Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 7, 1 July 2014 — Blessing cermony mark return of Palauea to native stewardship [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Blessing cermony mark return of Palauea to native stewardship

By Dana Naone Hall The June 17 ceremony marking the return of stewardship by our lāhui (nahon) to the 20.75-acre Palauea cultural preserve was preceded by a sign from the heavens. On a bright, sunny late afternoon on Maui's south coast, a dark line of clouds, extending from the upper slope of Haleakalā toward Kaho'olawe, suddenly appeared. Rain fell from the nāulu cloud formation accompanied by a brisk breeze that ruffled the surface of the oeean. The sky cleared when several

dozen individuals assembled for a ceremonial blessing led by University of Hawai'i Maui College Hawaiian studies and Hawaiian language professors Kahele Dukelow, Kaleikoa Ka'eo and Ki'ope Raymond. The event, jointly sponsored by the UH Maui College Hawaiian Studies Program and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, whieh received title to the land in 2013, was proudly attended by Trustees Carmen Hulu Lindsey, Rowena Akana and Robert Lindsey. During the blessing, community members recounted early efforts to reconnect to the coastal land at Palauea by reopening access to the sandy shoreline, and by preventing attempts by developers to close the Palauea portion of the Mākena-Keone'ō'io Road. (This road is shown on mid-19th century maps as the aupuni, or government, road, whose location is believed to be in

the approximate alignment of the Pi'ilani Trail established in the 16th century.) Efforts to protect Palauea began in the 1980s and intensified in the following decades to include the preservation of archaeological and cultural sites. Archaeological evidence indicated longterm habitation of the area, and the nearly 2 l-acre preserve includes ceremonial places and site eomplexes, numerous habitation sites and hundreds of agricultural and other features. Years of lobbying government officials in Maui County and a sympathetic landowner/developer resulted in the recognition that this land required protection. Palauea was poised for preservation, but the final push to bring all of the elements together was provided by Trustee Hulu Lindsey, at the time a newly appointed trustee. Trustee Lindsey secured the support and cooperation of her colleagues at

OHA, University of Hawai'i officials and Maui developer Everett Dowling, who transferred the land to OHA. The physical stewardship of the land is in the eapahle hands of the Hawaiian Studies Program under whose guidance high school and college students have begun to practice mālama 'āina (care for the land) at Palauea. There is precedent for Palauea. Twenty years ago, in May 1994, at a ceremony on Palauea's shore, a deed returning Kaho'olawe to Hawai'i was signed by the U.S. Navy, then-Gov. John Waihe'e and a member of the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana. Ho'okupu (ceremonial offerings) were taken in canoes to the oeean and also placed at a heiau in the future preserve. The ho'okupu and

invocation of nā 'aumākua (family or personal gods) were part of a long series of dedicated actions benefiting Palauea. At Palauea, the message from those conducting the recent ceremony was one of reaffirming our connection to the land where new mo'olelo (stories) about our lāhui will arise. In caring for the land, we will learn from the land and together we will grow and flourish. Onee again, Palauea is a plaee where the sun shines strongly and a sovereign wind blows. ■

Dana Naone Hall is a poet, and Iongtime advocatefor saving important euhwal Iands and access to them.

LAND & WATER

Supporters gathered for a blessing ceremony signaling the return of Palauea cultural preserve to Kanaka Maoli stewardship. - Courtesy: Brutus La Benz

Ki'ope Raymond, above in foreground, and Kaleikoa Ka'eo, pictured in photo at right, both of the University of Hawai'i Maui College, addressed the gathering.

OHA Trustees Rowena Akana, second from left, Robert Lindsey and Carmen "Hulu" Lindsey with OHA land and property managementstaff Ikaika Nakahashi, left, and Brutus La Benz, right.