Protection Urged For Heiau

www.starbulletin.com > News > Hawaii News > Protection Urged For Heiau By Kaylee Noborikawa POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jun 20, 2009 (Single Page View) | Return to Paginated View The city halted construction at a heiau in Hawaii Kai on June 12, after receiving complaints from residents. Ann Marie Kirk and Chris Cramer of Livable Hawaii Kai Hui, an organization dedicated to preserving the district, discovered the heiau's desecration on June 9. According to Kirk, the lower platform of Hawea heiau was covered with debris and the stone platform was damaged by a bulldozer. There were petroglyphs on large boulders which could not be found and the buffer to the wetland, which houses the endangered alae ula, or Hawaiian moorhen, was also bulldozed over. "I just feel a deep sense of sadness, but also a belief that Hawea will be saved because it's our responsibility to our kupuna to make sure that they don't get erased from the land," said Kirk. Hawea heiau is one of the only remnants of a system of more than 15 heiaus that surrounded Maunalua Bay and is still used by native Hawaiians for religious ceremonies, said Cramer, the East Honolulu historian. "I fear a large circle of upright stones leading from the wetland to the well may be destroyed next, as they are inches from what has been cleared already," said Cramer. The heiau is located on the mauka side of the Oahu Club on Hawaii Kai Drive and sits on property owned by the nonprofit Hawaii Intergenerational Community Development. As of 2007, 21st Century Homes, HICD's for-profit company, planned to build a $200 million luxury condominium, but construction has been delayed several times after meetings with community members about the heiau and getting approval for a height variance. The Historic Preservation Division is assessing whether the developer followed the draft of a preservation plan for the area. Several calls to the developer were not returned, but according to the Department of Planning and Permitting, the company did not have a permit for the construction site. According to the state Historic Preservation Department, the archaeologist could not find Hawea heiau during an inspection last year and the archaeologist may not have agreed that the area was classified as a heiau. "We know there's supposed to be a heiau in the vicinity and there have been several efforts to find the precise location of that heiau but when our archaeologist went out on the site, they didn't find it," said Pua Aiu, the division administrator. "I'm shocked that she said that," said Kirk, responding to Aiu's comments. "It has been recorded in previous archaeological studies and even visited by three archaeologists and a cultural expert from the division who called Hawea a significant site. They really don't know what they're doing," said Kirk, who noted that only a tiny portion of the heiau was covered under the current plan. "People throughout Oahu and the other islands are extremely upset at what happened. We're looking at a structure that's 800 years old," said Kirk. "It's a deep lack of respect for Hawaiian culture, but we're not going to let it continue; it's going to stop." Livable Hawaii Kai Hui members have e-mailed the city, state departments, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and several politicians to stop the construction. "What we're doing now is mobilizing people to stop what's going on at Hawea and to make sure that the preservation of Hawea is looked at by cultural experts and archaeologists to make sure that what's left will be preserved and what's destroyed will be rebuilt," said Kirk. "Hawea can still be saved." The city halted construction at a heiau in Hawaii Kai on June 12, after receiving complaints from residents. Ann Marie Kirk and Chris Cramer of Livable Hawaii Kai Hui, an organization dedicated to preserving the district, discovered the heiau's desecration on June 9. According to Kirk, the lower platform of Hawea heiau was covered with debris and the stone platform was damaged by a bulldozer. There were petroglyphs on large boulders which could not be found and the buffer to the wetland, which houses the endangered alae ula, or Hawaiian moorhen, was also bulldozed over. "I just feel a deep sense of sadness, but also a belief that Hawea will be saved because it's our responsibility to our kupuna to make sure that they don't get erased from the land," said Kirk. Hawea heiau is one of the only remnants of a system of more than 15 heiaus that surrounded Maunalua Bay and is still used by native Hawaiians for religious ceremonies, said Cramer, the East Honolulu historian. "I fear a large circle of upright stones leading from the wetland to the well may be destroyed next, as they are inches from what has been cleared already," said Cramer. The heiau is located on the mauka side of the Oahu Club on Hawaii Kai Drive and sits on property owned by the nonprofit Hawaii Intergenerational Community Development. As of 2007, 21st Century Homes, HICD's for-profit company, planned to build a $200 million luxury condominium, but construction has been delayed several times after meetings with community members about the heiau and getting approval for a height variance. The Historic Preservation Division is assessing whether the developer followed the draft of a preservation plan for the area. Several calls to the developer were not returned, but according to the Department of Planning and Permitting, the company did not have a permit for the construction site. According to the state Historic Preservation Department, the archaeologist could not find Hawea heiau during an inspection last year and the archaeologist may not have agreed that the area was classified as a heiau. "We know there's supposed to be a heiau in the vicinity and there have been several efforts to find the precise location of that heiau but when our archaeologist went out on the site, they didn't find it," said Pua Aiu, the division administrator. "I'm shocked that she said that," said Kirk, responding to Aiu's comments. "It has been recorded in previous archaeological studies and even visited by three archaeologists and a cultural expert from the division who called Hawea a significant site. They really don't know what they're doing," said Kirk, who noted that only a tiny portion of the heiau was covered under the current plan. "People throughout Oahu and the other islands are extremely upset at what happened. We're looking at a structure that's 800 years old," said Kirk. "It's a deep lack of respect for Hawaiian culture, but we're not going to let it continue; it's going to stop." Livable Hawaii Kai Hui members have e-mailed the city, state departments, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and several politicians to stop the construction. "What we're doing now is mobilizing people to stop what's going on at Hawea and to make sure that the preservation of Hawea is looked at by cultural experts and archaeologists to make sure that what's left will be preserved and what's destroyed will be rebuilt," said Kirk. "Hawea can still be saved."

