HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0476.005 2014-2016August 13, 2015
Maile David, Councilmember, Council District 6
West Hawaii Civic Center, Building A
74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740
Re: County of Hawaii Efforts to Protect and Acquire the 13 -acre, Kahua Olohu Makahiki
Grounds and Traditional Hawaiian Game Field, Kaunamano Ahupua'a, Ka`u District,
Hawaii Island, TMK: (3) 9-5-012:005
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Aloha,
Naki`ikeaho supports the County of Hawaii efforts to purchase and forever protect the Kahua Olohu Makahiki
Grounds at Kaunamano, Ka`u. Naki`ikaho is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization of Native Hawaiian cultural resource
management professionals, educators and community members. We have members statewide who are concerned with the
protection of our cultural resources and are active in the issues and challenges faced to ensure that the integrity of our
cultural landscape is maintained to honor our ancestral connections, provide connections to these places for our
community today and our future generations.
Naki`ikeaho believes that Kahua Olohu, a traditional gaming field and Makahiki grounds, represents an important tangible
connection to the traditional practices associated with a very important time in the Hawaiian calendar year. The makahiki
season marked a significant period in the traditional lifeways of our kupuna. Kahua Olohu is one of only two known areas
remaining where the traditional practices and ceremonies associated with the Makahiki took place. Sources describe this
area as a famous field known for the traditional games of Vu maika (traditional bowling) and pahe `e (dart -throwing).
Naki`ikeaho believes that the protection of Kahua Olohu is important towards maintaining the cultural integrity of the
landscape of Kaunamano and for the larger community of Ka`u. Naki`ikeaho looks forward to any future opportunities to
work community members in developing educational and cultural activities surrounding the practice of Makahiki in the
Ka`u area. Kahua Olohu can be an integral part of the revitalization of a cultural sense of place for the Ka`u community.
Re-establishing the practices associated with these traditional practices at Kahua Olohu can become a source of pride for
the community and become a focal point for the celebration of the Makahiki season for the larger Hawaiian community.
The annual Makahiki games held at the Makahiki grounds on Molokai in Kaunakakai is attended by hundreds of students
from across the state to participate in traditional games and ceremonies.
Nak`ikeaho believes that the County of Hawaii has a unique opportunity to protect a significant piece of the cultural
landscape of the Ka`u area and perpetuate the traditional practices associated with Kahua Olohu for the larger Hawaiian
community. We hope that the County seriously consider this important stewardship opportunity.
Mahalo,
Sean Naleimaile
Executive Director
Naki`ikeaho
15 Momi St. Hilo, Hawaii 96720
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