2022-06-08 Cultural Resources Commission Meeting Minutes

Home

and the property immediately makai have assessed penalties and interest on their taxes every year since 2018. She brought to the Commission's attention He Wahi Mo`olelo, a collection of traditions and historical accounts from the Kahalu'u-Keauhou vicinity in Kona. It is a 102-page document written by Kepa Maly and can be found on the Kohala Center's website. She provided a brief overview of the document, including what she found on page 47 which highlighted words from Kekahuna and Kelsey who were native Hawaiian historians who wrote extensively in the 1940s and 1950s, and quoted Kepa Maly, "Because so much of the cultural landscape has changed since the time of their original writing, the urgency of their words is more important now than ever before."Also included on this page are thoughts from Kekahuna and Kelsey that were written over 60 years ago, "We hope that the people will cherish the things that should be preserved for themselves and for posterity. Things which they now deliberately destroy or allow to perish, but for which in a very few years from now we will be clamoring," "Let us awaken now, not later, lest our precious remnants of the past be lost forever." Ms. Matlock asked the Commission to encourage the Planning Commission to deny the application. A brief interruption occurred at 10:27 a.m. to introduce Commissioner Keakealani who joined the meeting at 10:20 a.m., and to identify any individuals present at her location. Peter Matlock stated that he lives in the Kailua-Kona region, close to Kahalu'u. He is aware of the area's immensely rich cultural and historical legacy, and knows that this legacy is being dismantled, destroyed, and lost to future generations in a piecemeal fashion. The place-based knowledge that is increasingly important to maintaining Hawaiian culture is being lost forever. He added that it is also important to the world's future and the wellbeing of future generations. Pre- contact Hawaiians lived sustainably for centuries, utilizing approaches in situations that were difficult and often hostile. There are many examples of how agriculture was practiced which continues to astound people today. This indicates that the knowledge is critical especially with climate change as it forces recognition of the flaws in Western approaches. There is interest in alternative approaches to maintaining sustainable societies as informed by indigenous cultures and perspectives. The Hawaiian culture can be a key to saving the planet. The knowledge of pre- contact Hawaiian culture is imbedded in the physical remains of pre-contact Hawaiian society. In the past archaeological surveys identified few burial sites for preservation and allowed bulldozing of the rest. Archaeology has since changed, and it is now interested in comprehensive understanding of complete social, economic, and cultural systems. Each year there are better tools to understand the past. This area, including the ahupua'a is not a collection of rocks and shrubs to be turned into homes unaffordable to locals. It is a rich and valuable place with burial sites and ancestorial remains and is a direct window into pre-contact Hawaiian culture and society. It is a source of knowledge critical to our future. Mr. Matlock ended his testimony by encouraging the maintenance of this and the whole region as it is a unique and valuable treasure. The next online testifier, Lokelani McMichael introduced herself and stated that she is from Kona. She thanked the commission for hearing from the testifiers and for volunteering their time. She began by quoting the first paragraph of the findings in the Archaeological Inventory Survey prepared in January 2006, which identified 14 sites with 172 features. "The sites consist of seven single feature sites, and seven complexes of features that contain two to 142 component features. The 172 identified features consist of 120 modified outcrops, 15 mounds, 14 platforms, 8 enclosures, 5 terraces, 5 walls, 3 pavements, 1 lava blister, and 1 walled platform. Functionally, Page 3 of 14 Cultural Resources Commission June 8,2022