PLEASE REPOST ! & STAND UP FOR WHATS RIGHT! " BE PONO" :).."KU I KA PONO".... ......The following was written by Hale Mawae, who asked me to help him spread it around:Aloha mai kakou,An article was published today in The Garden Island Newspaper of Kauai, statingthat the land developer, Joe Brescia, still intends to build over the ancient burialsof women and children at Naue despite not having clear title to the land.ApparentlyHe's bringing in the big gun's on Tuesday, with the Kaua'i Police Departmentas well as the State Department of Land and Natural Resources.
It seems Ka'iulani'smeeting with the Kaua'i Police Department only came as a warning that they aren'tgoing to protect our rights as a Kanaka Maoli even with the royal patent held bythe Kauonohi descendants that never ceased to exist, and what's really sad andmore important is our rights to respectfully protect our iwi kupuna with honor againstthis HEWA land developer.
Earlier this week a mildly threatening unidentified person with the state AttorneyGeneral's office tried to serve fraudulent temporary restraining order'swith charges against parties within that same fraudulent document citing personaldamages against Joe Brescia from Kupuna Puanani Rogers, Uncle Jeff Chandler, AuntyKa'iulani Edens-Huff, Aunty Louise Sauzen, Hale Mawae, as well as 1-200 otherunnamed persons.
I think the "1-200" was just in case any other Kanaka Maoli citizens decidedto come protect their kupuna as well.
Sounds like it could be YOU too! But don'tworry it's only another fraudulent document created to strike fear into thosewho don't know how to exercise their rights yet.
Fortunately, for us if youhave been following the mo'olelo of Naue maybe you will learn how.
Joe Brescia's actions this week have been over and beyond disrespectful, notto mention illegal, despite his repeated bland heart-warming attempt for unwarrantedsympathy at the end of the article.
"“I’m not a developer, I’m just a regularguy in a very unfortunate, uncomfortable situation,” he said.
“I’ve done everythingI can to make this sensitive and respectful, and I don’t know what else can be changed.
"Unfortunate and uncomfortable situation? What can be changed? He obviously hasn'tgotten the answer from a very vocal community of Kanaka Maoli who don't wanthim to build his house over a cemetary.
What do you expect when you go above andbeyond the lines for the continued desecration of our iwi kupuna and the blatantdestruction of our connection to the rights of those iwi kupuna?The only unfortunate, uncomfortable situation is the one that Joe Brescia has manifestedand created for himself by all his HEWA! Any SANE person would not disturb theremains of a 14th century burial to put a 3 bedroom house on a piece of propertythat doesn't belong to him.
And just to put in a little disclaimer here, the original home he intended to buildwas 7,000 square foot plus, which included some 5 bedrooms.
What's even moreinteresting is the fact that Joe Brescia doesn't even intend on living on theproperty! He's just another land pimp looking to build a property then turnaround and sell that property for way more than its worth to make it profit.
He's already washed his hands clean of this situation in his mind.
But whathe doesn't know is that he's washing his hands clean with more and moreblood of Kanaka Maoli! Out damn spot, out! But the more he rubs his dirty fingerstogether, the more and more blood will stain his hands of filth.
I'm appalled that he even considers any manner of himself as being "respectful"or "doing the right thing" as he so often likes to state in his quotesto the press. He's disturbed the iwi.
He's disturbed the lives of trulyrespectable people who have been standing up for the iwi.
He's manipulatedthe state and affiliated agencies to cow down to his pathetic sob story, while heschemes new plans for attack behind closed doors with his objectionable lawyer,Walton Hong.
He's a two faced scam artist, who's only stirring up more waters, so thathe can continue to stuff blood money into his pocket and get out! His actions provelouder than his words.
Enough is enough!If he were to desecrate the bones of our people in times of old, there would beno discussion as to whether or not he could build his home.
There would be no diplomaticendeavors set in place for him to continue to scheme and manipulate other partiesinto his control.
There would be no "revised statutes" and "countyordinances" to reference and stand behind like a wimpy little kid who'shiding behind his parents leg after annoyingly picking a fight with an older sibling.
