Palena St.

Names are very important, even those of our roadways.
Have you ever wondered what the name of your street name means?
Our weekly “Aloha Authentic” segment highlights various streets across the islands so we can dig into those names, and in turn, learn something new.
This week, we learn of the ahupuaʻa system.
In the ahupuaʻa of Kalihi, which lies in the moku of Kona here on Oʻahu, stands a short street given the name that means “boundary or border.”
We are talking about Palena St.
Today, each Hawaiian island is broken down into towns and cities.
But in ancient Hawaiʻi, it was a bit different.
The society of old followed what is known as the Ahupuaʻa System where islands were divided into sections.
Each island, or mokupuni, were broken down into large districts, known as moku.
Each moku were then broken down into ahupuaʻa, which then were broken down into smaller sections known as ʻili, which were then broken down even further.
This system allowed those living within an ahupuaʻa to have access to all natural resources needed to sustain life.
The word ahupuaʻa translates as a land division usually extending from the uplands to the sea, so called because the boundary was marked by a heap, or an alter, where offers, such as pig, were laid as tax to the chief.
In old Hawaiʻi, there were approximately 1,600 ahupuaʻa throughout the islands.
To achieve social and economic balance within each, those living there would work together, trading upland crops for those from the lowlands and from the sea.
It was this relationship with each other and the ʻāina that made this system a success.
Did you know? Now you do!