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Differences of opinion over the right way to restore Oahu's largest Hawaiian heiau have erupted, with work halted until an agreement can be reached.
The leader of a Hawaiian group
laments "damage" done
to a Waimea heiauBy Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.comWhen Kunani Nihipali, a leader of a native Hawaiian group, visited Puu O Mahuka (Hill of Escape) on the bluff overlooking Waimea Bay, he didn't like what he saw.
"We were upset at the bizarre changes and irreversible damage that had been done to the original heiau structure -- the traditional intent and design being lost for all time," Nihipali wrote in a letter to state parks archeologist Martha Yent on Dec. 5. He signed the letter as poo (director) of Hui Malama I Na Kupuna O Hawaii Nei (Group Caring for the Ancestors of Hawaii).
Hui Malama is the group that had protested about the Bishop Museum's handling of rare Hawaiian cultural artifacts from Forbes Cave on the Big Island, ultimately taking possession of the artifacts and refusing to return them.
In Nihipali's view, the "pohaku (stones) were moved out of place, with the internal walls removed, structures expanded into some type of stage-like construction that does not appear to be anything like the ancient structure."
Butch Helemano, a volunteer caretaker of the site since 1997 who assisted with the work in March, doesn't see it that way. Helemano, who is a native Hawaiian minister, is the most active member of Na Hoa O Puu O Mahuka, the curator group officially recognized by the state.
"We painstakingly pulled away each (fallen) rock from the foundation," Helemano said, "and kept them as close as possible to where they were located."
Their work was all done under the supervision of an archeologist, as specified in a 1999 restoration plan, Helemano said. The site was later visited by Bishop Museum expert Yosihiko Sinoto.
"We used the protocol of archeology work and pulled away (rocks that had fallen off the heiau walls over the years) to expose the existing foundation," he said.
"For me, it was a joyous thing to see" the handiwork of the Hawaiian builders of the heiau wall when the loose rocks were removed, Helemano said.
But the pile of moved rocks and exposed foundation aroused different emotions in Nihipali.
Nihipali, in a statement he e-mailed to the Star-Bulletin Friday in lieu of an interview, emphasized that Puu O Mahuka is a wahipana (sacred site) to native Hawaiians and questioned whether there is "entrenched institutional racism within one of the most important state offices with responsibility for the stewardship of sites of cultural importance to Hawaiians."
Since the letter from Nihipali, no additional work with the rocks has been done at the site, Yent said yesterday.
"We're reassessing where we are," she said.
"We did no work in December or January, out of respect to Kunani's wishes," said Yent, who met with Nihipali and Hawaiian stone mason Billy Fields at the site Dec. 28 to discuss their concerns.
Fields had given a May 1997 quote of $81,625 to restore the heiau's eastern enclosure, but the state never got the money for the work, Yent said.
"Why is the 'cheap' route always taken when it comes to the restoration of our resources?" Nihipali asked in his e-mail.
A 1999 restoration and interpretive plan for Puu O Mahuka, prepared by Yent, acknowledges Nihipali and his wife, Ipo, as "supporters of the efforts at Puu O Mahuka for over 10 years," who "have given generously of their time, knowledge and talents."
Yent said she regrets not informing Nihipali when the volunteer work was begun after it became clear state funds wouldn't be available.
Helemano agrees that having a native Hawaiian stone mason work on the project would be ideal. He recommended Fields, who has a Big Island construction company and experience in heiau restoration, as an expert who could do a good job.
The disagreement is not between Na Hoa O Puu O Mahuka and Hui Malama I Na Kupuna O Hawaii Nei, Helemano emphasized, but between Nihipali -- and perhaps others -- and the state over proper protocol.
Puu O Mahuka "is the most important political and religious site of this island," Helemano said. Its historic importance is even greater than its breathtaking view of the North Shore.
"It's a site I'd like to see restored back to its splendor," he said.
