You have entered the Wao Akua— the realm of the gods.

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park contains many of Hawai‘i’s most precious resources. For native Hawaiians, the park also envelops many of their wahi la‘a (sacred sites), their ‘āina hānau (birth lands) and ‘āina waiwai (subsistence lands. These areas incorporate not just the physical landscape and its inhabitants, but also the spiritual entities that are believed to comprise and surround them—the akua (gods) and the ‘aumakua (guardian ancestors). Early Hawaiians utilized two primary land boundary systems—one, which partitioned an island into zones of spiritual signifcance and the other, which divided it and its resources geographically amongst the chiefs and commoners. Crafted generations ago, these two systems acted as a means of balancing an island’s spiritual, natural, and human resources in perpetuity. Since subsistence resources were plentiful in some areas while limited in others, it was the kuleana (responsibility) of the residents to maintain them. As long as they were cared for, life was sustained.

The ahuapua‘a (land division) boundary system divides an island into vertical land sections that stretch from mauka (mountains) to makai (oceans). Visible landmarks, like mountain peaks, ridges, or ahu (rock cairns), are most often used to delineate the boundaries. Kīpukapuaulu resides in the ‘āina ʻili (smaller land parcel) of Keauhou within the ahupua‘a of Kapāpala. The treasured habitat of Kīpukapuaulu is also enveloped within the Wao Akua, the sacred realm of the gods. It is just one of seven (Kuahiwi, Kualono, Wao ma‘ukele, Wao Akua, Wao kanaka, Kula, Kahakai) such spiritually signifcant zones that horizontally divides an island. The Wao Akua region is revered for its ancient trees and wealthy seed sources. Where the akua and ‘aumakua reside, life fourishes—life that will, inturn, permeate much of the surrounding lands. Kīpukapuaulu is that wellspring of life supported by the akua and ‘aumakua that embody it.