New Archaeological Research in Hālawa Valley, Moloka‘I

In pre-European times, Hawaiian farmers created impressive agricultural landscapes, especially irrigated lo‘i for taro cultivation. Were these agroecosystems sustainable over centuries of continuous use? Returning to Hālawa Valley, Moloka‘i, where he began his career more than fifty years ago, Professor Patrick Kirch and his joint University of Hawaiʻi-Bishop Museum research team set out to answer this question in 2020 – 2022. Combining archaeological excavations with sophisticated soil and micr