Question: Please tell me who is in charge of taking care of the burial mound, Kahi Hali'a Aloha, on the edge of Kapiolani Park.

I walk by every day, and there are two bags of opala (garbage) inside the mound, one on a bench, one on the ground. They might belong to a homeless person, but they have been there stewing for months.

Whoever is in charge is demonstrating an incredible lack of respect - I guess it must be the City and County of Honolulu?

Answer: The burial monument containing about 200 iwi kupuna (skeletal ancestral remains) sits on city property, fronting the Honolulu Zoo.

But, the families of some of those whose remains were unearthed during various Waikiki construction projects and reburied within the monument are responsible for maintaining it, according to city officials.

Because of recent complaints like yours, the city is reviewing the agreements that set up the maintenance responsibilities.

The area surrounding the burial mound is owned by the zoo.

“;We don't maintain anything inside the fence line”; of the monument, except when there are problems with such things as irrigation, said Tommy Higashino, assistant zoo director. “;Everything within the fence line is maintained by the families (of the deceased). We don't have a key to get in.”;

  The families used to come regularly to tend to the mound, he said, and, in a cooperative effort, “;we would haul the rubbish bags placed outside the fence line for them.”;

But they apparently haven't been coming recently.

Michael Pang, executive director of the Mayor's Office on Culture and the Arts, explained that the previous city administration reached agreements with family members to maintain the monument, which was dedicated in 2002.

Because it was recently brought to the administration's attention that the burial mound was not being maintained “;100 percent,”; Pang said, “;we are working with both the zoo and the parks (department) to resolidify these types of agreements again.”;

Officials are continuing to review the situation to see whether the city needs to put together more policies regarding these types of agreements.

The review had not yet reached the stage of contacting the families involved, Pang said.

According to a Jan. 14, 2002, Star-Bulletin article, 50 sets of skeletal remains, said to be more than 100 years old, were discovered during a Board of Water Supply project along Kalakaua Avenue.

That spurred the families to become involved in the reburial.

Working with the descendants, the city provided $250,000 to create the burial monument, which also holds 150 skeletal remains unearthed during earlier Waikiki projects.

  Currently, the remains fill only the west-facing side of the eight-sided memorial, called Kahi Hali'a Aloha, or “;the place of cherished memories,”; by the families.

The plan was to leave room for more remains that could be unearthed in future projects.

At the time of the blessing, A. Van Horn Diamond, speaking on behalf of the families, said, “;This is the affirmation of what happens when families assume their responsibility and the community provides support for it to take place.”;

Our calls to Diamond were not returned, and we were not able to contact any other representative of the families.