January in Hawaii
Ahupua’a: Life Systems of Traditional Hawaii
The Big Island of Hawaii contains the world's greatest concentration of climate types in one relatively small area. Hawaii has 11 of the world's 13 climate zones in just over 4000 square miles of terrain, from dry, coastal, desert to some of the wettest spots on earth, snow-capped mountains and coral reef systems. Hawaii has, therefore, developed a host of social systems unique to these environments.
The Ahupua’a is an ancient Hawaiian land division which organizes the land into sections running from the volcanoes down to the sea. Within the Ahupua'a, the Hawaiian people built sustainable, cooperative communities that met the needs of all inhabitants.
This course is a hands-on investigation of the geological, botanical, coral reef and rainforest communities within the Ahupua'a and their relationships to each other and to human life. The Ahupua’a provides us a venue for exploring traditional Hawaiian culture: language, spirituality, and social systems. It also allows us to identify the aspects of community development that are necessary for successful and sustainable living: leadership, cooperation, collaboration. Understanding the relationship of the Hawaiian people to their land and sea enables us to look broadly at human impact on natural environments.
We will study the history of the Ahupua’a and how it disappeared from Hawaiian life. We will look at the geological processes that formed and continue to shape the island. In addition to studying several major ecological systems on the island and the relationships among them, students will look at the impact of development, global change and the economic pressures on traditional Hawaiian culture and the environment.
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