Waipa Foundation

In ancient Hawaii ahupua’a were sustainable communities of land, water, and people. Waipa, on the North Shore of Kauai, sustained a significant community of Hawaiians who grew kalo and other crops. Several ‘auwai systems (water irrigation) were used for kalo growing in the Waipa valley through the 1860′s. Rice was then grown and milled between the 1860′s and 1940′s, followed by ranching through the 1980′s.

The Waipa Foundation is restoring these 1,600 acres as a learning and community center for the preservation, perpetuation, and practice of Hawaiian culture. It is a place where Hawaiians can renew ties to the ‘aina (land), and to restore the health of natural resources and native ecosystems of the ahupua’a. The land is rich with resources, including 1,400 acres of lowland conservation forest, 120 acres of agricultural land, 22 acres of coastal land along Hanalei bay, and its own perennial stream.

The non-profit foundation envisioned a valley in which streams would always flow uninterrupted from the mountains to the ocean, allowing migrating native fish to flourish. They dreamed of ‘ohana returning to farm native crops, gather medicinal plants, and support their families from the land. They imagined children learning their culture, and ‘olelo Hawai’i (Hawaiian language) would be spoken throughout the valley.

The Waipa Foundation welcomes lifelong learners to participate in various cultural and ‘aina based programs and projects, and to share what they do, and how they do it. They also provide various programs for keiki on farming, cultural practice, vegetables, and poi. They feed families from all over Kaua’i, and welcome customers and vendors to a weekly farmers market. They are managing and restoring native forests, a fishpond, wetland, native plant communities, kalo farming areas, and a stream. Waipa is an example of the perpetuation of Hawaiian culture, lifestyle, economy, and ‘ohana by just doing it.