The kahuna's would allow the laws to stand in place for his crime, he wouldbe allowed ample time to escape to a city of refuge, and the warriors from thatrespective Ahupua'a and/or ohana in connection to that burial site would begiven the right to pursue him and do with him as they pleased.
Then it would come down to two situations:Hypothetical Situation (A)If he were to make it to the heiau of refuge, he would have to lay naked and prostratehimself before the Kahuna's to plead his case for entrance.
If the Kahuna ofthe heiau admitted him entrance for his guilt he would be marked with symbol andrestricted to the walls of the heiau with severe restrictions and extreme labor.
In essence, becoming a slave until he had been released of the severity of his crime,or until the ohana and or people of the ahu pua'a had ample time to ho'oponopono.
Even with the crime lifted against him, his release still meant that he would foreverlive with the mark of his crime, and forever he and his descendants would be inservice to the families who the crime was committed against.
Hypothetical situation (B)If he didn't make it to the heiau of refuge in time, well then the warriorsand ohana of those iwi who were desecrated could do with him as they pleased afterhe was captured. Any physical possession belonging to him would be seized.
(In thiscase he doesn't own anything!) There would be protocols set in place to ensuretheir actions, but as it says in countless mo'olelo it is in the iwi that holdsthe mana, and so in Joe Brescia's iwi there they would find his mana and inperforming protocol after his capture they would keep it for his crime of desecration.
Joe Brescia can not be allowed to build on these burials.
He has done nothing butto stir the waters of illegal disillusion within the illegitimate state that willonly protect the profit and property of his illegal actions that the "state"has continued to condone.
Aue!Have a read of the article and please pass on the mo'olelo of Na Hala O Naue.
For the iwi kupuna! For the people here on Kaua'i who are currently being tossedin this turbulent storm, but most importantly so that the next generation and thenext will remember that when the time came there were those who took a stand againstthe wrongdoers who gave us no choice.
To stand ku ha'aheo!Hale MawaeEo Lono!Property owner set to begin workby Michael Levine - the garden islandKa‘iulani Huff, the Kapa‘a resident who has been tent camping for nearly three monthson a Wainiha property discovered to be an ancient Hawaiian burial site in protestof planned developments, met with Kaua‘i Police Department officials Friday.
“Essentially, they wanted to warn me that they’re coming to our graveyard on Tuesday,and that — they didn’t say it out loud — but they were warning me that we’re goingto get arrested,” Huff said after the meeting.
"We did not ask her to leave, but if the developer decides they want to goin, they’ve provided all the documentation and we will be there to ensure theirlegal rights are protected, to minimize potential conflict with her (Huff’s) groupand make sure nobody gets hurt,” said KPD Assistant Chief Clayton Arinaga.
“We agreed as a department that we needed to meet with Ms.
Huff and the rest ofthe demonstrators to get on the same page and make sure we respect their right toprotest, but also to make sure they keep it peaceful,” said KPD Chief Darryl Perry.
Huff claims that the Wainiha subdivision should instead belong to her as it wasgranted to her family by the Hawaiian crown prior to American intervention.
A Jan.
31 Hawai‘i Supreme Court ruling determined that the state cannot sell anyof the 1.
2 million acres of ceded lands that once belonged to the Hawaiian monarchyuntil all claims are settled.
Huff said that “things are conspiring in our history right now” that could leadto her recovering the land.
She expects a variety of Hawaiian sovereignty groupsto join in her protest.
“We are sympathetic to her side, but we have a duty to perform our jobs,” Arinagasaid.
Landowner Joseph Brescia, according to attorney Walton Hong, has been trying tobuild a home on the land since 2001, but has been delayed by various environmental,legal and community challenges.
The Kaua‘i Island Burial Council determined in April that 30 burials discoveredon the property in a December 2007 archaeological survey must be left in place inorder for construction to begin.
Groundbreaking was rumored to start earlier this month, but contractor Ted Burkhardtand his crew left without performing any work as some 40 residents were assembledat the site in protest.
Tuesday is now rumored to be the first day of construction.
