|
|
|
To start ,the Hawaiians dug a big hole in the land, they used an `o`o stick to dig the soil. They piled dirt in the banks. The taro patch was surrounded by banks. They kept water in the taro patches because taro needs moving water so it would be able to grow well instead of rotting. To make the banks strong they would pound the ground with coconut branches and to make the mud banks hard the Hawaiians would put leaves and grass into the mud banks. After building the banks, people would jump on the bottom of the taro patch to make the floor of the taro patch hard and water- tight.
After harvesting, the loi
was filled with leaves to rot. The loi was not used for two
to three months. This was done to make the soil rich again.
This was a form of composting. Since taro needs a lot of
running water the farmers put water ditches in the taro
patches. A farmer would open a gate on the ditch so that
water could flow in his taro patch. The farmer would take
his share of water and close the gate. Then they would
divert the water back to the stream. They built a rock wall
around it. They also planted pili grass and sugarcane on the
top of the walls.
Around the lo'i they built a
rock wall. Rocks and stones were really important to the
Hawaiians. To build a rock wall it took a long time and a
lot of men and stones. Some people stood in a very long line
and passed each rock down. Other people tried to fit the
rocks together. The Hawaiians didn't use cement, they had to
work really hard when they made walls out of stones. Some
people even brought stones from miles away.
