2015-10-22 Leeward Exh A (SMA 15-060)

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of the rhythm of the environment, of the entire planet. And as you know, the uprights on Hāpaiali‘i Heiau help us to observe the rhythm and bring ourselves into rhythm with that, because they show the transition of the sun and its solar pathway as well as the movements of the stars and other celestial bodies. In a mythic sense those things not only describe the external rotations but also the internal space and the cycles that we go through between balancing our conscious and our unconscious stresses. So ceremonies for us at Hāpaiali‘i allow us the time to focus on how are we incorporating our unconscious realm into our lives, how are we listening to our ancestors, how are we listening to our dreams, how are we listening to all those unconscious sources of wisdom, which in my Hawaiian perspective are just as important as all the rational empirical ones. And so really it’s a worldview that’s at stake here, in addition to what everybody has said. And in order for the space to cultivate the kind of understanding, it needs to be demarcated as special. I come from O‘ahu, and it’s really hard to have the sort of introspective opportunity when you are surrounded by other people who are not also in the same frequency. So keeping of the space as sacred, as special, what’s at stake there is really our own ability to move forward into the future with the use of those parts of ourselves, individually, collectively, and that goes across culture and ethnicity. Like Aunty Kalani said, we just recently hosted some practitioners from Japan, and to sit on the heiau and to know that both of our traditions each thousands of years old can converge around the single image of the setting sun at the place, and only at the place, was very, very powerful. So thank you very much for the time today. UNGER: Mahalo. At this time I’d like to call a ten-minute recess. Thank you. RECESSED The Chair called a recess at 10:45 a.m. RECONVENED The meeting reconvened at 10:55 a.m. UNGER: U‘i, Karley Rose, Gail Souza Save. Please state your name and where you reside. MORANTE: Aloha. My name is U‘i and I live in Puna. ROSE: Aloha. I’m Karley Rose and I’m from Puna. UNGER: You can begin your testimony. ROSE: I am here in support for the educational hub to be built. I think the educational hub will be a big help in helping perpetuate the culture because when you have a place to practice your culture and values, you’ll then realize how important it is to know about yours and others’ cultures. Thank you. UNGER: Thank you. MORANTE: So going off of what she said, basically what I’m going to be saying is that without a place, we can’t practice our values, and without our values, we don’t have our culture, and without our culture, we don’t know who we are. So who are we? Our identity will be lost, if we don’t have our culture and our places and our values. Thank you. SOUZA SAVE: Aloha kākou. My name is Gail Keaoililani Souza Save and I live in Kalaoa in Kona. I’ve been a social worker for over 35 years working with families and children and for the last 15 EXHIBIT A