Mokolii (), also known as Chinaman's Hat, is a basalt islet in KÃÂneûohe Bay, Hawaii. Mokolii is part of Kualoa Regional Park and located offshore of Kualoa Point, Oahu. The islet was at one time part of a basaltic ridge on Oahu before marine erosion separated it.
Mokolii translates from Hawaiian as "little lizard." "Mokoâ is an older form of the word "moâÂÂo" and means "lizard" or dragon-like creature; "liâÂÂi" means "small" or "tiny." According to the Pele epic in Hawaiian mythology, while the goddess Hiûiaka was traveling to retrieve Pele's lover, HiâÂÂiaka killed an evil giant lizard at Kuala. Part of its body fell into the bay and became MokoliâÂÂi: the island is the tip of the tail sticking out of the water. The closest land on the main island is HakipuâÂÂu, which bears the broken spine of the lizard, with "haki" meaning to break or broken and âÂÂPuâÂÂuâ meaning the hill or back.
The common colloquial name, Chinaman's Hat, derives from a comparison of its shape to the Asian conical hat. Of this alternative name, scholar kuûualoha hoûomanawanui has written: "It completely erases the Native perspective of the âÂÂÃÂina as moâÂÂo, a living entity that HiâÂÂiakaâÂÂa female, no lessâÂÂoverpowersâ¦MokoliâÂÂi doesnâÂÂt exist in isolation as 'Chinaman's Hat' does." A resolution was introduced at the Hawaii State Legislature in 2007, requesting that the Hawaii Tourism Authority discourage the use of the name "Chinaman's Hat" in favor of Mokoliûi, noting that the name "Chinaman's Hat" "has no historical or cultural significance" and "is offensive to many people of Chinese ancestry." The resolution did not pass the legislature.
Both wildlife and plants of Mokoliûi have been affected by the presence of non-native species, in particular the black rat and yellow crazy ant. Although other species of birds previously nested there, the wedge-tailed shearwater is the only species of bird that nests on Mokoliûi. Seventy-two species of plants have been identified, the majority of which are invasive non-native species. Native plants thrive in the coastal margins and include ahu awa (Cyperus javanicus), naupaka (Scaevola taccada), and ilima (Sida fallax). Invasive plants which dominate the slopes are Lantana camara, Spanish needles (Bidens alba var. radiata), and christmasberry. The island was designated as a critical habitat for Carter's panicgrass (Panicum fauriei var. carteri) by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 1983. In 2002, the USFWS initiated a program to eradicate rats from Mokoliûi.
The U. S. Exploring Expedition of 1840 drew up a chart of Kaneohe Bay Harbor where it labeled Mokoliûi as "Namu Island".
Mokolii was under private ownership until the 1970s, when the City and County of Honolulu purchased it.
Mokolii is owned by the City and County of Honolulu and is protected by state and federal park regulations. It is open to the public from dawn to dusk. It can be accessed by kayak, boat, surfboard, or by swimming, or wading at low tide. There is also a 20-minute hike to the top of the island.