Aloha mai kakou,

Attached is a list of names and a map of iwi kupuna, ancestral burials, who have been laid to rest in the shadow of Kawaiaha'o Church. If you are related to any of these kupuna and have concerns about the current disinterment of iwi kupuna on the church grounds, it is imperative that you notify the church as soon as possible.

Notify them in writing, via email, and/or phone that you are a descendant and you want to have a voice in the disposition of your iwi kupuna, especially if you DO NOT WANT THEM REMOVED FROM THEIR GRAVES.

Kawaiaha'o has a blanket disinterment permit from the Department of Health that allows them to remove every iwi kupuna in this area. A condition of this permit requires the church to consult with the families and get permission from them before they remove any iwi kupuna.  The church has continued to excavate iwi kupuna over the past 4 months without notification or consultation with any of family members who are opposed to these actions.

In 1940, 117 iwi kupuna were removed from this site for the construction of Likeke Hall. 4 families opposed this action and filed a lawsuit against the church. They won a judgement against the church that said once land has been designated as a cemetery, it will always be a cemetery and it is not permissible to change that designation for other uses. Once a cemetery, always a cemetery.

That is not what is happening today. Kawaiaha'o Church has managed to obtain a BLANKET DISINTERMENT PERMIT for UNKNOWN burials from the State of Hawaii Department of Health that allows them remove all of the iwi kupuna in this site in order to de-certify this area as a cemetery.  The attached list of names and map clearly shows these are KNOWN burials. The church and their paid contractor Cultural Surveys Hawaii have already removed over 35 iwi kupuna from this site within the past 4 months and will continue to remove all of the iwi kupuna in this site if families do not come forward to insist they stop.

There is still time to prevent further harm to the iwi kupuna who have not been removed and stop the construction of this building that requres the removal of every iwi kupuna in it's way.

Kawaiaha'o Church officials need to hear from families who are opposed to this desecration.

Write to Loretta Fuddy, Director of the Department of Health, WIlliam Aila, Director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and Pua Aiu of the State Historic Preservation Division to express your views on this issue. These are the public servants who are paid with taxpayer money to protect iwi kupuna and the land they are buried in. These are the public servants who are allowing this desecration to happen by upholding a blanket disinterment permit for UNKNOWN BURIALS at Kawaiaha'o issued by their predessors  Alvin Onaka of the Dept. of Health with attached conditions by Laura Theilen, former dircector of the Dept of Land and Natural Resources.

Judge Nacino recently ruled that the church cannot continue construction and ordered a halt to all further construction until Kawaiaha'o de-certifies this area as a cemetery. This ruling prevents any construction in, on or around any known burials but it does not prevent further excavation of iwi kupuna.

The de-certification process requires the church to publish notifications telling the public that they intend to remove all of the iwi kupuna in the construction area. The blanket disinterment permit that allows for removal of all the iwi kupuna requires Kawaiaha'o to consult with the families and get the permission from any and all concerned family members of all known burials BEFORE they remove any iwi kupuna.

THIS IS NOT WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING AT KAWAIAHA'O.

THERE IS TIME TO PREVENT FURTHER HARM TO THE IWI KUPUNA.

FAMILIES NEED TO COME FORWARD NOW AND MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR.


Please forward this list of names and map to anyone who has ohana buried at Kawaiaha'o so that they will have the opportunity to speak up for their iwi kupuna.

Put the church on notice.

The removal of iwi kupuna from their final resting place is wrong and needs to stop immediately.

Ola na iwi.

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Comments

  • 1912 site map of some Kawaiaha'o Church ground burials:

    http://kumupono.com/Kawaiahao%20Obituaries/Map_of_Kawaiaho_Cemetery...

  • Aloha Kakou.

                              E Scott, this web-site is helpful for identification of  'ohana, a headstone means you can view a photograph while a flower icon represents relatives who have left flowers at the grave of a relative or loved one:

    http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gsr&GScid=184593

    You can find a 1912 map of burials here:

    http://kumupono.com/Kawaiahao%20/Obituaries/Kawaiahao-Obituaries.html

    -Aloha.

  • Mahalo Pono for keeping us updated on Na Iwi Kupuna.  Had many strong emotions in response to these videos.  I must put that aside to be effective in joining this hui to protect our Iwi Kupuna. 

     

    Small kine venting, first---I no can believe that they had one Hooponopono session (I think 14 sessions worth!), has these Wahine and/or others put their guts on the table seeking a Pono solution, trusting in the process (I'm sure there was pule/protocol...the whole tamale) and then, mock this Sacred Process by telling these Wahine...Oh, we not going do the solutions we came up with any more (not exact words), we going deal with dat when we pau build.  Na Haku Hooponopono that was there, I hope they were notified.  We couldn't deal with our problems in our sacred way and have to continue to use the US Legal System to resolve for us? Disempowering, disempowering...

     

  • Where would I find the list of names? Am I missing it somewhere?

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