Connecting with Kaua'i's Canyonlands

Abstract

I have entitled my contribution to this volume in honor of Pila Kikuchi with the idea of connectivity. This is primarily to emphasize some relationships between various sites that are not readily apparent, such as the relationship between a "Russian Fort" and a preContact irrigation ditch (Menehune Ditch, or Kikiaola aqueduct) in the town of W aimea. As I outline below, both of these sites are connected through the development of a complex hierarchical society in Waimea, and there would be no Russian Fort without Menehune Ditch. There are many such connections to Kaua'i's "canyonlands" (here considered specifically the area between Wahiawa and Waimea Valleys in the Kona district, as depicted in Figure 1) that remain under-recognized in Hawaiian archaeology.