L.

Kamokalani Sausen

Na wai e hola I n iwi?

Who will save the bones?
(Who will care for one in old age and in death?)1001

Here in Hawaii we often call elders aunty and uncle out of respect. There is a
lady known as Aunty to all in the district of Halelea on Kauai. Aunty Louise is a
motherly figure in the community of the North Shore. She is the one people go to when
they are at their lowest or in need of help and guidance. She is a modern day warrior not
afraid to speak her mind no matter the opposition. She is the aunty they call to kkua
when a loved one has passed. She is the one they call when there is a pina of any kind.
She is the first one there to help set up and the last one there to clean up and break down.
She is a talented florist and has decorated many events out of the kindness of her
immense heart, tents filled with exquisite colors and lush flowers. She cant resist sharing
a hula as a special gift of her memorable aloha. When she dances the love resounds from
her heart through her fingertips. Watching her, my eyes swell up, because of this
immense feeling she shares. The aloha she radiates brings forth a smile in which reflects
her squinty smile that lights up her entire face. Tall and skinny with frizzy hair
highlighted with wisdom grey. Wisdom and strength she has overcome many challenges
as a women, as a kanaka, as a mother or aunty to all.

1 Baldauf,

Natasha, and Malia Akutagawa. Hoi Hou I Ka Iwikuanoo: A Legal Primer

for the Protection of Iwi Kpuna in Hawaii Nei, Page 75.

L. Kamokalani Sausen

Aunty Louise was awoken from a deep sleep and beep, beep, beep. A house fire
alarm was sounded. Aunty Louise rolled out of bed and walked outside in the dark pitch
black on the dirt road, and she approached to open her sleepy eyes to see what was going
on. She questioned: what was the sound and where exactly was it coming from? She
heard it coming from a neighboring house, no fire and this kept happening many times
from the start of construction of one of the last properties to be developed along the
beach, sitting on the point known as Naue, once popular for the many p hala.
This beachfront property was small and triangular shaped, undergoing
construction by Joe Brescia. This property was a part of a proposed land development
that was bought in the 80s by actor Sylvester Stallone for $1.75 million and sold when
community members opposed his plans to build a condominium in a residential area.2
Aunty Louise realized the alarm was not for a fire but it was a signal that the construction
crew had hit human remains, our iwi kpuna. This was a start of a struggle that impacted
many Knaka. It was especially hard for Aunty Louise because she lived right across the
street from the hana ino that was occurring. A State archaeologist, Nancy McMahon was
called to monitor and The Burial Council meetings soon began. I attended the meetings
with my Mother, Aunty Louise. These meetings were to determine the fate of the Kpuna
that remained in their special resting place. This place was known by kpuna as a lele, a
jumping point for the uhane into the next realm.

http://kauaieclectic.blogspot.com/2013/05/musings-abuse-chronicles-18.html

L. Kamokalani Sausen

Aunty Louise traveled to Kauai after a divorce from an abusive husband in the
late 70s. She wasnt alone she had three children to raise and needed a safe place to do
so. It was hard for her being a single mother but the North Shore community really took
her in and helped her out. She got to know and love the community. That saying, it takes
a village to raise children, came to life in a place she could now call home. Whenever
you come from some place else, you know you have to respect the people that are from
there, and stuff yeah, so I always had that, the elders were really awesome and you know
inspiring. 3Among those elders a manawahine called Aunty Kalehua Ham Young, better
known as the matriarch of Hanalei. Aunty Louise recalls her first time to Naue was when
Aunty Kalehuas son Shane and Lorris wedding celebration was at camp Naue. And
boy I saw this beach and it was just like, it was pretty heavy I was kinda freaked out and I
asked her what was up with the beach out there, Oh plenty people they buried over
there Aunty Kalehua, so I always felt that was a place to be respected and cared for not
built on.4 The Kanaka iwi families accepted her so well, shared so much, it was like
family, she was so honored to be a part of this ohana.

