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Re: Bishop Museum backs down
The infighting that is occurring among the various Hawaiian groups is a little disconcerting to me; can there not be one united voice with representation from the many clans to speak for the kanaka maoli? Does everything have to be shrouded in politics?
For me, I cannot see this happening. What I mean is that having one voice. Like with any other entity, be it government, company, family, etc., you will always have different views. Certainly not a bad thing contrary to what others may try to make it out to be. But they certainly could talk their differences out. But it's obvious that they really haven't been. I guess part of it too is b/c one group tends to take control and is the well known one unlike the numerous others. Moreso b/c NAGPRA (I think it was that) mentioned Hui Malama and OHA and not any other organization.
I had explained to my friend a scenario about the graveyard where my family including my father is buried, less than a 10 minute walk to the beach. I said to him what would happen if 50 years from now there is a huge tidal wave that damages the graveyard and for some reason make all these old coffins, bones and everything else come up. Then they decide to make things easier, they just rebury everything there, or just cover it up with dirt. They decide to move or start a new cemetary and abandon that one.
Then 50 more years go by. So now we're talking the year 2104. And for some reason the old cemetary and/or its boundries are either confused or totally forgotten. So they sell the land. But nothing is done till probably 20 more years when the land is sold to someone else. Now we're talking the year 2124, and they decide to build (by this time) a shopping center. And guess what.....they find a bunch of bones! But not just bones, they find jewelry and other personal items that were probably buried with these individuals. So now what? What are they going to do?
Well, they decide to move them, of course. I would hate to think that not only are my relatives but my father's bones were moved elsewhere, PLUS what about all the items that my other relatives shoved into the coffin of my aunt? I remember as young as I was, I believe it was my aunt's pearl necklace placed into her coffin.
So I told my friend, what would be best to handle them? Is it right for people to put my aunt's necklace in a museum? Is it right for them to now move my father's bones elsewhere b/c where we had buried my father 125 years prior, really doesn't matter anymore b/c of time that passed?
But you are also right Miulang, an Ashinaabek (sp?) told me that we never see Christian or any other group of religious sect, as well as any other ethnic person (non-indigenous) have their bones being dug up.
Originally posted by Miulang
The infighting that is occurring among the various Hawaiian groups is a little disconcerting to me; can there not be one united voice with representation from the many clans to speak for the kanaka maoli? Does everything have to be shrouded in politics?
I had explained to my friend a scenario about the graveyard where my family including my father is buried, less than a 10 minute walk to the beach. I said to him what would happen if 50 years from now there is a huge tidal wave that damages the graveyard and for some reason make all these old coffins, bones and everything else come up. Then they decide to make things easier, they just rebury everything there, or just cover it up with dirt. They decide to move or start a new cemetary and abandon that one.
Then 50 more years go by. So now we're talking the year 2104. And for some reason the old cemetary and/or its boundries are either confused or totally forgotten. So they sell the land. But nothing is done till probably 20 more years when the land is sold to someone else. Now we're talking the year 2124, and they decide to build (by this time) a shopping center. And guess what.....they find a bunch of bones! But not just bones, they find jewelry and other personal items that were probably buried with these individuals. So now what? What are they going to do?
Well, they decide to move them, of course. I would hate to think that not only are my relatives but my father's bones were moved elsewhere, PLUS what about all the items that my other relatives shoved into the coffin of my aunt? I remember as young as I was, I believe it was my aunt's pearl necklace placed into her coffin.
So I told my friend, what would be best to handle them? Is it right for people to put my aunt's necklace in a museum? Is it right for them to now move my father's bones elsewhere b/c where we had buried my father 125 years prior, really doesn't matter anymore b/c of time that passed?
But you are also right Miulang, an Ashinaabek (sp?) told me that we never see Christian or any other group of religious sect, as well as any other ethnic person (non-indigenous) have their bones being dug up.
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