BY NORM BEZANE

A large crowd turned out to hear Ola Hou on the Baldwin Home Museum lawn for the Hawaiian Music Series on April 9. Musicians Kevin and Sheldon Brown were joined by Joe Bommarito on bass and Sonny Lim, slack key guitar legend from the Big Island. Ola Hou shared the history of ki ho'alu (Hawaiian slack key) with the audience, and concert emcee Allen Pokipala of Pacific Radio Group engaged the crowd with tales of Lahaina's history. Students from nearby King Kamehameha III School stopped by on their lunch break to listen to the music, and the crowd enjoyed an impromptu hula by museum docent Jackie Hala. Next up in the series is Ahumanu on May 14.

LAHAINA — A crowd of more than 100 attending a special meeting about restoring the sacred site Moku'ula heard kupuna call for more participation by Native Hawaiians.

The Friends of Moku'ula's archeological and restoration project was called by one speaker "a clash of cultures."

Nearly a dozen Hawaiian elders, some highly emotional, spoke at length, indicating there needed to be more emphasis placed on following proper spiritual protocols during site work and more participation by Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) on the Friends of Moku'ula's board chaired by Kimo Falconer.

Located mauka of Front Street across from Kamehameha Iki Park, Moku'ula was home to Maui high chiefs from the 16th to 18th centuries and the Kamehameha monarchy until the 1840s. It contained royal structures and a mausoleum.

Mokuhinia, a pond surrounding the island, included taro patches and fish ponds. According to legend, the sacred goddess Kihawahine, a Mo'o Akua (large, lizard-like god), lived in the waterway and protected the ali'i.

The site was considered the center of Hawaiian political and spiritual life for 300 years.

Dr. Janet Sixe, a highly credentialed archeologist and 1995 Maui Community College graduate returning to Hawaii, began the three-hour meeting on April 3 by outlining what she said could turn out to be a ten-year effort to unearth Moku'ula (detailed plans for the project are posted at http://www.mokuula.com/).

The upcoming project entails examining the site layer by layer using state-of-the-art technology. It's a kind of ground-penetrating radar with no bulldozing and little digging.

Sixe said the equipment will take digital pictures inch-by-inch of all artifacts and structures on the nine-acre site.

Previous research by Bishop Museum revealed that when the neglected wetland site was covered with fill from harbor dredging and debris from sugarcane fields beginning in the early 1900s, Moku'ula's walls and foundation below were not destroyed.

Through lasers, Sixe and her archeological teams will be able to scope out the nature of what structures and other features were there, and quantify all of the debris thrown on the site, from artifacts to old bottles.

The work will paint a year-by-year historical picture of what the site was used for, and how living patterns changed year by year from pre-contact into the 20th century.

Friends of Moku'ula received a $30,000 grant from the Hawaii Tourism Authority and formed a partnership with the University of Hawaii and Maui Community College to provide a cost-effective way to complete the high-tech work without the expenditure of huge funds.

MCC is establishing a new, interactive field school this summer and fall that will bring archeological students to Moku'ula five days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to learn the high-tech methods and complete the laborious job of scanning the site layer by layer, recording the results.

Hawaiians expressed the hope that "our history will not be exploited for people's gain." With respect to a tour program being offered, one speaker wondered who would be telling the stories of royalty and Hawaiian legends.

Another, whose ancestors appear to have lived in Moku'ula, said the Friends group was "exploiting my family."

Near the end of the session, Sixe said proper Hawaiian protocol would be followed in beginning and completing the work. She responded to critics by indicating she "was here to listen" and welcomed the dialogue.

Responding to a request by Lahaina News for further comment, The Friends of Moku'ula reported that it was pleased at the turnout at the forum, and "we listened to the concerns of all who spoke about their heritage and interest in this special place, and recognize that it is one of the most significant wahi pana (sacred places) to Na Kanaka Maoli."

The new Ka 'I'imi 'Ike Program "offers us a new beginning and the chance to welcome all to the Moku'ula restoration site to learn, volunteer and share their stories," the statement noted.

Reporting that "we have always worked with Native Hawaiian kumu and volunteers in our Maui Nei Native Expeditions tours and Friends of Moku'ula community programs," the group said it seeks to expand its board of directors with more Native Hawaiian members.

The meeting was videotaped to show Akoni Akana, longtime Friends of Moku'ula executive director, who was ill and could not attend.

Copyright © 2004 The Lahaina News.

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Original URL: http://www.lahainanews.com/2009/04/16/news/news/friends_of_moku_ula_detail_plans_to_study_sacred_site

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