Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 37, Number 2, 1 February 2020 — KAHUKU: Kahi E Pā Ai Ka Makani Ahamanu a Wili Ai Ka Huila Makani [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]
KAHUKU: Kahi E Pā Ai Ka Makani Ahamanu a Wili Ai Ka Huila Makani
( Where The Salt Winds Blow and the Turhines Turn )
Na Nakia Nae'ole, Koa Aloha 'Āina - Lā'ie Unuhi 'ia e kō OHA Paia Kāne
OKahuku lewa, kō Kahuku inoa o ka wā kahiko. Kahuku- kahi e pā ai ka makani Ahamanu. Wahi a ka mo'olelo ua ho'oka'awale mua 'ia 'o Kahuku mai O'ahu. Na Maui, ko kākou kupuna 'unihipili, i ho'opili ai iā Kahuku i O'ahu me kāna mau makau kūpaianaha 'elua, 'o Polou a me Kalou, a huki pū 'ia a'ela. Ua ho'ohui 'o Maui iā Kahuku me O'ahu i kū ka maluhia mai kahi kihi a i kahi kihi o ka mokupuni. I kēia manawa 'o ke Aloha 'Āina a me Kapu Aloha nā mākau e ho'ohui ai kō Kahuku me ka pae'āina holo'oko'a e paio nei no ka pono o ka 'āina. Kaulana 'o Kahuku i ka puni pōpeku "Red Raider," i ka hale wili kō kahiko, a me ka nui o nā kalaka 'ōpae; he kaiāulu ha'aha'a a maluhia. Eia na'e, ma ka hopena o ka makahiki 2019, ua hāpai 'ia nā pilikia o kō Kahuku e nā Kia'i Aloha 'Āina a kau maila nā maka o ke anaina ma luna o kō mākou 'ano kūpa'a kānāwai kapu aloha i mea e ke'ake'a aku ai i ka lawe 'ia o nā 'āpana huila makani nui. '0 ka hopena o kō mākou kūpa'a kānāwai 'ana he hō'ike ia i kō Kahuku a me kō Ko'olauloa kū'ē 'ana i nā pahuhopu a ka moku'āina no ke kauka'i pau 'ole 'ana ma luna o ka pahuhopu e kū'oko'a mai ka ho'ohana 'ana i nā wāwahie wīhaku ma mua o ka makahiki 2045. 'Oiai ua nui ka nānā 'ia o kō mākou hana e ka pāpaho, he anahulu makahiki ka lō'ihi o kō Kahuku paio 'ana i
By Nakia Nae'ole, Koa Aloha 'Āina- Lā'ie
/0 Kahuku lewa, kō Kahuku inoa o ka wā kahiko. Kahuku - where the salt wind, Ahamanu, blows. A mo'olelo tells that Kahuku was onee separated from O'ahu. Maui, our deihed kupuna, attached Kahuku to O'ahu using two mythical hooks, Polou and Kalou, and pulled them together. Maui united Kahuku with the remainder of O'ahu to maintain peaee throughout the mokupuni. Now we let Aloha 'Āina and Kapu Aloha be the two makau (fishhooks) uniting Kahuku with the entire pae 'āina in the struggle to protect our 'āina. Kahuku is known for its "Red Raider" football fanaticism, for the old sugar-cane mill, and for an abundance of shrimp trucks; a simple, peaceful community. However, in late 2019, our Kia'i Aloha 'Āina thrust Kahuku into the spotlight by becoming ground-zero for non-violent civil disobedience in our efforts to block the transport of of industrial wind turbine components. Our demonstrations of civil disobedience positioned Kahuku and Ko'olauloa against the push to meet the state's energy initiative goal of being completely independent from fossil-fuel usage by year 2045. Although our recent efforts received lots of media attention, Kahuku's battle against industrial wind turbines stretches back nearly a decade. Kent Fonoimoana, his sisters Maria and Cindy and his cousin Kurt, Del-
