Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 11, 1 November 2010 — Resilience of a culture along H-3 [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Resilience of a culture along H-3

t's one of the most scenic and expensive stretches of freeway in the nation. But what 0'ahu's H-3 freeway passes through, and presides over, is priceless. From its natural beauty to its historical and cultural significance, the corridor through whieh the 15.3mile roadway mns, was forever changed. But today, the Hālawa-Luluku Interpretive Development project, or HLID, is offering a blueprint to restore what was lost. HLID is tasked to interpret, develop and implement projects to mitigate adverse impacts due to construction of the H-3, including the rehabilitation of historic sites like heiau and taro terraces. "I believe our efforts speak to the resihence of the culture, for both Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians," said Kaiwi Nui, Project Coordinator for HLID, whieh is administered by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. "There are challenges, but the bottom line is that diverse entities are collaborating, and that effort will hopefully lead to us to a meaningful resolution that everyone ean appreciate." Because the H-3 project was moving forward well before OHA was formed, the challenges are many. But with the fonnation of HLID a decade ago, the state, along with the federal government, is working with conununity groups comprised of people who had strongly opposed the $1.3 hillion project. "We need to restore the culture and restore the native plants so future generations ean feel the mana in the valley," said Clara "Sweet" Matthews, a member of the HLID Working Group. "A lot of work still needs to be done, but we're thankful to OHA. As kūpuna, we need to work together to share the mana'o with the young ones so they ean feel the spiritual connection." In addition, Kaiwi says, the project is being evaluated by Federal Highways Administration, in part, to assess the viabihty of doing cultural mitigation projects. "The implications to HLID's success, therefore, has very strong direct and indirect impact on advancing cultural issues in a contemporary time frame," he says. "While restoration of project types (heiau, kalo terraces) are a significant part of mitigation, healing will be better realized through active stewardship and management of project areas, whieh is where OHA's reliance on the conununity is crucial," he added. "The process is a testament to the patience and resilience of a culture that perseveres through the face of adversity." — Howard Dashefsky ■

'Āina /Land a,nd Wawr

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