Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 4, 1 April 2006 — Jālama Mauna Ala [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Jālama Mauna

Ala

The Royal Mausoleum in Nu'uanu is badly in need of repairs, but funds for the job are short. Now a bill moving through the Legislature 1 would dedicate permanent funding for Mauna 'Ala's upkeep.

By Sterling Kini Weng Publicatiūns Editur

The Royal Mausoleum at Mauna 'Ala, in Nu'uanu Valley, is the final resting plaee for some of Hawai'i's most beloved royal figures, who believed that their weahh should be used to benefit their people. In fact, the legacies of some of the ali'i buried at Mauna 'Ala - including Queen I Lili'uokalani, who started a trust for orphans; Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, who founded Kamehameha Schools; and Queen Enuna Na'ea Rooke, who established Queen's Hospital - are still serving Hawai'i's people today. But with parts of the 140-year-old cemetery deteriorating, many believe that it's time to give back to the ali'i. "They did so mueh to care for us," said Stacy Rezentes, a spokesperson for the Charles Reed Bishop Trust, whose founder was Pauahi's husband and is also buried at Mauna 'Ala. "We should be ashamed to give them anything less than the best." The Royal Mausoleum currently falls under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. But because the DLNR's responsibilities are so broad and its funding so thin, Mauna 'Ala doesn't receive enough money for the needed repairs. State lawmakers are currently considering a bill that would create a dedicated funding source for restoration and ongoing maintenance of Mauna i 'Ala. The bill states that the mausoleum funding would eome from ceded lands revenue. However, although the state would distribute these funds to OHA to manage, the mausoleum money would be

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separate from OHA's regular share of ceded lands proceeds. While the exact dollar amount of funding has yet to be worked out, Rezentes said that an engineering firm estimated that it would cost about $1.5 million to cover the major renovations needed at Mauna 'Ala over the next three years and regular maintenance over the next 10 years. Some, however, say that the price of the renovations doesn' t matter, as long as the 3.5-acre burial ground gets the long overdue attention it deserves. "We shouldn't even have to discuss the financing of the repairs," said EiRayna Adams, kuhina nui of the Daughters and Sons of Hawaiian Warriors. "This is Mauna 'Ala, where our ali'i are buried. These funds should simply be made available." The Royal Mausoleum was first built in 1864 by Queen Enuna to house the remains of her four-year-old son, Prince Albert Edward

Kauikeaouli, and her husband, King Kamehameha IV, who both died within 15 months of eaeh other. Over the next 40 years, the bodies of more than 40 ali'i - many of whom were moved from other cemeteries - were placed at Mauna 'Ala, including all but two of Hawai'i's ruling monarchs. The tranquil, verdant cemetery now holds four tombs and the Royal Mausoleum itself, whieh has been emptied of caskets and converted into a ehapel. In 1900, Queen Lili'uokalani and Hawai'i congressional delegate Robert Kalanihiapo Wilcox successfully pushed a joint resolution through Congress to remove Mauna 'Ala from the public domain. That's why Mauna 'Ala is often referred to as sovereign land and why the state flag - whose origins trace back to the kingdom - flies alone there, without the American flag.

One of the primary concerns today is Mauna 'Ala's makai rock wall. While the mauka wall was renovated during George Ariyoshi's tenure as governor, the opposite wall remains exactly as it was when it was built in the 1860s. Parts of it have fallen over, and the roots of small shrubs are digging in between the rocks, compromising the wall's structural integrity. Bill Kaihe'ekai Maioho, the kahu of the cemetery, said that he would like to see the entire wall torn down and then rebuilt using the same stones. Another eoneem is the sorry condition of the public restrooms, whieh were built in 1946 when the mausoleum was first opened to the public and haven't been improved since they were painted in the 1980s. Besides fixing the cracks in the foundation of the Wyllie Crypt, most of the other renovations are aesthetic. The cement fagade

of the ehapel, for example, has to be re-plastered because parts of it have chipped off, exposing the coral blocks underneath. In addition, the wrought-iron fence surrounding the cemetery has to be cleaned of moss and touched up with black and gold paint. Other than the two state workers that elean the grounds three times a week, Maioho is the only person maintaining the cemetery on a regular basis. But caring for the remains of royalty is his family's duty. He is a direct descendant of chief Ho'olulu, who helped hide the remains of Kamehameha I and is the sixth member of his family to serve as kahu of the mausoleum. He said that the appearanee of Mauna 'Ala reflects on how well Hawai'i's people today honor their ali'i. "Care is a major part of respect," he said. "And without respect, you cannot give aloha." S

"They eliel so mueh to care for us. We should be ashamed to give them anything less than the best." — Stacy Rezentes, spokesperson for the Charles Reed Bishop Trust

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Opposite page: The Royal Mausoleum was built in 1 864 and later converted into a ehapel. Top and middle: The cemetery's wrought-iron gate has to be cleaned of moss and touched up with hlaek and gold paint. Above: Parts of the makai rock wall, first built in the 1 860s, has toppled over. -Photos: Sterling kini Wong