Another one of hundreds of similar incidences of desecration, destruction and disrespect that occur daily across Ko Pae Aina Hawaii. The State Historic Preservation Department is a sham and Pua Aiu has been far from pono in her behavior towards iwi kupuna and our historic sites. One need only look at the shenanigans that occurred and is on going at Naue today, to understand this and to question this wahine's agenda. As Nainoa Thompson has said. Mauna Loa Bay is dead/dying because of massive erosion caused by massive disruption on land. Hawaii Kai needs one more luxury condo development like it needs more cars on it's roads. When is enough enough for the island of Oahu? How many more people, buildings, freeways, cars can the island sustain? I believe Oahu has long ago met it's carrying capacity for sustainable living....everyone and everything is getting squeezed, making living there a stressful experience. Even gotta get meetings between stand-up surfers and all other beach users to resolve issues. It all boils down to this....TOO MANY PEOPLE....not enough resources. Wonder what would happen if all of a sudden there was not one tourist in Hawaii for one day? How would that impact traffic, crowds, beaches, congestion? It would be interesting to know the answer to that. For those who depend on tourist dollars...it is time to look elsewhere for a sustainable, stable economy not vulnerable to oil prices, epidemics, natural disasters, airline or dock strikes. Look to the past for answers to the problems we face today...our kupuna survived here for a thousand years without any imported goods. Self-sufficiency, sustainability, subsistence.....concepts that we need to embody today as the U.S. goes through one of the worst economic crisis in it's history. A system of bartering, a concept that continues today in some rural communities, will feed us when the Wal Mart's and Costco's go belly up and abandon us. Time to plant a home garden, walk/bike to work, support your local farmers and prime ag lands. Shop at Farmers Markets and patronize your Mom and Pop stores. Screw corporate America and buy locally. When the going gets rough corporations will abandon the communities they are in, laying off the local workers but giving obsene bonuses to their CEO's. Destruction of heiau, not a valuable commodity to Americans....this is symptomatic of our occupation...shit like this will continue as long as we Kanaka Maoli allow it to. Cannot only have a few fighting all of these issues, which are merely symptons of the bigger problem...that we have been illegally occupied since 1893 and overwhelmed by settlers and foreigners in our homeland. As a minority, we lack political power to prevent these kinds of abuses from occurring. Doesn't help when we have some Kanaka Maoli like Pua Aiu who serve themselves at the expense of our iwi and cultural sites.

