Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 9, 1 September 1992 — Healing ceremony held [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Healing ceremony held

To heal the island of Kaho'olawe and the spiritual wellbeing of the Hawaiian people, special cultural ceries were was held last month at Hakioawa Bay on the northeast coast of the island.

The ceremonies were planned and conducted by the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana/Fund and the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation, with $159,000 funding by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Its theme was "E Kaho'olawe Ho'omau Hou Ana Ka Mauli Ola Kohemalamalama," meaning "Kaho'olawe: the quality of native lifestyle will again shine forth at Kohemalamalama."

The ceremonies drew attention to the traditional values of "aloha 'aina (love the land)" and "ho'ola ka 'aina (heal the land)," whieh inspired the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana and many others to work to stop the bombing of Kaho'olawe and to heal and restore its cultural and natural resources. These values will hopefully guide those who will make decisions about the island's futureies The ceremony took plaee during the Kaloa moon phase sacred to

Kanaloa, Hawaiian god of navigation, for whom the island was originally named and dedicated. The ceremonies featured the dedication of a mua ha'i kupuna (plaee to recall our ancestors) and the planting of groves of coconut and ulu (breadfruit) trees to restore life, regenerate and settle the island. The mua was constructed by hand in July and August to honor the kupuna and makua who have passed on, and who in their lifetime helped to restore and give back life to Kaho'olawe. The ceremonies will recall and honor their contribution to the island.

About 300 invited guests were expected to participate in the private ceremony. They included kupuna from every island, representatives from Hawaiian organizations and elected officials who are involved in decision-making for Kaho'olawe. The OHA Board of Trustees passed a resolution to proclaim Aug. 21 and 22 as "days of acknowledgement that the sacred island of Kaho'olawe is a historically significant plaee of healing." Similar resolutions were passed earlier by county councils on eaeh island.

Clean-up The state Department of HeaUh recently asked the Environmental Protection Agency to assess Kaho'olawe's eligibility to be declared a contaminated site and cleared of ordnance under the Superfund program. Superfund, the popular name for the program estab-

lished by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liabilities Act, provides for the elean-up of hazardous waste sites. The 1980 act was amended in 1986 to address the removal of unexploded ordnance from formerly used defense sites.

The KICC issued a written statement August 5, however, saying the ordnance should be removed by Congress rather than with Superfund money. "Because the Superfund law seems to have a number of eomplieations and delays involved, the Commission presently feels more

comfortable with the idea of a special congressional act and appropriation for Kaho'olawe," the statement said. Letting Congress handle the operation "would be the most certain and expeditious method to assure that the job is done," according to the Commission.

Hakioawa Bay, site of the Kaho'olawe healing ceremonies, Aug. 21-22. Photo by Anne Landgraf.