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impact on the social, economic, cultural education and environmental aspects of our community, and
<br />connect Hawai‘i’s people to the rich cultural, historical and natural resources present on the property.
<br />Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to submit testimony. Kanen. Mahalo.
<br />
<br />KIHOI: Aloha. My name? Puna Kihoi. At the moment I reside in Hōnaunau in Kona Hema and
<br />also in South Kohala in Waimea. So it’s good to be in the mauka makai area, as our natives always
<br />says mauka makai. So at this time I am in support of Kamehameha’s Kahalu‘u Ma Kai project
<br />because, listening to all the testimony it’s just so obvious of the benefits that Kamehameha has done
<br />for our community and for all of us. So just looking at the project at this time, and all the wahi pana
<br />in one area, it’s, I look at it as an opportunity for us because at this time it will be a moment of
<br />intergenerational where the generations come back together again, which is what is lacking in our
<br />community with kūpuna and ‘ōpio. I was just with 15 kūpuna yesterday and we talked about this,
<br />and they are in full support of this because they know we need this in Kona, a place where we can
<br />share our mana‘o. So I come not only for, I work with the community over 40 years with ‘ōpio in
<br />projects, in community cultural educational projects, and I bring that with me to the table and also
<br />with the kūpuna as coming together. I see it as you, as an opportunity for all of us, but especially you
<br />at this time because as an artist you can paint a picture of what we want to see for our keiki. It’s not
<br />about us, it’s not about me or you; it’s about the future of our keiki, of what we want to see for them
<br />as a beautiful place for them to come to and they can actually share and ask. Because I remember a
<br />kupuna had asked me as a youngster and he said, “When does your mana‘o turn to mana?” They
<br />need the opportunity to develop the mana. And I see this as a place where they can come together
<br />and share this mana‘o. We need a gathering place. We need a place where people can come and we
<br />can share our culture, and we need protection for our wahi pana. This place is like no other; it
<br />doesn’t fit into the square. So it’s an opportunity for us to look at this place as a wahi pana, a sacred
<br />place that doesn’t feel like any other place. If it has four wahi pana, you know there is more, because
<br />there was a whole community that lived there, a whole life. And there is more to be uncovered. So
<br />we need to protect that. So I’m really for supporting this program, the project, and for maintaining
<br />access in a way that they can go to our kiosk and get the information, not hang out there in a heiau,
<br />because when people come from the mainland, they look at pōhaku different than we do; there is a
<br />life in a pōhaku, and they don’t see that, they’ll go on the heiau and they think it’s just a pile of rocks.
<br />No, this is our history from thousands of years back, not hundreds of years but thousands of years.
<br />So all I’m saying is respect our kūpuna that are there and have been there from before and our keiki
<br />that will be there for the future. And you have the opportunity to paint this picture in a healing place,
<br />to take that paintbrush and paint a beautiful place, to build a bridge not a wall. So I see you as
<br />building a bridge, not a wall, okay? So take that upon yourselves to think about that and listen to
<br />your own kūpuna because all of you’ve got kūpuna. I was with them yesterday. They’ve got
<br />mana‘o. So, you know, if you are not sure, ask your kūpuna. Mahalo.
<br />
<br />UNGER: Mahalo. Jacqueline Van Blarcom, No‘el Tagab-Cruz, Ryan McCormack.
<br />
<br />VAN BLARCOM: Aloha. May name is Jacqueline Van Blarcom. I reside in Pāpa‘ikou in Hilo, and
<br />I am employed at Hawai‘i Community College under the Ha'akūmalae Cultural Protocols Program. I
<br />worked with this program over eight years. Uncle Mahealani is my hula brother. And Kahalu‘u
<br />itself has many, many memories for me. The Protocols Program that we facilitate on campus helps to
<br />allow for the exchange not only of our faculty staff and students but our community, our families, not
<br />only here but from across and around the world. These communities come to exchange with us on
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