Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 6, Number 9, 1 September 1989 — OHA Board Business [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA Board Business

By Ed Miehelman Public Information Officer

9 The July business meeting of the OHA Board of Trustees was held Saturday, July 29 at the Embassy Suites Hotel on Maui. Present were Vice Chairman Burgess, Trustees Ching, DeSoto, Hao, Kahaialii, Keale and Mahoe. Chairman Kaulukukui and Trustee Akaka were excused. The single action item before the Trustees was whether to accept archaeological findings eoncerning a windward O'ahu site whieh is in the path of the H-3 freeway. Those findings conclude that the site, known as "G5-86" functioned as a dryland agricultural terrace system. Some groups and individuals, however, maintain the area is the location of Kuku'iokane Heiau. Following extensive testimony, the Board decided to postpone a decision on the matter pending eomplehon of additional archaeological work. The Trustees received assurances from the state Department of Transportation that eonstruction in the area will cease until archaeological reports and discussions are complete. The Board's action followed testimony by Bishop Museum archaeologist Scott Williams who has been excavating a site adjacent to the disputed area. Williams testified that the new site, labeled site "106", meets the description of Kuku'iokane recorded in the 1930s. He said it also contains evidence of sacred usage, including the presence of branch coral. However, Williams said it will take him about four more months before he is able to determine the full extent and exact loeation of the heiau. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs was named a "consulted and concurring party" representing Native Hawaiian interests in all decisions related to historic properties affected by the H-3 project in 1987. As a direct result of OHA's previous intervention, the route of H-3 was realigned to avoid destruction of the Luluku terraces and other eultural treasures. In this most recent dispute, the OHA Board at its July meeting on Maui adopted the following statement, with the concurrence of representatives of the state Department of Transportation and the state Historic Preservation Office who attended the meeting. "The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Board of Trustees (BOT), in response to the community concerns whieh led to the consensus revised eondition addressing additional data recovery at Site G5-86, took the following additional action at our meeting on July 30, 1989." The board found: 1. "That based on the best current information, a determination regarding the likelyfunctions of Site G5-86 and Bishop Museum Sites 106 and 110 cannot be conclusively made;" 2. "That the archaeological reports of Bertell Davis and of Scott Williams be completed and sub-

mitted to all parties of the H-3 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA);" 3. "That because of eoneem for these sites, all parties to the MOA agree to: a. A halt in all construction in this area until archaeological reports and discussions are eomplete; b. "A continuation of discussion among the parties regarding all possible adjustments to H-3 to mitigate or eliminate harm to these sites;" e. "That the conclusions and actions of the eompleted archaeological reports and mitigation of alternatives be transmitted to all H-3 MOA parties for review and approval; and" d. "Any disagreement whieh results from the implementation of Item C may trigger the dispute resolution clause of the MOA; and" 4. "That the Office of Hawaiian Affairs shall coordinate with "Malama i Kuku'iokane" during this process." "Malama i Kuku'iokane", is a community organization whieh maintains that site "G5-86"con-tains the ruins of Kuku'iokane Heiau rather than agricultural terraces as identified in archaeological studies. The next meeting of the OHA Board of Trustee was scheduled for August 26 on the island of Lana'i.

OHA Vice-chairman Rodney K. Burgess piaces ho'okupu at the grave of Keopuolani, the sacred wife of Kamehameha I and mother of Kamehameha II and III, during a July 29 visit by trustees to Waiola Church in Lahaina, Maui. Directly in back of Burgess is Maui Trustee Manu Kahaialii. Keopuolani, along with Ka'ahumanu and Kapi'olani, was instrumental in abolition of the kapu system and acceptance of Christianity in HawaiM.