Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 6, Number 5, 1 Mei 1989 — Tentative Agreement Reached On Honokahua Site [ARTICLE]

Tentative Agreement Reached On Honokahua Site

A tentative agreement has been reached between the State and Kapalua Land Co. on the Honokahua burial site in Maui. The tentative agreement calls for the purchase of a conservation/historic/cultural easement by ihe State from Kapalua Land Co. for $6 million, and for reinterment at the site of the remains removed during recent excavations. The agreement is the result of negotiations whieh began in December after excavations at the site revealed that at least 900 Hawaiians were buried at Honokahua between 950 A.D. and the early 1700s. As part of the agreement, Mayor Hannibal Tavares will convene a Maui task force, made up of representatives from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hui Alanui O Makena, and the State Historic Preservation Office to prepare guidelines for reinterment at Honokahua. Kapalua Land Co. will be responsible for the cost of reinterment, appropriate landscaping onee restoration is eompleted, and maintenance of the site in perpetuity. Both parties stressed the importance of the easement to ensure that the restored site will remain preserved as an area of cultural and historieal significance. In making the announcement, Governor Wainee stated: "I want to extend my sincere thanks and congratulations to all the parties involved. This could so easily have become a bitter, divisive

issue. Instead, eaeh one took that extra step necessary to see and perhaps begin to understand the other person's position. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Hui Alanui O Makena did an excellent job of presenting the Hawaiian people's strong feelings about the importance of Honokahua, and I know they will eonhnue to do so as they

work to develop appropriate, culturally sensitive guidelines for reinterment. Kapalua Land Co. is to be commended for its open approach to negotiations and for its long-term commitment to the preservation of the site. And my thanks to Mayor Tavares for his continued assistance in resolving a sensitive situation."