Hawaii
How finding a skeleton in a Hawaii cave changed this man’s life
Keoni Alvarez was just an 8-year-old boy when his Native Hawaiian family made a startling discovery 35 years ago. Deep in the forests of the Big Island of Hawaii, his brothers found a hidden cave when they were playing near their home in Puna — and inside the cave, they found iwi, or human skeletal remains.
Their mother called the police, and with the help of a state archaeologist, they determined that it wasn’t a missing person or homicide but part of an ancient Hawaiian burial.
Now knowing that it was there, Alvarez developed a strong sense of responsibility to the iwi. His family acted as guardians over the cave, keeping it a secret, until encroaching development made that impossible.
In the early 2000s, the affordable land around them was parceled and sold, including the burial ground. When Alvarez and his mom saw the landowner and a bulldozer leveling the land, they confronted them, yelling and demanding that they stop.
“He wanted to bulldoze the burial cave to build over it,” the now-43-year-old Alvarez told SFGATE. “I was heartbroken and sad that foreigners would ever do such a thing.”
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
Alvarez thought the state would have intervened, knowing that his family had documented the find years ago. He called the Hawaii State Historic Preservation Division, a department entrusted with protecting Hawaii’s historic places, and Alvarez learned that it had lost the file.
In Hawaii, construction must stop if human remains are found, and developers must inform the state about it so it can investigate. Whether or not the developer does that, however, is based on an honor code system. Even if a burial is there, the state still allows purchasing of the property, and if the developer follows a government burial process, it can even be built over.
In this case, Alvarez said the landowner knew there was a burial site, but since the state had lost the record and didn’t provide any mandatory procedure, the landowner claimed ignorance.
“An archaeologist retired, and they lost the records,” said Alvarez, “so I had to actually play catch-up before the burial was going to get desecrated.”
In disbelief of the problems he was facing, Alavarez, a filmmaker, picked up a camera to document his fight to save the burial cave that lasted 23 years.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
“I thought there were laws that protected these kinds of places,” he said. “And realizing that it was a problem, I decided to start to document and interview people, you know, different elders.” His completed documentary film “Kapu: Sacred Hawaiian Burials” premiered at the Maui Film Festival last year and can be streamed on PBS.
Through the years, he has become an expert in sacred Hawaiian burials. He studied the different processes of traditional burials, how to care for them and the laws governing their protection. He went on TV news and talk shows to raise awareness of the loopholes developers use to desecrate them and how much the laws differ from the belief of Native Hawaiians.
“Because the state only protects from the top down, they don’t protect like the integrity of the cave. And throughout history, in our culture, when you put one burial within a cave, the whole cave is considered a burial site,” said Alvarez. “That was part of their eternal life, and how and where they believe that their souls and their spirits have gone.”
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
“I found out that my family actually came from this area,” Alvarez said. “That’s the Kaui lineage, and that is my family name and my great-great-grandmother was actually from Hawaii Island, which I didn’t know.”
This new realization allowed Alvarez to be recognized officially by the state as a descendant of the iwi. The new status required the government body overseeing the burial to duly consider and give “appropriate weight” to Alvarez’s wishes when determining what to do with the burial on the landowners’ property, whether that means moving it or not, or building over it.
As he was campaigning for the protection of the cave, he received a text from the owner saying that he would sell him the property for $50,000. Alvarez started fundraising to purchase the land, but then something else unexpected happened: He received a letter in the mail from a real estate agent, who said the landowner had died.
“There were three developers on that property and they all passed away,” Alvarez said. “There was a Realtor who was trying to sell it. She passed away under weird circumstances. The landowner passed away within like two or three months of what he was wanting to do.”
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
Alvarez ultimately bought the land from the beneficiaries so he could control what’s done to the property. “But for me, that’s not how we’re supposed to be doing it and there should be laws that already gives a mandatory buffer zone around these places to protect it, and we shouldn’t be saying that, ‘Oh, well, we got to try and raise the money to protect it,’” said Alvarez, who’s also become a teacher and author of a book on traditional Hawaiian burial practices.
He has since bought two other burial properties to watch over and protect from development while he advocates for a separate Hawaiian board not governed by the state that can ensure Hawaiian burials are not destroyed.
“People are still developing on burials. There’s no real law to stop them,” Alvarez said.
Editor’s note: SFGATE recognizes the importance of diacritical marks in the Hawaiian language. We are unable to use them due to the limitations of our publishing platform.
We have a newsletter all about Hawaii, with news, tips and in-depth features from the Aloha state. Sign up here.
