Papaloa Jeep Trip showcased Kona’s vibrant past and present

By Meagan O’Shea, Operations & Fundraising Assistant

Kona Historical Society members and staff were treated Feb. 23 to an exclusive exploration of the breathtaking beauty of the ahupua‘a of Kealakekua with the February Jeep Trip to Papaloa, the Greenwell family’s ranch house.

Situated at a quiet 5,100-foot-elevation, as the weather rolled in across the slopes of Mauna Loa, Kona Historical Society Board Member Hannah Kihalani Springer and long-time Society supporter Maile Melrose brought history to life with their vibrant stories of the past.

Under the spell of their words, one could visualize kanaka maoli trekking up mauka years ago to source fibers, feathers, and other items vital to the material culture of the Hawaiian people, including koa trees for canoe and the roots of the ‘ie‘ie, woven into the basket that provided the shape of the mahiole, the helmet of the ali‘i; one could envision circuit ministers riding by horseback across the ‘āina or traveling by canoe to clusters of families, makai and mauka, with scripture on their lips; and one could imagine the slow cadence of content cows grazing on African grass growing tall and strong in the sun.

All of Kona’s rich history culminating in the creation of a community gathering place, spearheaded by Sherwood Greenwell, a progressive man who loved sharing knowledge and history with those around him and who never stopped working to preserve its stories. Kona’s unique sense of place is articulated by individuals like Greenwell, a diverse collection of peoples and cultures that have come from all over the world to call it home and find inspiration and innovation in the ‘āina, to preserve and share a way of life for generations to come.

“What we’ve had the privilege of hearing today is a love poem, by a family, for a land they hold so dear,” Springer said. “We hear the term ‘aloha ‘āina’ - aloha for that land, regardless of the blood that you carry, your lineage, where you’re from. It’s also a sensibility. It’s an attitude, a relationship with the land so even as Maile has said previously, it bears repeating, that by joining with us, you enter into this place of aloha. And, it’s a landscape, it’s any place, any ‘āina, that supports the weight of your life, deserves your aloha for it.”