Salt pans carved into solid papa along the shore are known as kāheka. They facilitate the formation and the shape of innumerable batches of paʻakai over many years. The paʻakai created from these kāheka are essential in seasoning and preserving mea ʻai for the sustenance and enjoyment of kānaka, but it is the kāheka, in conjunction with the surrounding environment that make that paʻakai possible. Kāheka do not always form themselves, rather they are often shaped by a kanaka who carved them so that they could fulfill their purpose.

We recognize that in the same way that kāheka facilitate and shape numerous batches of paʻakai, esteemed kūpuna are responsible for shaping multiple generations of Wahi Kūpuna Stewards. These kūpuna were shaped by kūpuna before them, and many remain paʻa fixtures within their local communities in the same way that a kāheka is inseparable from the papa which it has been carved into. No laila, it is with great haʻahaʻa me ka mahalo piha i loko iho o ko mākou naʻau that we honor our Kaliʻuokapaʻakai Council of Kūpuna with the inoa Papa Kāheka.