LAIE, Hawaii -- Some 400 students from BYU-Hawaii 1st Stake recently spent a Saturday helping the nearby native Hawaiian community of Kahana Valley. The March 18 service project was among many throughout the Hawaiian Islands by stakes donating at least 150 hours of service as part of a yearlong sesquicentennial celebration of the Church in Hawaii.
The students' project included clearing debris and forest growth from canals leading into the valley, the centuries-old site of Hawaiian taro cultivation.This type of agriculture requires large amounts of water channeled down from the surrounding mountains. Historically, extensive canals (auwai) were dug through thick forests to obtain the needed water. Many of the original auwais have become overgrown and filled in because of lack of use in the past 100 years. A small community has begun to cultivate in the valley again and revive that important aspect of Hawaiian culture. The work that needed to be done was much more than the few families living in the valley could accomplish in any reasonable amount of time. So they welcomed the manpower that hundreds of eager students had to offer.
The morning began with a traditional Hawaiian ceremony complete with chants and oration. A special ho'okupa (gift) was offered to the people of Kahana. The students spent the next four hours in knee-high mud weeding in taro patches, digging out old canals and hauling out trees and thick undergrowth.
One of the first LDS chapels ever built on Oahu is located in the south corner of the valley. Several graves of early Hawaiian saints are found next to the abandoned chapel. One group of students spent the morning cleaning up the graveyard and building steps into the hillside to facilitate visitation to the site.
The project was a huge success. Many students expressed positive feelings about the experience. "It was nice to feel needed and productive," said Noah Beals, a freshman from Chicago, Ill.
Kaci Jensen, a sophomore from Provo, Utah, said she gained an understanding of Hawaiian culture that she had known nothing about previously. Kristi Thomas, a sophomore from Oregon added, "It's not often you see a bunch of college kids give up a Saturday, ruin their clothes in the mud and feel happy about it, but it was so worth it!"
The residents of Kahana valley were also pleased with the outcome. Ron Johnson, one of the local residents in charge of the taro cultivation said, "The work done by the students on one Saturday would have taken us over a year to do on our own."
He was amazed by the willingness of the students to serve. "They were having so much fun they didn't even know they were working."