The Valleys of Kohala have always figured prominently in the lore of ancient Hawai’i. Legends and poetry connect these valleys to Hawai’iʻs earliest times. In the great, oral traditions that trace the genealogy of the Hawaiians, it is said the valley of Pololū “was originally the residence of Oakea and Opapa (Wakea and Papa)…the god and goddess who made Hawaii and all the others of this group of Islands.”
Hawaiian traditions associate the Tahitian priest Pa’ao (ca. 1300 A.D.) with Pololū: “At Pololu, towards the mountain, are found fields of a very beautiful verdure. They are called the pastures, or grass-plots of Paao (Na mauu a Paao). The old priest cultivated these fields himself.” (M. Jules Remy, 1857) It is said that for 100 years after Pa’aoʻs death, no one touched his land lest storms and torrents would ravage the country.
For hundreds of years battles for control of the island raged across these valleys and ridges, not ending until Kohalaʻs greatest son, Kamehameha The Great, united all of the islands, thus ending centuries of warfare, bringing peace to our land.
The saying, No Kohala Ka Aina Haaheo is indeed fitting: Kohala, Land of the Proud. We would be Proud to welcome you as our guest and share with you the stories of our home.
