Kahana project still falling short
By Vicki Viotti and Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Staff Writers
Ahupua'a O Kahana State Park, for years deemed an innovative solution to a land-use conflict, is still enduring growing pains more than a decade after residential leases were signed for the "living cultural park."
However, officials and residents, though exasperated by years of delays and the latest clash that culminated in an eviction this week, have hope that the grand experiment in cultural reclamation will ultimately succeed.
Of the 31 lessees who live on the park land, 23 have completed homes and six more are in the building process, said state parks administrator Daniel Quinn.
The state on Thursday evicted Stewart and Malama Vierra for failing to contribute enough volunteer time or make progress toward building their home. There's only one remaining family in similar circumstances, Quinn said. He would not say whether further evictions are imminent.
The state bought the land for the park in 1969, and three years later adopted the concept of a living cultural park where residents would remain and demonstrate cultural practices and work on the restoration of the fishpond, taro fields and other features.
The goal was to preserve a way of life practiced by ancient Hawaiians and to share their practices and values.
But it wasn't until 1993 that the residents signed 65-year leases, in which they promised to build their houses and contribute 25 hours of work toward "interpreting" the park for visitors.
People who live there and are familiar with the experiment say success has eluded the project, blaming a lack of funding, no master plan, poor management and less than full cooperation from some of the lessees.
While the state Department of Land and Natural Resources is working to address the problems, some say the damage done over 30 years may be too great.
"They almost need major surgery on the problem," said Ben Shafer, a lessee and president of Friends of Kahana. The problem stems from past management, Shafer said. "Everyone has taken steps to help the state, to help themselves and every time they were knocked down."
Lessees must be held accountable and the state has to empower residents to fulfill their responsibility, Shafer said. In the past the state would shoot down one family's idea of how to contribute but then turn around and let another family carry out that idea, he said.
The eviction of the Vierra family was a wake-up call to other lessees, Shafer said. At least five homes are incomplete, and the majority of the lessees are not fulfilling their hourly contributions, he said.
Quinn acknowledged that the state still has not developed a master plan to guide the operation of a 5,228-acre park that encompasses the entire Kahana ahupua'a — a Hawaiian mountain-to-sea land division in which resources were managed communally.
"The current effort of the state has been working with the residents to get their new houses built," he said. "We know there has to be a new comprehensive planning effort."
One of the problems, he said, is that most of the residents are working people who are struggling against time and money constraints to finish their homes and work in their interpretive duties.
"When the concept was originally developed, many of the residents were more the kupuna types who had skill and knowledge already," Quinn said. "Some of the subsequent generations don't have that knowledge and have to learn new skills."
One lessee, Sunny Greer, lives with her husband and son in her late father's home where she grew up. She has watched with mounting vexation as the DLNR has attempted to develop the cultural park with limited staff and money and without the assistance of other government agencies.
The water resources of the Waiahole Ditch originate in Kahana, Greer said, adding that some of the revenue from that water could be devoted to completing the park. Instead, she said, the slow progress allows momentum to be lost.
"Kahana is like a rare jewel that has been buried in the sand for many generations," she said, "and from time to time, the tide washes in to reveal it."
Greer also noted that there hasn't been any sustained on-site management since the retirement of Al Rogers two years ago. A replacement was hired early this year but left after only a few months, said Quinn, adding that the recruitment process has begun again.
Pikake Pelekai, a former Kahana resident with family still living in the area, sits on an advisory committee formed to help the state operate the cultural aspects of the park. Among its tasks was the development of a list of ways lessees could fulfill their park obligations, including the demonstration of various crafts and fishing and gathering techniques.
Groups still come to visit the valley, but now it takes more coordination to make sure a resident docent is on hand to assist, she said.
Thoran Evans, 42, a one-time Kahana lessee who still lives there, said the park itself is not inviting to outsiders, and anyone wishing to see anything happening there has to make an appointment or stop at the orientation center where someone will point out the project.
"It's not wide open where you can see a grass shack where you used to pound poi," Evans said.
But there are regular activities there, said Stephen Kubota, program director for the Ahupua'a Action Alliance, which brings groups, including tourists, to Kahana for cultural experiences.
The alliance works with several families that have no problem meeting their interpretive obligations, he said. It also tried to help the Vierra family, as have other lessees, Kubota said.
Despite the most recent conflict, Pelekai said she believes the Kahana experiment already has borne fruit.
"When you look at the development up the Windward Coast, I believe we came out better than we could have," she said. "We still have Kahana, it's still lush and green and pretty, as much as it was before."
Quinn agreed.
"Certainly there will be bumps in the road that we will have to smooth out," he said. "But Kahana is something that has potential for a really great future."
Reach Vicki Viotti at vviotti@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8053. Reach Eloise Aguiar at 234-5266 or eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.