Replies

Kaohi June 22, 2009 at 9:10pm

Thank you for the post, we just flew back from Kauai. We had a confrontation with the contractor at Naue. They were continuing to build a two story house on top of the buriaIs and it was just disgusting. I went to Kauai because of my childrens Wainiha geneology, and to support the young Na Opio in their assertion with the Historical Preservation Organization. Our Na Opio's want to stop the bike path which will overlay ancient burials in Wailua-Kapaa. I was very proud of them--they conducted themselves with grace and with a powerful stance. Kaohi
Hawea Kaahanui Aila June 22, 2009 at 2:25pm

1. Cuz we need another million dollar luxury ANYTHING!!!
2. Livable Hawaii Kai Hui - maikai loa!!! Im glad to see Hawaii Kai isnt completely "haole-fied". Mahalo for fighting.
3. Cant find heiau one day...tear up the whole area the next.....nice logic Pua Aiu.
4. That archaeologist SHOULD quit their day job.....cuz you suck.
5. Ae. Too much people on this small island. Why does the state keep issuing these building permits??? Thats not PONO. Thats GREED.

I would like to arrange a meeting with Uncle Linda Lingle, Dukie "No Balls, No Backbone" Aiona, Mayor "More-Fee" & Pua "Dumbshit" Aiu. Line them up in a row and slap all three of them...One time pau. Oh and if Ken Conklin wants to join the meeting too, that would be swell.
Kaleo Farias June 21, 2009 at 11:58am

Aloha kaua e anyone,

Do you know how i can ir could get in touch with Ann Marie Kirk and Chris Cramer of Livable Hawaii Kai Hui? Mahalo Nui!

Bruddah Kaleo
Miliaulani June 20, 2009 at 12:51pm

Another one of hundreds of similar incidences of desecration, destruction and disrespect that occur daily across Ko Pae Aina Hawaii. The State Historic Preservation Department is a sham and Pua Aiu has been far from pono in her behavior towards iwi kupuna and our historic sites. One need only look at the shenanigans that occurred and is on going at Naue today, to understand this and to question this wahine's agenda. As Nainoa Thompson has said. Mauna Loa Bay is dead/dying because of massive erosion caused by massive disruption on land. Hawaii Kai needs one more luxury condo development like it needs more cars on it's roads. When is enough enough for the island of Oahu? How many more people, buildings, freeways, cars can the island sustain? I believe Oahu has long ago met it's carrying capacity for sustainable living....everyone and everything is getting squeezed, making living there a stressful experience. Even gotta get meetings between stand-up surfers and all other beach users to resolve issues. It all boils down to this....TOO MANY PEOPLE....not enough resources. Wonder what would happen if all of a sudden there was not one tourist in Hawaii for one day? How would that impact traffic, crowds, beaches, congestion? It would be interesting to know the answer to that. For those who depend on tourist dollars...it is time to look elsewhere for a sustainable, stable economy not vulnerable to oil prices, epidemics, natural disasters, airline or dock strikes. Look to the past for answers to the problems we face today...our kupuna survived here for a thousand years without any imported goods. Self-sufficiency, sustainability, subsistence.....concepts that we need to embody today as the U.S. goes through one of the worst economic crisis in it's history. A system of bartering, a concept that continues today in some rural communities, will feed us when the Wal Mart's and Costco's go belly up and abandon us. Time to plant a home garden, walk/bike to work, support your local farmers and prime ag lands. Shop at Farmers Markets and patronize your Mom and Pop stores. Screw corporate America and buy locally. When the going gets rough corporations will abandon the communities they are in, laying off the local workers but giving obsene bonuses to their CEO's. Destruction of heiau, not a valuable commodity to Americans....this is symptomatic of our occupation...shit like this will continue as long as we Kanaka Maoli allow it to. Cannot only have a few fighting all of these issues, which are merely symptons of the bigger problem...that we have been illegally occupied since 1893 and overwhelmed by settlers and foreigners in our homeland. As a minority, we lack political power to prevent these kinds of abuses from occurring. Doesn't help when we have some Kanaka Maoli like Pua Aiu who serve themselves at the expense of our iwi and cultural sites.

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