Save Kanaka Kava farm & Stop the Eviction of the Trask/Kualii Ohana from their Home and Ancestral Lands in Kaapahu, Hamakua, Hawaii

Aloha kakou,

The lands of Kaapahu in Hamakua, like all lands in the Hawaiian islands, are sacred and vital to the Hawaiian people. In 1848, as part of the Mahele, half of the Ahupuaa of Kaapahu was awarded to Kaawahua, recognizing the rights of native tenants - “koe aku ke kuleana o na Kanaka.”

In 1879, Henry Cooper received 355 acres of Kaapahu via Royal Patent #7281. After his death in 1887, the land was held in probate and leased to sugar plantations for over a century. In 1994, when the plantations closed, the land returned to the Cooper/Trask family, leading to the establishment of Puuala Farm & Ranch by Cooper heir Kahala-Ann Trask Gibson and her husband. Envisioning a future rooted in their ancestral land “for the next 7 generations”, their son Zachary and his wife moved home and helped build the “family’s dream of a family farm.”

Despite the many challenges growing organic heirloom Hawaiian kava and other medicinal crops on lands used extensively by sugar plantations, including water issues and market fluctuations, Zack cultivated the land and in 2001 founded Kanaka Kava - the first farm-to-table kava establishment of its kinds. For over 23 years, Kanaka Kava through its farm in Hamakua has provided fresh, organic kava, kalo, and other medicinal crops for its market in Kailua-Kona, while making a name for itself as a popular community and cultural hub for both locals, visitors and otherwise Kava enthusiasts alike.

For the past 7 years, the Trask/Kualii family has made this land their home and workplace, upholding Zack’s legacy after his passing in 2018. Per his final request, Zack’s remains were laid to rest on the property, and they promised to maintain and care for the family’s connection to the land and the dream of their family farm.

The family has shared their farm with the community, providing countless educational opportunities focused of Hawaiian ‘awa and kalo culture as well and the rich and unique history of the area. They have also birthed and raised their children on these ancestral lands, becoming the first generation in the Cooper ohana to have done so. However, they were shocked to learn that much of the lands in Kaapahu was sold to new foreign landlords. And while initially promising to support the farm and the family’s kuleana to the lands, the medicinal crops and other important cultural and natural resources, the new landlords have since sided with cattle ranchers who then locked the family out of their land, denying their rights as native tenants, Hawaiian cultural practitioners, stewards and heirs.

These landlords are now trying to ignore all the family has invested in the lands, as well as their inalienable rights to access and care for their property and kuleana, and instead evict the Trask/Kualii ohana from their home - disrupting their farming operations and their family’s legacy.

**Take Action:** 

Demand that these new landlords respect Hawaiian land rights & cease their eviction efforts!

Stand with Kanaka Kava and the Trask/Kualii ohana in protecting their sacred ancestral lands and family farm.

“Koe nae ke kuleana o na Kanaka”

Mahalo!