as ice or snow.
Water vapor rising from the warm oceans near the equator circulates to the Earth’s poles.
When it falls as ice and snow it also releases heat energy, moderating the temperature of the poles, and creating Earth’s major wind patterns. This is the same system that fuels the nearly constant trade winds. Limited amounts of snow and ice fall on the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa as the upper atmosphere cools in winter. Snow and ice account for most of the precipitation above the inversion layer and so are vital to the fragile ecosystems found at high elevations on these volcanoes.
During the last ice age there were glaciers at the summits of Mauna Kea and Haleakala.
The summits of Mauna Kea is the home of the goddess Poliahu, Some say she is the most beautiful goddess in Hawai’i. She fought with Pele, throwing ice and freezing her lava. Ever after, it is said that Pele is confined to the southern part of the island, while Poliahu stays in the north, but they still argue over Mauna Loa.
Ka Noe – Mist and Fog
When moist air is cooled as it passes over land or cold water bodies, it condenses into heavy, spherical droplets.
In still air, these get caught in leaves and spider’s webs, but with a little wind, they become what we know as fog.
Fog moves downhill and sometimes accumulates in low spots or valleys.
Water droplets condense out of the fog filled air onto the surfaces of leaves, providing moisture for plants. Moisture is actually caught from the air by the forest.
Fog drip is an important source of groundwater recharge. Trees were planted on top of Lana’i’s tallest peak, Lanā ’ihale to increase fog drip there. Fog drip is an important factor in groundwater recharge in upland sites like Wao Kele O Puna.
Fog drip was collected by ancient Hawaiians living in very dry places like Ka’u. They placed tightly woven mats underneath shrubs in low stream beds in the evening and then returned to shake the fog drip from the branches in the morning into wide gourds.
Mist and fog is represented in Hawaiian mythology by the goddessLilinoe, sister of Poliahu, the goddess of snow. She is said to live on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa just below Poliahu. It is said that Lilinoe dresses Poliahu’s silver hair so that it floats above her shoulders.
Ka Ua – Rain
As water vapor cools in rising air in warm climates it falls as rain.
In Hawai’i, trade winds bringing moist air collide with mountains, causing the air to rise. As it rises away from land, it cools and the moisture falls from the clouds
Most of the moisture falls on the windward slopes between 2,000 and 5,000 feet elevation.
As the air descends over the mountains to the leeward side, most of the moisture has already been lost, making the leeward sides of mountains much drier. On very high mountains, like Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, a layer of warm air called the “inversion layer” traps moisture below it so that the peaks remain very dry.
Hahai nō kaua ika ulu lā'au -“The rain follows after the forest”
‘Ōlelo No’eau - Mary Kawena Pukui
There are many names in Hawaiian for different types of rain. Many kinds of rain are named for their particular characteristics including temperature, intensity and the part of the island where it is known.
Some Hawaiian Names for Rain
‘awa - Fine rain or mist
‘awa ‘awa - Fine, misty rain that frequently can be cold
he ua lanipali - Shower reaching to heaven, i.e.,a very heavy shower
ho’okili - Fine, gentle rain, a form much beloved
ililani - Unexpected rain; rain from a seemingly clear sky
kahakikï - To pour down violently with a roar, as rain or rushing water
kēhau - Mist; cold, fine rain floating in the air, usually in the mountains
kēwai - Mist merging with rain some distance off
kili - Fine, light rain; peal of thunder; raindrops
kili hau - To fall gently, as a cold, soft shower; to stop falling and fade away, as rain at the end of a shower
ki’o wao - Cool, mountain rain accompanied by wind and fog
koko - Falling rain with light looking reddish as it shines through
lïhau - Gentle, cool rain believed to bring luck to fishermen
ma’au - Rain in the upland forest; rain forest
nākikiki’i - Slanting rain
nāulu - Sudden shower of fine rain without seeming benefit of cloud or clouds
pakakū - Rain falling in large drops
pakapaka - Heavy shower of large rain drops; spattering noise that such drops make on a hollow or dry substance, as on dry leaves
pāki’o - Showery rain
pïpinoke - To rain continuously
pulepe, pulu pē - To rain heavily; to be drenched
ua ‘awa - Chilly rain, cold and bitter
ua hānai - Rain that nurtures the earth
ua lanipili - Several-days downpour; heavy rain, cloudburst
ua poko - Short rain
ua po’o nui - Light, steady rain (literally, big-head rain)
Harold Winfield Kert - Treasury of Hawaiian Words in One Hundred and One Categories
Rains, especially those that come in the winter are associated with the god Lono.
