20140208-223254

Growers settled in Ke'e about 1000 years ago. As the population grew, people moved out and settled the valleys along Na Pali coast. Early settlers cleared the forest and built rock-faced terraces on which they planted taro, the staple crop. These terraces were irrigated with water diverted from the streams. Extensive agricultural systems were at peak production in these valleys by 1600. It has been estimated that each of the large valleys supported several hundred people before Western contact. They built houses on the edges of the agricultural fields and along the coast. These houses were constructed with pole frames and often thatched with pili grass. Hawaiians traveled along Na Pali by means of canoe and foot trails. They took taro to Hanalei, Waimea and Ni'ihau to trade for other goods. The Kalalau trail on Na Pali coast was built in the 1800s to connect Hawaiians living in the remote valleys. It was improved in the 1860s for horses and later modified for taking coffee and cattle to market in Hanalei. Hawaiians continued to live in the valleys of Na Pali until 1920, growing taro and fishing for subsistence and trade. Others tried growing coffee in the late 1800s; their venture was short-lived but the coffee trees remain. By 1900, it was a hardship for families to live and farm along this isolated coast. Many moved to the towns of Hanalei and Waimea for jobs and schooling. The agricultural fields were abandoned and became overgrown. After 1920, cattle grazing in Kalaulau valley was the only economic activity along this coastline.