The public is invited to a ceremony today to celebrate the renaming of Kahaki Park in Puna to its original place name.
In March, the Hawaii County Council passed a bill to rename the park Waiakahi‘ula Beach Park in honor of the history and deep culture rooted in the area.
Kahaki Park is located in the historical boundaries of the Waiakahi‘ula ahupua‘a (section of land) and encompasses Puna’s Hawaiian Shores and Hawaiian Beaches subdivisions.
The park contains remnants of the ancient Hawaiian village of Waiakahi‘ula, a once densely populated settlement with dispersed structures. Among the notable cultural and historical features are a well-preserved canoe shed, foundations of a house and various agricultural sites.
Waiakahi‘ula means “the place where the water runs red,” which comes from cascading streams along the cliffs that take on a reddish hue during the season of Ho‘oilo — Hawaii’s wet and rainy season.
According to a county press release, Waiakahi‘ula gained notoriety for a tumultuous battle that unfolded in the neighboring Keonepokoiki ahupua‘a during the reign of the Hawaiian ali‘i, ‘Ahia, a prominent and oppressive leader of the Puna region in the late 1700s.
Faced with noncompliance and rebellion, ‘Ahia ordered his men to slaughter the maka‘ainana, or commoners. However, prepared to resist, the maka‘ainana of the ahupua‘a of Keonepokonui, Keonepokoiki and Waiakahi‘ula came together and engaged in battle.
During the battle, the maka‘ainana invoked the rains of Puna through ritual, resulting in a torrential rainstorm and a flood that carried the fallen bodies of ‘Ahia’ s men toward the ocean, according to the press release.
Despite the success of the maka‘ainana in battle, the coastal area of Waiakahi‘ula also became the final resting place for many ‘iwi kupuna.
It is believed that the battleground is located in the ahupua‘a of Waiakahi‘ula, where the present-day Keonepoko Elementary School stands.
The renaming ceremony will be at the park and will feature a kipaepae led by Hawaii Community College’s I Ola Haloa, speakers, a ho‘ike with local students, and a lunch fresh from an imu.
The event is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. today at Waiakahi‘ula Beach Park, located at Papio Street and Kahaki Boulevard.
