Ka‘ū News Briefs Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Astronomer Dean Regas, of Star Gazers on PBS, will host two events at the end of this month in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. See story below.  Photo by Janice Wei/ National Park Service

THE MOA`ULA KA`U COFFEE FARMS contain some burial sites and they were the subject of a Burial Council meeting in late December. Making a plan for the burials is part of the ongoing process of the owners subdividing the farmlands to sell them off. A number of native Hawaiians came to the meeting held in Na`alehu to make sure the burials will be treated respectfully.
     Keoni Fox, who said he is a descendent of those buried there, asked for a larger buffer area and that burial caves be treated as a whole rather than using a "cookie cutter" approach across the property. Fox said he has concerns about access and fencing. He talked about preserving cultural landscapes and protecting them as a whole and mentioned a non-burial cave next to the burials as also a cultural site to be preserved.
     The archaeologist from Scientific Consultant Services, hired by the owner of the land being subdivided, is studying the site. He mentioned that the owner leases lands to farmers and is selling lands to farmers. "I think they are doing a re-subdivision to sell the lands to farmers," he said. He said there will be a burial plan in consultation with descendants of those buried there.

Pelekapu Dedman called on protection of the graves, with native Hawaiians determining their future. Photo from Big Island Video News

     Palekapu Dedman, who farms coffee in the area, and is a known preservation activist, said that Hawaiian ancestral bones, their burials and treatment, is an emotional issue. He has been a member of the Burial Council in the past and noted that back in 1986, it was accepted that property owners owned graves. "In 1986 - you could get off the plane, buy a piece of property - you own by tutu (grandparent)," he said. He recommended that the graves be covered and new owners be given full disclosure of where they are located and directions to protect them.
     Dedman also accused the Burial Council of not being Hawaiian enough. He said that "we already know how it is to be colonialized and being controlled by non-Hawaiians and the Hawaiians themselves become conditioned to accept that." He said the Hawaiians don't need a burial plan with "foreign ideals." He said that Burial Council members should come from a spiritual tradition. He contended that "Chrisian Hawaiians -  they dig up and move burials all day long."
      He said that dealing with iwi is not not like dealing with forestry and aquatics. "These are bones,"
said Dedman.
     A woman said she is a lineal descendent of those buried on the Moa`ula coffee lands. She talked about overall planning, urging to "to keep it Ka‘ū culturally, preserved and for our mo`opuna  (descendants ) to learn and continue, cause it's real hope." She said that Kahu, spiritual leaders on this island and around the state, know that Ka‘ū "will continue to be preserved and our people fight to keep it." The council took no action on the burial plan which remains in draft form.

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Astronomer Dean Regas, co-host of PBS Star Gazers, comes to Volcano. Photo from Dean Regas

MEET ASTRONOMER DEAN REGAS, CO-HOST OF PBS STAR GAZERS, at two separate events at the end of this month in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
     The first, Kīlauea Star Party, takes place Monday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m., and will be the park's first-ever Star Party at Kīlauea Overlook. Regas offers attendees the opportunity to learn about an endangered resource and sacred cultural connection: Hawai‘i Islands dark night skies. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park invites the public to "journey through time as we explore nearby planets and deep-space celestial wonders above the glow of Halema‘uma‘u Crater."
     Event goers will be able to view the night sky through powerful telescopes. Dark Skies Rangers will be available to answer questions and guide visitors through the night sky.
     The second, Witness the Lunar Eclipse, takes place on Jan. 30, at 8:30 p.m. following After Dark in the Park at Kīlauea Overlook. Regas guides attendees through the January 2018 lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse can only occur the night of the full moon, when the sun, earth and moon are aligned. As the earth’s shadow (umbra) passes across the moon, it creates a lunar eclipse. Every so often, this alignment is perfect or nearly so, and creates a total lunar eclipse.
     Both events are free to attend, however they are subject to weather conditions and park entrance fees apply. For more, visit nps.gov/HAVO.

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HAWAI‘I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK ANNOUNCES Kīlauea Volcano's East Rift Zone: 35 Years and Still Erupting as the After Dark in the Park talk scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 9, starting at 7 p.m. in Kīlauea Visitor Center auditorium of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. U.S.G.S. Hawai‘i Volcano Observatory geologist Carolyn Parcheta briefly describes the early history of the East Rift Zone eruption that began 35 years ago and provides and in-depth look at lava flow activity during the past year. the event is free, however park entrance fees apply. For more, visit nps.gov/HAVO.

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See public Ka‘ū events, meetings entertainment at   kaucalendar.com/octnovdec/decemberevents.html.  See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, weekly events at  kaucalendar.com/octnovdec/decembercommunity.html. December print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i  through Volcano. Also available free on stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.