A tall skinny lady with frizzy hair and smooth brown skin is greeted by her
friends Aunty Puanani Rogers and Kauilani Mahuka, a long hug was felt but their hearts
sat heavy for their work to follow. They were there for one reason and that was for the
iwi kpuna. These women for a short moment are comforted by each other and have the
strength to enter the room and confront the male controlling developer seeking to build a

3 Louise Sausen, March 4, 2016 , Personal communication.
4 Ibid,.

L. Kamokalani Sausen

vacation rental over the wahi pana, the iwi kpuna, a burial ground. This was the first of
many meetings concerning the iwi being revealed at Naue. The meeting was emotional
you could feel the cries of the iwi and the need to protect them from harm in our plead to
leave the iwi alone and rethink the building of the home on our kpuna. When Aunty
Louise spoke, her voice was loud and it had power, her voice vibrated, you could tell she
was heartbroken and when she gave her testimony. My eyes welled up with tears, you
could really feel her despair, you could feel the kaumaha. Joe Brescia didnt say anything
or expressed any sign of remorse. Who knows what he was thinking but we all knew he
was rich and had his own profiting ideas for the property. I would have pity on him if this
were a property that he saved all his hard earned money and didnt realize there was the
threat of having iwi kpuna on property. Years before he bought a property just three
doors down and found iwi kpuna and reinterred them under the septic tank under the
master bedroom. After night after night of his wife having no sleep they reinterred the iwi
kpuna again, this time placing them under a phaku near the side of the yard facing the
beach.
Our spirits were dampened but Aunty Louise received a call that her third
grandchild was born. It was a boy and his name was Kainalu, which means, go with the
flow. We got to the hospital and our tears were now from joy. Aunty Louise was in love
with this little boy. She helped her daughter in law and was in pure bliss. On our car ride
home we had a moment, we reflected on the meeting, with mixed emotions, sad but
happy to stand up for our iwi kpuna. These burials are solely women and children and

L. Kamokalani Sausen

were dated pre-contact, meaning sometime before the period of 1778.5 Aunty Louise
thinking of her love for her children and now her grandchildren could not wrap her head
around why some man would ever consider building over 30 women and children.
She felt a sense of kuleana, she saw with the ike and felt with the manao to do
something, protect the iwi kpuna. She tried to be a voice for Kpuna whom could no
longer speak for themselves. She got involved because she discovered that all the
development of private beachfront properties, in their building process if they found
bones they wouldnt tell you or anyone they would just move along and build their house.
She had to be on watch and be proactive in calling the archeologist and get the Burial
Council involved. She felt no one cared, not the government, not even the Burial council
because their attitude was, hey the owner is gonna build so lets move them. But Aunty
Louise didnt like any of those options.
You see she was gifted, in a path her kpuna set forth. Louise Marie Kaiulani
Ledward Sausen had a very special name. Her tt wahine named her Kaiulani with the
meaning the connection from the past to present. She didnt realize the full disclosure of
her name until one day I brought her along with me on a Protect Kahoolawe Ohana
access through Kauai Community College on her 50th birthday. Sadly the whole island
had forgone horrendous abuse of destruction and bombing desecration. The PKO and
many brave knaka alongside George Helm and uncle Kimo Mitchell who went missing
in efforts to protect Kahoolawe, occupied and strategically protested against the
bombing. Now with access and no development it is a place we got to experience what it

5 Baldauf,

Natasha, and Malia Akutagawa. Hoi Hou I Ka Iwikuanoo: A Legal Primer

for the Protection of Iwi Kpuna in Hawaii Nei, Page 119.

L. Kamokalani Sausen

could have been like a looking glass to the past still, it felt like a bubble because you
could still see Mauis city lights in the distance. It was a chance to get to connect with our
culture, kpuna, and self-identity. She seeked refuge there because she felt no one was
paying attention or caring for the iwi kpuna. She connected to a place in Hakiowa, Haleo-papa a place where women and children were buried. She found a balance with her
name and the connection of the past and present. Living in the present, she never knew
the connection until she was there in the past. It helped her be balanced and accept what
was going on, to be the voice.
Structures placed multiple hurdles in this fight to protect the iwi kpuna. Our
hope was letting the burial stay in place where they were meant to be with no
development to remain. There were many issues and loopholes within the legal
framework that lead to desecration. The planning commission granted building permits to
Joe Brescia before the iwi kpuna were found. This was his golden ticket and he
proceeded to build even before proper burial treatment plan was finalized. Burials
werent looked at as a whole site, rather individual sites. Burials werent traditionally
labeled so to claim cultural affiliation with these iwi kpuna you had to have paperwork
connecting you to the land or to kpuna buried there, which is very complicated. He
ordered to cement cap the burials and proceeded to build his vacation rental. Today this 3
bedroom /3 bathroom vacation home is on the market for $5,750,000.6 There is no label
of burials on property so whoever purchases their dream home will be in for quite a
surprise. There is also no easy access to burials for knaka to pay respects. This is just
one story of desecration not including a parallel properties and one in which they found a

