http://www.hi.sierraclub.org/kealakekua/newsrelease.htmI think of Hokulia and what happened there. When the project first opened up the road I was taken to this place before it was ever named and before the flood rooted the iwi. My friend took me there to get a first glimpse at the development - he was there to do a bid on the project. I didn't feel comfortable as you could feel energy of eyes on you being watched in your every movement in your body. But the eyes knew it wasn't planned for me to be there. I was on an off the beaten path, not planned but a side trip because we were passing the area off the main road and my friend decided to tell me of this bid he was asked to do on this project - my haole friend had no clue of what was there and I wasn't provided information of the land. My friend never did put in a bid for some reason and till this day I am glad he didn't and he may be retired by now.It was 2 years ago that Hokulia was heavy on my heart and by chance, at Queen K. Chevron, I met up with a DLNR officer in Kona who said he was overseeing things as they continue to orchestrate. In fact he was a cousin to my brother-in-law for they shared the same surname. I didn't know quite what he meant by overseeing - was it for DLNR or for the family?.At first I was saddened to assume they were okay with what was done there. I asked of his family ties and he said that his cousin from Maui had a hard time going down the area. I told him it was because of the blood in that area and how the Koko 'ohana originated their name from that area. He was in uniform and preoccupied and didn't grasp what I could tell him. Because it seemed in spirit he wasn't open I felt it wasn't the timing for someone responsible for the site to hear the story but I gave him my business card - maybe to be of use for his cousin one day. If this person is on Maoliworld and you are reading this or if someone tells you I am here through the coconut wireless, I am here to share the story of the Koko family and how your name originated from Hokulia.Anyway about a year ago my husband met up with someone to do business and after almost 8 months I got to meet this person face to face.. Lo and behold it was the son of the person who first took the bulldozer to the area. I was shocked to hear, as koko he was involved in it. Then he told me he built the stone wall around the area. I was frozen in my place hearing him tell of the adventure. As he was telling me of the project I realized he didn't KNOW of the place and it's sacredness. I don't judge what he did for it isn't my place and it isn't in my district nor my consequences. I was just there to listen because Hokulia was heavy on my heart.He started telling me stories about the odd things that would happen there while they were moving the earth. When they sat to have lunch large stones would fly through the air in their path from behind them. At first they thought someone was playing with them. I thought, "Oh yeah someone is and they ain't alive in the flesh". Then of a tree that was still supposedly still standing there - when you go near it you get "chicken skin" or just an ill feeling.For me, it was nice to hear that those that died in that area were trying to communicate to those alive they were not happy with what was being done. But why give them the unrest? That was the eyes I was feeling, it was warriors from the past, their iwi now uprooted from a rainout causing flood which brought a red dirt land slide and a front page picture in West HI today that was just plain horrible - picture of the uprooted iwi - I saw people first as the numerous skulls OMG numerous it made me so heavy in my heart to see it be unearthed.This kind of thing happens more that just Hokulia and other projects we hear about in the papers. We must protect 'aina and iwi.
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