69 old burials were dug up during construction for Kawaiaha'o's $17.5M center
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http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090419/NEWS01/904190385/1001
Kawaiaha'o Church has halted construction of its $17.5 million multipurpose center after workers dug up 69 human remains, most of which were intact and in coffins when they were excavated.A consultant hired by the church has told state officials that another 83 bodies may be buried at the construction site, making it one of the largest graveyard intrusions on O'ahu.
Many of the burials date back to the 1800s, when Kawaiaha'o, known as "the Westminster Abbey of Hawai'i," operated a cemetery where the new center is being built.
The number of remains exceeds those found at Wal-Mart's Ke'eaumoku location and the Ward Village Shops in Kaka'ako, where building plans were delayed for months after scores of iwi, or Hawaiian bones, were discovered.
It's not clear how many of those found at Kawaiaha'o are of Hawaiian ancestry but there are concerns that the construction work may have encroached onto the burial plots of Hawaiian ali'i, including those of Queen Kapi'olani's family.
Abigail Kawananakoa, Kapi'olani's great-grandniece and an heiress to the Campbell Estate fortune, said her attorneys plan to seek an injunction against the church and called on Kawaiaha'o's leadership to step down.
"This is a desecration and a grievous wound. The people of Kawaiaha'o preserve the best of Hawaiian traditions and they, too, are victims," Kawananakoa said.
"Responsibility for this rests with the church leaders and paid experts that misled and abused the trust of the congregation and community. They should immediately resign and fulfill their financial and moral obligations to make this pono no Hawai'i pono'i."
Frank Pestana, chairman of Kawaiaha'o's board of trustees, said Kawananakoa's family plot was not affected by the construction activities.
"The congregation will be saddened that, while Ms. Kawananakoa is not a member of the church, she is placing her personal agenda above the church and the wishes of the congregation, including other members of her family," Pestana said.
"The church has gone to extraordinary lengths to contact families with loved ones in the cemetery. They have all been supportive of the project and the church's approach to dealing with any burials that may be discovered during the construction process."
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