In a letter sent to the Office of Mauna Kea Management (OMKM) today, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) expressed serious concerns over the recent demolition of an ahu. "We ask that the investigation include a determination as to whether the responsible parties violated Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes § 711-1107 (Desecration)" Facebook photo: Lakea Trask
In a letter sent to the Office of Mauna Kea Management (OMKM) today, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) expressed serious concerns over the recent demolition of an ahu constructed by protectors on Mauna Kea in June. OHA notes OMKM’s own Comprehensive Management Plan requires procedures related to the construction of cultural features, preservation of cultural landscapes, and cultural training for workers on the mauna, none of which have been properly implemented. This incident is just the latest example of OMKM’s inadequate stewardship of one of Hawaiʻi’s most sacred sites. OHA demands that OMKM, through its future actions, demonstrate an actual commitment to culturally sensitive management and accept its responsibility to do a better job in the future.
9.16.15 OMKM Letter on Destruction of Ahu
