Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 13, Number 12, 1 December 1996 — Hawaiian remains to be reinterred at Fort Kamehameha [ARTICLE]

Hawaiian remains to be reinterred at Fort Kamehameha

A large number of ancient Hawaiian burials sites were disturbed in 1992 when the military expanded the sewage treatment plant at Fort Kamehameha. Negotiations on what to do with the remains took longer than expected. Now those remains along with others found nearby will be reinterred at Fort Kamehameha. "Communication was a major factor," said Phyllis 'Coochie' Cayan of the O'ahu Burial Council. During the negotiations to have the bones reinterred, Fort Kamehameha transferred from an Army base to an Air Force base causing confusion among new officers and delays in negotiations. "It's very confusing when you have to deal with a number of different people," Cayan said. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has worked in collaboration with Hui Mālama i nā Kūpuna o Hawai'i Nei and the O'ahu Burial Council to have those ancestors returned to ground. These burial sites and others were found in a sand dune area. The total number of remains and fragments found represent about 90 individuals. They will all be reinterred together before the end of this year. The burials will be placed in a large cement box in the ground covered with a cement slab to ensure no future disruptions. "We try to keep the bones in their own ahupua'a and close to the original location of the burials," said Linda Delaney, OHA's land division officer. This particular case is significant because it's the first time that reinterment is being done imder the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), explained Cayan. NAGPRA only applies when federal money is involved such as federally funded museums, and federal properties.