Kahu Tom Lenchanko - Kūkaniloko

At the heart of central Oʻahu lies Kūkaniloko, the site of the birthstones where the highest ranking children in the Nation of Hawaiʻi were born and raised to be leaders. It is a place of profound cultural significance and deep ancestral connection. In this special field-recorded episode, we step away from the usual agency perspective and into conversation with cultural practitioner Kahu Tom Lenchanko, whose relationship to this wahi pana offers insight beyond policy or management.

Recorded on-site, this episode explores the living history of Kūkaniloko, the responsibility of stewardship, and the ongoing efforts of lineal descendants and cultural practitioners who continue to care for the area. Kahu Lenchanko shares why many believe the land should ultimately be returned to its descendants, and why mālama ʻāina is about far more than maintenance — it is about genealogy, identity, and continuity.

This is not a studio conversation. You’ll hear the wind, the birds, and the feeling of a place that continues to hold meaning for generations of Hawaiʻi’s people.

Kūkaniloko is closed to the public. To arrange an escorted visit, contact the Hawaiian Civic Club of Wahiawā: hccwahiawa@gmail.com

Transcript

 [Music]

Patti Jette: Aloha and welcome to Hawaii Conservation Kuleana brought to you from Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources. I'm Patti Jette. We're here to explore conservation issues from land to sea, with expert insights and stories from the field.

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Kahu Tom Lenchanko: This is who we are, weʻre descendants of the gods. We're so distracted by survival, weʻve had to put those things on the side.

[Music]

Patti: With me is Kahu Tom Lenchanko, before we begin, I just want to acknowledge this sacred and special place we're in for the podcast. This is Kūkaniloko, the piko, also known as the site of the birthing stones. Kahu Lenchanko is one of the guardians of this space.

Tom: Aloha.

Patti: Aloha.

Tom: I'd like to begin by requesting permission in Hawaiian, we call it noi ako. We ask permission to petition our ancients to shower us with their many blessings, from the crowns of our head to the soles of our feet, above below as well as around, forgiving us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And should there be any further hindrance, you be the judge and so remove them. [Hawaiian prayer]

My name is Tom Lenchanko. Kukaʻave ahaʻula Kūkaniloko, guardian of awa ka nani au, beautiful place and period of time. So thank you for the invitation to speak to you on behalf of our ʻāina and our people. Thank you very much.

Patti: Thank you for allowing us to be here. So I wanted to talk to you a little bit about the Kumulipo, but also the chants and other sources that go back even beyond that, that have given names to our natural world here in Hawaiʻi. What are some of those names and some of the dualities that exist between land and sea?

Tom: Very interesting. The purpose of the name chants was to recall the connection between the ancients and those that came even before them, and they were, I guess, termed as in the realm of the gods. So in the Kumulipo, of course, there are other chants. For instance, the Kumuʻuli, Kualiʻi, Opuʻu Kahanoa, Olo, just to name a few. And all they do is connect all the people to one understanding, and it shows a relationship that some are elites, so they are given this testimony in order to give privilege to them, not only in the life, but to also be glorified in the afterlife by association of events, you know, that are very important, the genealogies that connect them to place. It brought wealth to these individuals. It also gave certain type of privileges of kapus, such as hoano, to be respected. Wela was to give an aura about them, where not everybody could be within their space. So these things are kapus of privilege they also had, where these persons could also be a Kahuna, a priest or the aliʻi, and they would officiate in those manners within the temple or the heiau. And then they brought honor to them and the family, because their mana was always there. And that's what everybody was so particular about, to give good reverence and that's the whole point of this. Aloha no nakao, a pau ole, ke kuamo, ona kupuna ma. Aloha is forever, and forever is the old way of the ancients. So this is what we protect, you know. And for this space here at Kūkaniloko, it is actually a puʻuhonua, Kūkaniloko, and the site we're at today is kapu ahu awa. That's the original name of this place. So it's in expanse of 36,000 acres on the island of Oahu the Central Plains from the Waianae to the Koʻolaus. And this is what is special, because it was where the young people were born. We all know that. And then they were educated in order to show compassion. For us here, the term is given as ho aliʻi ikupau, of divine descent, highest of them all. So that's why, when they chosen here, there's no compatible or relationship that's any higher than them. So that's why, when they were selected, they remained here and 13 Kahuna educated them and brought them into the understanding of how to be compassionate, you know, and I think it is very important, because compassion is one of the main things, other than aloha and faith, you have to believe in what you're doing. So believe, say and do is what is important to all of us. So as for the Kumulipo, we understand the dualities. So the question is, you have things on the aina, the land, and then you have things in the moana or the kai, which is the sea, they have the same name. Everybody question, oh, how come on the land and in ocean get the same name, because that's where life began. So some people say, Oh, maybe on the land. Some say in the ocean, some say in the heavens, you know, but when you look at it realistically, things of the ocean started from small, little creatures that evolved into the upright human being, yeah. So that's what the Kumulipo is about. It's about a transition. And I think if you look in the beginning of the Kumulipo, it says, Things born in the dark are of the night. Things born and grow in the day are things of the light. So that's like the na aumakua o kapo, the spirits of the dark, dim past now aumakua o ke au, the spirits of the dawning of the day. So the dawn of the day is when man stood up and walked around. Under the guidance of the ancestors that's one thing that's always been most appropriate is to connect to the ancients, because they are the guidance in everything that we do. So the terms, the names and so forth, are specific, you know, to the energy that is within each individual.

