Posted at 2:08 p.m., Tuesday, May 28, 2002
Kaho'olawe subject of Smithsonian exhibit
Associated Press
WAILUKU An exhibit showing the history of Kaho'olawe is planned at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., this summer.The exhibit will open June 5 and will continue until Sept. 2. It is entitled "Ke Aloha Kupa'a I Ka `Aina," meaning steadfast love for the land.
It will show the history of the island from pre-Western contact until the present time.
Keoni Fairbanks, executive director of the state Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission, said it is an opportunity to get Kaho'olawe "on a national stage" and create an awareness in Washington. He says the exhibit shows the importance of the island in native culture.
The Navy used the island as a bombing target for nearly 50 years. The federal government now is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to clear ordnance from the island.
A portion of the exhibit was displayed in 1996 at the Bishop Museum. The current exhibit, created by the museum, has additional displays which also look at the island as a cultural preserve.
The exhibit will be located in the Smithsonian's Art & Industries Building. It cost about $185,000, with a $100,000 donation from the commission and the remainder from several nonprofit groups and Maui County.
