Post #307830 by Koolau on Mon, May 21, 2007 1:16 AM

Thanks for bringing some reality to this topic, Kaiwaza. Ali'i were buried under heiau, or their bones were placed in caves. Regular kanaka were buried everywhere, and since I've seen estimates that the pre-contact population of Hawaii was about the same as today, that's a lot of burials.

Construction projects often unearth human remains - they just seem to be everywhere. A whole state agency deals with relocation of human remains - it is not an unusual occurance. There is a large burial mound at Kapiolani Park where Kalakaua Avenue ends, just across the road from Queen's Beach. I believe there's a couple hundred sets of remains there, re-interred with proper respect and ceremony.

I found in the Honolulu Star Bulletin that the suit brought to prevent Wal-Mart from re-locating the remains was thrown out of court in 2005, as the plaintiffs were not found to have standing to bring the lawsuit. The state proposed a heavy fine against the archeological consultant, who vigorously denied improperly handling the human remains. I can't find the outcome of that action, but the consultant is on the 2007 list of state-approved archeological consultants.

As to the impact on tourism - all three (or is it four?) Wal-Marts on Oahu are not in "tourist" areas. If tourists go to Wal-Mart, it is because they seek it out. Some tourists want to lay on the beach, some want to experience local culture, some want to shop.

Consider this: the highest grossing Cheesecake Factory restaurant in the USA is located in Waikiki. Is going to the Cheesecake Factory, or Wal-Mart, a desireable part of a Hawaiian vacation? Apparently so.