Patti: We're talking about the Kumulipo, yes, but you mentioned some other chants, other genealogies. Why is the Kumulipo kind of the one we all know?

Tom: Well. It was created for Kaʻīʻīmamao, the son of Keawe, of the whole moku, yeah. This is why it's important, because no other chant is more than 2000 lines. So just that alone shows you the intense commitment to showing this leadership and the line of succession, because that's important. Because we come to understand, even during the time of Kamehameha, the line of succession was always issued verbally. So upon their death bed, the aliʻi would say, who's going to be the next one. You can have 10 people in line, but when he passes, they call that the hā, it's the last breath that transfers to the next generation, and it is at that point that the chosen comes from them. So each aliʻi had that opportunity. At some points in time, no one was given, you know, and then they had elections. Elections doesn't sound right, but because of the change from an absolute monarchy, you know, to a constitutional monarchy, and then the eventual, I always say, the usurpation of the kingdom, because it was taken. Kamehameha was the first one to usurp all the kingdoms in the islands. And well, it was a usurpation, he took it by force. History, it kind of repeats itself. But the genealogies, the name chants of what keeps us connected whole. We can have all kind of grumblings and so forth. But that genealogy is the testimony that shows that these are the descendants of the so called gods here on earth. And the reason the Kumulipo got so much attention is because when Kalakaua, he was the guardian of it initially, and when it was being transmitted to the people he was lucky that there was a German anthropologist who documented everything down in German. When he did that, Kalakaua took that document and saved it. And when Liliuokalani was in prison, 1893 she had time. She put it all down in English, because a lot of times they only surfaced, yeah, but this one went way back beyond our comprehension to bring to light how important our connectivity is as a people, Kanaka Maoli.

Patti: And how about that connection between Kanaka Maoli and nature and animals, plants, the natural world?

