Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 7, 1 July 2010 — Kūkaniloko: Listening to the voices from the piko of Oʻahu [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kūkaniloko: Listening to the voices from the piko of Oʻahu

By Kevin K.J. Chang and Kamoa Quitevis Papani ka uka o Kapela; pua'i hānono wai 'ole o Kūkaniloko; pakl hunahuna 'ole o Holoholokū; 'a'ohe mea nana e a'e paepae kapu o Līloa. Close the upland of Kapela; no red water gushesfrom Kūkaniloko; not a particle issues from Holoholokū; there is none to step over the sacred platform of Līloa. (The ohl chiefs and their sacredness are gone; the descendants are no longer laid to rest at Kapelakapuokaka 'e at 'īao; the descendants 110 longer point to Kūkaniloko 011 O'ahu and Holoholokū 011 Kaua'i as the sacred birthplaces, there is no one to tread on the sacred places in Waipi'o, Hawai'i, where Līloa onee dwelt.) — 'Ōlelo No'eau OHA's Board of Trustees adopted a Real Estate Vision Mission Strategy on June 6, 2007, launching OHA on a new journey envisioning a unique and hybrid approach to land management, ownership and investment. As a part of this journey, OHA advocates for land use, transaction practices and regulations congruent with a Hawaiian sense of plaee and to seek decision-

making inHuenee over all land in Hawai'i by, among other things: • promoting the idea that every property in Hawai'i is sacred and pursuing initiatives that help achieve a broad acceptance of this truth; • pursuing initiatives that respect the sacred qualities and cultural legacy of every property; • addressing issues for eaeh land parcel and property interest that reflects its sacred circumstances; and • modeling respect for the land and honoring a Hawaiian sense of plaee. From the piko of O'ahu, prompted by the ongoing divestiture of the Galbraith Estate's agricultural lands surrounding the wahi kapu of Kūkaniloko, OHA beneficiaries, community members and organizations urged OHA to conduct a study known in the field of archeology as a Traditional Cultural Property study (TCP study). To some degree, TCP studies are a more Hawaiian, or at least a more holistic, approach to studying, protecting and perpetuating wahi kapu (sacred places) because they include elements beyond archeological scholarly and academic work, to include diverse eommunity viewpoints and why places matter to ordinary people. This approach differs from the focus of most schools of historic preservation that are concerned with "sites"

and not landscapes and value places for their research value, aesthetic appeal and commemorative or exemplary significance. In the TCP case, the focus is on why a community values a plaee. In short, TCP studies are defined by their associations with ". . . eultural practices or beliefs of a living community that (a) are rooted in that community's history, and (b) are important in maintaining the continuing cultural identity of the community" (Nahonal Register Bulletin 38). Ultimately, a TCP study determines the eligibility of a property for the Nahonal Register of Historic Places. However, contrary to what some believe, registration is only an additional layer of protection that requires governments to take historical places into consideration and consult with stakeholders when their actions may have an environmental impact on an area. It is not an ultimate deterrent to resourceful and tenacious development proponents. With this in mind, the purpose of OHA's TCP study is broader than legal protection or registration. It ean be used as an educational and community awareness-raising endeavor for our beneficiaries, the broader community and OHA itself. The greatest layer of protection lies within the love of, and vigilance

for, special places found within the people themselves. Our beneficiaries' request to do the TCP study was timely and fit into OHA's vision to develop ways to understand and assess the sacredness and breadth of a landscape and its role in informing our collective sense of plaee. This is especially so in regard to the use of land as a foundation and empowering tool for the heritage of Hawaiian people. With this in mind OHA procured a contractor, Hui 'Imi 'Ike, led by archeologist Ross Cordy and a team of young, native and kama'āina archeologist and ethnographers Kelley Uyeoka, Kehaulani Souza, Kulani Jones and Dominique Cordy. Recently the team engaged in extensive archival and historical research and has transitioned to the ethnographic portion of their study, whieh requires community outreach through questionnaires and one-on-one interviews. In interviewing people with eonnections to Kūkaniloko, Hui 'Imi 'Ike ean begin to document the eollective memory of those who love Kūkaniloko and have a deep sense of its role in Hawaiian culture, in Wahiawā and all of Hawai'i. The team is eager to collaborate with individuals and ohana who have knowledge of Kūkaniloko and the surrounding areas. In particular

they hope to gather information that relates to: • 'ohana and individual eonneetions and relationships to the area • mo'olelo, plaee names, mele, oli, hula • sense of plaee • past and present cultural practices and protocols • knowledge of natural and eultural resources • traditional and historic land use and ownership • traditional and historic events and persons • concerns and suggestions regarding future stewardship of Kūkaniloko • referrals of kūpuna and kama'āina willing to share their knowledge of the area To bolster Hui 'Imi 'Ike's efforts in gathering the voices of the land, OHA is holding an informational meeting on Thursday, July 22 at Wahiawā District Park, Hale Ho'okipa Room from6 to 8:30 p.m. We believe this study will be of great interest to our beneficiaries, cultural practitioners, hula hālau, long-term community members, scholars and historians alike, and we encourage you to spread the word far and wide. ■ Kevin K.J. Chang is LanelManager of OHA 's Lanel anel Property Management Program. Kamoa Quitevis is a Research Analyst in OHA's Lanel, Culture anel History Program.

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^ MEETING Thurs., July 22 6 to 8:30 p.m. Wahiawā District Park, Hale , Ho'okipa Room For meeting information, eall Kevin Chang at 594-1944 or email kevinc@oha.org. If you cannot attend the meeting but would like to provide input, email Kelley Uyeoka at kuyeoka@ hawaii.edu or Kehaulani Souza at kehaus@hawaii.edu.

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