Hawaiian Ceremony for Wailua

SOURCE: Judy Dalton (dalton@aloha.net)
SUBHEAD: Join a 24-hour vigil of sacred Hawaiian prayer chants and ceremonies in honor of Wailua.

By Judy Dalton on 10 November 2009 in Island Breath - 
(http://islandbreath.blogspot.com/2009/11/great-sacred-wailua-ceremony.html)

 
Image above: Photo courtesy of Bishop Museum Archives Wailuanuiaho`äno circa 1924.

`AHA HO`ÄNO
As you may know, we stand opposed to the construction of a bike and pedestrian path [14' wide concrete and plastic boardwalk] on sacred Wailua Beach, by the County of Kaua`i. We are also extremely concerned with significant cumulative impacts by proposed transportation plans to these lands and waters. They will disrupt our Iwi Kūpuna o Wailua, and do harm to the Native Hawaiian culture and people, of this and future generations. Please help us to mālama and honor this "one kapu o nā Ali`i o Kaua`i nei". Join us for the day, or make plans and bring your ukana (sleeping bags/tents) to stay overnight on the grounds of Hauola. Aloha Beach Resort is also located next to the grounds of Pu`uhonua o Hauola.

We extend our voices to all people across of the Hawaiian archipelago to join us in ceremony. Since time immemorial, the lands of the Wailua ahupua`a have long been revered as, “Wailuanuiaho`äno” sacred birthplace and home of our Hawaiian ali`i and ancestors. It was also the spiritual center for Kaua`i Island. The significant number of major heiau, storied places and traditional sites within this ahupua`a strongly resonate of Wailua’s cultural importance.

Our oral histories and traditions detailed in our chants, ceremonies, religious and burial practices further confirm and maintain that the entire coastal ecosystem of sand dunes and beaches of the Wailua ahupua`a are known and documented burial grounds in which nä iwi küpuna the bones of our ancestors were interned for countless generations before us.

This area includes the vast stretch of sands of Alio, from the plains of Hanama`ulu and Wailua’s southern border of Kawailoa, all the way to Hauola near the river. The seaside terrain between Wailua Bay and Coco Palms was named, Mahunapu`uone, clearly indicating its role in funerary customs as, the “Sand dunes that conceal [the bones]”.

The shoreline and land areas surrounding Wailua Bay are amongst the most highly, culturally sensitive regions in all of east Kaua`i! These lands continue to be very sacred to native Hawaiians today! Please join us as we enter into this season of Makahiki for an overnight vigil of traditional Hawaiian prayer chants, ancient dances and ceremonies to ho`omana the spiritual and cultural integrity of the “Great Sacred Wailua”. Please come to support…come to learn…come to respect.  

WHAT:
A 24-hour vigil of sacred Hawaiian prayer chants & ceremonies . A shared focus to spiritually mälama and honor our ancestors, cultural practices & traditions of Wailuanuiaho`äno. Ceremonies to be delivered at the top of every hour.

WHEN:
Friday, Nov 13 to Saturday, Nov 14 12noon to 12 noon.  

WHERE:
Pu`uhonua O Hauola & Hikinaakalä Heiau North end of Lydgate Park near the Wailua River Mouth Special assistance will be provided for küpuna  

CONTACT:
Kumu Hula - Nathan Kalama email: nateilio@live.com phone: 808.822.2166
 Këhaulani Kekua email: halaupalaihiwa@kaieie.org phone: 808.346.7574  

PROTOCOLS:
Participants may present traditional Hawaiian ho`okupu, as well as offerings of mele pule, mele oli, `aiha`a, hula pahu, hula `äla`apapa, ha`i `ölelo, ko`ihonua and mele mo`okü`auhau. Traditional Hawaiian ceremony garments or kïhei requested. Modest clothing, please. No swimwear or short dresses. No photography or videotaping allowed without permission No protesting, picketing or disruptive activities Children must be closely supervised to avoid disturbance and distraction on or around ceremony grounds.  


A 24-hour Vigil Slated for Wailua 

By Michael Levine on 11 November 2009 in the Garden Island - 

http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2009/11/11/news/kauai_news/doc4afa72bc3b45c188184016.txt

Cultural practitioners are set to hold a 24-hour vigil from noon Friday until noon Saturday featuring Hawaiian prayer, chants and temple dances to raise public awareness about development in Wailua, one of Hawai‘i’s most sacred places, event organizers said this week.

The vigil, known in Hawaiian as ‘aha ho‘ano, will be held at Pu‘uhonua O Hauola and the Hikinaakala Heiau at the north end of Lydgate Park near the mouth of the Wailua River. It will recognize the traditional importance of Wailuanuiaho‘ano — the “Great Sacred Wailua” — in light of plans for the multi-use coastal path to span the area with a boardwalk across the sand on Wailua Beach.
“We are very concerned about the rapid movement of the development in Wailua,” Kumu Hula Kehaulani Kekua, one of the event’s organizers, said Tuesday.
"I was aghast at the studies and reports that came back as part of the final EA with findings of no significant impact. That is absolutely absurd.” 
The FONSI was issued in May 2007. In recent months, the long-standing plan to have the 14-foot-wide path run along Wailua Beach was thrown into limbo when the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs reversed its position on the proposal and recommended that it instead run on the mauka “canal route” behind Coco Palms resort due to cultural and burial concerns. “I’m not in opposition to improvements and what is good for the community, we just need to be sensitive and aware that there are places that we absolutely have to respect,” Kekua said.
“What we hope to do is just raise awareness in the community for people to understand that even if we live in the 21st century, it’s a very special and fragile place.” 
 Last week, the Wailua-Kapa‘a Neighborhood Association released the results of an opinion poll it conducted on its Web site, www.wkna.org, to allow people to express their preferences on the issue and help determine if WKNA should take a position, and if so, which one. The poll was conducted between Oct. 13 and Nov. 1, a press release says. Of 457 votes cast, 54 percent favored the bike path on Wailua Beach and 46 percent favored redirecting the path. “The polling site provided information on both sides of the issue,” the press release states.
“Only one vote per Web connection was permitted by the polling software. Based on the close results of the poll, the board will not take a position.”  
What to expect
Kekua said at the top of each hour, starting at noon Friday, participants will present traditional chants and dances, and in the time between those hourly presentations they will be able to “talk story” and have “healthy discussion” about issues important to the area. “We are not inviting, advocating or even tolerating any type of resistance because it’s not meant to be a protest,” she said, referring to those who might come with signs. “It’s meant to hold spiritual focus and to honor and to continue and connect with the ancient practices that many of us have never stopped. As Native Hawaiians, we continue to recognize and apply these practices in our daily lives.”

In that vein, the flyer states that traditional Hawaiian ceremony garments or kihei are requested, though modest clothing — no swimwear or short dresses — will be accepted. No photography or videotaping will be allowed without permission, and children must be closely supervised to avoid disturbance and distraction on or around ceremony grounds. From 9 a.m. until noon today, organizers are hosting an oli and protocol workshop at the same location for anybody interested in participating in the Friday gathering, a flyer states.

For more information on the vigil, contact Kekua at 346-7574 or halaupalaihiwa@kaieie.org, or Nathan Kalama at 822-2166 or nateilio@live.com.

Wailua Beach path online poll results:
 •54 percent favor multi-use path on Wailua Beach
 •46 percent favor redirecting the path

There were 457 votes registered online from Oct. 13 to Nov. 1. Source: Wailua-Kapa‘a Neighborhood Association

See also:
Ea O Ka Aina: No Bike Path on Wailua Beach 9/17/09

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