LIHU‘E — Three days after preliminary work was supposed to have begun to determine if cultural layers or Native Hawaiian burials exist along the proposed route of the county’s coastal path on Wailua Beach, not a shovel of sand has
LIHU‘E — Three days after preliminary work was supposed to have begun to determine if cultural layers or Native Hawaiian burials exist along the proposed route of the county’s coastal path on Wailua Beach, not a shovel of sand has been turned.
County officials said Tuesday equipment problems prevented the start of the work, and Thursday they said work is being delayed pending the result of a meeting with county, state and federal officials.
Cultural practitioners don’t want any work done at all, saying all necessary federal and state safeguards haven’t been met, urging the county to divert the path to a route behind the old Coco Palms Resort, or in the alternative not proceed with the beach route until a full-blown archaeological inventory survey (AIS) is completed, and consultation done with lineal descendants and cultural practitioners.
The county’s archaeological consultant, Cultural Surveys Hawai‘i, was supposed to look for burials between Wailua Bridge and the north end of the beach this week, in the area where the multi-use path is supposed to be constructed parallel to Kuhio Highway makai of the highway.
Waldeen Palmeira of Hui Na Makaiwa o Wailuanuiahoano is demanding the path be re-routed behind the former Coco Palms Resort. “This would not impact the culturally significant properties of Wailua Beach,” she said in an e-mail.
Also, the mauka route is preferred because the beach route would be in violation of state and federal laws designed to protect important cultural and historical places, she said.
“Why dig willy-nilly when you’ve got the guy who knew of the bones in the first place to tell you where they are?” asked cultural practitioner Ka‘iulani Huff, who said before a date was even set to start digging the county was supposed to meet with lineal and cultural descendants of the area.
Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho Jr. said in the press release he made a commitment to the community to perform additional testing at Wailua Beach so the county can manage any archaeological findings in the area.
In the same press release, the county Department of Parks and Recreation said the testing is not a requirement of the path project, but Carvalho, in response to the “Hawaiian community,” felt it was important.
Palmeira said state Department of Land and Natural Resources State Historic Preservation Division officer Nancy McMahon had previously agreed to a request that the survey would not take place prior to consultation with Native Hawaiian practitioners.
Palmeira has sent a lengthy and detailed letter to several county, state and federal agencies, explaining in detail her organization’s position.
In the letter Palmeira said the organization is concerned about adverse effects of an AIS on the burials on Wailua Beach, and on Native Hawaiian traditional cultural and religious practices.
“An AIS for the Wailua Beach for this project is inappropriate, immoral and disrespectful,” Palmeira said in the letter, adding that it may involve illegal permitting procedures.
In the county press release, the county Department of Parks and Recreation said the county has all the necessary agency approvals to proceed with the subsurface testing at Wailua Beach for the coastal shared-used path.
Huff, however, is telling a different story.
“We wanted to see copies of all the permits, and they didn’t have them,” said Huff, adding that McMahon has denied she had signed off on anything.
“As far as I know, no one in the burial council has given them this approval to do the survey,” Huff said.
McMahon, on her side, said she did approve the AIS, which was a request by the community.
“We are doing what they wanted,” McMahon said.
When the Department of Transportation tested the area, with the widening of the road in mind, nothing was found, according to McMahon.
McMahon said she has listened in depth to the concerns of the community and is willing to work with them, but so far, Huff has not brought forward the alleged descendants.
“In my opinion, she didn’t do her part very well,” said McMahon, adding she has given Huff enough time to bring the descendants so they could help locate remains.
Despite saying surrounding areas in Wailua have many remains, a geologist assigned to the EIS said the area where the path is supposed to be built is all new sand and has no remains, according to McMahon.
Wailua Beach is exposed to natural disasters, and remains were never found there, including when the now-defunct Sea Shell restaurant was build, McMahon said.
In the past, McMahon has been involved in controversy, when construction workers placed cement caps over burials in a property owned by Joe Brescia, in Naue, at Ha‘ena on Kaua‘i’s North Shore. She said she did not authorize the caps.
Brescia’s attorney denied her allegations, saying McMahon authorized Brescia to preserve the burials in place, and the caps served that purpose.
As a result of her efforts to save burials in Naue, Huff got hit with a $400,000 judgment, she said. In October she’s scheduled to appear in court to face charges of civil conspiracy.
Despite a looming outcome, Huff is seeing some light.
“Everywhere we’re rising up and saying ‘enough,’” Huff said. “Even those who don’t have Hawaiian blood but are from here are saying ‘enough.’”