_ _ na huila makani nui. Na Kent Fonoimoana, kona mau kaikuahine 'o Maria laua 'o Cindy a me kona mau hoa hānau 'o Kurt, Deldrene Herron, Tevita me Liz Ka'ili, Carl Hubbell a me Margaret Primacio me nā 'ahahui kekahi 'o Keep the Country Country a me Defend O'ahu Coalition i alaka'i i ka paio 'ana i ka po'e ho'olālā 'o West Wind Works, LLC. me Champlin Wind Energy e ho'okū ai i ke kūkulu 'ana i nā huila makani nui he 'umikūmālua e holo nei i kēia lā. I loko nō o ke eo'ole iā lākou ma ke ke'ake'a 'ana i ke kūkulu, he kahua ia i mālama 'ia e ua mau Koa Aloha 'Āina mua no ke kū'ē 'ana i kēia 'ano "hāpaina kānāwai ikehu 'ōma'oma'o" a no ka ho'oholomua 'ana i kō mākou hopohopo no ka 'āina a me ke ola kino. Ua hō'ike 'ia mākou e ka pāpaho me he mea la he mau "kānaka hahai wale" eia na'e 'a'ole ia he paio hou. Ke mana'o nei ke aupuni e kūkulu i 'ewalu huila makani nui hou aku; nā huila makani lō'ihi loa o 'Amelika. E kūkulu 'ia ana ia mau mea he 1,750 wale nō kapua'i mai ke Kula Ki'eki'e a Kula Waena o Kahuku. Ua alu like mai mākou me ke kaiāulu lā e kūpale i ka mauli ola a me ka palekana o kō mākou 'āina, a me kō mākou mau keiki. A no laila i hānau 'ia ai 'o Kū Kia'i Kahuku, he mana'o ia o 'eiwa mau makuahine i ho'opilikia 'ia e kēia. Ua pono ka hana a mākou i nā manawa a pau: ua komo
mākou ma nā hālāwai 'aha kaiāulu, ua kipa i ke ke'ena 0 ke kia'āina, ua kama'ilio me nā lunamaka'āinana, ua hāpai i nā hō'ailona, a ua mālama 'ia nā hālāwai hō'eueu ho'ona'auao. Ua noi mākou i ka Moku'āina e nānā i nā pilikia o ke ola kino i pili i nā huila makani nui, a e nānā pono i nā hemahema ma ka Palapala Hō'ike Hopena Kauapuna (EIS) a ka Pā'oihana AES (ka po'e hana 1 kepa 'ia). Ua kupu maila ka 'i'ini e hāpai i ko mākou mana'o. Eia na'e, e like me ka pilikia TMT, ua kāpae 'ia ko mākou mau mana'o a ua 'ae 'ia ka holomua 'ana o ka pāhana. Ua hāpai mākou i ka pāpaha o nā 'ano pilikia ola kino i pili i nā huila makani nui— 'o ia nō ke aka napenape, ke kani lohe 'ole, ke kīloi nī'au, a me ka uila 'auwana. Hāpai mau 'ia a'ela ko mākou leo hopohopo, eia
na'e hō'ole 'ia ka 'oia'i'o o ko mākou mau mana'o. Ua lana kō mākou mana'o, i ka 'ike 'ana i ka hihia ho'okolokolo i pili i ka ho'opilikia 'ana o nā huila makani nui i nā 'Ōpe'ape'a, kekahi holoholonoa 'ane halapohe. Minamina, ka nānā 'ole 'ia o ka 'Ōpe'ape'a 'oiai ua 'ae 'ē ka 'Oihana Kumuwaiwai 'Āina i ke kūkulu 'ia 'ana o nā pela makani hou. Me ka nele i ka loa'a 'ole o nā koho, ua ho'oholo ihola mākou e "inu i ka wai 'awa'awa" a e kū'ē ma ke alanui. Makalā 13 o 'Okakopauakomopihamākouikanoho 'anamake alanuiiho'okumu 'ia no ke kōkua 'ana i ka halihali o nā māhele pela makani keu a ka nui i Kahuku. Me ka 'ike 'ole 'ia e ka nui po'e, 'o ke kumu o ko mākou lanakila 'ana i kēlā ahiahi, ua pili i ke kū'ē like 'ana o ka po'e e ālai aku ana i ke kahua o Grace Paeihe ma Kalaeloa (Campbell lndustrial Park). Aia ma laila ka lanakila maoli. Ua kū'ē hāwanawana kekahi huina kānaka mai Kahuku a me Wai'anae i ka AES a me nā HPD i kēlā pō mua, me ka ho'opū'iwa wale akula iā lākou. '0 ka po'e e la'a me Mike a me Melissa Camit, Kaukaohu Wahilani, Thomas a me Hinano Tangaro, Isaac a me Rachel Silva, a me kekahi po'e hou aku, ka po'e na lākou i alaka'i i ke kū'ē 'ana ma Kalaeloa. He mau hoa paio pōpeku ke kula ki'eki'e 'o Kahuku a me ke kula ki'eki'e 'o Wai'anae, eia na'e ma kēlā wā kū ho'okahi ua 'ike 'ia ka nani o ka ho'oku'ikahi 'ana i