Hawaii
Hawaii surfing competition 'The Eddie' braces for 50-foot waves Sunday | Latest Weather Clips | FOX Weather
Hawaii surfing competition ‘The Eddie’ braces for 50-foot waves Sunday
The forecast for massive 50-foot waves in Hawaii prompted the organizers of The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, the premier surfing event in the world, to schedule the event for Sunday. “The Eddie” competition requires consistent 40-foot or higher surf. If Sunday’s event goes on as planned, it’ll be only the 11th time it has happened since 1984.
Hawaii
This Popular Hawaii Resort Has A New 3-Story Penthouse And Renovated Pools With Local Amenities
When it comes to Waikiki’s luxury hotels, the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach, is one of the most beloved properties for frequent visitors to this popular corner of Hawaii. With all its spacious rooms boasting balconies with ocean views and kitchens to ensure a comfortable stay no matter how long your trip may be, it’s a true home away from home, with the added magic that comes with the brand’s phenomenal customer service. To make things better, the resort recently unveiled a collection of new suites and reimagined pools, providing guests an even more elevated experience than before.
Dubbed the Sky Suites, these sumptuous, multi-bedroom accommodations have become the pinnacle of luxury living in Waikiki. Encased in floor-to-ceiling windows, delivering sweeping panoramas of the neighborhood’s namesake beach and the beautiful blue Pacific at every turn, the vistas alone are worth every penny. But once you add in the modern furnishings, full kitchens with Miele appliances, the formal dining spaces, and pristine white marble bathrooms, you’ll never want to look back. To top it all off, they also come with exclusive perks, including roundtrip airport transfers, a dedicated VIP concierge, and a pre-stocked refrigerator with preferred beverages and snacks.
Guests have the option between three- or four-bedroom Sky Suites. The former is a coveted corner unit that features what is arguably the resort’s best view of Diamond Head, along with a sleek, marble kitchen island that’s great for entertaining. The latter is the property’s largest, spanning nearly 3,000 square feet across two floors, and is the only four-bedroom suite in all of Waikiki. It also sports the resort’s biggest kitchen, making it particularly great for private chef dinners, and the double-height living room allows for plenty of natural light to filter in.
But the Ritz-Carlton’s crowning jewel, quite literally, is the Sky Penthouse. Occupying the top floors of the resort’s Diamond Head Tower, this three-story, two-bedroom suite soars 350 feet above Waikiki. The first level houses the living spaces, a kitchen with a wine fridge, one bedroom, and a small media room that also doubles as a great private reading nook. The second floor is entirely dedicated to the master bedroom, but it’s the rooftop that’s the real selling point. Touting one of the neighborhood’s highest infinity plunge pools, the furnished deck also features a hot tub and grill, and is particularly ideal for sundowners.
You won’t need to book the Sky Penthouse for an incredible pool experience, though. The property offers its guests two infinity pools, one of which is an adults-only oasis. Both offer private cabanas, with the options at the family-friendly pool being larger, that come with a mini refrigerator stocked with local beverages and snacks. All guests can also expect a variety of thoughtful pool amenities, including sunscreen service and hourly snacks that pay homage to local favorites, like fresh pineapple dipped in li hing mui. The resort’s popular daily afternoon ritual of complimentary ice cream and sorbet is still available, and now includes an adult version with the addition of sparkling wine float. Quite frankly, there’s enough to keep you at the pool that you may never want to leave.
Hawaii
Last minute shopping at Hawaii Holiday Craft & Gift Fair
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – It’s down to the wire for holiday shoppers, with just a few days until Christmas.
For those looking for last minute gifts, the Hawaii Holiday Craft & Gift Fair is happening this weekend at the Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall.
More than 250 vendors are selling a variety of locally-made products, from clothing and jewelry to food and crafts.
Fair spokesperson Yasmin Dar joined HNN’s Sunrise to talk about the event organized by Sunshine Productions and showcase some of the available products, including scarves from Beads & Things by Kori and candies from the Hawaii Candy Factory, which produces NOMs in local flavors like Banana Lumpia Chocolate Bark, Campfire S’Mores, Peppermint Chocolate Crunch Bark, Li Hing & Lemon Peel Covered Gummies and more.
The fair opens at 10 a.m. and goes until 5 p.m. on Sunday. Buy tickets at the Blaisdell Box Office for $7 per person. Military families and children under 7 years of age are free.
More information and a $2 off coupon can be found at HawaiiHolidayFair.com.
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
-
Politics1 week ago
Canadian premier threatens to cut off energy imports to US if Trump imposes tariff on country
-
Technology1 week ago
OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change
-
Politics1 week ago
U.S. Supreme Court will decide if oil industry may sue to block California's zero-emissions goal
-
Technology1 week ago
Meta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit
-
Business1 week ago
Freddie Freeman's World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sells at auction for $1.56 million
-
Technology1 week ago
Meta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age
-
News1 week ago
East’s wintry mix could make travel dicey. And yes, that was a tornado in Calif.
-
Technology2 days ago
Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps