Nū Hou - Newsbriefs

By Ka Wai Ola Staff

Lua on History Channel

Hosted by Terry Schappert, a show about lua will be the finale of the 10-part "Warriors" series, which covers warrior cultures around the world. On O'ahu, Schappert worked with Pā Ku'i A Holo led by 'Ōlohe Dr. Mitchell Eli, who helped write the book on lua, literally, with four others who were also trained by the late Charles Kenn, the last living lua master when he died at age 72. "Warriors: Islands of Blood" airs at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m., May 7 on the History Channel. After they air, see the episodes at history.com/warriors or buy the DVD at history.com. Read about the show in the April edition of Ka Wai Ola Loa. - Photo: Courtesy of High Noon Entertainment

Kalaupapa access limits urged

The National Park Service is holding meetings to develop a plan to manage Kalaupapa, Moloka'i, after the last 20 of the estimated 8,000 leprosy patients who were banished to the peninsula pass away. Ka 'Ohana O Kalaupapa, an organization of patients, family members, friends and supporters dedicated to promoting the value and dignity of every individual exiled to Kalaupapa from 1866 to 1969, recently released a paper stating the 'Ohana's positions on the future management of Kalaupapa National Historical Park. The group's positions aim to preserve the character of the area while limiting commercial activity and disturbances to the sanctity of the final resting place for the former patients. There is an emphasis on limiting modern conveniences and maintaining existing homes and buildings to offer visitors a peek at life in Kalaupapa for the patients. Read the position paper and find out more about the 'Ohana at kalaupapaohana.org.

More iwi unearthed at Kawaiaha'o Iwi unearthed at a construction site at Kawaiaha'o Church has halted work of a new multipurpose center. This photo was taken in December 2007 when demolition of Likeke Hall was beginning. - Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom Work has stopped on Kawaiaha'o Church's new multipurpose center in Honolulu after workers dug up 69 human remains from the project site, mostly intact and in coffins dating back to the 1800s. The iwi disinterred have been wrapped and placed in lauhala baskets. They are being stored in the church with the intent of reinterring the iwi at another site on Kawaiaha'o's grounds. These are in addition to the 21 sets of iwi dug up earlier while connecting utilities to the street. A consultant said 83 more bodies might lie in the project site, which is surrounded by Kawaiaha'o's cemetery. While the number of burials doesn't come close to the more than 1,000 found at the site of the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua in Honokahua, Maui, in the 1980s – the discovery of which brought the protection of iwi kūpuna on construction sites to the community consciousness – it does outnumber the more recent discoveries of 64 remains at the Ke'eaumoku Wal-Mart and 50 at Ward Village Shops in Honolulu. The new center is on the site of recently demolished Likeke Hall, which caused its own round of controversy in 1940 when its construction displaced 117 sets of remains. Kawaiaha'o's board indicated that the building would be redesigned to minimize disturbance to the property. Completion of the new center was expected in June 2010, but an October completion date is now more likely.

Aiona on ceded lands

The Lingle administration has been criticized for their actions in the ceded lands case, and Native Hawaiian Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona answers critics in a kūkākūkā column in the April edition of Ka Wai Ola Loa. "As a person of Native Hawaiian ancestry, the Apology Resolution is significant to me," Aiona wrote. "Those who diminish the role of the Apology Resolution as being merely a 'symbolic' gesture are wrong. … However, despite what the Apology Resolution means to me as a Native Hawaiian, I simply could not agree that it had any effect on the legal status of ceded lands." Legalities notwithstanding, Aiona writes that he does not think ceded lands should be sold. "From the onset of this controversy, my position has remained consistent. I will not support the sale or transfer of any particular ceded lands." Read his column at www.oha.org/kwo/loa/2009/04/. If you don't already receive Ka Wai Ola Loa in your inbox, subscribe today at oha.org/kwo.

Mōlī colony missing

Albatross parent with chick. - Photo: Courtesy of Eric VanderWerf The disappearance of an entire colony of mōlī (Laysan albatross) at Kuaokalā, Wai'anae, O'ahu, is a mystery. In a February visit, biologists counted 15 chicks, six nests with eggs, and 20 adults in the colony. In late March, they discovered that the entire colony had disappeared without a trace. Personnel from the DLNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service searched the area to no avail. No remains of any birds were found, ostensibly ruling out predators like pigs or dogs in the fenced enclosure. The albatross are one of the few native seabird species that still nest in the main Hawaiian Islands, and are protected under state and federal law. People with any information on suspicious activities that may have occurred at Kuaokalā between Feb. 13 and March 23 are asked to call DLNR enforcement at 643-3567 or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service enforcement at 861-8525.

Ka Papa 'Oihana offers classes

Free courses in traditional pursuits – dry stone masonry, hale construction and how to make weapons, fishing implements, stone bowls and poi pounders – will be offered in Waimea Valley, O'ahu, beginning June 3. The courses run for eight Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and are provided free to the community through grants from the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, Hawai'i Peoples Fund and the Community Foundation. The deadline to register is May 20, and classes are filled on a first come first served basis. Visit huinaauao.com or call 292-4292 for more information or to register.