Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 3, Number 5, 1 May 1986 — Contiguous Status for Luluku Sought [ARTICLE]

Contiguous Status for Luluku Sought

Luluku on Windward Oahu should be considered as one contiguous district rather than as 17separate sites, according to Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The Luluku area is directly in the path of the proposed H-3 freeway and is threatened with destruction if the highway is built as presently planned. At its Apr. 3rd meeting, the OHA Board formally approved the concept that all the sites at Luluku "relate significantly to eaeh other" and that "the Luluku complex should also receive National Historic Landmark designation". The language comes from a study initiated by Trustee Gard Kealoha following a letter of inquiry by U.S. Sen. Robert T. Stafford, chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Pub!ic Works. During the board meeting, Kealoha stated: "The need to treat Luluku as a contiguous district is based on our cultural appreciation for the ahupua'a". Kealoha, chairman of OHA's Culture/Education Committee, said the professional archeaologists who participated in the evaluation have the highest credentials and are recognized experts in their fields. The evaluation was sent to Sen. Stafford in response to seven specific questions proposed by him concerning the significance of Luluku and how the proposed H-3 freeway wou!d affect it. In his Ietter to the senator, Kealoha said that alternative

H-3 routings being propx>sed by the State Department of Transportation would destroy the Luluku site or have serious detrimental effects on the district. The entire letter containing the evaluation was endorsed by the OHA board. Other points made in the letter are: (1). The Luluku complex is one of the oldest and most extensive taro irrigation systems in Hawaii. Soil samples from one site at Luluku tested out at 390 A.D. (2). The Luluku area is rare for many reasons. Its ruins are extensive, undisturbed and re!atively well preserved. This type of district is not found elsewhere in Polynesia or the continentaI United States. (3). Further studies of Luluku and the surrounding area will reveal additional evidence supporting the importance of the complex. (4). Luluku has great potential for public use. It is an accessible area whieh provides a unique opportunity for people to observe how the Hawaiians lived, raised their food, built their homes, buried their dead and worshipped their gods. Sen. Stafford's committee is considering a request to exempt the proposed H-3 freeway from all existing and future federa! legislation. The OHA trustees earlier this year unanimously opposed that exemption.