HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0476.004 2014-2016August 1, 2015
Maile David, Councilmember
Council District 6
West Hawaii Civic Center, Building A
74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740
Hoi Mai Ka Lei I Mamo
98-070 Lokowai Street
Aiea, HI 96701
Ph: 722-5191
email: kaleiimamo@gmail.com
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RES. 287-15
Re: County of Hawaii Efforts to Protect and Acquire the 13 -acre, E.ahua Olohu
Makahiki Grounds and Traditional Hawaiian Game Field, Kaunamano Ahupua'a,
Ka`u District, Hawaii Island, TME.: (3) 9-5-012:005
Aloha Councilwoman David,
Hoi Mai Ka Lei I Mamo supports the County of Ha)vai`i efforts to purchase and forever protect
the Kahua Olohu Makahiki Grounds at Kaunamano, Ka`u.
Hoi Mai Ka Lei I Mamo is a Hawaiian organization whose mission is to promote, protect and
perpetuate Hawaiian culture and values. We support and promote actions that help to protect
sacred sites and customs.
The Board members are familiar with the area and have long genealogical ties to South Kona and
Kau. Our family lines stretch from Kaawaloa to Pahala for at least 15 generations to present.
Those generations were born and raised within this geographical locale which is significant in
modern times where families moved from location to location to find better jobs or life styles.
Our family's commitment to remain in the "South", as it is more commonly known, has not been
with out financial difficulty or hardship. However, the deep rooted love for our aina or land kept
our families from transitioning to other parts of the islands.
The subject area has countless significant features and remnants of past use. The Ala _Kahakai
National Historic Trail connected coastal communities, the fishing village sites, caves with
ancestral drawings, and native vegetation are resources to assist in the education of our future
generations. These resources are priceless to Hawaiians and non -Hawaiians alike. To be able to
use this area as an outdoor classroom cannot be measured in dollars and cents but in the value
it will bring to children and adults seeking knowledge and understanding'of the Hawaiian
psyche. So much of what our children learn about our culture is derived from books as our
natural resources are few or located in remote areas with restricted access. Kaunamano offers
easy access as well as multiple learning opportunities within a relatively short distance. The
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possibilities for educational, cultural and spiritual experiences are bountiful through t its
purchase. Ll 1(/
Comm. No.
Rei. To: F
Ref. Date OCI-0
Our organization looks forward to working collaboratively with the Kau Community to assist in
providing educational opportunities. We also would like to assist efforts toward bringing back
the use of the Makahiki grounds for traditional practices.
Our culture places the highest value on land not as possession but as our "mother" to nurture and
provide for us. This relationship fosters stewardship rather than ownership upon land resources.
There are fewer and fewer places that are untouched by urbanization within our islands.
Therefore to be able to keep this stretch of land in perpetual conservation and natural beauty is
tantamount in providing an arena for future learning.
We. Hoi Mai Ka Lei I Mamo, fervently ask that you support this purchase and provide the
needed funding.
Mahalo,
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Kalani Matsuura, President