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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, June 6, 2002

Exhibit in D.C. on isle's 'rebirth'

By Susan Roth
Advertiser Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — Kaho'olawe came to Washington yesterday in the form of a museum exhibit that will share the story of the sacred island with visitors from all over the nation and the world.

Moana Nomura, 8, of 'Ewa Beach, watches a short video that is part of the Kaho'olawe exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution.

Gannett News Service

The exhibit, "Kaho'olawe: Rebirth of a Sacred Hawaiian Island," which originated at the Bishop Museum in 1996, opened at the Smithsonian Institution with 350 people on hand for Hawaiian chants, music, food and speeches by dignitaries including Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawai'i.

Courageous voyagers from Polynesia "came across this little island, and they knew it was a real sacred place," Inouye told the crowd. "They named it for Kanaloa, the god of the seas, and it became a focal point for Polynesia north."

But when Hawaiians stopped voyaging, the changes began, the senator said. "It became a prison. Then it became a ranch. Then it became a target. It had tons of explosives dropped on it."

Next year, the people of Hawai'i will take back the island from the Navy, which used it as a test and training site for every conventional weapon in the U.S. arsenal from 1941 to 1990.

"It took 10 years to clean it up," said Inouye, who was instrumental both in securing the money for the cleanup and bringing the exhibit to the Smithsonian. "This great nation appropriated $400 million to do this job. This exhibit will tell you the story."

In fact, the island is not even halfway "cleaned" of all the military ordnance and debris but the state will have to continue the job, with assistance from many of the players involved, including the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission. The work has been slow, because contractors, botanists, archaeologists and anthropologists have tried to avoid disturbing historic religious sites and they have tried to help native plants regain a foothold while removing invasive species.

The exhibit, which traveled to all the Hawaiian islands before being mothballed in 1999, consists of video, audio and interactive displays, photographs and artifacts spread over about 5,000 square feet in the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building on the National Mall.

Money for the exhibit came mainly from donations from the Smithsonian's Asian Pacific American Program; the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission; Parson's/UXB Joint Venture, the contractor in charge of the island cleanup; and many Hawaiian foundations.

Fifty-two trained docents will be available to provide daily tours through Sept. 2, when the exhibit will return to Maui.

Bringing the exhibit to the nation's capital has long been part of a dream of many to share not only the story of Kaho'olawe but also Native Hawaiian culture and history — the values of aloha 'aina, or love of the land.

"What the Smithsonian exhibit is all about is introducing Kaho'olawe to the world, telling the world what aloha 'aina is all about," said Luana Busby-Neff, a longtime Kaho'olawe activist from Hilo.

"We are asking visitors to get behind the Hollywood image of Hawai'i, the tourism image, to see that it is small and precious and fragile, and how we need help to protect these lands," said Davianna McGregor, a University of Hawai'i professor and coordinator of the exhibit for the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana group.

"We want to show that the money to clean up Kaho'olawe was very well spent because it is a treasure not just for Native Hawaiians but for the nation."