Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 3, 1 March 1988 — Lēave Pele Alone! [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Lēave Pele Alone!

By Moanikeala Akaka Trustee, Hawai'i

Our volcano goddess Pele is respected and worshipped by many natives and non-natives alike in Hawaii. Her home at Kilauea has been under attack by geothermal development for the past five years by Hawaiian Campbell Estate. In

those same years, Pele has showri her wrath as her meanderings throughout Kahauale'a have proven. Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (before I was elected) voted to support geothermal development. A few days thereafter Pele unleashed her fury, has steadily shown her presence since then, and continually this past year and a half. In that time, mueh of Kahauale'a has been overrun with lava by Pele. OHA's present Board of Trustees should reevaluate and reconsider its past geothermal position. Though over a year ago, the Trustees did take a position to protect Pele. It is sacrilegious to Pele that they attempt to drill into her bosom. Recently, the State Supreme Court violated our native right to religious freedom— a very fundamental, democratic principle upon whieh this America, that usurped our Hawaiian nation, was founded. The geothermal desecration of Pele's domain is an affront and adds insult to injury to a people who have given mueh aloha but are continuously shown a laek of respect by the new dominant immigrants to our 'aina. A problem with Christianity is that it insists on being the on/y true religion, a concept that encourages totalitarianism. I admire Buddhism for it has more of a universal acceptance, respect and tolerance for all religions, including Christianity. Christians ean leam from that understanding for it must be remembered that religous tolerance (freedom) is why white settler-immigrants left Europe for Plymouth Rock in 1619. And they took from the Indians as they take and have taken from us Hawaiians. Remember that around the world Christianity has merged with indigenous culture. This is true today in Hawaii amongst many Hawaiian Christians. PELE LIVES1! Also in that Kahauale'a ahupua'a, Campbell Estate allowed several years ago the rape of thousands of acres of ancient, sacred ohia forests that in seconds were turned into wood chips and biomass for electricity. This was another senseless, sacrilegious, environmentally destructive act. Campbell Estate's West Beach venture is again an example of exploitive development. Today, water for thefarmers of that area is threatened not only by the West Beach development, but by yet another golf course. Since 1985, golf courses have been allowed to be placed on agriculturally zoned 'aina. Only two percent of our island population golfs, yet productive farm land is being threatened by golf courses. Thank the gods that some legislators now admit they made a mistake. On islands, it is suicidal not to be more agriculturally self-suffi-cient. At a time when government (we) should be supporting the farmers, their water rates are being raised, forcing them out of the business of feeding the people of Hawaii. It makes no sense at all! The Governor should intervene if necessary to kokua the farmers of Hawai'i. Loeal farmers that we need to feed us should have a higher water priority over foreign invested or another resort development, as in West Beach. Wai ka ola, water is life. No water, no life. We are against exploitive development such as those mentioned above. Relating to geothermal, there are not only religious concerns that we have about that develop-

ment but also environmental, as well as serious health concerns. Hydrogen-sulfide is a poisonous, toxic by-product of geothermal development. Marc Notrica, who has a master's degree in phar-macology-toxicology on scholarship from Yale University, wrote a document on the Detrimental Effects of Geothermal Energy in hydrogen-sul-fide poisoning five years ago. Though we made copies of this paper available to our state Legislators, it was ignored. We are now happy to hear that certain segments of the state administration are beginning to question the feasibility of geothermal development. Hydrogen-sulfide poisoning contributes to respiratory problems as well as acid rain. Several years ago, some workers at the Pohoiki geothermal well passed out for a few minutes on the job from the fumes. Physicians stated that had they been unconsious for mueh longer, it could have been fatal. It was a month before the public was even made aware of this incident. Though hydrogen-sulfide is naturally produced during eruptions, there is a difference between naturally emitted and man-induced emissions. Senator Daniel K. Inouye stated in the Honolulu Aduertiser of February 10 that he supports geothermal development. However, he must realize that while we cannot control Pele's natural actions and emissions, we ean control man's unnatural probings of her domain. We must also ask him what self-respecting kahuna would sanction Campbell Estate's sapping of the mana (energy) from our Pele? The Pele Defense Fund, P.O. Box 404, Volcano Hawaii, 96785, needs your donations and support. Malama pono. Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono.