The James and Abigail Campbell Library at the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu recently added to its lobby a new photo exhibit showcasing Honouliuli — the ahupuaʻa in which the UH West Oʻahu campus is located.
The exhibit is titled “Ke Kāī Koi o Honouliuli.” All of the black-and-white photos were taken by noted photographer Jan Becket and are on long-term loan from the Kalaeloa Heritage and Legacy Foundation, which maintains and operates the Kalaeloa Heritage Park. The exhibit includes a photograph that offers a glimpse of Kalaeloa Heritage Park as it looked before the foundation began its conservation efforts.
According to a description of the exhibit, “The kāī koi is the famous kalo of ʻEwa and grew abundantly in Honouliuli. It was said to be so ʻono that once you had poi made from it, you wouldn’t want to leave ʻEwa. Like the kāī koi, the wahi kūpuna (ancestral places) in Honouliuli are unique and unforgettable.”
Many cultural and historical sites in Palehua, Pōhākea, Kualakaʻi, and more are featured in the photographs. See more of Becket’s photos of ʻEwa here.
Visit the library website for its summer semester hours.
