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Whatever
Happened...

An update on past news

Wednesday, September 27, 2000

By Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin
Student-carved kii stands post once more
in front of Waianae High School.

Embattled Waianae
High kii is back and
standing its ground

Question: What happened to the kii (tiki) at Waianae High School that the Department of Education removed on grounds that it was a religious symbol?

Answer: The kii, in the likeness of legendary Hawaiian ocean navigator Kanaloa, was returned in early June.

About 25 students had carved the 10-foot-high kii from a discarded utility pole and erected it in front of the school in February. But the kii was taken down two months later after about a half-dozen Waianae community members and Christian pastors protested that it was a religious symbol.

Art teacher Christine Ho and her students made the issue public and demanded the kii's return.

Ho said the kii represented the students' accomplishment and Hawaiian heritage and should be showcased in front of the school.

After the state attorney general's office cleared the kii of religious significance, it was returned.

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