drene Herron, Tevita and Liz Ka'ili, Carl Hubbell and Margaret Primacio, along with organizations like Keep the Country Country and Defend O'ahu Coalition led the struggle against wind project coordinators West Wind Works, LLC. and Champlin Wind Energy to halt construction of the 12 industrial wind turbines in operation today. Although they were unsuccessful in halting the construction, the work of these early Koa Aloha 'Āina provided a foundation for resisting so-called "green energy initiatives" and for advancing our environmental and heahh concerns. The media portrayed us as "trend followers" but our struggle is not new. The government plans to add eight more turbines; the tallest wind turbines in Ameriea. They will be built just 1,750 feet from Kahuku High and Intermediate School. We banded together as a community to protect the heahh and safety of our 'āina, and most importantly, our keiki. And so Kū Kia'i Kahuku was born, the vision of nine frustrated mothers. We were always pono in our approach: we attended our community association meetings, visited the mayor's office, engaged with elected government officials, held signs, and held educational rallies. We pleaded with the State to examine the possible heahh issues
associated with wind turbines, and to address the inaccuracies in AES Corporation's (the wind turbine contractor) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). We felt compelled to voice our mana'o. However, as whh the TMT issue, our voices were disregarded and the project was allowed to proceed. We raised the possible heahh issues associated with wind turbines - issues such as shadow flicker, infrasound, blade throw and stray voltage. Our eommunity repeatedly voiced our concerns, but AES denied our claims had any validity. A court case regarding the negative impact of the existing wind turbines on the 'Ōpe'ape'a, or Hawaiian bat, an endangered species, gave us hope. Sadly, the fate of the 'Ōpe'ape'a was disregarded as the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) had already approved construction of the additional wind turbines. Out
of options, we decided to "inu i ka wai 'awa'awa" - drink of the bitter waters and hold the line on the road. On October 13th we committed to occupying the road created to accommodate the over-sized deliveries of turbine components to Kahuku. Unbeknownst to many, our success that evening was due to a concurrent effort to block the Grace Pacific laydown yard in Kalaeloa (Campbell Industrial Park). That was the site of the actual victory. A hui of citizens from Kahuku and Wai'anae quietly resisted AES and HPD that first night, catching them by surprise. People like Mike and Melissa Camit, Kaukaohu Wahilani, Thomas and Hinano Tangaro, Isaac and Rachel Silva, and others led the opposition at the Kalaeloa location. Kahuku and Wai'anae are high school football rivals, but in that moment we saw the beauty that is created when our communities unite. I recall Auntie Pua Case saying that TMT was helping to raise a nation. Here, the State and AES hoped to only see turbines rise; instead they saw Aloha 'Āina warriors of Kākuhihewa rise. I joined the activity at Kalaeloa on October 17th. I felt that I was there by ehanee...
