Loss of cultural landmarks in Lāhainā deeply affects community, Hawaiʻi historians

August 10, 2023 | By Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi

Devastating, heartbreaking and unbelievable — those were the words 46-year-old Torie Hoʻopiʻi used as she held back tears describing the wildfire damage to her hometown of Lāhainā.

"It’s devastating. It's like something you would see out of a movie that you can't actually believe that's happening to your hometown. People fleeing for their lives, jumping in the ocean, as they're watching Lāhainā Town Front Street and the harbor being burnt," Hoʻopiʻi said.

"I'm just like, 'Oh my gosh, that's like our historical town.' The first capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom is... gone."

Lāhainā became the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom in the early 1800s. It was a time of tremendous change for the Indigenous people of the islands, said historian Ron Williams Jr.

"It was the site of the first constitution that transformed Hawaiʻi from an absolute monarchy into a constitutional one. So from the arrival of [Capt. James] Cook in the 1770s until 1850, this influence that affected Hawaiʻi and helped it transform to a constitutional monarchy was that capital," Williams Jr. said.

The early 1800s also saw the arrival of missionaries, who established the first Christian church in Lāhainā.

Waineʻe Church, now known as Waiola Church, celebrated its 200th anniversary earlier this year. Kahu Anela Rosa said all reports indicate the church has burnt to the ground.

"It's just the structure, you know, it's really the people that make the church," Rosa said. "Several of our families have lost their homes, including mine. Four of my family members lost their home in Lāhainā. We were fortunate.

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