Stewarding Cultural Landscapes: Managing an Eroding Coastal Site at Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Perched sand deposits and pocket beaches dot the shoreline at Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park on the island of Hawai'i. Keone'ele Cove, situated along the northern boundary of the park, is a key part of the cultural landscape where Hawaii’s ruling class landed canoes and hosted gatherings, and where native Hawaiians continue these practices in ceremonies and park programs. Since the 1960s, the park has managed coastal erosion through limited beach nourishment and small-scale erosion control devices, and preservation of historic masonry seawalls. Archeological excavations in 2008 and 2009, as well as post-tsunami recovery work in 2011, confirm the presence of a mostly well-preserved cultural deposit in the sands of Keone'ele Cove. C14 samples yielded dates from as early as 1650 AD. Although the site is protected from visitor disturbance, it continues to be affected by erosion; impairment of this resource is a great concern. A combined cultural/natural resources study will formalize monitoring at the site to include photogrammetry, continued ground-based LiDAR scanning with comparative mapping, investigation of overall sand budget and sediment transfer dynamics, and propose both short-term and longer term strategies for stabilizing and preserving this important site.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24896