KAHUKU
Continued from page 17 0 nā kaiaulu. Ho'omana'o iho wau i ka 'ōlelo 'ana a 'Anakē Pua Case no ko ka TMT kōkua 'ana e ho'āla ai i ka lāhui. Ua mana'olana ka Moku'āina a me AES e 'ike wale i ke kūkulu 'ia 'ana o nā huila makani, eia na'e ua 'ike lākou 1 ka hū 'ana a'e o nā koa Aloha 'Āina o Kākuhihewa. Ua komo wau ma nā hana ma Kalaeloa ma ka lā 17 o 'Okakopa. Mana'o iho wau he ūlialia ko'u hele 'ana, 'a'ole na'e he ūlialia. Ma kēlā kakahiaka a me ke kakahiaka nui o ka lā 18 i ho'omaka ihola nā hopuna mua. Ma ko mākou wigilia, ua nui ka loli ma nā ahiahi ma Kalaeloa. Ma kekahi 0 nā pō ua loa'a he 30 a emi mai paha po'e i komo ma nā wigilia, ma nā pō ' a'e he 500 a 'oi kia'i i komo.Ma nā pō i emi mai ai ka po'e i hiki ke hō'ea aku; 'o ia nō ka wā i ko'iko'i loa ai ke kūpa'a 'ana. I kekahi ahiahi, hō'ea loa mai nā alaka'i mai 'ō a 'ō o ka pae'āina. 'O Kumu Hina, 'Anakē Pua Case, Andre Perez, Lanakila Mangauil, Kaleikoa Kaeo, Kuike Kamakea-Ohelo, Kepa Kaeo, Kihei Nahale-a, Kalehua Krug, Aunīie Leilani Kaapuni a me ka po'e hou aku he nui wale ka po'e i hō'ike mai i ko lākou kāko'o (inā 'a'ole au 1 ho'opuka i kou inoa, e huikala mai ia'u). He mea ia kāko'o ākea i ho'oikaika i ko mākou kūlana ma ia 'āume'ume. Ua nui ka ho'olale 'ia mai a ua nui pū ka mahalo i ka nui Kia'i i hele loa mai mai nā kū'ono o ka pae'āina no ke kāko'o 'ana i kā mākou mau hana Aloha 'Āina. Ua pau na'e ho'i nā pō a mākou ma Kalaeloa a me Kahuku. Ua hō'ea nā ukana i Kahuku a ma ka lā 14 o Ianuali kūkulu 'ia a'ela ma ka li'ili'i loa he 'eono a i 'ole 'ewalu huila makani hou. Ua pena 'ia mākou me he mea lā he mau ālaina mākou o ka holomua 'ana a he mau hoa paio o ka ikehu 'ōma'oma'o e ka pāpaho a me ka moku'āina, 'a'ole na'e he 'oia'i'o. Makemake ka po'e he nui ma ko mākou kaiāulu e 'ike i kekahi ki'ina hana hou ma ka 'imi 'ana i ka ikehu ho'omau hou, kekahi ala e hana pū ai me nā kaiāulu e ho'opilikia 'ia ana a e ho'olohe i kō lākou mana'o; he ala kēia e ho'omakakoho ana i ke olakino a mauli ola ho'i o kānaka. Ua ho'āhewa pono 'ole pū 'ia mākou no kekahi mau hana 'ino e ho'ā'o ana e ho'okū i ka lawe 'ia 'ana o ka ukana. E akāka ka'u 'ōlelo, ua kūpa'a mākou i ke kū'ē 'ana ma ke kānāwai Kapu Aloha; ke kū'ē maluhia 'ana no kō mākou mana'o. He 'elua a 'oi mahina ma hope o ka hopu hope 'ia, ua wāwahi 'ia kō mākou kahua ho'omoana. Ho'i akula kō mākou paio 'ana ma ka 'aha ho'okolokolo a ma nā ke'ena aupuni. 'O kā mākou leo noi i ka lāhui 'o ia kēia e ho'omau i kō kākou 'ano 'eleu a akamai i ka hewa e pā mai ana i kō kākou po'e a me kō kākou 'āina. Mahalo ho'i i nā 'elele kūhelu e like me ka Wahine 'Aha Kūkā o ke Kūlanakauhale 'o Heidi Tsuneyoshi a me ke Kenekoa o ka Moku'āina 'o Kurt Fevella no kō lāua 'olu'olu e hana pū a no mākou ho'i. Pono kākou e koho i nā alaka'i e like me kēia i mea e helu 'ia maoli ai kākou. Paipai pū ho'i mākou i ka lāhui e ho'ololi i nā hana i ma'a iā kākou inā e lanakila maoli ana kākou i ia paio no ke Aloha 'Āina. Ma ka nānā 'ana make pono ko Hawai'i ho'ohana 'ole 'ana i nā wāwahie wīhaku, eia na'e pono kākou nā 'ōiwi e alaka'i a ho'omohala i nā 'ano ki'ina hou o ka loa'a ikehu, ka noho 'ae 'oia, a me ka hana maluō. Pono pū kākou e noho me ka loa'a 'ole o nā mea e ho 'ohiwahiwa ai ka noho 'ana o ke kenekulia 2 1 no ka pono o ko kākou 'āina. E ho 'omoemoeā inā ma ko kākou hanauna, ua ho 'ololi kākou i nā mea e pono ai i mea e ho'opau pono ai i nā Kū'ē Aloha 'Āina- a laila e 'ike nō paha kā kākou keiki a kā kākou mo'opuna i ka u'i a me ka pono o ke Aloha 'Āina. A no laila, a hiki i ke Aloha 'Āina hope loa! ■ Ua 'ano nui nōho 'i nā lālā kaiāulu o Kahuku e launa nei ma ia kuleana paio a kū'ē i nāpela makani turbine i kūkulu 'ialko lākou kulana kauhale o Kahuku la nōho 'i. 'O kā mākou 'ōlelo ho 'omaopopo aku kēia iā 'oukou e ke kaiāulu nui pō'aiapuni no nēia kumuhana a me nā mana'o like'ole i waena o ua mau 'ohana noho Kahuku akula. Eia nō kā mākou i kono ai, 'oia nō 'o Nakia Nae'ole e kākau mana'o mai nei no kāna launa 'ana i ia kumuhana nōho 'i.
