WAILUKU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A recent post on social media about the discovery of iwi kupuna, or ancestral bones, on Maui has sparked a conversation about preservation.
With construction continuing in Wailuku, descendants are asking people to keep speaking up.
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The iwi were were actually discovered years ago at the County of Maui’s Wailuku parking structure project site. However, a recent post on social media is stirring up conversations about it.
Cultural descendant Noelani Ahia said she has been battling the project from the very beginning.
“It was really upsetting,” Ahia said.
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Ahia said she was disturbed when she was first notified that her ancestors were possibly uncovered during construction of the new parking structure near the corner of North Market and West Vineyard Streets.
“For me as a descendant, don’t want the project, don’t want development where there’s iwi,” she said.
“But if there’s no legal way I can stop it and jumping in front of bulldozers doesn’t work … we have to do our best to do harm reduction,” she said.
The county confirms there were inadvertent discoveries of four burials back in 2021.
However, a recent post on social media has resurfaced the conversation. But the post is not entirely accurate. There are no heiau on site and the walls in the video are not heiau features.
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Nonetheless, Ahia is grateful people are speaking up.
“I’m really happy that somebody spoke out about it. We need more people, especially construction workers and people in the industry to be the eyes and ears and be aware. Because for a long time, things would just go, they’d get swept under the rug.”
The iwi were brought before the Maui Lanai Burial Council immediately following the discovery and customary proceedings took place.
The county says they are mindful of iwi kupuna protocols and have been working with the project archaeologist and state officials. They said based on guidance from cultural descendants, the iwi will be re-interned properly.
“Malama i na iwi kupuna, ola na iwi,” said Ahia. “The iwi kupuna are our most cherished possession. They provide us with collective mana. They provide the future generations with this resource of aloha and that’s something that we can tune into and tap into and feel when we walk on the ground.”
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Source: https://t-tees.com
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