Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 3, 1 March 2000 — Love the land [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Love the land

Here is a question for all persons of Hawaiian ancestry. Where is your pieee of land? What do we make of buildings, cars, private property, commercial property and other foreign objects, values and materials? Here's my response: From the beginning of time we kanaka maoli grew ffom the piko of Papahānaumoku (Mother Earth) to the piko of Wākeakahikoluamea (Father Sky). All Hawai'i is our homeland, from Hawai'inuiākea to Nu'umealani. This is our legacy. I oppose building another access to Wai'anae when we have Kolekole Pass.

The people of Wai'anae have a right to access what was onee an ancient trail used by Hawaiians. Why not open it to the public? It would be a desecration to build a highway through the forest kanaka revere as wao akua (forest of the gods). Many native plants are dying because of overdevelopment. Holes perforate the mountains, the Pali, the Wilson and H-3 tunnels. Native trees as well as heiau and shrines are being destroyed. Slowly our forest is disappearing and, with it, the teachings and path of our ancestors. We should think of generations coming. What legacy do we leave if the values of life and earth are gone? 'Ānela 'O Maunakea Nānākuli Editor's note: For the full text ofMs. Maunakea's letter in 'ōlelo Hawai'i, see page 19. OHA reserves the right to edit all lettersfor length, defamatory and libelous material, and other objectionable content, and reserves the right to print on a space available basis. Letters are authorized for publication on a one-letter, per subject, per year basis. The inelusion ofa letter author's title is a courtesy extended by Ka Wai Ola and does not constitute validation or recognition ofthe writer as such. All letters must be typed, signed and not exceed 200 words. Send letters to Ka Wai Ola o OHA, 711 Kapi'olani Blvd., Suite 500, Honolulu, HI 96813. Readers ean also e-mail their letters to oha@aloha.net. ■

LETTERS

From page 3 Editors note: Maunakea 's English version is on page 3. Kapu ke ahi, kapu ka Waiakāne, kapu ke kai, Aloha ka 'āina ia nīnau e 'ī ana au, he Hawai'i 5 'oe, aia na'e, i hea lā kou māhele 'āina? Aia ke hao 'ia nei e ke ao malihini. Kahāhā! Ei'aka'u pane e 'ī aku ai: Mai kīnohi a i kēia wā 'ānō, 'o Hawai'i a puni ko'u 'āina, i laila e moe mai nei nā iwi o ko'u iwi, ke koko o ko'u koko, nā 'ōiwi pono'ī o nei pae 'āina, nā iwi a lehu mai Hawai'inuiākea a i Nu'umealani, mai ka ho'oku'i a ka hālāwai, 'o ia ko'u kulaiwi. He pono 'ole he alanui hou no Wai'anae i ko'u mana'o. 'O ke alahele Kolekole i loa'a ai nā po'e kaua ke kuleana alahele e hiki aku ai no

mākou nā Hawai'i. No ke aha 'a'ole hiki i nā po'e kaua e wehe i kēia ala no mākou nā po'e Hawai'i, nā po'e o Wai'anae, 'o kēia ke kuleana a mākou, pololei? He hewa ke kūkulu 'ana i alanui i ka waonahele, i ka waoakkua. Hui nui nā mea kanu Hawai'i e make ana, ke make nei i ke kūkulu mau i nā mea he nui. Kī'ei aku i nā alanui ana puka, 'o ia ho'i, ka Pali, Ka Wilson, a me ka mea hou, 'o ka H-3. He nui nā heiau, nā koa, 'a'ali'i, kukui, lehua, lama, pūhala, mānono, kōki'o, 'iliahi a mau aku e pakele nei. Ke nalo ka waonahele, nalo ke a'o o nā kūpuna, nalo ke alahele. E ho'omanawanui mākou e waiho ai no nā hanauna i ka nalo o nā mea waiwai o ke ola, o ka honua. Na 'Ānela 'O Maunakea Nānākuli

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* KAUNAKAKAI - On Feb.12, Trustees Cataluna, Apoliona, Chair Hee, Hao and Moloka'i / Lāna'iTrustee Machado attended the dedication of the Moloka'i DialysisTreatment Center. The faciiity, funded in part by a $120,000 grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, will allow more than a dozen dialysis patients to receive treatment on their home island instead of travelling regularly to O'ahu. The facility will be operated by the St. Francis Medical Center's Renal lnstitute.