HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0187.001 1996-1998
JRFl-21-9. TIDE 90:17 F'. C~1
Ana Na wahine Ka ho'opl'I
PO Box 1395
Kapaau, Hawaii 96755
Phone /Fax (808) 884-5031
Testimony to County Council/Planning Committee
1 /21 /97 F RECEIVED
date BY----_.~......._
Aloha Mai e Ke Akua _ls_z___._ .
Welina E Kupuna la ea - c°~~+r co~„~;i
Aloha no Hawaii
greetings to you council members
Good afternoon, "
My name Is Ana Na'wahine-Kahoopii, I reside in the ahupua'a of Kahahuhu distrJct
of North Kohala, Hawal'I Island. I am Kanaka Maoli. I am the President of the
Keauea Foundation, anon-profit organization whose purpose Is tha Protection of
Kanaka Maoli Lands. Resources and Cultural Identity.
To be frank your letter dated May 22, 1996 has NOT addressed my concerns . To
the contrary my concerns have multiplied since meeting with the County Water
Commission and the Committee on Planning, and the DWS.
I will again reiterate my original concerns re: the proposed exchange of LANDS
AND SERVICES between the bWS and Chalon International Inc. You the Mayor
along with the CWC, DWS and Chalon Intemational lnc, are conspiring to STEAL
MORE of the property of the Kanaka Maoli peoples.
The water Issues facing the Kanaka Maoli peoples in North Kohala and elsewhere
in Hawaii Nei (for generations) have NOT been addressed by you or your agents,
( cwcswc, cc>.
You and your agents continue to plot and plan, promoting foreign development,
selling the culture and the resources of OUR COUNTRY with little consideration
given to us the Indigenous peoples of these lands. You continue to make
decisions that will Impact on the lives of the Kanaka Maoli people in destructive
and Irreversible ways without the common courtesy of sa much as a community
meeting, (CWC refused to meet with us per Fred Yamashiro May 29,1996). This
continued arrogant and patronizing posture of you and your agents (the CWC,
SWC etc.) is intolerable. What you continue to display is a FLAGRANT DISREGARD
FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE KANAKA MAOLI PEOPLES, p
{kr~ Ya / O 7
W a T
qo! ~ented P G
Ref. Tlate,___ `~'N `z 1 199_
JAN-21-9' TIDE U8:17 p_~~
'dust I remind you that you, along with the CWC.:;WC, CC, etc. are PUBLIC
SERVANTS and not the servants of foreign Investors and private Interests.
You are mandated to PROTECT the trusts of the Kanaka Maoli peoples as well as
the public trust.
With this In mind I will now proceed to tell you how to address our concerns:
1) Cooperate with citizens groups AND the}S.anaka Maoli in getting the SWC to
order Chalon to stop wasting and /or selling water Illegally: Chalon is currently
being investigated by the PUC for selling water without a CPCN, and the CWRM
for depriving Kuleana landowners of water. Water from the Kohala ditch needs
to be returned to the streams to restore Instream flows of streams In the North
Kohala watershed;
2) Restore water to all Kuleana lands in North Kohala and assist with the
restoration of c)~ci agriculture and the production of
3) Federal funds have been expended on the proposed pipeline project, In my
judgment, then, a federal EIS is required. That federal EIS ought to be done
Immediately before anything further is done. If you don't do it we will see that the
law Is fully enforced;
4) Cooperate with citizens groups In having the Kohala Aquifer declared a
designated water management area for both ground and surface water;
5) Acknowledge statutory and case law as well as the provisions in the State'
Constitution that Kanaka Maotl have prior rights to water. Adopt the principles
that nobody gets any more water until water Is restored to ail..J~anaka Maoli who
have water rights. Put in place contractually enforceable arrangements to
guarantee
Kant water in perpetuity. This means two things for a start
(1) Stop wastage/selling of water from the Kohala Ditch and (2} no further action
on the proposed pipeline.
6) Hold a public hearing in North Kohala on all of these,
7) Take steps to ensure that Kanaka Maoll hunting, gathering. and access rights
are fully protected and that Chalon will publicly acknowledge these rights and
cooperate in ensuring that they are not Infringed, Chalon's track record in this
area Is a miserable one;
8) Select one surface water area as a maiter of good will and good faith and
TAN-21 -'3. TIIE Ca _::lc: P.173
restore it. If they do not do that voluntarily then a legal basis can be found to
compel them to do so. The desecration of ,emu. Natural Resources is an example
of Chalons insensitivity to the Hawaiian culture, spirituality and dignity as the first
people of these Islands,
In closing I urge you to respect the needs of the Kanaka Maoli Peoples and the
North Kohala Community at large and to support our requests dS outlined. Be
assured we, the Kanaka Maoli people and the general community of North
Kohala are prepared to hold you and your political agents FULLY RESPONSIBLE
FOR YOUR CHOICES, we will see that the law You are obligated to uphold is fully
enforced.
Ua fm~au ke ea o ka alna I ka pono.
Ana'N~a
wahine Ka ho"o pi"i"