Brescia said yesterday in a phone interview that he was “considering” building a2,350-square-foot,three-bedroom home on the property and that he would likely be issuing a formalstatement this week.
“I’m not a developer, I’m just a regular guy in a very unfortunate, uncomfortablesituation,”he said.
“I’ve done everything I can to make this sensitive and respectful, andI don’t know what else can be changed .
Comments
Home work starts atop graves
By Tom Finnegan tfinnegan@starbulle tin. com
LIHUE » After declaring victory last month, protesters trying to preserve a Hawaiian cemetery were blindsided when construction began yesterday at a home site in Haena.
..After threatening the contractor and landowner Joseph Brescia with arrest for the alleged desecration of the 30 graves on the site last month, Kauai Police Chief Darryl Perry said yesterday that the permits obtained by Brescia , however misguided, keep workers or the landowner from being charged with any crime.
Police said construction started yesterday, with the clearing of the lot and the erecting of silt fences at the site, which sits on Naue Point, just off Alealea Road . Protesters said there was also a cement pour over some of the graves.
The chief's decision was a betrayal, said Kaiulani Edens-Huff, who has camped near the site for months to protect the graves of her ancestors.
She was not on site yesterday, as she was supposed to meet Perry in Lihue around the same time that construction began.
"Nobody ... told us the deal was off," Edens-Huff said yesterday. "Police are taught not to believe in coincidences, and neither do I.
"
"Yesterday's quiet beginning, in which only one person videotaped the construction, was in contrast to last month's planned protest, when about 75 people were on the site, ready to protect the graves with force.
At the time, Perry threatened the contractors with arrest.
The "clarification" yesterday came after meetings with the county attorney and the attorney general's office.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Kauai Island Burial Council have the right to define what is desecration, Perry said.
"Does putting a cement slab on burial sites constitute desecration?" he asked. "No, not according to the DLNR on the recommendation of the Burial Council.
"
" Brescia , who bought the land from movie star Sylvester Stallone in 2001, has jumped through numerous legal hoops in the past few years to build on the site.
In 2003 his shoreline certification was challenged, and later the case of his setback from that shoreline was reversed by the state Supreme Court.
Brescia finally received approval to build his home in April, despite protests from native Hawaiians who said the land was a cemetery and should be left alone.
Edens-Huff said yesterday that she intends to file legal challenges and that plans she has seen do not include septic tanks.
"I'm disappointed but I'm not done yet," she added.
Perry said yesterday that he expects more protests, but police officials said they were taking no special precautions to protect the site.
Perry also said he hopes it is not the end of the discussion.
"I hope that somewhere down the line, a leader of great vision will ... correct the unconscionable decisions by some of our appointed public officials who authorized/permitte d the building of this home, and future homes under similar circumstances," he wrote.
Construction Halted at Kauai Ancient Remains Site
Written by Tina Chau - tchau@kgmb9.com
See KGMB9 Video:
http://kgmb9. com/main/content/view/7636/40/
About 75 protesters were prepared to stop construction, but they didn't need to. The Kauai chief of police stopped it himself, citing a Hawaii law protecting Hawaiian remains or iwi.
"The construction will not begin until section 711-1107 is addressed and that section deals with desecration," said chief Perry.
He threatened to arrest contruction crews if they disturbed the beachfront Haena lot. It's yet another set back for property owner Joseph Brescia, a California contractor who's been trying to build a home here for the past seven years.
It's a culture clash playing out around the state. Just this week, First Hawaiian Bank announced it was re-designing its Kailua branch after remains were found during an excavation in March.
Dozens of sites have been uncovered in Kakaako, an area undergoing massive renovations. And it's going to be an issue for future projects.
City officials planning Oahu's mass transit line believe ancient bones are bound to be unearthed somewhere along the 19-mile route. The Kauai beach lot, with about 30 graves, is just the latest example.
The landowner said he's not a greedy developer; just someone looking to build a home for his family. And he believes he's followed all protocol and rules, speaking with the island's burial council, appearing before the planning commission and revising his floor plan fifteen times.
He plans to take all necessary steps to proceed with construction. Until that happens, Hawaiians are celebrating.
