About ʻUalaka’a
ʻUalakaʻa literally translates to “rolling sweet potato.”
These valley slopes are named after a moʻolelo involving two mahiʻai (farmers), a rat, and a rolling ʻuala, which teaches us about a history of ʻāina momona (abundant land). ʻUalakaʻa is also known as “Round Top.”
ʻUalakaʻa, which literally translates to “rolling sweet potato,” is often referred to as “Round Top.” These slopes of Mānoa were named after a moʻolelo about fertile lands for growing sweet potato. In the story, there were two fields, one cared for by Kupihe and the other by Kapanaia. Kupihe had grown his field on the slopes, while Kapanaia decided that the flats of the mountain were best for growing potato. They both planted their fields at the same time, but Kupihe did not see any lumps growing. Yet, when he looked at his rival, he saw Kapanaia had an abundant field, so much so that one of his potatoes grew so big he needed to heap on more dirt to cover it. It is unknown how it happened but, one night, this large potato managed to roll down the hill to Kupihe’s field. Some say it was a rat who bit the vines, others theorize that Kupihe schemed against his rival to steal his labor.
The ending of the story differs depending on the teller, but one version has it that the potato rolled down the hill, made a deep hole, then bounced back to return to the parent stem. Another version says that the potato grew new stems after it rolled down the slopes, hinting at how Kanaka ʻŌiwi shared knowledge about growing new crops of sweet potato.
How to observe the site
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Sources for the information
- Kona ʻĀina Inventory. Kamehameha Schools, 2020: Link
- Sterling, Elspeth. P., and Catherine C. Summers, editors. Sites of Oahu (repr). Bishop Museum Press, 1978.