Dear Mr. Apoe;

Per your request to EnviroWatch, I am attaching a letter from Mr. Alena Kaiokekoa outlining his position on the matter of working out his role as it relates to the curatorship at Ho’ona Historic Preserve.

I hope that this is consistent with your and the Governor’s desire to resolve this out of court. Please feel free to contact me if I can assist you further in this matter.

Sincerely

Carroll E. Cox

Investigative Reporter

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Dear Mr. Apoe,

This is to indicate my willingness to sit down with representatives of your office and DLNR, to work on an out-of-court settlement to the legal case I filed to protest being terminated as volunteer curator at Ho'ona Historic Preserve. NELHA has unilaterally taken this action, which I see as a danger to my family members who are buried on this land.

An arrangement that will provide for my continuation as curator is all I seek. My main concern is that I be allowed to continue protecting my deceased family, since they are now under the ground and are unable to protect themselves. This is the sole reason I came and volunteered to be a caretaker at the preserve, to look after the graves, the old canoe house and the other old buildings which were once our home and which help us to keep a sense of history.

NELHA turned my volunteer work at Ho'ona into a "curator agreement", then they terminated this agreement to get rid of me. I protested this action, because I don't believe the graves would be safe in my absence. I simply wish to be allowed to do the caretaking in peace, since it is my obligation to my past.

As part of this caretaking, I began sharing my mana'o with people who visit the preserve. When people enter the preserve, they need to be shown where to walk and how to be careful, because there are graves right at the entrance and there are sacred places throughout the preserve that should be respected.

I have trained young people and members of my family to help take care of the place, because I need help. There is much work to be done on a daily basis. I have also taught others about the history of Ho'ona, and they have helped in many ways. Young children and people of all ages, including tourists and the elderly, Hawaiians and others visit Ho'ona. Each in their own way is able to learn something they can share with others. This helps all visitors to understand the kind of place Ho'ona once was, and to respect the dead and the living whose spirits are still tied to the aina.

I am willing to try and work together with DLNR to find a way I can continue to care for my family who are buried at Ho'ona and provide an opportunity for people to learn about the history of this very special and sacred place. I have indicated my willingness all along to try and do this, but all efforts to reach a peaceful agreement have been scorned by NELHA.

For this reason, I hope we can arrive at a solution that will spare me the need to deal further with NELHA. The NELHA management is so culturally insensitive and difficult to deal with, that I can't continue dealing with them on a daily basis. This relationship is stressful to me and I do not believe they have ever been sincere in wanting to manage and protect the preserve. For the sake of historic preservation, I need to be protected from the harassment and ill will of NELHA.

I ask for you to allow me to deal directly with people from DLNR, who have been fair and honest with me throughout the ordeal of the past few years. If we can do this, I think we can have a bright future and I will not have to worry so much about the day when NELHA will destroy the few remaining graves. They have already threatened to remove all the iwi from the graves and deposit them in a common grave. This threat is typical of their lack of concern for the dead or the living. I cannot continue to work with this kind of people looking over my shoulder and creating problems. It is very difficult for me and the stress threatens my health, safety and well being. They have also threatened the safety of the kids who come to the preserve. It is just too much!

Since you have asked me to describe the solution I am hoping for, I will. In doing so, I will try and describe an "ideal world" situation at Ho'ona. Most things I ask for are basic needs, but I will mention my whole "wish list", in case all these things can be done. I will begin with the most basic.

First, I want a direct relationship with DLNR to manage the preserve. I do not want to deal with NELHA, but they should provide some support to the historic preserve, since they are impacting it indirectly and have destroyed everything outside it. NELHA should provide water to the preserve. This water is used to take care of the plants, and provide for the visitors and volunteers that come there. We need to have water on a consistent basis, not have it constantly turned off and on, as NELHA is now doing. When the water line breaks outside the preserve, we need for them to fix it, so that water to the preserve is not interrupted as is now.

I would like for my lawyer to be allowed to examine the way the water is monitored. I do not think there is a water line dedicated to the preserve, because at times the NELHA has claimed we used huge amounts of water it would be impossible for us to consume. So I ask that we be allowed to look at how the water is registered and set up a line that goes to the preserve, which will not be turned off or used improperly by others and then we get blamed for it.

