Protection sought for ancient village site
By Hugh Clark
Advertiser Big Island Bureau
HONAUNAU, Hawai'i — With attention recently focused on a proposal by the National Park Service to purchase the 117,000-acre Kahuku Ranch in Ka'u for expansion of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, some West Hawai'i residents say there is a more urgent need on their side of the Big Island.
Advertiser library photo
An advisory group headed by former state Rep. Virginia Isbell is concerned that a 238-acre parcel that contains what once was Ki'ilae village could be lost to development if it is not acquired as an adjunct to Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park, formerly known as the City of Refuge.
A ki'i, or tiki, guards the shore at Pu'uhonua O Honaunau. A group wants the remains of the nearby village of Ki'ilae given federal protection.
"It's jam-packed with historic and cultural features," Isbell said.
Ki'ilae was a key trading point for ancient Hawaiians and remained inhabited until the 1930s, when road patterns directed activity away from the area.
National Park Service archaeological surveys show Ki'ilae is rich with domicile platforms and rock walls that are now overgrown. The sites may appear as rubble to a casual observer but would be immediately identifiable to an archaeologist, said Gary Barbano, Pacific planner for the park service in Honolulu.
He described Ki'ilae as "an incredible resource in number and variety" of sites.
The potential acquisition is being considered by the National Park Service, but like the Kahuku Ranch purchase, it has not been authorized by Congress. Barbano says independent appraisals have not been done for either proposed addition. That will follow if Congress agrees to push ahead.
Geraldine Bell, superintendent of both Pu'uhonua O Honaunau and Kaloko-Honokohau Historic Area in North Kona, said the additional land would create a demand for more staffing but the estimates of how many employees would be needed, and management costs, have not been determined.
At the request of U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink, D-Hawai'i, the park service held a public informational meeting in January on the possible acquisition of the 200-plus acres in Honaunau.
Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, about 22 miles south of Kailua-Kona, receives about 500,000 visitors a year. Until the early 19th century, Hawaiians who violated kapu could avoid an otherwise certain death by fleeing to this pu'uhonua, or place of refuge. They could then be absolved by a priest and go free. Defeated warriors and noncombatants also found refuge there during times of battle.
The grounds just outside the great wall that encloses the pu'uhonua was home to several generations of powerful chiefs.
The 180-acre park was established in 1961 and includes not only the pu'uhonua, but a complex of archeological sites including temple platforms, royal fishponds, holua (sled) tracks and some coastal village sites. The Hale O Keawe temple and several thatched structures have been reconstructed.
The parcel that contains Ki'ilae village is on former livestock grazing land owned by the McCandless family. The Maui-based company CMI, led by Martin Quill, has acquired development rights.
Although Quill has plans to build a subdivision of five-acre lots, Barbano said, the developer is willing to sell his interest to the park service.
Attempts to contact Quill for comment were unsuccessful.
Isbell said the subdivision is not subject to public planning hearings because it already is zoned for such use. She fears that if the subdivision goes through, those who may acquire the five-acre parcels will be insensitive to the land's irreplaceable features.
"There are hundreds of cultural sites," Isbell said, adding that additional surveys are needed to determine just how many exist.
