Cultural Impact Assessment: Proposed Wailua Shoreline Protection Project, Puna District, Island Of Kauaʻi
At the request of WSP USA, on behalf of the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation (HDOT), ASM Affiliates (ASM) is preparing a Cultural Impact Assessment in support of the proposed Kūhiō Highway Emergency Shoreline Mitigation at Wailua Beach, Wailua Ahupuaʻa, Puna District, Island of Kauaʻi. HDOT, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is planning to undertake installation of an un-grouted rock revetment and installation of rip rap shoreline protection to protect highway infrastructure from extreme storm events.
The Area of Potential Effects (APE) entails a 0.36-mile-long stretch of Kūhiō Highway from approximately the middle of the road ma kai to the ocean with an area of approximately 63 acres and includes the following TMKs: (4) 3-9-006:012, 4-1-004:001, 4-1-004:020, 4-1-004:999, 4-1-005:004, 4-1-005:014, 4-1-005:017, and 4-1-005:999 and extending from the vicinity of Kuamoʻo Road toward the vicinity of Papaloa Road. ASM is in search of kamaʻāina (persons with genealogical connections or are familiar from childhood with the ʻāina) of Wailua. ASM is seeking information about the area’s cultural resources and/or cultural uses of the APE and vicinity; and cultural practices that have occurred traditionally and/or continue within the APE and vicinity. ASM is also seeking input regarding strategies to prevent or mitigate potential impacts on culturally valued resources or traditional customary practices. If you have and are willing to share any information, please contact Chad Kaimanu Jackson, [email protected], phone (805) 748-5898 *note area code, at ASM Affiliates 1601 Kapiʻolani St., Suite 950, Honolulu, HI 96814. Mahalo Nui Loa.
Ka Paʻakai Analysis: Kalihiwai, Haleleʻa, Kauaʻi
Ka Paʻakai Analysis: Single-family residence at Kalihiwai, Haleleʻa, Kauaʻi, Helen Wong Smith, PhD, Historical and Archival Consultant, at the request of McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon LLP, is conducting a Ka Paʻakai Analysis for a fee simple single-family residence on 1.002 acres at 3093 Kalihiwai Road, ahupuaʻa o Kalihiwai, moku o Haleleʻa, mokupuni o Kauaʻi, TMK: (4) 5-3-003:040. The proposed project will be limited to 3,541 sq.ft., 16% of the property. Wong Smith seeks your knowledge, insight, and input on the following topics:
- Your knowledge of traditional cultural practices within the proposed project area and ahupuaʻa o Kalihiwai.
- The different natural resources associated with your specific cultural practice
- Referrals to other kūpuna, kamaʻāina, and traditional cultural practitioners knowledgeable about the proposed project area and ahupuaʻa o Kalihiwai.
- Your comments or thoughts on the potential impacts the proposed project may have on cultural sites, practices, and resources within the proposed project area and ahupuaʻa o Kalihiwai.
If you are interested in participating in this study, please contact Helen Wong Smith, PhD, at [email protected].
NMNH Repatriation Office to Begin Consultation on the ʻAhuʻula of Kekuaokalani
The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Smithsonian Institution, is subject to the repatriation provisions of the National Museum of the American Indian Act. As part of these requirements, the NMNH Repatriation Program invites consultation regarding the cultural affiliation of an ʻahuʻula belonging to Chief Kekuaokalani recently returned for safekeeping at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
The ʻahuʻula (feathered cloak) belonged to Keaoua Kekuaokalani and following his death on 21 December 1819 at battle at Kuamoʻo, near Keauhou Bay on Hawaiʻi Island, the ʻahuʻula was taken by Kamehameha II (1797-1824). The ʻahu’ula then passed to Kamehameha III (1814-1854) who gifted the ʻahuʻula to U.S. Navy Commodore John Henry Aulick (c. 1791-1873) in 1841. Aulick deposited the ʻahuʻula at the Smithsonian in 1869.
The Repatriation Office would like to get a fuller understanding of the ʻahuʻula as a cultural entity and to learn about the responsibilities of those who have the authority to make decisions regarding its disposition. To do this, we are planning a series of meetings and conversations to be held in Hawaiʻi and remotely.
The first of a series of consultations will take place on Oct. 5, 2026, from 3:00-6:00 p.m. at Kamehameha Schools’ Kahaluʻu Ma Kai facility in Keauhou, Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi Island. Interested and related parties are invited to participate. Individual meetings with the Repatriation Office staff may also be arranged. For more information, please email [email protected].