Like the seasonal winds that bring wintertime storms, it is said that Lono, the rain maker,
comes from the south each year. Lono has many forms, or kino lau, including dark storm
clouds and lightning. The color black is associated with Lono, perhaps because of dark
skies and storm clouds, and black hogs were traditional offerings to him.
Ke Kahawai – Streams and Rivers
In Hawai’i, surface flow originates high in the mountains and continues down to the sea. Rainfall flows overland and eventually erodes permanent channels which become streambeds. Repeated flows erode these channels and cut down to water table in many places.
Some of the flow sinks below the ground’s surface and moves downhill more slowly than the above ground stream, and may continue for days after the rainfall event. Some of this water may recharge underground reservoirs or aquifers.
Kilauea's soils are still too young and porous to support permanent rivers or streams. You can see the beginnings of stream channels after heavy rains where dry channels carry water for short periods like the channel that ends at Hā'ena.
Ka Loko – Ponds and Lakes
All ponds and lakes are temporary. Even the largest will eventually be filled in with
sediment. They occur where water drains and pools in a depression with relatively
impermeable sediment.
Kilauea's lavas are too young and porous in most places to support ponds or lakes. One rare exception is Waiapele (Green Lake in Kapoho Crater), a brackish lake which is perched on top of a layer of volcanic tephra – a rock formed of compressed ash.
Human made fish ponds, loko i'a, are connected to the ocean and are replenished by tides and often fresh water springs. Loko i’a are an ideal environment for herbivorous fish, especially those which are tolerant of brackish water, like ‘Ama‘ama (Mullet).
Ka Pūnāwai – Springs
Springs are places where fresh groundwater comes up to the surface. Most springs in
Hawai’i are found on lower mountain slopes near shorelines.
The name of the district of Puna means “spring” in Hawaiian, and was called this because of the many fresh springs that flow into the ocean along the district’s coasts. Water was traditionally collected from undersea springs by divers using inverted gourds. This was also practiced off the coast of Ka'u at Punalu'u.
There are many legends of Kane and Kanaloa, who traveled together around the islands near the coasts. When they would stop to rest and wanted to make ‘awa, but could find no fresh water, Kane would strike the earth with his staff and open a spring. Many springs are named for Kane.
Ka Wai Honua– Ground Water
Rain and other precipitation, like fog and snow melt, seeps into the ground slowly and is cleaned of pollutants as it is filtered through many layers of soil particles. Some of this underground water moves to the sea, some evaporates, but a portion, about 10% -50%, reaches a freshwater reservoir called an aquifer. This is known as aquifer recharge.
Most of our fresh water in Hawai’i is hidden underground in deep aquifers. Aquifers supply 99% of all our domestic water in the entire island chain.
The Pāhoa Aquifer, located in Puna, may be the largest aquifer in the Hawaiian Islands. A significant portion of this aquifer lies beneath Wao Kele O Puna.
Native forests play a major role in preserving and maintaining aquifers. Hawaiian forests have a complex canopy structure that absorbs moisture like a giant sponge. Protected from evaporation by an over story of trees, this moisture can slowly drip into the ground to recharge the aquifer below.
In the early 1900’s sugar planters began to notice streams and wells were drying up where upland forests had been cut down. They planted fast growing alien trees, like eucalyptus and banyans to try to and increase the supply of water for irrigating their crops. Unfortunately, the alien trees did not perform the same way as the native forest they replaced, which over millions of years had adapted to Hawai’i’s soils and weather.
Ke Kai – The Ocean
The ocean moderates the Earth’s temperature and creates our global weather patterns.
All fresh water eventually flows to the oceans. A drop of rain that falls today on the slopes above Honolulu will take about 25 years to get back to the sea.
As it travels over land and percolates through the ground, water can pick up chemicals, bacteria and other pollutants that may contaminate the some of the richest parts of the ocean, the coastal waters.
Kilo Lani – Readers of the Heavens
Kilo lani were people who could predict the future by carefully observing the sky, including clouds, the moon and stars and the ocean. They understood seasonal patterns of rainfall, winds and ocean currents. They could predict changes in the weather that could affect planting, fishing or house building.
Today there are still many people in Hawai’i who observe the weather and can predict changes. Many of these people are kupuna who spend a lot of time fishing or farming. If you pay careful attention, you may notice patterns in the sea and sky too.
Kukulu ka 'Ike I ka ‘ōpua -“Knowledge is set up in the clouds”
‘Ōlelo No’eau - Mary Kawena Pukui