Tom: Even today, you know, just looking around you, everything is alive, yeah, whether it's animate or inanimate, everything has life, you know. So it's an interplay, the human being and nature. Take one, nothing will survive because somebody got to care for it, to nurture it, in order for our potential use. For me, this area here in Wahiawa, Wahiawa – wahi - place, awa - eternal. So it's a place eternal, Wahiawa. But yet, upon this land in Wahiawa, you find that it's bigger than what we realize. Yeah. So it's like looking at all the stars in the heavens. There's just too many. You cannot count them all. So that's a number of people that maybe might be around the world. Who knows? So by trying to maintain our Aina here, between the Waianae and the Koʻolau ancestral burial grounds, we know for sure because generation upon generation was born, educated, taken to become rulers. So when we look at this Oahu Nui A Laʻilaʻi, Laʻi is in Waikakalaua. This is where Laʻilaʻi, the goddess, stood down from the heavens and in union with Ki created a people known as the Hu. H-U. Our elders tell us, in the interweaving and the intermingling of those blood lines of the gods is considered Oa, O-A. So when you put that together, we have Oʻahu. This is who we are. We're descendants of the gods. Yet we're so distracted by survival that we tend to put these things on the side. That's the part that is prominent now because of the, I guess, the numerous, Industrial Revolution created what we have today because it was forced upon us, and a lot of the families from this general area were removed from the land. Why? Because somebody else wanted to make use of it. So they lost their right, but they didn't lose it. It was taken from them. So to guard the kapu of Kūkaniloko, because we love them for all time, is the message for the future generations that come. It was our dictate from our kūpuna now we give it to you, and you can find somebody that you can pass it on to in order to perpetuate Kanaka Maoli. And to me, that is, we're in critical condition now, but we can maintain, it's just a small issue. We're bigger than this because of the depth of knowledge that we have and our relationship with the land, with the ocean, with the universe. To me, we're almost untouchable.

 Patti: It's really heavy to think how ancient this place is.

 Tom: It's beyond us. It's beyond us. Remember, that's the island over there, and this is an island over here, right, where you just joined, yeah, yeah. And what was that all about? Well, the same thing. This is the Wahine, and this is the Kane, where they came together, creates the nation.

Patti: It's survived through so many things, right? I mean, this was before the unification of the islands by Kamehameha. This place was here. Then there was the overthrow. And now here we are in modern times, I guess, and it's still here. What does that say to you?

Tom: That's the longevity of a Kanaka Maoli. But you have to believe say and do, you know, without them, then we intend to drift into something like I said we'll put the Kanaka Maoli on the side, because we gotta, we gotta maintain this distraction in order to survive. We gotta eat. We gotta put food. Hopefully we can grow them. But I noticed a lot of the agricultural property, even the fish ponds, were all changed in order to disrupt our well being.

 Patti: You're a guardian of this place, so how do you make sure that A, it's protected in the here and now, and B, it will be perpetuated into the future.

Tom: Well, everything is based on our national treasures. That's our children, because they're the future. So we got to make sure that they guideline, or at least exposed to what is here, and then hopefully, as they grow, get their own families, they will always remember and come back and become the Guardian here too. So that's our expression right now. For the past 50 years, participate with just a school in Whitmore village, Helemano Elementary. Every October they would walk down 90 strong and come to visit the site. We give them a small interpretation. They eat lunch, have a good time, and then they walk back to school. By the end of the week, I would get one letter from each one of the students explaining how wonderful it was to be here and the knowledge that they gained. So we touch at least 10 of them. I know get more, but you figure every year for 50 years. You know, we get one whole nation there. Yeah, of course, there's a distraction. You know, some of them move away. They don't come back. So that's the threat, if we lose our national treasure to some other adventure, then that part becomes a hole that we need to fil.l To manage the land, yeah, so it's up to individuals if we have the mindset to do is to take back what is ours. So in this land area here, the expression is 36,000 acres more than. We want that back, because it's our land. It's a puʻuhonua. A puʻuhonua is special. I think even John Papaʻi he gave a description of all the puʻuhonua on each island. So that becomes very important. And he listed Kūkaniloko, Wahiawa.

Patti: I want to know about you. How far back do you know? How many generations back your lineage goes here? And how does it feel to you to be a guardian of this place?

