Mahalo

This website is based on the work of kalo farmers. In 1939, three faculty from the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), set out to meet these farmers and document the varieties before they disappeared. Credit goes to CTAHR faculty F. A. I. Bowers, M. Takahashi and Leo. D. Whitney, and to the Hawaiian farmers they interviewed across the Islands. The taro research led to the publication of Taro Varieties in Hawaii (Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station - Bulletin 84).

If history could be re-written, the authors of Bulletin 84 ought to have included the names of all the kupuna they interviewed, so credit and respect could be paid to the mahi 'ai who perpetuated kalo in the fields. It is our responsibility to carry the 'ike forward.

This site’s kalo photos were taken at botanical collections across Hawaii. On O‘ahu: at Waimea Valley Botanical Garden, Waimanalo Agricultural Station, Kanewai Garden, Hui Kū Maoli Ola Native Hawaiian Plant Specialists, and Kaipo‘i Kelling’s hale. On Maui: at Kahanu Gardens and Maui Nui Botanical Gardens and Penny Levin's lo‘i and māla. On Hawai'i Island: UH CTAHR Agriculture Experiment Station - Puna and Jerry Konanui's māla. On Kaua‘i: at Limahuli Garden. On Moloka‘i: UH CTAHR Agriculture Experiment Station - Alton Arakaki's collection.

Special thanks to Jerry Konanui, Penny Levin, Dale Evans and Kaipo‘i Kelling. Respect goes to Uncle Eddie Ka‘anānā, Kupuna Mary Kawena Pukui, and Coach David Eldredge. As educators, their lessons about Hawaiian culture, our community, science and the environment offer a path to improve our lives here and now. Mahalo to Janice Yap for bringing the mea‘ai of the world to the table.

Thanks and credit goes to these people for their influence and inspiration. It is their work and ideas that motivate:

Road to Hana, 2009. Left to Right: Weston Yap, Duffy Chang, Kala Domingo, Kealoha Domingo, Kaipo‘i Kelling, ‘A‘ali‘i Kelling, Gladys Konanui, Jerry Konanui and Penny Levin.