HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

59

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE 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 13th 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, that state departments are requested to use traditional Hawaiian names when identifying fishponds; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, and the Director or Chairperson of each state department and the Board of Land and Natural Resources.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Fishponds; Traditional Hawaiian Names