Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 7, 1 July 2001 — HŌKŪLIʻA [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HŌKŪLIʻA

Kona burial sites bulldozed x _to build playeround for the rich

By Naomi Sodetani Hōkū - star; Li'a - 1. strong desire; yearning; to wish for ardently, crase. 2. Fear, chills. Pūku'i/Elben; Th< Ha*aiuin Exfiisk D*rt*cmar% H ōkūli'a. star of fear and desire. Thc name aptly describes the emotions now at war in South Kona. »here ancient burial grounds ire betng bulldozed to make way "or luxury homes and a private

zolf retreat. On 1,540 sloping acres of i lava Helds just north of where Capt. Cook was killed in 1779. Oceanside 1250 Partners. a joint venture of Arizona developer i Lv le Anderson and Japan J \irlines, is building what he developer's website calls "the most desirable private oceanside golf "~"*a

community in the world." But some fear that the Hōkūli'a project-formerly The Villages at Hokukano-threatens South Kona's rural lifestyle. Kealakekua Bay's pristine waters and archaeological sites. burials and trails. A group of Native Hawaiians and environmentalists known as Protect

Keōpuka 'Ohana (PKO) seeks to halt construction until the project is redesigned to avoid destroying archaeological sites. Their motion for a preliminary injunction before Third Circuit Court Judge Ronald Ibarra

pending a future trial ended after three months of hearrngs. A ruling is now pending. Plaintiffs charge that Oceanside circumvented county and state laws and desecrated burial sites, aided by

the very "watchdog" agencies mandated to protect them. * Like a star. the Hōkūli'a case is being closely watched by preservationists and See HOKULI'A on page 5

Jtmmy Medeiros and his 'ohana count generations in Hōnaunau. Soutti Kona. They ewe lineal descendants of ali'i buried at Keōpuka and Kec*akekua wnose cmcient graves are Deog cneartt-ied by deveiopefs The ki'l oumokua image in this montoge was carved by MedefOs late father. Ckarence. noted geneatogBt Composrte Photos. Naomi Sodetani

HOKULI'A from poge 1

developers alike for regulatory guidance on how Hawaiian burials will be treated in the future. "It's been devastating," says woodcarver Jimmy Medeiros Sr., a lineal descendant of ali'i buried on the project site. The former Hōkūli'a employee recalls bailing rainwater out of an excavated mass burial pit where dozens of remains lay exposed. After a storm, bones lay strewn about the hillside. Medeiros resigned soon after. Considered the Big Island's largest since the Waikoloa Hihon was built in the 1980, the $1 hillion Hōkūli'a development includes a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course, 100-unit members' lodge, spa and club, and 750 homes priced to $2.5 million. Oceanside says the project will contribute jobs, tax revenues, a shoreline park and a $26 million, five-mile bypass highway. Miehael Graves, a U.H. anthropologist who studied the field notes of archaeologists monitoring the project, concluded that the developer's survey undercounted the number of archaeological sites in the area. Graves estimates there are about 800. To date, 262 burials have been unearthed or preserved in plaee. Uncounted others were destroyed by grubbing and grading and sections of a l,000-year old ala loa (stone trail) were removed. "These are the kinds of sites I weep over losing," Graves said. "They represent a traditional Hawaiian agricultural lifestyle and culture that no longer exists."

The area was onee a heavily populated royal center frequented by ali'i nui who traveled on the ala loa ... % with Hikiau Heiau as the starting and ending point of the Makahiki circuit. "The history of this area defines what the project will and will not be," states John DeFries, Oceanside president and general manager. As a Hawaiian with deep Kona family roots, DeFries feels "a huge responsibility to see that the history and traditions of this area survive this development." Meanwhile, lush fairways and roads shroud over burial grounds, as miles of pipes worm through the earth. Oceanside's new erosioncontrol plan includes gouging into lava fields to create 206 disposal wells to redirect surface runoff 30 feet below. Medeiros says the iwi kupuna holds the mana of the deceased so the ancient Hawaiians customarily hid them in secret places to keep enemies from desecrating them. "Our kupuna's piko and bones were placed here to be safe," Medeiros says. "But there is so mueh kaumaha because they cannot rest." Naomi Sodetani is OHA's publications editor. She is married to Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation attorney Alan Murakami} who represents the plaintiff Protect Keōpuka 'Ohana. ■

Punctured lava tube containing iwi kupuna. Photo: jim Medeiros sr.