Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 8, 1 August 2003 — State, Wal-Mart grave desecration is hewa [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

State, Wal-Mart grave desecration is hewa

When our ancestors kanu (bury) the kūpuna, they never expected the graves to be dug-up again, for any reason. As a descendant of kūpuna laid to rest on the Ke'eaumoku "superblock" where Wal-Mart is now being built, no reason presented today is acceptable. It is incomprehensible to have our iwi kūpuna wrapped in brown paper and stored on a shelf or moved to another location. This is hewa. This practice from anyone who disturbs the graves of our kūpuna and do so without first following the guidelines of state or federal statutes must not be tolerated. If kanaka maoli were to desecrate the 'ohana gravesites of these people, criminal charges would be imminent. So, it follows that these people who desecrate our kūpuna grave sites should be

arrested, jailed, tried and fined for their participation of this action. Anything short of this resolution is a blatant act of discrimination. Grave desecration is an immoral and horrendous practice and must be stopped. This act is offensive to the descendants and an assault on our cultural values. The perpetrators must be cited for their impudent actions and forced to rectify the cause of grievous mental cruelty and unnecessary anguish on the descendants. Paulette Kaleikini Honolulu (Editor's note: The author is a descendant ofkūpuna buried aī the Wal-Mart site. See related. story on page 13.) ■

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