Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 12, 1 December 1995 — OHA to fund salaries for state burial sites program [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA to fund salaries for state burial sites program

by Patrick Johnston "From the last week in June until September the disease raged in Honolulu. The dead fell like kukui twigs tossed down hy the wind." - Samuel Kamakau Kamakau was describing an 1850s smallpox epidemic in O'ahu, an outbreak that further decimated a Hawaiian population already crippled by decades of disease. At the time, over 200 victims of the outbreak were in buried at the site of what was onee the Royal Brewery in Kaka'ako. A few years ago, the Hawai'i Community Development Authority applied to build an affordable housing complex on the brewery property, a move that, without significant design changes, would have seriously disrupted the century and a half old remains. But 1990 state historic preservation legislation made sure this did not happen. The new law created statewide burial councils and established a burial sites division within the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to administer the eouncils. Efforts by both these groups made certain that remains - the majority of whieh were Hawaiian - were moved to a location out of harm's way. In the end, a quarter acre memorial park was set aside behind the building for reinterments. Since its inception, the burial sites program has performed more than 2,400 such reinterments, the vast majority of these involving Hawaiian remains. However, this year state cutbacks threatened to dismantle the program by firing its culture specialist Kana'i Kapeliela and director Edward Ayau. Last August, the division appealed to OHA for support and at its October 26 meeting OHA's board voted to fund the salaries of two DLNR staff - Kapeliela and reinterment specialist Ka'iana Markell. Ayau will continue to be paid by the department. Trustee Rowena Akana, a member of the ad hoe committee created to look into the burial sites program's request, stresses the decision was an important one for

Hawaiians. "While OHA could fight the state, it would not help our people or our office. ... We had to ensure that the bones of our ancestors were protected."

Trustee Frenchy A. DeSoto, also a member of the ad hoe committee, adds that it was the duty of the board to support the burial sites program. "I think the decision to fund the two positions is in recognition of our responsibility to protect nā kūpuna kahiko. ... That is our responsibility, mālama nā iwi. It eome with a deep respect for our kūpuna." The decision has received praise from loeal media and government sources who see the move as a positive way of using OHA resources to offset the damage caused bv state cutbacks.

In a letter to OHA Chairman Clayton Hee (printed in this month's Ka Wai Ola ) DLNR director Mike Wilson writes, "In these difficult eeonomie times, creative partnerships within government have become critical, especially in areas of shared responsibilities. ... I know that this spirit of cooperation will continue as we embark upon this partnership whieh will enable Hawai'i's ancestors to be treated with dignity and respect." Burial sites director

Ayau adds the decision demonstrates OHA's recognition of how important this area of Hawaiian culture is. "OHA took the high road on this issue," Akana points out. "We recognized that there was a financial crisis so we pitched in." However, neither Akana nor DeSoto believes OHA should get into the habit of carrying the financial burden of what are state responsibilities. "The state should be responsible," DeSoto points out. "The law that created the burial eouneil gives pow-

ers to the DLNR we do not have and the state should pay for it. The board is willing to enter into discussions with the state to the extent possible but OHA is not the deep pockets for the state." The money OHA is providing will provide salaries for the two positions from Nov. 1, 1995 to June 30, 1996. The future of the two positions after that is uncertain. OHA board members hope that by then the state will have sorted out its financial problems and will resume paying the salaries.

"While OHA eoulei fight the state, it woulel not help our people or our office. ... We had to ensure that the bones of our ancestors were protected." - Rowena Akana

The old Royal brewery in Kaka'ako: The state's burial sites program helped prevent the desecration of hundreds of Hawaiian remains. Photo by Patrick Johnston