Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 6, 1 June 1990 — Honokahua is protected in perpetuity [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Honokahua is protected in perpetuity

Beside the sea, at Honokahua, the bones of the kupuna will rest protected in perpetuity, reburied and watched over by Hawaiians. On Sunday, May 6, representatives of Hui Alanui O Makena, Kapalua Land Company, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Maui county officials and other Hawaiian organizations and indi-

viduals gathered for a final ceremony to bless the burial site. Earlier, almost 1,000 individual sets of remains were re-buried secretly, at night, in accordance with Hawaiian tradition. The Sunday ceremony was a respectful and peaceable eonelusion to a lengthy process that had continued page 19

Children of Maui Punana Leo present a ho'okupu to the kupuna at the Honokahua

ceremony as OHA trustee Manu Kahaiali'i observes.

Photographs by Deborah Lee Ward

A purification chant was given by members of Hui Alanui O

Makena at the Honokahua ceremony.

Above is an aerial view of Honokahua beach with the burial site at center. Below, left, Colin Cameron, president of Kapalua Land Co. apologizes for disturbing the burial

ground and pledges protection of the site. He said that both Hawaiians and nonHawaiians must protect traditional Hawaiian sites and values.

OHA trustees and staff join with Hui members in prayerat

ho'okupu site at Honokahua ceremony, May 6, 1990.

Honokahua

from page 9 brought together the resort development firm Kapalua Land Co., Hui Alanui O Makena (a Native Hawaiian community group) plus state and county officials and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Working together they negotiated an agreement that

resulted in the hotel developer's agreeing to relocate the planned hotel; the state's purchase of an easement in perpetuity to protect the site from any future development; and a process of respectful reburial of remains. Many remains were removed during early site excavation before it

became clear this was a major burial ground. Under the agreement, the coastal burial site will be landscaped, planted with indigeous Hawaiian plants, and maintained. Access will be restricted to Native Hawaiians and Hawaiians.

A crowd of over 100 people from most islands were on

hand to witness the May 6th ceremony at Honokahua and

to present ho'okupu.