Malama Loko Ea Foundation

Loko Ea is indeed an ancestral place of importance, a significant Wahi Pana, or celebrated place, to the people of Waialua. The site is associated with ancient deities, cultural practices, and historical events. This fishpond once helped to sustain its community by providing aquatic food resources like native fish and seaweed. Overtime the fishpond has been neglected, but today, Loko Ea is on a path to restoration with the help of the Mālama Loko Ea Foundation and the community. Your visit to Loko Ea will directly support the education and restoration efforts of the organization. Our goal is to someday be able to feed our communities once again from the abundance of the land. The activities included in the Holole'a tour is a walking tour that will educate you on the various aspects of Loko Ea fishpond and look in to the complex history of fishponds in Hawaii. Your tour will also include bamboo pole fishing. This activity will remove the invasive tilapia from our pond. This will allow for more resources for the native fish for which we are cultivating. The tour also includes a chance for us to harvest pohaku, or stone, from the river that feeds Loko Ea fresh water. This gathering of stone is the material necessary for us to rebuild our kuapa or retaining fishpond walls in the ancient uhauhumu, or dry-stack construction technique. We will end our tour with discussion, reflection, and awa.