Aloha mai au i ku`u - How I love my Homeland. This simple opening line used in many Hawaiian chants and songs, reflects the intimate bond that Hawaiians have kept with their islands for over two thousand years. Through the millennia this place, alive with nature's forces has been worshiped and celebrated with profound awe.Shortly after their arrival in Hawai`i, our Polynesian forebearers began dramatically changing the landscape. Alluvial valley floors were cleared for the construction of elaborate irrigated lo`i terraces. Places of cultural importance soon emerged as over the following centuries generations of Hawaiians empowered these islands with their sweat, prayers and rituals, leaving their indelible mark on the landscape.
In time, all discernible features of the landscape were named. Every stream, pool, boulder, ravine, cliff, beach, wave, reef, winds or rain were given special names thus bringing them within the realm of Hawaiian consciousness. These elements of nature provided the foundation of Hawaiian creativity and were often used as metaphors in Hawaiian chant and storytelling. A gentle wind could be an embracing lover, while a flock of loud birds could symbolize the criticism and disdain of society towards an individual. Eventually the Hawaiian culture and landscape became entwined as one.
excerpt from introduction
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