Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 36, Number 9, 1 September 2019 — Protect Pa'akai [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Protect Pa'akai

LEO ELELE TRUSTEE MESSSAGES

The Lo'i Pa'akai 'o 'Ukula ma Hanapēpē forms a rich cultural hub for the production of pa'akai, a culturally

I significant resource tra ditionally cultivated and gatherer by Kānaka Maoli. When mixec with 'alaea, this salt is vital t( preserve mea 'ai, eook, conduc ceremonial blessings, and warc off negative energies. I fondly remember 'alaea being a part of my tūtū For its unsurpassed value to Kānaka Maoli and its overall significance in Hawai'i's history, the Lo'i Pa'akai 'o 'Ukula ma Hanapēpē is listed on the Hawai'i / i i

State Register of Historic Places. Today, the cultural tradition of making pa'akai continues on a small sliver of coastal land in Hanapēpē. Today, the cultivation of pa'akai is endangered by threats of particulate pollution and ehemieal ranoff that have been of particular

eoneem to practitioners who wish to maintain the quality and safety of their pa'akai. These threats to pa'akai cultivation prove a challenge to Maoli cultural survival throughout Hawai'i where state and county laws have repeatedly failed to sufficiently protect

sacred cultural practices. If these lo'i ean no longer be tended as they have been over a millenium, future generations may never have the opportunity to perpetuate the experience and the healing properties of pa'akai itself. Protecting pa'akai practitioners remains close to my heart. My aunt, Elizabeth Yamamoto, a former pa'akai practitioner from Kalaupapa, detailed the hard work that goes into preparing pa'akai, including creating the clay beds to the immense hardship that comes with harvesting the pa'akai. The Kaua'i Planning Commission has the affirmative duty to protect and preserve traditional and customary native Hawaiian rights. In their consideration, the Planning Commission must make specific findings and conclusions considering: 1) identifying potentially impacted cultural and natural

resources and the extent to whieh traditional and customary practices are exercised in the area; 2) the extent to whieh those resources will be affected, and; 3)

feasible actions that may be taken to reasonably protect Native Hawaiian practices. Given that Hanapēpē is the only area where pa'akai ean be cultivated in a traditional manner, considering "whether actions or decisions support and restore cultural integrity as a partial remedy for past harms or perpetuate conditions that continue to undermine cultural survival" is a critical starting point for review.

The Planning Commission must assess "whether a particular action perpetuates the subjugation of ancestral lands, resources, and rights, or attempts to redress historical injustices in a significant way." For years, practitioners have been raising concerns about possible impacts from these helicopter

operations. Added pollution, noise, • heavy metal contaminates, and ehemieal storm water runoff will have signfiicant adverse impacts on I theability ofpa'akai I practitioners to eontinue farming in Hanapēpē. These impacts would be additional to other threats, including

sea level rise, a heavily used beach park, houseless residents taking up residence within the flats, a road cutting through the salt beds, a makeshift beach access route blocking drainage, the razing of a nearby forest, and polluted runoff from neighboring agricultural operations and a highway. These numerous impacts provide the basis for the Commission to begin fulfilling its constitutional responsibility to assess potential impacts to resources and mitigation measures associated with Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices. As decision makers, we are obligated to work with our Hawaiian communities to employ loeal laws that will protect and perpetuate our traditional cultural practices in these storied places for future generations. Our pa'akai practitioners are still here. And as long as they are still here, they are still fighting. ■

f Carmen "Hulu" - Lindsey 1 TrustEE, Maui

Salt ponds in Hanapepe - Photo: Courtesy