Burial site complaints
get fast actionWal-Mart acts quickly to
placate a Hawaiian group that
reported "outrageous conditions"
Complaints by a Hawaiian group over the treatment of 25 sets of remains found at the Wal-Mart construction site along Keeaumoku Street prompted swift action by the company.
Hui Malama I Na Kupuna O Hawai'i Nei, which cares for native Hawaiian remains and protects burial sites, lodged complaints Tuesday with the State Historic Preservation Division that it had found "outrageous conditions" at the burial site.
It found that iwi kupuna (ancestral bones) had been covered with plywood boards, that garbage inundated the burial site and that two portable toilets were located nearby.
Wal-Mart spokeswoman Cynthia Lin said the company has installed a wooden buffer fence to further cordon off the burial site. The bones were also covered with kapa (bark cloth) and then covered with coarse crushed coral. Portable toilets were relocated farther from the site. "We're doing everything we can to be culturally sensitive," Lin said.
In a news release, Hui Malama said, "Wal-Mart's response has been outstanding."
The remains appear to have been buried after the 1853 smallpox outbreak. But three sets of remains may predate the others judging from their fetal position, an ancient Hawaiian burial practice.
When the remains were unearthed Jan. 17, Wal-Mart immediately reported the discovery to the state. The area was cordoned off, and work stopped in the immediate area but Wal-Mart proceeded with construction on other areas of the 10.5-acre parcel bounded by Keeaumoku, Sheridan and Makaloa streets.
Wal-Mart got the green light from the city last week to begin construction on the retail complex, which will have 317,000 square feet of retail space on two levels and a 1,600-stall, four-level parking structure.
In its release Hui Malama also enumerated other concerns, asking why the state intends to relocate the remains in another section of the property since there appears to be a concentration of skeletal remains.
State Historic Preservation Division acting administrator Holly McEldowney said the decision on whether to relocate the remains or keep them in place has not yet been made.
With either option the remains will not be located under the store, but set aside in a perpetual easement on the property to ensure long-term protection and appropriate treatment, McEldowney had said.
Hui Malama did not return phone calls yesterday to the Star-Bulletin.