Accessible by only a windy, two-lane highway, eastern Maui’s rural community is known for its abundant rains, rich forests, and dozens of streams, with verdant valleys and gulches that have sustained Native Hawaiians like Healoha and her kūpuna (ancestors) for centuries.

Over time, the impacts of water diversions on the environment and on Native Hawaiian cultural practices in east Maui have been devastating. Streams completely dried out. Plants and animals that live in the streams died. Native Hawaiian families lost the means to continue traditional farming and gathering practices critical to maintaining culture and sustaining their foodways.