Chris Alexander shares photos and mementos during his oral history interview. NPS photos
A new project is spotlighting the history of Haleakala National Park’s early natural resource management through the voices of the people who have been involved with the park over many years.
The oral history interviews are now available at www.nps.gov/hale/learn/historyculture/oral-history.htm. The project is a collaboration between the National Park Service and the University of Hawaii at Manoa Center for Oral History.
“Through these oral histories, we learn about the stamina, vigor, commitment and indomitable spirit of those who have stewarded the majestic Haleakala mountain from its summit, into its crater and across vast forests and bogs that clothe its slopes and down into valleys and to the coast,” said Davianna Pomaika’i McGregor, professor of Ethnic Studies at UH Manoa and director of the Center for Oral History. “It has been a constant struggle against feral ungulates and invasive species to protect the rare and natural biodiversity of the varied ecosystems at different levels of the mountain that also serve as cultural resources for Native Hawaiians.”
Over the past year, McGregor, Micah Mizukami and Alana Kanahele, in cooperation with the National Park Service, conducted oral history interviews with past and present park staff and community members with close ties to Haleakala National Park. Thirteen people contributed their stories, which have been transcribed and archived for the project.
Walter Pu speaks during his oral history interview in Kipahulu as part of a new collaborative project spotlighting the history of Haleakala National Park.
“The interviews paint vivid pictures of the narrators’ deep connections to Haleakala National Park, both personal and professional,” said Rachel Hodara Nelson, archaeologist and Haleakala National Park Cultural Resource Program manager. “The park and its special Native Hawaiian plants, animals and places come alive through the many stories shared by the narrators.”
The project team will continue its work and plans to conduct more interviews in the spring.
The project was funded by the National Park Service and conducted through the Hawaii-Pacific Islands Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, a partnership between 10 U.S. federal agencies and 14 nonfederal members.
Nan Cabatbat is interviewed for the project in Hosmer Grove.
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