SOUTH MAUI - Maui: Including Molokai and Lanai - page 316

MAKENA
Of all the areas in South Maui, Makena is the one with the greatest amount of ancient cul-
ture and history. This rugged, lava-strewn shoreline was historically home to a thriving
population of ancient Hawaiians and believed to be the most populated region in South
Maui during precontact times. When diseases and foreign plant and animal species were
introduced by European explorers, however, the combination of outside forces ravaged
the native population, and many of the villages in Makena were subsequently abandoned.
The Makena region is a trove of cultural artifacts and an open-air museum of Hawaiian
history and culture. In a fitting twist to the tale, Makena is also the landing site of the
first European explorer to set foot on Maui's shore—French explorer Jean Francois de
Galaup La Perouse in 1786. Today, a small memorial stands in the bay which now bears
his name at the place where the paved road comes to an end. Despite the amount of history
in Makena, many of the archaeological and cultural remnants lie either on private land, in
cordoned off sanctuaries, or scattered along the shoreline in areas such as the Hoapili Trail.
Nevertheless, there is still one site which is open to visitors, and it has a history which par-
allels the plight of Makena's native people.
MM Keawala'i Church
In an area of the island that's rapidly being swallowed by luxury homes, there is something
about the simple, timeless beauty of Keawala'i Congregational Church (5300 Makena
Rd., 808/879-5557, www.keawalai.org , office hours 10am-5pm Wed.-Sat.) which gives
us hope that everything is going to be okay. Set on a tranquil cove that's out of view of
most modern development, Keawala'i is ringed with ti leaves and palms and bathed in the
sounds of gentle surf. Founded in 1832 and constructed in 1855 out of pili grass, this Prot-
estant church served as one of the main centers of worship for the southern coast of Maui.
The grass walls were eventually replaced with those made of coral, and in 1856 the church
was able to raise $70 to purchase a bell from the United States of America, the separate
country which 42 years later would annex the island as its own. It took that bell almost
three years to travel to Hawai'i. In February of 1862 it was lifted into the belfry where it
still hangs today.