Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 6, 1 May 2008 — Tyranny and iwi exposed [ARTICLE]

Tyranny and iwi exposed

By Alika Pne Silva Editor's note: Alika Poe Silva is Kahu Kulaiwi, Koa Mana, kupuka'āina o Wai'anae, wahi pana, O'aliu, Hawaiian Naūonal. The views expressed in this eommunity forum do not necessarily reflect the views of the Office of Hawaiian Ajfairs. Aloha no 'ohana, remember the sacred rock eanoe connects us to our ancestor. And from U-Kane-Po Heiau in Mākua Valley facing east is where the sun of the son of I 'O rises, and in March h stands in its equal station! What our kūpuna knew, practiced and taught us about this eanoe having two hulls and how

the pola, ties the two hulls together. Our kūpuna taught us from in the seat of the pola this phenomenon of Kāne would appear and signal to all life that seasonal change is in the weather, ground, oeean and river of stars in the sky. Mahea Keale, a kahuna of Kaua'i and O'ahu lineage, also honored our traditions at Kūkaniloko, the piko of O'ahu. 'Ohana asked him to sit in the pola and record the events as the sunlight over the Ko'olau at Ka'aumakua begins the timely sacred ceremony. Mahea described the source of light in its equal station as Kumanomano, the teeth of the sun cutting through the morning darkness on top of Ka'aumakua-Ko'olau Mountains. When Mahea was at Kūkaniloko, we were at U-Kāne-Po Heiau

in Mākua. We saw the shadow on the ridgeline appear on both sides of Mākua Valley, and then it reached down to our sacred sites and 'āina. Showing us where Kāne reaches out in aeūon to embrace Papa (Earth, his Mother)! This is our alignment places, sacred portals. The ground shakes here from the heavens and this is where the three streams of Kanenuiakea are seen. These signal spots mark the phenomena of fertility and/or wisdom, accurately predicted for more than a hundred generations. These sacred sites are among many aligned in the world equinox and solstice events. The March equinox connected these sites visually and profoundly! A powerful feeling our 'ōpio experience again. Our kūpuna gave us ike and a'o pono, it endures and prevails! The U.S. Army erroneously created an advisory eouneil called

the U-Kani-Po Advisory Oouneil. Known lineal descendants of the U-Kāne-Po Heiau protested setting up an advisory eouneil for people not of our Kāne religion. The Army is now allowing this malihini group (Hui Mālama) eontrol and intrusion on our temples and religion. Obviously these violations by the Army of our Kāne religion and sites must end soon! We are always faced with deliberate failures and lackadaisical attitudes regarding our conunents, concerns and agreements (Aug. 10, 2006) with the Army. We ask that OHA do its own Traditional Cultural Property (TCP) Model Studies for preservation of our naūonal treasures. We know we cannot count on the U.S. Army to correct their laek of ethics and unrelenting terrorism under this prolonged military oeeupaūon since 1893. Also as pathetic, the

Army named their Mākua Firing Range after our Unele Herbert Pililā'au, a Medal of Honor recipient who was killed in Korea, ealling it the Herbert Pililā'au Mākua Firing Range. Yet, how they treat his/our family burial sites and temples is shameful! We remember with regret how an Army conunanding officer participated in worship and setting up new altars for the god Lono led by the malihini poliūeal group Hui Mālama, who used this ceremony to further its poliūeal goals. This worshipping of Lono and this type of malihini ceremony is not historical to this TCP and it violates the Kāne religion and 'ohana! Note: 1) If the malihini group's primary interest were in practicing the their religion, they would eelebrate makahiki on lands traditionSee TYRANNY on page IG

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ĪYRANNY Cūntinued fram page lū

ally associated with Lono, 2) their primary goal in celebrating makahiki in Mākua Valley, a plaee that is solely associated with Kāne, is to get puhlie recognition and make it a poliīieal rather than a religious or even cultural, statement, 3) the Army is responsible for these vio-

lations, we ask for accountability! Again it's a mistake to presume that Hawaiian culture or any other culture is a single unified culture. The religion of Kāne is a distinct cosmology and consequently a separate culture from the cosmology and culture of the Lono religion and culture. Kamehameha brilliantly recognized the differenee between these two cosmologies and cultures. Kamehameha mistakenly altered several Kāne

temples in Mākua, however, after launching two failed attacks against Kaua'i from Wai'anae/Mākua he retreated to Waikīkī. His own younger brother was a priest of I'O and through his younger brother who was next to hini in the pola. He sincerely pleaded to spare his life and to end all wars and unite the sacred islands of the gods. And if his life was spared he promised to his younger brother to take Kaua'i and Wai'anae by

diplomacy and without further sacrifices or bloodshed. Before he accepted Kaumuali'i's ceding of Kaua'i, he ordered to protect the lives and knowledge of the Kāne chiefs, kahuna and temples, Kamehameha kept his promise and restored Kāne's prominence! 'Ohana, we understand that there is not a single Hawaiian culture or religion. And we ask the Army to respect our national treasure and independent Hawaiian Kingdom

State! As stated in our signed and ratified treaties! 'Ike-maka-'ohana, www.HawaiianKingdom.org. Finally, 'ohana, send your aloha and prayers to OHA for they need help to do a better job in protecting our history and eulhual character of Kānehunamoku, and our Independent Hawaiian Kingdom S tate ! We must ensure its protection for generations to eome! Mahalo no and aloha, I 'O lako 'ohana, ua mau ke ea o ka 'āina i ka pono. □