Tom: Yeah, I always believe it's since time immorial, time eternal, because that's the beginning, you know? So for me, I was challenged in 1975 by my mom, my mom, my grandpa, my auntie, my uncle, they all went gang up on me. That's what I say. They ganged up on me that one time, but they seen something. Yeah, so it was kind of strange, but it was nice too, because my mom called I was living on the North Shore at that time, and she calls me up and says, Tom I need to ask you a favor. I said, Yeah, mom, anything? What's happening? She said, Oh, you have a bottle of whiskey with you? I said yeah I have one bottle of whiskey, but I don't drink. She said, it's not for you. Oh, not for me, I already knew, here comes the challenge. So she tells me, you take the bottle of whiskey. You go to Kūkaniloko. All the stones on the site there, take one cap full, pour them on top. When you finish that one, go to Wahiawa, down by Kaʻala School, get the healing stone over there. Take one capful, pour on top the stone. When you pau, you call me up. I said Okay, Mama, Iʻll go figure that one out. So I did what she asked. And then I got back and I told her, call her up. And I said, Hey, Mom, I finished the task. I should have just left it right there. But I stated to her, so Mom, what was the purpose of me doing all this? So right there stuck they got me because I asked them why I did this. So she tells me, well, when you went to the birth site, those are our ancestors for a long time ago. So what you did is you introduced yourself to them and them to you. So now you take care of them for as long as you can. So that's where that part about to guard the kapu of Kūkaniloko because we love them for all time. I met them. For me, that was the test right there. Go give them some whiskey. Because in the old days, we'd drink Ava, because Ava now you commit forever. So the whiskey was my commitment, forever to manage and care for them. Took me a little while to understand what is, what I was responsible for. I worked many years. Worked 39 years for the city and county, retired and came to do this. So I just manage this site, hoping one day it'll be returned back to the family. So we try to not put any kind of limits on things we talk in the vast expanse of ia lakoa, the universe shall provide. All you have to do is ask, we'll show the necessity that what knowledge we have, as far as traditional and customary practices, is our own thing, and it's protected by law. So those things are important to have our young people know. Don't be distracted by what you see is happening in front of you, understand what our kupuna sacrificed so that the land is still here, we can plant koa tree, sandalwood, watershed management, you know, celestial navigation. You know, that's the whole issue here right now. We want those three disciplines to grow, and we need the young people to grow them, grow the practitioner. Because without the practitioner, we have no connection there. We're going to lose the names that associate between the land and the sea. We're going to lose that because in all documentation, that's where it begins. The question which began this whole process was, what's the name of the duality of who we are as a people. The Hawaiian civic club of Wahiawa, which were the actual curators of the birth site over the years, taking over from the daughters of Hawaiʻi. You know, they have programs with the Department of Education that follows up with what was doing here at Halemano. But they are DOE wide. So all the different levels of school all practice to come here and learn about the place. So out of 1000 if we capture one or two, we successful, because that's all it takes, is one or two. 

Patti: So just kind of logistically, if someone wants to come visit here. How? How can they, if people want to learn more about this place, what's the best way? 

Tom: Well, as we have posted on the gates out there you go to it's an escorted access only so the Hawaiian civic club of waiawa@gmail.com, this would be the best way to communicate with the members of the civic club to gain access, because it's escorted, they have to be here with you. You cannot just walk on anymore. Civic club do the story, and I tell people, if you ask for me specifically, then I'll come on I'll educate you on what I understand. Otherwise the civic club going manage that. 

Patti: Well, do you have any other thoughts, or are you, you know, any reflections here that we want to close on?

Tom: I don't know. It's too expansive. You know, there's just no way. The only other way is I can do one prayer for you and close it in that form. If that's all right. So this will be Mahalo Aku. Thank you for today, when the life force of an aliʻi was to enter this earthly realm, this our paradise, all work cease. This most solemn of occasion, release from the people, the energy factor, or mana, that transcends from the aina. Prayer emanated throughout the land. What was welling up in the hearts and minds of Hawaiʻi nei was that the gods, yes, the gods, would send a child, a child of character, vision, possessing the mental acumen, moral rectitude in being from on high to lead our people, our nation, toward a life filled with peace and prosperity. On behalf of my family and yours, because we all hanai you today that this is the goal of our people, is to raise a beloved nation once again. Thank you for this opportunity to speak on behalf of Puʻuhonua Kūkaniloko Kapu aha awa complex here in Central Oahu. Mahalo 

Patti: Mahalo to you. And mahalo to our listeners today. Our theme music is by Kawika Kahiapo, thanks for listening to Hawaii Conservation Kuleana. A hui hou.

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