6 http://www.hawaiilife.com/mls/kauai/north+shore/haena/275318?page=2

L. Kamokalani Sausen

gut wrenching 60 burials in which 3 vacation rentals now sit on. These landowners could
have been sensitive to the culture in place and have some respect for the iwi kpuna that
called this place home long before they became landowners.
I would have preferred at the very least made a special phaku ahu made
on the ocean side with burials, that way, I rather they not be moved and
protected in place with nothing above it but if there were only choice was
to remove and reinter, so whenever you go to the beach and you have your
grandchildren they could see all the ahu, and they ask you, tt what is
that you can say that is all your kpuna. All those homes desecrated their
graves, so now thats where we put all their bones, easier connection, but
if not you have to have permission from land owner to see them, and you
dont know where they put them on the property.7
Aunty Louise was one of the knaka whom was slapped with a million dollar
lawsuit against her for disrupting the landowners building plans, it was later dropped with
a dollar payment be made to Joe Brescia and a promise to never bad mouth him within
the community, the lawsuit remains open and if she breaches the agreement she could be
sued once again. She refused to pay the dollar and no longer mentions his name. This not
only put stress on her but also her family. She was at risk for a million dollar lawsuit
when her family didnt have the money to even pay a lawyer. Her husband was worried
they would take their property because it was the only thing worth so much in this time of
prime real estate. I saw the issue consume her and was worried for her health.

7 Louise Sausen, March 4, 2016 , Personal communication.

L. Kamokalani Sausen

I talked from my naau and how I feel as a Kanaka Maoli. Cant you tell
its a cemetery? How come they never studied this area? This whole area
Naue they wrote songs about this place. Its a lele a significant point in
Hawaiian culture. I was like, back in the day was spooky before you think
these spirits would be lying not saying anything, are they gone? Because
nobody saying nothing, only the ones who sit and listen can hear. They are
still there the world is so busy, but they are there. I learned our kpuna is
still alive and sometimes with the American government and political
leaders, sometimes setting precedence is greater than just stopping from
building 8

You cannot do nothing, you must fight even if you loose.9 Haunani Kay Trasks
words are encouraging powerful words which resonate with my naau, it reminds me that
we must never give up, no matter how large the obstacle or intimidating the structure we
face. Aunty Louise showcased her perseverance and fearless spirit. She did everything
she possibly could do to protect the iwi kpuna while staying true to her values, a
precedence is now set. We learned more about State Historical Preservation Division, the
burial council, and the hierarchy of the permit processing. Aunty Louise has gone
through a great deal and survived. Through this lived experience she is able to share and
encourage the younger generations to continue to be steadfast in standing up for our
culture, values, and the protection of iwi kpuna. She recently faced her biggest lost, the

8 Ibid,.

9 Haunani Kay Trask, Noho Hewa documentary

L. Kamokalani Sausen

lost of her first-born son. She is on a journey to live through this great grief and I know
she will overcome. She turned 60 this past year and is a foster parent to her grandsons
whom are 2 and 5 years old. They challenge her at her older age but little do they know
whom they are dealing with. Her moopuna give her hope for the future and healing.
They have little mannerisms of my brother and do things that make us laugh and smile.
With this warmth his spirit lives on in our hearts just like the precious iwi kpuna at
Naue. Never forgotten, may they rest in peace.

This experience and guidance from my mother has motivated me to achieve

higher education in the field of Anthropology & Hawaiian Studies. With knowledge
gained I hope to share and elevate our lhui by inspiring the youth about the significance
of cultural resource management. There is a great need for knaka in the discipline of
Archaeology and for Hawaii archaeologist to be properly trained in Hawaiian protocol.
Archaeology often conflicts with Hawaiian values due to its invasive matter and is
challenging for knaka to be in this type of discipline. Hopefully with an increase of welltrained knaka in the field our iwi kpuna will be protected again in the highest regards.

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Works cited

Baldauf, Natasha, and Malia Akutagawa. Hoi Hou I Ka Iwikuanoo: A Legal Primer for
the Protection of Iwi Kpuna in Hawaii Nei.
http://www.hawaiilife.com/mls/kauai/north+shore/haena/275318?page=2
http://kauaieclectic.blogspot.com/2013/05/musings-abuse-chronicles-18.html
Kelly, Anne Keala. Noho Hewa, a documentary film. Jan. 2010.
Sausen, Loiuse M. K. Telephone interview. 4 Mar. 2016.

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