If you want to be part of the real authentic Hawaii, and not some kind of touristy, western-inspired, water-down, diluted version of this breathtaking state with its own unique spicy culture, the community of Nanakuli is for you!

One of the great tragedies of American history, and one that is not mentioned to frequently in your children’s history textbooks, is the displacement of the large majority of Hawaiian indigenous peoples in the early part of the 20th century as America colonized the island and made it one of their own. In 1920, the Hawaiian Homes Commission Acts was passed by the US government, and this act allowed many of the native islanders to settle in the southernmost region of the Waianae Coast on Oahu Island.

Sadly, the US government has had a notorious habit of “giving” the indigenous people the most undesirable land. In this case, the area had poor water supply. So it was in this setting that the name Nanakuli came to be. In its native tongue, Nanakuli means, “to look at one’s knees”. The community was named this since this was the action its inhabitants would do when visitors passed through the community. The reason being is that they couldn’t offer the passing guests any water, a customary Hawaiian tradition, since the water supplies were limited.

Today that is no longer the case as wells have been drilled to give residents an abundant supply of water.