Desceration of Graves In My State

Aloha e ,

Earlier this week here in Tennessee, there was a news report of Native Americans' graves being

disturbed... artifacts stolen from those sites too for selling.

The devastating floodwaters of May this year, made things more easily seen along riverbanks, etc. Such acts are disrespectful to say the very least.

And while the economy is bad, there is no excuse for stealing, and especially from burial sites

to make a profit. Also in our state, over the past few years, headstones, have been broken, overturned. Momentos lovingly placed at the graves are stolen. While the latter did not happen recently in regards to the Native Americans' burial sites, it did happen, and it is very wrong.

While watching and learning of the above, I could not help but think of Hawaii, and how

the burial sites, of beloved Hawaiians have been disturbed because of carelessness by developers and private

property owners. Many times I see or hear things that remind me of Hawaii Nei and how similar things affect both of our states.

Our places of residences have a paralell of same circumstances, sad that in this day and time

so many people do not blink an eye, do not think twice of desecrating loved ones graves.

Auwe.

E Malama Pono

Aloha Sandy,

Concerned with the Ku Kaniloko birthing stones in Wahiawa and what transpired with the archeologist that OHA hired to do the TCP, I read" I. Rigoberta Menchu an Indian Woman in Guatemala" and the chapter I read this morning was Chapter II., page 7 to connect to some understanding.

The community meeting was well attended and couldn't realize why I was not going to sit on my hands.

My grandmother was a midwife, my mother being the oldest assisted and I helped my mother. After grandma passed my dad helped my mom to give birth. My breakfast partner (stranger-elder Hawaiian) shared with me that his father helped his mother with ten live births at home in Kalihi. He himself had five children and lost three. So much to ponder on this morning.

Lihue on Schofield is also part of the TCP a survey of our sacred areas. The archeologist was rude, and disgustingly manipulative, in otherwords, all power and money--nothing about the care to our sacred sites.

So I requested an International archeologist be part of the work that is yet to be done. Our ancestors deserve the dignity of the First Nation and be left in place.

Thank you for sharing

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Comments

Kaohi August 29, 2010 at 1:09pm

oops forgot to say why I read the cited piece. I was trying to understand the 'culture lost' and why?

Also too, I am noticing the younger generation speaking to their practicing our culture more and more. I see that there is a gap of culture practices. Keep writing.
Kaohi August 29, 2010 at 1:06pm

Aloha Sandy,

Concerned with the Ku Kaniloko birthing stones in Wahiawa and what transpired with the archeologist that OHA hired to do the TCP, I read" I. Rigoberta Menchu an Indian Woman in Guatemala" and the chapter I read this morning was Chapter II., page 7 to connect to some understanding.

The community meeting was well attended and couldn't realize why I was not going to sit on my hands.

My grandmother was a midwife, my mother being the oldest assisted and I helped my mother. After grandma passed my dad helped my mom to give birth. My breakfast partner (stranger-elder Hawaiian) shared with me that his father helped his mother with ten live births at home in Kalihi. He himself had five children and lost three. So much to ponder on this morning.

Lihue on Schofield is also part of the TCP a survey of our sacred areas. The archeologist was rude, and disgustingly manipulative, in otherwords, all power and money--nothing about the care to our sacred sites.

So I requested an International archeologist be part of the work that is yet to be done. Our ancestors deserve the dignity of the First Nation and be left in place.

Thank you for sharing

This reply was deleted.