Culture and history going into database

Kauaians committed to saving the island’s cultural treasures can appreciate a

new state project that’s right up their alley.

The State Historic

Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources will

develop and test a computerized database of traditional cultural places in

Hawai’i. With the financial help of a $24,000 grant from the National Park

Services’ National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, the

database will record places and historic sites that are significant because of

Hawaiian traditions, beliefs and customs.

The data will come from a variety

of sources – written histories, chants, published legends, newspapers, the

journals of missionaries and explorers, official documents, maps and

photographs. The compilation will be available to professional consultants and

agencies, community members, educators and researchers.

In a nice bit of

forethought, officials promise that sensitive information, such as locations of

burial caves or sites, will be safeguarded to protect vulnerable historic land.

That should help ease protective minds.

To get the project started, the

state will store data about the island of Molokai. Eventually, the database

will include all of the islands. The goal is to raise awareness of Hawaiian

culture and give historic sites earlier consideration in the land-use planning

process, and to educate, inspire and enrich the state’s residents and

visitors.

In short, the project is a history lesson everyone can

enjoy.