Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 11, 1 Nowemapa 2010 — HEALING KAHOʻ OLAWE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HEALING KAHOʻ OLAWE

ByTreenaShapiro The past two decades have been a time of healing for Kaho'olawe Island, as well as those dedicated to bringing the island back to life after almost 50 years of military bombing and target practice. Today, bales of pili grass enclose broad expanses of red hardpan and unexploded ordnance, stalling further erosion of the onee barren island. A flourishing field of a'ali'i and returning native birds and marine life provide encouraging glimpses of Kaho'olawe's renewal. The island's cultural rediscovery has been underway since 1976, when early members of the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana set in motion a series of illegal oeeupations and a civil lawsuit against the military. The bold efforts to reclaim the smallest of the major Hawaiian islands revitalized interest in traditional Hawaiian culture and practices across the state. On Oct. 22, 1990, President George Bush signed an Executive Order that brought the bombing to an immediate end. To mark the 20th anniversary, the 'Ohana launched the Year of Kanaloa Kaho'olawe - a time to celebrate, reflect on the island's past and focus on how to elevate its status as a sacred plaee. "The island is very special and has a very important role in perpetuating our Hawaiian cultural practices and reconstructing the original knowledge and science our ancestors have passed on in chants and mo'olelo," said Davianna McGregor, who represents the 'Ohana on the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission. Ancient chants and archaeological evidence indicate the island was inhabited as early as 400 A.D. Originally named Kanaloa after the god of the oeean and the foundation of the earth, the island played an important role as a training plaee for navigators in early Pacific migrations. Those who settled on the island developed an intimate connection to the natural elements, and used their understanding of the relationships between the sky, oeean, land and living things to

develop sophisticated fishing and planting calendars. "As Hawaiians, we want to engage more with the scientific knowledge our ancestors held and passed on to us," McGregor said. "Kaho'olawe gives us that opportunity to be immersed in the elements and get a deeper knowledge and understanding of the indigenous wisdom." Miehael Naho'opi'i, Executive Director of the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission, visited the island for the first time in 1981 as a 15-year-old Kamehameha School student. "I remember not seeing one stick of grass, just exposed hardpan," he said. It wasn't until he returned to lead the Navy eleanup in the early 1990s that he eame to understand the signifieanee of what he had seen, however, as he learned from those who eame to the island for cultural reasons and to practice indigenous crafts. The eleanup only cleared unexploded ordnance from 74 percent of the island's surface, including 9 percent of its subsurface. The uncleared areas have challenged the commission to eome up with innovative ways to restore native plants and maintain Kaho'olawe for meaningful use. In keeping with the vision to transform Kaho'olawe into a center for cultural learning and scientific exploration, ancestral shrines, temples and historic places have been rededicated, hiking trails have been cleared and areas have been designated for cultural use. The plan calls for keeping the island untouched by development and agriculture and maintaining its isolation. "It's a plaee where people ean experience full immersion in the traditional cultural practices without the interference of city life," Naho'opi'i said. Accessible only by boat, those who journey to Kaho'olawe arrive with the same sense of purpose, he explained: "There are no tourists watching. It's not for show. They're doing it because they believe in it." ■ Treena Shapiro, a freelance writer, is aformer reporter for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and Honolulu Advertiser.

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Hundreds of volunteers worked tirelessly with the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana to elean pili grass grown on Moloka'i to thatch a new hale, Hale Hālāwai in Hakioawa. OHA funded a safety video to orient volunteers for their journey to Kaho'olawe. - Photos: Courtesy of Kat Ho

This stone, Pokaneloa, is a type of sundial whieh our Hawaiian ancestors used to observe the equinox, Piko 0 Wākea. It is unique, found nowhere else in Hawai'i. - Photo: Courtesy ofMomi Wheeler

Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana members tookpartinan 'awa ceremony as part of a dedication of a new Hale Hālāwai in Haki- ' oawainNovemI ber 2009. - Photo: I Courtesy of Kat Ho