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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.R. NO.              
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  RESOLUTION


ENCOURAGING THE STATE OF HAWAII TO ACQUIRE TWO PARCELS OF LAND
   ADJACENT TO LIMAHULI STREAM ON THE ISLAND OF KAUAI FOR THE
   PRESERVATION OF IMPORTANT CULTURAL RESOURCES AND THEIR
   INCORPORATION INTO HA'ENA STATE PARK.



 1       WHEREAS, the preservation of natural, cultural, and
 2   spiritual resources is essential to the preservation of Native
 3   Hawaiian culture and of utmost importance to the people of
 4   Hawaii;  and
 5   
 6       WHEREAS, archaeologists and historians still search for
 7   clues about the lives and customs of the original Polynesian
 8   voyagers who only settled in a few special places throughout
 9   the Hawaiian Islands, one of these being Ha'ena on the island
10   of Kauai;  and
11   
12       WHEREAS, the cultural history of Ha'ena, where the great
13   romantic epic of the love triangle between Pele, her younger
14   sister, Hiiakaikapoli O Pele, and Lohiau, a handsome Kauai
15   chief begins, is famous throughout the islands and memorialized
16   in many ancient mo'olelo (legends), oli (chants), mele (songs),
17   and hula (dances);  and
18   
19       WHEREAS, the history of land use in this area has always
20   reflected a commitment to conservation even after the break up
21   of the tradtitional stewardship systesms;  and
22   
23       WHEREAS, in the mid-1980s three lots at the entrance to
24   Limahuli Valley, Ha'ena, were sold to out-of-state residents.
25   The National Tropical Botanical Garden, who manages one
26   thousand acres surrounding these lots for conservation,
27   education, and research, has purchased one of these developed
28   lots in the hopes of making a land exchange for the other two
29   undeveloped lots that are rich with archaeological sites,
30   significant to the total cultural importance of the area,
31   including terraces, a pohaku ho'ohanau (birthing stone), and
32   ancient walls and housing sites all dated as early as 1200
33   A.D.;  and
34   
35       WHEREAS, these two lots (TMK 5-9-06-10 and 5-9-06-11) have
36   remained virtually untouched until 1998, when the owner removed
37   all trees on these lots and subsequently damaged the 

 
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                                  H.R. NO.              
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   traditional auwai (irrigation) system supplying water to the
 2   taro lo'i located in the adjacent Ha'ena State Park, making it
 3   clear that development on the property is imminent;  and
 4   
 5       WHEREAS, the owner is not willing to negotiate a land
 6   exchange to preserve the important archaeological sites on the
 7   land, and the State of Hawaii has the power to acquire
 8   interests in real estate in order to control future growth,
 9   development, and land use within the State (Article XI Section
10   3, Hawaii State Constitution);  now, therefore
11   
12       BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
13   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
14   of 2000, that the State of Hawaii is encouraged to acquire
15   these two parcels through purchase or other means for their
16   inclusion into Ha'ena State Park in order to maintain the
17   cultural integrity of important sites on these lots;  and
18   
19       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State of Hawaii is
20   encouraged to grant the management responsibilities of the
21   aforementioned parcels to the Department of Land and Natural
22   Resources, Division of State Parks for continuity with their
23   preservation and interpretive programs at Ha'ena State Park;
24   and
25   
26       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
27   Resolution be transmitted to the Department of Land and Natural
28   Resources, the Governor, and the Speaker of the House of
29   Representatives.
30 
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33                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________