but not by ehanee. That evening and the early morning of the 18th brought the first wave of arrests. During our vigil, evenings at Kalaeloa varied. Some nights saw fewer than 30 people participating; on other evenings upwards of 500 Kia'i participated. The evenings when few could attend were difficult; that is when presence and fortitude to kūpa'a (remain steadfast) was needed most. Some evenings, alaka'i from other parts of our pae 'āina joined us. Individuals such as Kumu Hina, Auntie Pua Case, Andre Perez, Lanakila Mangauil, Kaleikoa Kaeo, Kuike KamakeaOhelo, Kepa Kaeo, Kihei Nahale-a, Kalehua Krug, Auntie Leilani Kaapuni and many more showed their kāko'o (if I failed to menhon you, e huikala mai ia'u). This broad support fueled our struggle. We were both inspired and grateful that so many Kia'i would eome from all across our pae 'āina to kāko'o our efforts to Aloha 'Āina. Eventually our nights at Kalaeloa and Kahuku eame to an end. The deliveries reached Kahuku and as of January 14th at least six of the eight new turbines have been built. The media and the state portrayed us as inhibitors of progress and opponents of green energy, neither of whieh is true. We are against "Greed Energy." Many in our community want to see a different approach to address renewable energy, one that involves impacted communities and takes their concerns into consideration; an approach that prioritizes the health and well-being of the people, We were also erroneously blamed for several malicious attempts to halt deliveries. Let me be clear that our resistance strategy was based on Kapu Aloha; standing up peacefully for our beliefs. More than two months after the last of the arrests, our base eamp has been dismantled. Our fight has taken us back to court and into government offices. What we ask from the lāhui is to continue to be 'eleu (alert) and akamai to the hewa that impacts our people and our 'āina. Thankfully, officials like City Councilwoman Heidi Tsuneyoshi and State Senator Kurt Fevella have been willing to work with and for us. We need to elect more leaders like these if we are to truly be represented. We also challenge our lāhui to consciously change its habits if we are to truly win the fight for Aloha 'Āina. Clearly Hawai'i should be independent from fossil fuel use, but we 'ōiwi must lead in the development of alternate methods of energy, sustainability and conservation. We also need to go without some of the luxuries of the 2 1 st century for the betterment of our 'āina. Imagine if, in our generation, we make the changes necessary so that endless Aloha 'Āina Kū'ē are no longer necessary - then our keiki and mo'opuna might only know the beauty and pono of Aloha 'Āina. A no laila, a hiki i ke Aloha 'Āina hope loa! ■ Ka Wai Ola recognizes that there are several other components ofthe Kahuku community that are part of the co!lective in opposition to the wind turbines that have been erected in their town. We have invited Nakia Nae 'ole, one ofthe leaders ofthe struggle, to share liis mana 'o and perspective on this issue.
[?]
[?]
[?]
[?]
Non-violent civil disobedience in Kalaeloa attempted to block the delivery of wind turbine components to Kahuku. - Photos: Mark Holladay Lee, Carlos Moio & Nate Yuen
... W. .... j| « MP - W Lk KD Kia'i Kahuku ■ some of the Kahuku community members who have fought against the construction of new wind turbines. - Photos Jason Lees
JI [Agy. sJB . . l > / l " ' £■ v' * ^ETrfrVS 1 w 'tl' "JL