Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 19, Number 6, 1 June 2002 — Missing bones found at Hōkūliʻa [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Missing bones found at Hōkūliʻa

By Naomi Sodetani Human remains that were dug up two years ago, and thought to be reburied last year, were found in a storage shed at the luxury Hokuli'a residential golf project in Kona, The new evidence confirms Kona residents' suspicions that not all the bones had been reinterred and reopens a contempt hearing into the developer's alleged mishandling of burial remains, The May 16 finding contradicts testimony submitted by 1250 Oceanside Partners President John DeFries assuring the court that all remains unearthed during construction had been reburied, Last August, Third Circuit Court Judge Ronald ībarra ordered 1250 Oceanside Partners, with "its agents, employees, consultants, contractors, and assigns," to rebury all remains in their original loeations within 60 days of his order, DeFries promised an exhaustive "internal investigation" into the activities of its archaeological eontractor, Scientific Consultant Services, īne, On May 23, ībarra requested the state Burial Sites Program to investigate the matter and ordered the recently-found bones to be reinterred by July 8, Oceanside's motion asking to be excused from complying with the court's order will be decided after completion of

the current trial, The developer has been embroiled in court proceedings with PKO and others concerning alleged environmental and burial laws violations committed during building for the past two years, During a contem.pt hearing held last December, plaintiffs Protect

Keōpuka 'Ohana questioned that all the remains were reinterred and told the court that some bones originally gathered were missing, "ī guess now we know who is speaking the truth," said PKO President Jim Medeiros, Sr, "There ean be no doubt about that any longer," An SCS employee found the missing bones in an artifact storage facility located on the Hokuli'a property, The bones were wrapped in paper bags in a cardboard box.

When remains were reinterred in a ceremony "under the direction and oversight of Burial Sites Program staff," Oceanside's motion for relief argued, "Oceanside had no reason to believe that any human remains remained in the temporary curation facility," DeFries suspended SCS from

conducting field activities and ordered a "top-to-bottom review of all archaeological areas under SCS' supervision," as well as 24-hour security for the storage facility, He pledged to "take the lead in the task of preparing these remains for reinterment with due consideration of appropriate customs and protocols," Program Director Kai Markell said the state's investigation is undervvay and he expects to present the findings to the lineal and cultur-

al descendants at a June 20 meeting of the Hawai'i īsland Burial Council, Oceanside is building the 1,550acre south Kona luxury residential golf development off Kealakekua Bay, The developer has been embroiled in court proceedings with the PKO and others since two massive sediment spills occurred in near shore waters in 2000 and hundreds of burials were unearthed, During trial, SCS archaeologist Bob Spear acknowledged that his firm employed temp agency laborers who had no archaeological knowledge or curation skills as eultural monitors during construction, "Oceanside is trying to evade responsibility while distancing themselves from, and crucifying, their own consultant," said PKO attorney Moses Haia of Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, "But it's so transparent they just want to divert attention from the fact that these burial remains have been out of the ground for two years," "Our main eoneem is that our kupuna rest in peaee without disturbance," Medeiros said, "Oceanside likes to talk about their cultural sensitivity, but this project has resulted in one of the largest desecrations in the history of Hawai'i," Naomi Sodetani is married to NHLC attorney Alan Murakami, eocounsel for the plaintiff Protect Keōpuka 'Ohana. ■

BONES OF CONTENTION — The rnissing iwi were exhurnecl frorn this site cluring construction to meike wciy for the 16th fciirwciy of the c!eveloper's golf course ,

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