WAILUKU – Maui County Council members passed a bill on first reading Friday to set aside $425,000 to fund efforts to restore and preserve Moku'ula, the sacred home of Hawaiian royalty in Lahaina.

The vote came after councilors received assurances that anti-discrimination clauses in a lease of county land to the Friends of Moku'ula Inc. would be honored and the project would not be "kapu to outsiders."

Akoni Akana, executive director of the Friends of Moku'ula, said his group will not discriminate, but he said it does plan to restrict access for preservation purposes.

"The emphasis is on preservation in perpetuity," he said. "In order to carry out this purpose, access needs to be restricted to everyone."

Through an application process, organizations, groups or individuals can get access to the project site "for the purposes of initiating their right to conduct traditional religious or ceremonial practices and for the purpose of memorializing or paying tribute to existing burials thought to be that of Hawaiian alii," he said.

"This would include recognized lineal descendants, many of whom are actively involved in our project and who, of course, are Native Hawaiian."

Akana said he was dismayed that Council Member Wayne Nishiki raised the issue, citing material from the Sacred Sites International Foundation Web site. The Web site applauded the Moku`ula project and reported that the island, a one-acre former residence of high chiefs of Maui, would be "strictly for sacred and secular ceremonial use by Native Hawaiians, however, it may be open once a year to invited outsiders."

Akana said the Web site "misrepresented our intention for restricting access onto Moku'ula." He said plans for limiting access would be in line with similar state and federal practices.

A number of government-owned facilities in Hawaii have strict limits on the public entering areas considered sensitive or sacred, including Iolani Place on Oahu and the Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historical Site on the Big Island.

"Otherwise, it would be a total waste of time, money and energy to restore the island for preservation in perpetuity, only to allow busloads of visitors and residents to trample through what is considered a very sacred and revered cultural site," Akana said. "There will be more than adequate areas, other than on the island, at which residents and visitors can share the culture."

Nishiki said he was concerned about a conflict between the group's plans and the county lease which specifies that there will be no discrimination.

Corporation Counsel James Takayesu said the county would vigorously enforce the anti-discrimination provisions of the lease.

In December, the friends group, a nonprofit organization dedicated to historic and cultural preservation, acquired a 35-year lease and a license to occupy parts of Malu-ulu-o-Lele Park near the intersection of Shaw and Front streets in Lahaina. The organization proposes to excavate the archaeological site, which dates back to the 16th century, and unearth a royal compound and mausoleum.

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