If possible, I would like for NELHA to be required to build a hale lua and hale au au at Ho'ona like the one that exists at Wawaloli Beach Park. Right now, I bring in sanitary facilities for the kids and visitors and pay for that out of my own pocket. We have a made a shower, but it is easy to knock down. The cost of maintaining these facilities adds up and I do not receive any compensation for the services I provide to others. I am not asking to be paid. I am only asking for help in providing a comfortable place for students to work and study. This would improve the health and safety of the students who study Hawaiian culture and history at Ho'ona.

As far as signs are concerned, I would like for the only signs at the preserve to be the ones telling the names of the plants. Right now, NELHA places signs around telling people to walk in and do whatever they want. This is wrong and it only encourages people to disrespect the place. The way we have taught people who come to the preserve, they learn to stop at the gate and show respect for the graves. When they come inside, they do not abuse marine life, step on the plants and animals at the shoreline, or otherwise destroy the place. Please ask NELHA to stop telling people to come in and do things they know are not right.

I would like to restore the education for culture program I had started, with the many school kids visiting the preserve. This activity is so important and in addition to bringing life to thepreserve, it is appreciated by teachers and students. NELHArecently began calling the schools and telling the teachers they should not come to the preserve. I request that we be allowed to again bring the hau mana to visit the preserve, so we may share the preserve with future generations.

I also ask that the double hulled canoes, the Makalii and the Polynesian Voyaging Society be allowed to come to the preserve again. They used to come two or three times a year to visit and learn about Hawaiian culture and especially celestial navigation. We need to be able to invite them to stay overnight, because that

is when the stars come out. Many of the school groups ask to stay overnight, so they can learn about the stars, how to greet the morning sunrise and other things that are part of Hawaiian culture. We cannot have truly Hawaiian studies that are interrupted by the clock. It just doesn't make sense! So I ask that when the kids come they be allowed to stay overnight and to learn without threat or interruption.

If this can be done, I will need to be allowed to occasionally have someone else open the gate. Right now I have only one key. Sometimes it gets late and one or two students may arrive late. If I can have a spare key and assign one of the teachers to let students in, always to enter without disturbing the NELHA and go directly to the preserve, it would make things easier. I need for these people to be allowed free passage without harassment from the NELHA guards. We have never harmed anything, but we are being harassed at night and it is both annoying and frightening.

In doing these overnight classes, it would be helpful to have electricity. If NELHA could provide a solar charger, with a backup generator, this would also help the education program. We would appreciate this contribution to the program, if it can be provided. Another need we have is to establish telephone communication. Presently, I have a pager. I give the number to teachers and other community groups, but when they page me I have to drive into town to get to a phone and I cannot connect a phone line to the preserve. If NELHA could help get a telephone line to the gate, I will take care of the telephone installation and any bills out of my own resources. These last two items are not essential, but I mention them since I am trying to describe the ideal situation.

The other thing I ask is to be left in peace regarding the way I teach and what I teach. I am not a scientist and I do not pretend to be a school teacher. I don't think I know everything, but I am willing to share what I know with others. Many of the kupuna who come to Ho'ona are also willing to share with the young people and we all learn from one another. Anyone who comes to Ho'ona is made to feel welcome. If they want to, they can learn hula, make things with their hands, learn Hawaiian songs, help

restore the land and historic sites, learn to fish carefully and to leave something for the future. These are some of the things we do at Ho'ona. All I am asking is to be allowed to share this experience with those who come, take care of the graves and historic places, and not have to keep explaining what and why I am doing everything at every step of the way. I would be so very happy and grateful if you could make this happen.

As you know, on December 8, 1997, at 1:00 p.m. there will be a rehearing of my case in the Third Circuit Court. Throughout this court case, Judge Ronald Ibarra has requested there be an effort to sit down both parties and work out our differences. He does not believe this should be settled in court and neither do I. The judge also keeps asking for DLNR to say what their position is, since it is their role to protect the historic preserve. I have hoped for that to happen, but DLNR is silent and we hear only from the lawyer for NELHA.

Since time is so short, I ask you to intervene on my behalf and convince DLNR to help me in protecting this place from destruction. As a show of good faith, I would ask that you convince DLNR to send a letter to Judge Ibarra, asking him to postpone the rehearing indefinitely and stating that they will not allow the curator agreement to be terminated. I am sure Judge Ibarra would accept that.

Instead of working this out in court, if DLNR says so, we can sit down together and work out reasonable terms for the curatorship of the historic preserve and it's management by DLNR. If this can happen, then I will be happy to drop my part of the court action and I will be indebted to you for your kindness.

Alena Kaiokekoa