Group opposes plan for Wai'anae access road
By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer
A conflict over historic sites and burials in the Makaha area has slowed the progress of the long-awaited Wai'anae emergency access road and may complicate other public projects as officials try to sort out how work can proceed.
A central issue in the clash — which involves the Kamaile Heiau complex and burials on the ridge and below — is the struggle by government to navigate through revered sites whose location has, by tradition, been kept secret.
For years Wai'anae Coast residents have clamored for an alternative road to act as a bypass when Farrington Highway is blocked by a traffic accident, water main break or other emergency.
Disagreements over the road's route in Makaha have flared between Koa Mana — a group of people who claim descent from generations of residents and caretakers of the heiau — and other Wai'anae residents attending meetings in the past few years.
The bypass road project is proceeding at its Nanakuli end, city spokeswoman Carol Costa said. But the quarter-mile Makaha segment has been a source of contention. Costa said the city had met with Koa Mana and other community members on its proposed road alignment in an effort to reach a compromise. In January officials sent the group a certified letter detailing the latest revisions; Koa Mana has not responded, she said.
Holly McEldowney, acting administrator for the State Historic Preservation Division, said consultants for the city still must complete archaeological surveys and "cultural assessments" — interviewing residents and researching cultural practices — before the state can sign off on that part of the road alignment.
Glen Kila, a spokesman for Koa Mana, said the group hasn't replied to the letter because members took city representatives on a site tour pointing out the sensitive areas that should be avoided and believe they have communicated sufficiently.
"We already provided you folks the information," he said. "For them to say we didn't give input is incorrect."
Kila acknowledged that an alignment proposed by Koa Mana would cut into private property whose owner objected, but he said the city has the option to settle with the owner.
"We want a road. We have stated over and over we want a road that will help in emergencies," he said. "Just because the landowners refuse, does that mean you have to destroy the sites?"
Another flash point involves the Honolulu Board of Water Supply. As part of its post-9/11 security actions, the water board in 2001 used boulders to block the road to its Kamaile well — setting off months of conflict with Koa Mana members who said the stones are part of the heiau complex.
On April 1 the crews attempted to return the boulders but were confronted by group members, again upset because they hadn't been consulted, said Lance Foster of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, which was called into the dispute by Wai'anae residents.
"I was called and told that they were moving rocks again," said Foster, an archaeologist and OHA director of native rights, land and culture. "Tensions were very high.
"Because development in the area is starting to boom, this is going to be a problem," he added.
Foster said the heiau is clearly part of the "Wai'anae complex" listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the listing specifies Kamaile Heiau, also known by residents as Kaneikapualena; Kuka-'au'au Cave; where there may be burials; and a habitation area.
Koa Mana members say they know more about the sites than was ever set down in writing, and so they say the extent of the complex is broader than any documents show.
Foster has written to the state Historic Preservation Division, the water board and the city transportation office. He recommended that historic preservation officials treat the area including the heiau, cave, springs, lo'i, habitation sites and burials as a "historical landscape" and a "traditional cultural property," designations with the same protection as a building or archaeological site. Projects in the area should involve consultation with lineal descendants and should be planned to avoid the sites, he wrote.
Elisa Yadao, a spokeswoman for the water board, said work on the boulder replacement was halted while officials consider OHA findings.
"The board is trying to do the right thing," she said.
Koa Mana has protested since the 1970s about the well drilling in Kamaile, where there once were sacred springs feeding the land and dispersing nutrients into the sea, Kila said.
All of these problems arise from a general lack of understanding about the area's cultural history, he added. The heiau complex known as Kamaile actually includes various sites, including Kaneikapualena, he said.
The whole region is what's called a wahipana, a legendary place, including a place of refuge upslope that was sought out by the 18th century chief Kahekili, Kila said.
"We're talking about sacred sites, and people don't realize that there are still Native Hawaiian families that respect and were trained in the care of these places," he said. "Recently we began to talk about these things because it's the only way we can preserve and protect the integrity of the area ... but we do not share all of the information about the religion and burial sites.
"Many people who do not have any stewardship are now saying they know this place and this is how it is."
Reach Vicki Viotti at vviotti@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8053.
