Kāhuli 2 - Newcombia canaliculata | Midlength 'Ahukai - dark gray

Kāhuli 2 - Newcombia canaliculata
Separation from that which sustains us is the greatest deception of “modern life.” Fresh water is a perfect example: our survival depends on it, but most people haven’t been educated on the intricate kinship networks (ecosystems and habitats) that call in, capture, and clean wai, the kinolau of Kāne that flows into their homes. Thus, many think tiny creatures like kāhuli have nothing to do with our survival. Newcombia canaliculata is one species of six in an endemic genus of snails. Once more widespread, this Molokai species is now confined to a single area above the island’s stunning north shore. A former puʻuhonua, this pristine forest is where our friend and mālama ‘āina Keahi Bustamente rediscovered this snail species, a place he calls “the palace.” These snails prefer the ʻolopua trees (Nestegis sandwicensis) of the palace and they clean the black sooty mold from their leaves, allowing for optimal health and function. Hundreds of similar relationships between snails and plants have been lost to habitat destruction and  alien species, compromising our forests. “Right now, we letting the enemy storm our palace,” says Keahi, who is working to get the home of N. canaliculata protected, not just for this snail, but for the pono of the entire watershed, the ʻohana behind the rivers that flow to the sea, feeding the constant exchange between Kāne and Kanaloa, the  great water cycle that sustains all life. Just like the takeover of ʻIolani palace upset our kūpuna, we should be enraged by the storming of our forest palaces, our water sources and places with the greatest connectivity to akua and kūpuna. To learn more about kāhuli: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/ecosystems/sepp/