"It's a good victory for us," said protest leader Kauilani Huff. "I'm really really proud of our police department for really doing the investigation."
Brescia said he's already invested more than a million dollars. He says if anyone is willing to buy the land from him, he's willing to listen.
Aloha to all my ohana and friends, WE WERE VICTORIOUS IN OUR KU`E! MAHALO KE AKUA, NA AKUA, NA AUMAKUA, NA TUPUNA AND ALL THE SPIRITS THAT SURROUNDED US!
NAUE VIDEO ON YOU TUBE
All was peaceful and spirtual at Naue this morning. There were no arrests and we stopped the construction of Brescia's house at the burial grounds. Chief of Police Darryl Perry publicly announced that in his opinion the area is a grave site of 30 known burials.He said this on the news at six o'clock KGMB channel 9. Check out the brief story they did on us this morning. They may show it again on their next newscast at 10. Mahalo to all for your prayers and well wishes from our people here on Kauai and other islands that responded. Mahalo to the Police Dept. for their understanding and for helping us with our ku`e. We will continue to be persistent and show our resistance to the hewa of burial desecrations! Don't know if and when the construction crew will return. We do know that Mr. Brescia is saying that he is going ahead with his plans to build! We'll have to wait and see. On June 4th, we stopped the construction and today, June 24th, we did it again! All is well at Naue for the time being and our na iwi kupuna are resting in peace. PuaNani, networking wale no Puanani RogersHo`okipa Network - KauaiKapaa, Hi 96746Ko Hawaii Pae Aina Think Kanaka maoli......Think Ahupua`a
http://homepage.mac.com/juanwilson/islandbreath/
image above: sketch provided by Ka'iulani Eden Huff done by her husband
by Michael Levine on 22 June 2008 in The Garden Island News
Ka‘iulani Huff, the Kapa‘a resident who has been tent camping for nearly three months on a Wainiha property discovered to be an ancient Hawaiian burial site in protest of planned developments, met with Kaua‘i Police Department officials Friday.
“Essentially, they wanted to warn me that they’re coming to our graveyard on Tuesday, and that — they didn’t say it out loud — but they were warning me that we’re going to get arrested,” Huff said after the meeting?
We did not ask her to leave, but if the developer decides they want to go in, they’ve provided all the documentation and we will be there to ensure their legal rights are protected, to minimize potential conflict with her (Huff’s) group and make sure nobody gets hurt,” said KPD Assistant Chief Clayton Arinaga.
“We agreed as a department that we needed to meet with Ms. Huff and the rest of
the demonstrators to get on the same page and make sure we respect their right to protest, but also to make sure they keep it peaceful,” said KPD Chief Darryl Perry.
Huff claims that the Wainiha subdivision should instead belong to her as it was
granted to her family by the Hawaiian crown prior to American intervention.
A Jan. 31 Hawai‘i Supreme Court ruling determined that the state cannot sell any
of the 1.2 million acres of ceded lands that once belonged to the Hawaiian monarchy until all claims are settled.
Huff said that “things are conspiring in our history right now” that could lead
to her recovering the land. She expects a variety of Hawaiian sovereignty groups
to join in her protest.
“We are sympathetic to her side, but we have a duty to perform our jobs,” Arinaga
said.
Landowner Joseph Brescia, according to attorney Walton Hong, has been trying to
build a home on the land since 2001, but has been delayed by various environmental, legal and community challenges.
The Kaua‘i Island Burial Council determined in April that 30 burials discovered
on the property in a December 2007 archaeological survey must be left in place in
order for construction to begin.
Groundbreaking was rumored to start earlier this month, but contractor Ted Burkhardt and his crew left without performing any work as some 40 residents were assembled at the site in protest.
Tuesday is now rumored to be the first day of construction.
Brescia said yesterday in a phone interview that he was “considering” building a
2,350-square-foot, three-bedroom home on the property and that he would likely be
issuing a formal statement this week.
“I’m not a developer, I’m just a regular guy in a very unfortunate, uncomfortable
situation,” he said. “I’ve done everything I can to make this sensitive and respectful and I don’t know what else can be changed.
