Early Hawaiians called fresh water "wai," and it was of great value, even sacred. It was so valuable that the Hawaiians would call people with a lot of water, "wealthy." Without clean and fresh water, native plants and animals could die. The Hawaiians depended on water for drinking, bathing, growing food and producing medicine. It was most important for growing taro, which needed lots of running water.

There were many rules about the usage of water. The Hawaiians could not take water freely. People used water from streams and took only what was absolutely necessary, and they were expected to share the water with others. The sharing of water was as important as law because it was such a critically needed for taro farmers.