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HONOLULU -- The Hawaii Heritage Center, in cooperation with the State Historic Preservation Division within the Department of Land and Natural Resources, has been producing an historic sites calendar since 1984. Their 2014 calendar, titled the “Working Hands of the Makaainana,” addresses the theme of Hawaiian technology and innovation. The beautiful calendar was designed by Viki Nasu Design Group, with Ric Noyle providing magnificent photographs of island scenes rarely viewed by much of the public. Also serving as a tide calendar, each month’s page spread presents a historic site from a variety of locations throughout the island chain, including Molokai and Lanai. These sites are associated with such topics as navigation, fishing, farming, and salt gathering, as well as the production of adzes, abraders, cordage, and hooks. The first settlers to land on the shores of Hawaii brought with them certain tools and implements, as well as a number of plants which they deemed important to sustain them in a new world. More importantly, they brought with them the knowledge and traditions of their ancestors which guided them in the ways to survive on a remote, tropic island, independent of the rest of the world. Met with the challenges of adapting to a new land with different climates, terrain and natural resources including flora and fauna and water sources, the Hawaiians not only adapted their traditions to suit their new environment, but also innovatively developed new ways to enhance their quality of life to forge a distinctly Hawaiian culture, unique to them and the islands on which they lived. The calendar reminds the present of these achievements from the past and their on-going presence in today’s world. The project is a private-public partnership, coordinated by [...]
Honolulu Civil Beat, 1/7/2014 By Sophie Cocke Alan Downer sat in his office at the State Historic Preservation Division last month looking perplexed. He had been on the job as the new administrator of SHPD for less than two weeks and a state legislator had already filed a formal public records request for him to deal with. "I'm thinking, 'You're a legislator. Why don't you just ask (me)?'" he recalled during a recent interview. Why the lawmaker felt the need to "up the ante like that" with an official request under Hawaii's Uniform Information Practices Act, as opposed to simply calling him and asking for the information, escaped him. He was happy to share the information. "We are doing the people's business and people have every right to know what we are doing," said Downer. "What we do here is for the people. It's not for me or the people of this office. It's for the people of Hawaii." But SHPD, which has faced numerous controversies over land development and the preservation of Native Hawaiian cultural artifacts in recent years, has been under fire from both federal officials and the public for its lack of transparency — likely prompting the formal records request. Changing the agency's opaque work culture is just one of the obstacles Downer faces as the new leader of the state agency in charge of protecting Hawaii's cultural and historical resources. Federal and state officials are hoping that Downer, who spent the last 27 years working for the Navajo Nation, will help mend the agency's relationships with the public, shore up its internal operations and, most importantly, lead the agency out of the cross-hairs of the National Park Service. The park service [...]
By COLIN M. STEWART Tribune-Herald staff writer Hawaii Tribune Herald. January 7, 2014: With a flourish of a brush stroke, Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi set in motion Monday a project that promises to put a new face on downtown Hilo businesses. It seemed fitting, then, that he chose when making his mark to paint a smiley face. About 50-or-so community members, politicians and others were present at the ceremony to kick off the Benjamin Moore Main Street Matters renovation project, in which Kenoi and other dignitaries were invited to make the first strokes of paint on the facade of Hawaiian Arts at the corner of Furneaux Lane and Kamehameha Avenue. Hilo was one of 20 communities across North America chosen from a pool of 800 applicants to win a new paint job as part of the paint company’s promotion. Over the course of the next month, Hilo’s facelift procedure will run along Kamehameha Avenue from Mamo Street to Waianuenue Avenue. “We were very humbled to be selected,” Kenoi said as Monday’s ceremony began under the Mooheau Bandstand. “Our community is a strong community, because people here work together.” That strong sense of community spirit was palpable over the last few days as the launch to the project approached, said state Rep. Clift Tsuji, Hilo, Keaukaha, Panaewa, Waiakea. “I was here this past weekend and saw people from the community power washing and sanding. The community has really gotten involved,” he said. “It’s exciting to see.” Priscilla Ghaznavi, director of color and design studio for the renovation project, said that she had worked with community members, building owners and business owners to come up with a color palette consisting of 28 colors for the project. [...]
Kailua’s Rock: December, 2013 DECEMBER 10, 2013 • 7:00 – 9:00 pm LANIKAI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL The program is open to the public. Among the many boulders of Kailua’s ahupua?a, the best known and most celebrated is “Lanikai Rock.” Visible to the earliest Hawaiian seafarers, this promontory–called Ala¯la, stood like a motionless sentinel, inviting travelers of every kind to recognize its sacred prominence, for its name meant “Awakening”. From this vantage point one could (and still can) see in one panoramic sweep the outline of the entire ahupua?a, all the way to the base of Konahuanui, descending down to the waters of Mo¯kapu. Beyond Ala¯la the beach community Ka?o¯hao has experienced tremendous change from historical times to its renaming as Lanikai in the 1920s. Lanikai and Kailua remain in flux, blessed with resources and options attractive to old-timers and newcomers alike. Lanikai residents have experienced the joys of living in an isolated community, however now they are faced with challenges of being internationally known as a tourist destination. “Awakenings” of many kinds have been taking place to this day about vocations, residences and life styles. Commercialism has become, some might say, the preeminent goal. Each day busloads of tourists arrive in Kailua, not only to make their purchases but also to experience what makes our environment attractive. For long-time residents challenges of very practical, contemporary kinds are increasingly being demanded, including jockeying for space on the roads, commodities on the shelves, and values consistent with the past. This program, sponsored by the Kailua Historical Society, will feature a panel of three long-time residents of Lanikai (Ka?o¯hao). Their families’ experiences will help to provide insight into how they have coped, adjusted, and found continuing fulfillment throughout the [...]