SUBJECT: HAWAIIAN SACRED PLACE
SOURCE: BRAD PARSONS mauibrad@hotmail.com
POSTED: 22 JUNE 2008 - 12:00pm EST
They’re coming to take me away!
image above: 2008 photo from dune area after ocean inundation. Photo by Caren Diamond
[Editor's Note: The property in question is at
7336 Alealea Road in the Wainiha Subdivision Lot #6
Hawaii Tax Map Key (4) 5-8-09-45 owned by
Joe & Jodie A Brescia]
by Ka'iulani Eden Huff on 21 June 2008
It's Saturday nite. Cops said yesterday to me they're coming to take me away from my iwi o kupuna so they can break ground!! NO WAY!! our ancestors are the kuamoo, the backbone of who we are as a people and as individuals. woe to the man who has no reverence for the dead....AUWEAUWEAUWE.
Please join me for a history making day of kuleana at na iwi o kupuna o naue cemetary, Aalealea Road in Ha'ena, Tuesday the 24th, at 6:30am to show ourselves as one people to our ancestors and ke akua.
We will decorate the cemetary withour women and children. Everyone please wear white! No more black for our people, we stand fully exposed in the light forever more without kaumaha.
Pray, tell everyone, and ku kanaka! ka'iu.
They will have to drag me out of our cemetary on my hands and knees. Learn a chant please for your protocol!!
see also:
Island Breath: Haena Burial Site 6/9/08
Island Breath: Bones of our Ancestors 1/13/08
Island Breath: kauai Shoreline Defined 7/30/06
Island Breath: Save Wainiha Beaches 3/8/04
By Sean Hao,
Honolulu Advertiser, June 22, 2008
City expects to have to deal with burial sites, archaeological artifacts
The city's planned $3.7 billion elevated commuter rail has a high potential of encountering Native Hawaiian burials and other archaeological artifacts once construction enters urban Honolulu.
Traditional Hawaiian burials are generally unmarked graves, and their locations have resulted in setbacks for developers and alarmed some Native Hawaiians and archaeologists. The issue of how to deal with the discovery of iwi, or burial remains, arose at the Kaka'ako Wal-Mart and Ward Villages projects and likely could reoccur if the city proceeds with plans to build a 20-mile rapid transit system linking East Kapolei to Ala Moana.
According to a preliminary study, there's a reasonable potential the transit project will affect burials and precontact archaeology as it traverses Nimitz Highway, Halekauwila Street and Kapi'olani Boulevard. An expansion spur to Waikiki also has high potential to disrupt historical sites.
Other portions of the route along Farrington and Kamehameha highways and an airport spur have a medium potential of encountering such sites, according to an October 2006 draft environmental consequences report prepared for the city by Parsons Brinckerhoff, the New York-based project manager.
More details about the project's potential impact on archaeological resources are expected to be disclosed when the city releases a draft environmental impact statement later this summer. Moses Aiai, an attorney for the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, agreed the city could encounter iwi in urban Honolulu. That makes it critical that the city conduct archaeological surveys at each location where digging will occur, he said.
"I would expect some kind of an impact on burial sites or other historic sites in that area," Aiai said. "That's what's so important about doing this sort of analysis up front before you begin digging, because you want to still have the flexibility ... and you're able to look at design alternatives."
Iwi instances
The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation unsuccessfully sought to temporarily halt construction at both the Wal-Mart and Ward Villages sites after iwi were discovered there. The group, which represents people it says are descendants of those remains, contends that developers and the state don't conduct adequate research into the potential for disturbing iwi prior to construction projects.
About 42 sets of remains were found at the Ke'eaumoku Wal-Mart site after construction began in late 2002. The Wal-Mart now is open, but iwi that were unearthed during construction have not been reburied because of ongoing legal proceedings.
Separately, about 60 sets of remains were discovered at the site of General Growth's Ward Villages development, mauka of Ward Centre. Eleven sets of remains were noted during a 2006 archaeological survey of the site. Work, which was halted for a time, resumed after the O'ahu Island Burial Council voted to allow the developer to move those 11 remains.
