LAPAKAHI VILLAGE, HAWAII

Standing beside a cove on the northwest coast of the island of Hawaii, the fishing village of Lapakahi, which is surrounded by black lava stone walls, was once home to generations of fishers and farmers known throughout the archipelago for their mastery of la'au lapa'au, or the practice of traditional Hawaiian medicine. "

- ERIC A. POWELL

Lapakahi is one of the best-preserved villages of its kind in Hawaii," says Hawaii State Parks archaeologist Tracy Tam Sing. "Many seaside fishing villages have been lost to coastal erosion, and there aren't many other sites quite like it." He estimates some 70 to 100 people lived in the village at any one time. According to oral histories, those numbers swelled when people from other islands traveled to the village for a yearly event dedicated to la'au lapa'au.