Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 2, 1 February 1995 — OUR READERS WRITE [ARTICLE]

OUR READERS WRITE

Kea'au protest On Dec. 10, my children, grandsons and I joined a religious procession down Kea'au Road to Hā'ena. At Shipman gate, we were reminded by our kūpuna that we are a peaceful nation, non-violently asserting our right to worship who and where our spiritual heritage and culture decided many hundreds of years ago. As we walked, we talked to our keiki about the sacredness of the area. My daughter and grandsons reached the oeean and went wading in the beautiful clear water of the smail inlet where the fresh water pond empties into the oeean. My son and I were stopped before we reached the water. I was apo!ogetically given a citation whieh friendly poliee officers callcd my "ticket to the dance." Shame on the so-called "Christian" missionary families who gained unrighteous dominion over a loving, self-sustaining culture who respectfully lived off the land. God forgive them for their shameful desecration.

Barbara Griggs