HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	109
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING STATE DEPARTMENTS TO USE TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN NAMES WHEN IDENTIFYING FISHPONDS.

     WHEREAS, Native Hawaiians constructed nearly 500 fishponds in Hawai‘i beginning in the 13^th century, including the 523-acre Keahupua o Maunalua Pond, the largest fishpond in Polynesia; and

     WHEREAS, Hawai‘i's fishponds represent one of the most advanced fish husbandry techniques among the original peoples of the Pacific; and

     WHEREAS, fishponds reinforced traditional cultural values of community and solidarity, since the construction of each was a monumental task requiring the cooperation of every family in the ahupua‘a; and

     WHEREAS, the unique fishponds of Hawai‘i have sustained Native Hawaiians since ancient times; and

     WHEREAS, fishponds are often fed by springs and provide a favorable environment for fish, limu, and a wide variety of other marine, terrestrial, and plant species; and

     WHEREAS, the fishponds provided a source of fish when it was not available from the ocean due to weather and surf, or was kapu during spawning season; and

     WHEREAS, this life-giving function of fishponds has been obscured in recent years by the use of such terms as "lagoon," "lake," "basin," "ditch," and "loch;" and

     WHEREAS, sole reliance on Tax Map Key numbers and terms such as "remnant" and "vacant" lands has led to the exclusion of traditional Hawaiian names; and

     WHEREAS, fishponds are quickly disappearing due to continuing urban development; and

     WHEREAS, restoring fishponds will help address the shortage of healthy local food products and promote sustainability; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, the Senate concurring, that state departments are requested to use traditional Hawaiian names when identifying fishponds; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to work with the Hawaii Board on Geographic Names and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to ensure that the traditional Hawaiian names of fishponds are used in the USGS' update of the official map or database of surface waters for Hawaii; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Director or Chairperson of each state department, including the Board of Land and Natural Resources; the Chair of the Native Hawaiian Historic Preservation Council of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Chairperson of the Aha Kiole Advisory Committee; Director of the Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaii-Manoa; mayor of each county; President of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs; Director of the Edith Kanakaole Foundation; and the President of the Bishop Museum.

Report Title: 

Fishponds; Traditional Hawaiian Names