The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-09-03
DEAD KINGDOM HAS
BEEN REDSCOVERED
NuaIoIo Exists In Small Corner of
Hawaii and Has Army of Three
Men

HONOLULU, T. Fl. July 3d. BY
Mail).-The kingdom that died" but
| never was conquered; the kingdom
with the smallest standing army on
record, three men; the kingdom OF
| Nualolo, behind Is walls of mountain
and surf in an almost forgotten corner
OF the Island OF Kauai, Is being "redis-
covered
This ancient domain. the only part
of Hawaii which King Kamehameha
the Great could not bring under his
scepter when he routed all other rivals
I! in battle and united the islands, has
been reopened. A rope ladder once
again bangles from the Nualolo cliffs
! in the Identical place, fastened through
! the same holes cut in the rocks by the
Hawaiian warriors OF long ago.
The kingdom of Nualolo is on the
northwest coast Of the Island Of
Kauai of the Hawaiian group, in the
heart Of wonderful precipice section
which rises abruptly from the sea in
{ almost perpendicular cliffs from $500
to more than 1000 feet in height. 1t
comprises nine valleys three large and
six small, each ending at the sea in
precipice.
There are only three practicable
ways OF getting into this old domain.
One is by a dangerous trail upward
from the ocean front, a second is by
another and sleeper trail over he
J mountains from the land side and the
third and easiest, is by rope ladder
from Nua1olo beach and thence over
narrow winding path. cut out Of the
| q rail- to
death The latter route recently has
been reopened by the placing of new
rope ladder where it's predecessors
hung many years ago.
When Nualolo maintained it's tnde-
pendence in he face Of the advances
Of the Great Kamehameha, before the
DAYS of high explosives and a1rplanes'
three men only were needed to keep
;ts gates. An old Hawaiian, named
Ku. has given the following graphic
description Of Nualolo's simple but ef-
fective method Of defense.
zone guard sat at the top OF the
Honopu beach precipice with a pile OF
rocks at his side. Only one enemy at
| a. time could climb the trail and In
case of attack the guard dropped
stone on the head Of each enemy as ne
appeared from below, or smashed ms
fingers with a rock as hey clutched the
overhanging ledge.
"At Nualolo, where the trial is up
ladder, one guard was stationed at the
ton of the ladder with a stone axe. AS
each hostile head appeared the axe
came into play.
"On the Kamaile trail from above
on the land side. a guard with pole
waited with a niche in the Gill out Oh
/ sight Of the approaching enemy. When
the latter came within reach along the
/ narrow pathway the guard would
Give him a shove with the pole and
1900 foot drop did the rest.
lacked behind their barriers OF
Il +oaTerine. mountains and pounding
s,rf the people of Nualolo developed
.vstem of agricultural irrigat loh
r,nIch remains to this day as a trlpute
! N their industry and engineering @0ii-
,, ity. Gregory. of
piabon Museum, Honolulu no I'm
ar irrigation sysem ever mas 49,
S,-orl-ed out by the Hawallans Ina
49, ~ the ancient valley Kingdom
s lie. o1-o,lahle foot of the steep wales
was made productive. ~ o,,1a tn
fazv nersons have been abe 70
irto the old kingdom during tne
/ mast three quarters OF a ceneu ;addar
! the recent placing OF ne ~ - and
,ear Nualo1o beach is eXpec1eu
Nualolo's decades OF lsola'io 4,.a,1.
omen its historic terraces 00
once again to the foot OIL iii0A'
I,,.arad thousand g, SOC, 0o0)