HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

110

THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING the Department of Land and Natural Resources and City and County of Honolulu to independently identify the roads, monuments, landmarks, and public parks within their respective jurisdictions that use the name "Diamond Head" and identify the process for renaming these roads, monuments, landmarks, and public parks from "Diamond Head" to "Lē‘ahi".

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, Lē‘ahi, or Diamond Head, is the most identifiable landmark in Hawai‘i; and

 

     WHEREAS, Lē‘ahi was formed more than one hundred thousand years ago by violent steam explosions that contributed to the construction of the Hawaiian Islands; and

 

     WHEREAS, Lē‘ahi has been known by many names over the years; and

 

     WHEREAS, the earliest recorded reference to Lē‘ahi was Lae-ahi, as the mountain was compared by Hi‘iaka, the younger sister of Pele, to the brow of the ahi fish; and

 

     WHEREAS, the name was later condensed to Lē‘ahi; and

 

     WHEREAS, in the early 1800s, British sailors found calcite crystals in the rocks on the slopes of Lē‘ahi and thought they were diamonds; and

 

     WHEREAS, following the discovery, Lē‘ahi crater was also referred to as Kaimana-Hila, or "Diamond Hill"; and

 

     WHEREAS, Lē‘ahi crater has been used as a strategic military lookout beginning in the 1900s and was named a National Natural Landmark in 1968; and

 

     WHEREAS, today, the Lē‘ahi trail is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority's mission is to "strategically manage Hawai‘i tourism in a sustainable manner consistent with economic goals, cultural values, preservation of natural resources, community desires, and visitor industry needs"; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority's most recent strategic plan establishes a goal to support Native Hawaiian culture and the community "through genuine experiences for both visitors and residents"; and

 

     WHEREAS, as a strategic choice to achieve this goal, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority ensures an increased emphasis on the Hawaiian language by preserving language resources past and present and encouraging appropriate use of the language; and

 

     WHEREAS, due to the rich cultural history surrounding Lē‘ahi and the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority's commitment to encourage the appropriate use of the Hawaiian language, it is only appropriate to properly reference the landmark by its Hawaiian name; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources and City and County of Honolulu are requested to independently identify the roads, monuments, landmarks, and public parks within their respective jurisdictions that use the name "Diamond Head" and identify the process for renaming these roads, monuments, landmarks, and public parks from "Diamond Head" to "Lē‘ahi"; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources and City and County of Honolulu are each requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources and Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu.

Report Title: 

Diamond Head; Leahi; Department of Land and Natural Resources; City and County of Honolulu; Rename