Report Title:
Historic Preservation; Ahu o Laka
Description:
Establishes Ahu o Laka state monument; directs DLNR to adopt rules for the protection and maintenance of the Ahu o Laka state monument. (CD1)
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2004 |
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TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2006 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
H.D. 1 |
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C.D. 1 |
A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. Recent news articles have brought to the public's attention the recent use by the boating public of the small sand bar situated in Kaneohe bay, known to native Hawaiians as Ahu o Laka. According to recent news articles, the sand bar is named after an Oahu chief, Laka, who died there. However, other oral historical sources from native Hawaiians residing on the windward side of Oahu indicate that the sand bar is named as an altar to the ancient goddess of hula, Laka. When the sacred art of hula was banned by western influences, many followers would practice the art of hula surreptitiously in hidden and remote places. The sand bar was deemed to be an excellent locale for this practice since it was remote. Further, the sand was an excellent medium to dance upon.
Recent news articles described public concerts on the sand bar which attracted hundreds of persons, resulting in drinking, littering, and fighting. These reports raise concerns relating to the desecration of a culturally significant place and the degradation of an important aesthetical resource of the state.
The purpose of this Act is to designate Ahu o Laka as a state monument and to adopt rules for the protection and maintenance of the Ahu o Laka state monument.
SECTION 2. Chapter 6E, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part II to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§6E- Ahu o Laka state monument. (a) There shall be an Ahu o Laka state monument as a historical, cultural, and aesthetically valued site at Kaneohe, Oahu, to be administered by the department of land and natural resources and to consist of:
(1) The approximately three-acre sand bar in Kaneohe bay, off Heeia, that is above the water's surface at low tide; and
(2) The surrounding state marine waters, as that term is defined in section 190D-3, that the department of land and natural resources determines is necessary for the preservation of the historical, cultural, and aesthetic resources of the Ahu o Laka state monument.
(b) The department of land and natural resources, pursuant to chapter 91, shall adopt rules for the protection and maintenance of the Ahu o Laka state monument, to include but not be limited to:
(1) Imposing conditions focused on regulating large gatherings at the Ahu o Laka state monument, taking into consideration safety, security, and sanitary concerns; and
(2) Any other rules deemed necessary to protect the aesthetic environment and the cultural sensitivity of the Ahu o Laka state monument."
SECTION 3. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.