Kau La'au and Ma'ama'a: Traditional Hawaiian Ulua Fishing (review)

I viewed a video version of this documentary, produced for teachers in Hawai'i's schools, but now being made available to the public in DVD format. This video documents the two traditional Hawaiian shore-fishing techniques used to catch the large predatory fish known among Hawaiians as ulua (Caranx spp, English Giant Trevally or Jack Crevalle). The documentary features three generations of traditional Hawaiian fishermen from Kalapana in the Puna District, east of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on the southeast corner of the Big Island (Hawai'i), who demonstrate the making of materials for and application of the kau lā'au and ma'ama'a ulua fishing techniques. While these traditional Hawaiian fishing techniques date back to before European contact and have continued to the present day, they exhibit little change and are still being passed from generation to generation in a few Hawaiian families. The video also successfully addresses social aspects and ecological values associated with these traditional Hawaiian fishing techniques as discussed by the narrator and described by the fishermen themselves.

Kau lā'au, which is locally referred to as "hang-baiting," involves the use of a stout pole of 'ōhi'a wood (Metrosideros spp), which is wedged into the crack at a shoreline cliff overlooking the nearshore ocean surge. At one end of the pole is a line that runs up along the wood and through a Y configuration at the tip of the pole; it then hangs down just above the crests of the waves below. To bait the hook, the tail of an eel (Hawaiian puhi) is used, while the head is pounded into a mash that is thrown in the water as chum to attract the ulua (Viewer's Guide, 2). The other technique, known as ma'ama'a, or locally called "cowboy style," is a hand-lining technique that is often used from the shore and away from the cliffs, especially when placement of the pole for the kau lā'au is not feasible. For the ma'ama'a technique, a hook is baited with a sewn eel tail and tied to a hand line. This line is twirled overhead, cast to the ocean, and pulled in to attract the ulua. Both fishing techniques were still commonly used by Hawaiians well into the first half of the twentieth century, though since the 1920s,many Hawaiians and other locals began fishing for ulua by slide-baiting. This technique requires the use of long stiff rods with reels and terminal tackle adapted for the ulua. Slide-baiting has caused a decline in the availability of ulua as well as changes in the fish's behavior. These factors have made it difficult to catch the ulua using the traditional Hawaiian techniques (Viewer's Guide, 12). All these techniques are described in more detail in the accompanying Viewer's Guide, which also serves as an excellent educational tool to facilitate classroom discussion.

Charles M Langlas, the executive producer, who teaches anthropology at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, notes that filming for this project began in 1995 (Viewer's Guide, 3). Filming took place at seven different locations, for a total of seventeen days, and over a five-year time span. The video focuses on the fishermen of the Hauanio family, spanning three generations in the Kalapana area: Ben Hauanio was born in 1928 and is originally from Kalapana village. Aku Hauanio, the son of Ben's older brother John Hauanio, was...