When workers went to remove the initial remains, more burials were discovered.
The finished project is to include a Whole Foods Market, a 17-story apartment building, retail shops and a parking garage at the diamondhead end of Auahi Street. The Whole Foods Market, which was to open at the end of this year, was slightly delayed and is now set to open in January. In addition, construction of the 218-unit rental apartment building is on hold following a state decision that 30 remains must be preserved in place. Thirty unearthed remains were recently reinterred in a nearby central burial area.
General Growth is looking at redesign options that will allow the apartment project to proceed, said Jan Yokota, General Growth's vice president of development. Developers need to be prepared for added costs and delays when dealing with archaeological sites in a culturally sensitive way, she added.
"It's often difficult to know in advance" what will be found underground, Yokota said. "It typically happens that it's during the construction process that you encounter the iwi.
"One thing that's important for all developers is to know, as best as they can, (is) to do as much proactive research initially and to continue to work with the families (if iwi are found)," she said.
Consultations
Mayor Mufi Hannemann's office didn't respond to questions last week asking what the city will do if it encounters burials or archaeological items during construction of the rail system.
If iwi are found, they may be preserved in place, if there's flexibility in the rail's construction design, according to the city's 2006 environmental consequence report. Any human remains impacted by the rail project would be handled within applicable state and federal laws, the report said.
The report said the city will consult with the O'ahu Island Burial Council and the state Historic Preservation Division about the project's impacts on archaeological resources.
The Historic Preservation Division operates under the Department of Land and Natural Resources. The division said it responds to approximately two to three inadvertent discoveries statewide each week, and is involved in up to 250 burial cases annually. The division is charged with preserving and maintaining cultural sites, including management of burial sites more than 50 years old. The O'ahu Island Burial Council makes recommendations on how to handle inadvertent finds of burials on the island.
Factors that have been considered when deciding whether to preserve human remains in place include whether descendants can be located, the concentration of burials and the timing of the discovery of remains.
The Historic Preservation Division said it is in preliminary discussions with the city and project consultants regarding potential cultural and historic resources along the route.
"As the discussions are preliminary because the route has not been definitely determined, we have not made any determination as to the effect of the corridor on historic or cultural sites," the division wrote in an e-mail to the Advertiser.
According to the city's preliminary research, the Iwilei-to-Waikiki portion of the train route has the greatest potential for impacting archaeological resources because of the area's intensive land use through pre-contact and historical times.
Making adjustments
The likelihood of encountering iwi depends on the depths, locations and amount of digging needed to build the elevated commuter rail, said Thomas Dye, president of the Society for Hawaiian Archaeology. Coastal areas with subsurface beach sand are more likely to contain iwi. That's because sand was the preferred location for burials. Remains buried in sand also remain better preserved than remains buried at higher, wetter elevations, Dye said.
"Presumably the (city's) archaeologists have been doing their homework and they know where to find the sand deposits and where burials are likely," Dye said. "Those kinds of things always pose some delays. They're usually not insurmountable though."
Ideally the rail project's footings can be moved to accommodate any historical or archaeological sites that are discovered, Dye said.
Design changes "happen very typically now in Hawai'i, where people will redesign something so that human burials can be avoided," he said. "That's becoming more and more common."
That's what occurred recently after three sets of human remains were discovered at the construction site of First Hawaiian Bank's new Kailua branch. The construction plans were revised following the discovery, said bank spokesman Brandt Farias. Those remains are being left in place and a monument was added to the site, he said.
Farias said he did not know how much the changes may have cost the bank.
"If there was additional cost, we're happy to do it, because it was the right thing to do for the families and the community," he said.
Reach Sean Hao at shao@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Honolulu Advertiser, June 22, 2008
2nd time burial remains found in contruction linked to Whole Foods
KAILUA — The discovery of human remains at a First Hawaiian Bank construction site is the second incident in which a building project with ties to Whole Foods has encountered the issue.
The bank is moving into a parking lot adjacent to its present location at the center of town to make room for a new Whole Foods Market.
