Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 3, 1 Malaki 2005 — Wal-Mart iwi reburial delayed [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Wal-Mart iwi reburial delayed

By Sterling Kini Wong The reburial of 61 sets of human remains found during construction of the Wal-Mart complex on Ke'eaumoku Street in Honolulu has been postponed because the archaeologist hired for the case failed to submit a final written inventory of the bones to the state. The reburial, whieh had been scheduled for Feb. 18, has been postponed until further notice. The state must receive the inventory document before it ean accept the iwi, or bones, from the archaeologist to rebury. The delay is the latest development in a contentious debate that has pitted several families against eaeh other in how to care for the remains, the first of whieh was discovered in January 2003. The Keana'āina family, who are recognized by the O'ahu Burial Council as having direct genealogical ties to specific burials on the Wal-Mart property, wanted the reburial delayed to allow for the archaeologist to organize the bones into separate burials. Such lineal descendants are given preference by the eouneil in how to treat the iwi, according to burial rules. However, the Kaleikini and Norman families, who as officially recognized cultural descendants have a lesser standing than the

lineal descendants in the dispute, favored reburying the remains as soon as possible. In recent months, state officials have sided with those who favor early reburial. In other burial-issue news: • Native Hawaiian burial issues, including the controversial Kawaihae cave matter, will be taken up March 13-15 by a federal panel representing the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act review committee. The committee will hear puhlie comments on various issues, including the appointment of a seventh member to the committee. Meetings are set for March 13 at 1 p.m. and March 14 and 15 at 8:30 a.m. at the East-West Center in Mānoa. Those wishing to make a presentation to the committee should make a request in writing to: Designated Federal Officer, NAGPRA Review Committee, National Park Service, 1849 C St. NW (2253), Washington, D.C. 20005. Copies should also be faxed to 202-371-5179. • In December, a state audit of the Island Burial Councils found that "a laek of commitment to the burial councils and the burial sites program foreshadows a collapse of Hawaiian iwi preservation efforts." Among the audit's other findings: -The inadequate staffing of the burial sites See IWI on page 1 9

Nū Hon

IWI from page 6 program has resulted in the private funding of public positions. -There are hundreds of burial cases that need to be closed -An inventory of iwi, funerary objects and burial sites has not been developed. -The disorderly process of naming burial eouneil candidates "demeans Hawaiian reverence for ancestral remains." As a result, the state's Historic Preservation Division held a number of meetings in February to gather public input on the criteria used to select Island Burial Council members. V