Echoes from the Pond of Life

Abstract

IT HAS TAKEN ten years to write this book. From 1981 to 1985 my husband Jim and I were fish farmers at Lokoea, an ancient Hawaiian fishpond on the north shore of O‘ahu. Though we left Lokoea, it continues to hold a tight grasp on my mind and heart. The reverberations from the pond echo, conjuring up times past, present, and future, and these stories still ask to be told. I have spent the past six years synthesizing the fishpond experiences and placing them in the context of the Hawaiian culture of the past. At other fishponds on Moloka‘i and O‘ahu I have applied the knowledge gained at Lokoea in fishpond works of the present. But it is the future that holds the greatest potential for fishpond works, for the pond reveals timeless truths. Wide and deep perspectives were opened at Lokoea, where our viewing plane expanded into multifaceted dimensions. This ancient pond led us into nature, history, and cultural adaptation. The time was rich and fulfilling at Lokoea, pond of life, birth, and mist. Though Jim and I operated the fishpond as a modern-day business, the path we chose was unorthodox and fraught with difficulty, but the fishpond always offered adventures as reward for good work. Through the fishpond we reached into the times of the ancient people of Hawai‘i. Lokoea has a colorful history. The fish of the pond were favored by Hawaiian royalty for centuries and even today Hale‘iwa people still talk of the delicious fish of the pond. Because it is a special place, it is the subject of many Hawaiian legends and stories. Thus, through Lokoea, the culture of Hawai‘i comes alive. The fishpond is a window through which we can view vivid glimpses of the past. These experiences led me to further study of the Hawaiian culture, and I gained an understanding of how fishponds pertain to environmentally conscious use of vital land and water