Texas-based Whole Foods plans to open four markets in Hawai'i: at Ward Village Shops, in Kailua, at Kahala Mall and on Maui.
At the Ward project, 64 sets of remains were found during construction, causing delays as the developer, General Growth Properties, worked with the state and cultural descendants on a treatment plan for the kupuna iwi.
In a private ceremony a few weeks ago, the last of the iwi was reinterred at a central location on site, said Jan Yokota, General Growth vice president of development.
The sanctity of burials is especially important to Hawaiians who believe that the remains of their kupuna empower their descendants.
detailed process
Whenever bones, or iwi, are unearthed at a construction site, work must stop and state and city agencies must be notified. A process is set in motion to decide the best resolution for the remains, including relocating them to a more appropriate site.
"You often can't anticipate anything like this occurring, so it's just something we acknowledge and we acknowledge that it's part of the process," Yokota said. "It is important for us that we continue to work closely with cultural descendants ... in the most sensitive way to deal with the iwi that has been found."
Whole Foods declined to comment about the remains found in Kailua but offered a statement through its consultant, Carrie Carlin, of Bennet Group Strategic Communications.
"Whole Foods Market is engaged in an ongoing collaborative effort with landowner and developer Kaneohe Ranch, as well as descendants of the ahupua'a, to ensure that all work in the area is undertaken in a culturally appropriate fashion," Carlin wrote in an e-mail.
The bank has leased the land for its new location and is constructing the building, said Kimo Steinwascher, vice president for leasing and development at Kaneohe Ranch.
"Kailua cultural descendants have been involved in all of the decision-making as well as the state Historic Preservation Division and the burial council," Steinwascher said. "It appears to have been resolved to everybody's satisfaction."
no delays foreseen
The discovery has prompted a relocation and redesign of the building, but the process has not delayed the construction or the opening of the bank branch, said Corbett Kalam, executive vice president and O'ahu region manager of First Hawaiian Bank.
A small ancient Hawaiian gravesite was found by the contractor while conducting a survey of the property, Kalam wrote in an e-mail. The area is approximately 350 square feet and located on the perimeter of the proposed branch property.
"In respect of the site and in cooperation and consultation with Kailua's Ahupua'a Cultural Descendants and the state Historic Preservation Division, the bank chose to move and redesign the proposed branch in order to leave the iwi undisturbed," he said. "An appropriate blessing was performed, and a marker will be provided for the site."
Three remains were uncovered during an archaeological inventory survey for the sewer lines, according to the April 9 minutes for the O'ahu Island Burial Council. Council members praised the bank for handling the situation with sensitivity and involving the community.
At a meeting this month, the council accepted the plan to preserve the burial site, said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which oversees the state Historic Preservation Division, which in turn manages the burial council.
As part of the construction permit process, some projects are referred to the Historic Preservation Division, Ward said. The division reviews about 200 projects a month and responds to two or three inadvertent discoveries each week, Ward said. It is involved with up to 250 cases annually.
"The decision to move the branch and respect the site was absolutely the right thing to do," said Don Horner, CEO of First Hawaiian Bank.
Iʻm gonna post this here too, in case people reading your post want contact info to protest what Joe Brescia is doing. I put this info in my blog on June 8, after reading Aunty Puananiʻs posts on the Hawaiʻi Independence yahoo list. I was also interested to find that a member of the band, Red Hot Chili Peppers, is also involved in this hewa -- "his" so-called land is adjacent to the land where Brescia wants to desecrate iwi.
I suggest we write letters to express our support for the people camping out to prevent his desecration of the kupuna -- show him this is getting more than local attention. This is his email:
jbrescia@aga-ca.com.
He is the president and chair of Architectural Glass & Aluminum Co, with an address in Southern CA:
2691 Richter Avenue, Suite 120, Irvine CA 92606, (949)797-9000.
And an address in Northern CA:
1151 Marina Village Parkway, Suite 101, Alameda, CA 94501 (510)444-6100.
He is also on the board of the Northern CA Glass Management Association, 5677 Horton Street, Emeryville, CA -- just a couple miles from here.
Malama pono,
Amy