Work at a construction site near a historic Oahu landmark has come to a halt .. after burial remains were discovered there earlier this month.
Officials at Kawaiahao Church say there were no records of any iwi buried where a new multi-purpose center was to be built.
The new multi-purpose center which will provide more office space, classrooms, bookstore and a social hall is being built within the footprint of a building that was torn down about a year-and-a half ago.
A project that has been in the works since 2002 with a groundbreaking ceremony two months ago.
"We started trenching this year well a little earlier this year and that's when we started finding our iwi-kupuna," says Frank Pestana, Board of Trustees Chair.
Officials thought if they built the new building over where Likeke Hall once stood they would not disrupt any iwi.
"We consciously designed the building to stay within the existing footprint again the whole thought was minimizing impacts to potential discovery remains," says Dawn Chang, Kawaiaha'o Church Cultural Consultant.
Officials say prior to construction old maps and records of the site failed to indicate burial remains existed.
"But over the last three years even prior to the construction we have been meeting with the families who have burial plots above that have already been assigned," says Chang.
After the discovery, 67 burial remains were disinterred.... but Kawaiahao officials say the affected families remain supportive.
"We haven't identified anyone we just identify where they were found," says Pestana.
"We don't know who they are specifically but we do know that they are associated with the cemetery," says Chang.
"The Kupuna are being cared for they are being wrapped in muslim in fact some family members come to the church to help to wrap the iwi and they are all being kept in the sanctuary," says Chang.
And this isn't the first time church members discovered burial remains on the church grounds.
"One-hundred seventeen burials had been disinterred from..... to build Likeke Hall so we had anticipated that we would find some bone fragments and we did," says Chang.
"They understand that the Kupuna be in a permanent place within the cemetery grounds where they can honor them," says Chang.
Church officials are working on new plans to avoid interfering with buried remains.
The project director expects the center to be completed by October 2010.
