Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 9, 1 September 1988 — Kapaʻa Church to Maintain Heiau [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kapaʻa Church to Maintain Heiau

A ho'olaulea community awareness day is being held Saturday, Sept. 24 at the Hikina-a-ka-la coastal heiau at the mouth of the Wailua River on Kaua'i. The public is invited to attend the day's events, whieh focus on the history of the Wailua archaeological complex of sites. The community awareness day is being jointly sponsored by the Kapa'a First Hawaiian Church and the Kawaikini Canoe

Club, says the Rev. Kaleo Fatterson, who is also a director of the eanoe club at Wailua. He said they hope to present a eanoe race, have a tree planting ceremony at Hikina-a-ka-la followed by a pa'ina luneheon. The eanoe club is raising funds to build a new eanoe halau. If enough money is raised in time to build it, a dedication is planned that day. Kapa'a First Hawaiian Church, under its kahu Fatterson is another example of a community group actively participating in protection of Kauai's ancient sites. The church has entered a two-year curatorship agreement with the state to maintain the Hikina-a-ka-la heiau and Hauola plaee

of refuge, and the Poliahu heiau in the Wailua River valley. Both sites are located within the Wailua River State Park and are among the four heiau in the Wailua complex, whieh was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962 and listed on the Hawaii Register of Historic Places in 1981. Purpose of the maintenance agreement is to keep the immediate sites clear of vegetation and other debris. The group is also interested in a future curatorship for Malae heiau. Called Na Kahu Hikina-a-ka-la, the eleanup group numbers about 30 active members. Patterson says the church began cleaning the heiau in early 1987 with youths assigned from the Family Court as part of its community service program. Last year they sought official curator status, whieh was granted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources in January, 1988.

Since January the group has continued its pickups and has had orientation meetings with I DLNR staff to learn how to protect the sites during maintenance. In the spring, community participation by interested individuals was invited. The first such scheduled eleanup began in June to clear plant overgrowth from the makai wall of the Hiki-na-a-ka-la heiau in Lydgate State Park, between the mouth of the Wailua river and the Aston Kaua'i resort.

In July another was held at Poliahu Heiau on the ridge overlooking the Wailua River, where they are working to clear vegetation from a wall. It is said Hikina-a-ka-la heiau and Hauola were built before 1200 A.D. by then-Chief Wailuanuiho'ano. Rev. Patterson is the son of Baldo A. and Helen Iaea Patterson, who live in Makaha. He graduated from Waianae High School in 1972. He was ordained at Kaumakapili Church and received his Master of Divinity degree at Bangor Theological Seminary in Maine. He was pastor at a church in Bangor before moving to Kapa'a.

Coconut trees have grown up through the Hi-kina-a-ka-la heiau, now being cleared by a loeal caretaker group.

Naupaka overgrowth is being carefully cleared away from the walis of the Hikina-a-ka-la heiau, through the efforts of a loeal caretaker group, Na Kahu Hikina-a-ka-la.