Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 10, 1 October 2015 — OHA TRUSTEES VISIT MAUNA KEA [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA TRUSTEES VISIT MAUNA KEA

OHA urges state to stop enforcement action anel arrests citing legal concerns By Ka Wai Ola staff Five Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Chief Executive Officer Kamana'opono Crabbe visited Mauna Kea protectors in a site visit to the mountain. Board Chair Robert Lindsey said the meeting was "an opportunity for us to share and meet and talk about issues important to the protectors of the Mauna." "My sense is it was a very productive space of time that we had with them," Lindsey said. "They were very passionate; they were very thoughtful." He added he's "glad we had that opportunity to be on the mountain. It is a special plaee. The spirit felt niee. It was a beautiful and just an awesome day to be in the setting." Lindsey was joined on the site visit by Trustees Dan Ahuna, Carmen Hulu Lindsey, Colette Machado and Lei Ahu Isa. The meeting had been arranged the week prior to the visit to coincide with the board's annual meeting on Hawai'i Island, and eame just hours

after officers from the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement arrested eight people in an area across the road from the Mauna Kea Visitors Center. The eight were arrested for violating emergency rules prohibiting people from staying in the area between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. OHA released the following statement hours after the arrests. "The Office of Hawaiian Affairs strongly eondemns this morning's arrests on Mauna Kea and again urges the state to cease further enforcement action and arrests until legal questions relating to the Mauna Kea emergency rules are properly resolved. It is our understanding that the individuals were arrested this moming while they were in the act of pule, or prayer. Native Hawaiians have constitutionally protected rights to reasonably engage in traditional and customary practices, and regulations cannot eliminate the exercise of

these rights. We hope for a resolution that ensures our beneficiaries' rights are protected instead of violated." It is the second time the state made arrests while enforcing the emergency rules. On July 3 1, seven were arrested and six others were given citations for camping in a restricted area of the mountain. At the time, OHA asked the state to stop further enforcement until legal issues could be addressed. Meanwhile, on Sept. 16, OHA sent a letter to the Office of Mauna Kea Management (OMKM) expressing serious concerns over the demolition of an ahu constructed by protectors of Mauna Kea in June. OHA said in a statement, "OHA notes OMKM's own Comprehensive Management Plan requires procedures related to the construction of cultural features, preservation of cultural landscapes, and cultural training for workers on the mauna, none of whieh have been properly implemented. This incident is just the latest example of OMKM's inadequate stewardship of one of Hawai'i's most sacred sites. OHA demands that OMKM, through its future actions, demonstrate an actual commitment to culturally sensitive management and accept its responsibility to do a better job in the future." Then, on Sept. 21, the DLNR dismantled a tent that had been erected across from the Mauna Kea Visitors Center. The DLNR said it did so after reaching an understanding with the protectors, who agreed to vacate the tent. No one was arrested. The DLNR said it did not spot anyone camping in the restricted area at the time. ■

LAND & WATER

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Trustees and adminisTraTive statt visited with protectors on Mauna Kea at Hale Ku Kiai Mauna near the Mauna Kea Visitor lnformation Station. Board of Trustees Chair Robert Lindsey, Jr. called the it "an opportunity for us to share and meet and talk about issues important to the protectors of the Mauna." - Photos: Aliee Silbanuz