It is difficult to overstate the loss to all Americans—but especially Native Hawaiians—that occurred when central Lahaina burned last August. Most devastating are the lives lost and the families forever altered. The fire also dealt a blow to Lahaina's rich Native Hawaiian history and heritage, destroying centuries-old buildings and vital cultural sites.
Lahaina will rebuild. The resilience of the community and the valiant recovery efforts already underway ensure it. The crucial question is this: Can Lahaina rebuild in a way that honors and restores the Native Hawaiian history and heritage reflected in the destroyed sites and buildings? After meeting with local, state, and federal officials as head of the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, I firmly believe it can and must.
Even before the fire, too much of Lahaina's history had already been erased. The county government filled in fishponds and waterways—including the Loko o Mokuhinia fishpond, which delivered fish to the royal court and surrounded the home of Kamehameha III, for a softball field and tennis courts. Prominent residences and sacred sites fell from disinvestment and redevelopment. A taro patch located near the water's edge—one of many sites where traditional agriculture integrated with urban life—was paved over, too. The county even stomped out traditional Native Hawaiian street names—including Alanui Moi (the road of the kings)—in favor of Americanized ones.
Rebuilding efforts now can't undo harms of the past. But we can ensure they are not repeated.
The federal government must do what it can to support the restoration and reconstruction of sites lost. The Advisory Council, for one, has moved to implement our recent Policy Statement on Indigenous Knowledge and Historic Preservation, which specifically calls for the recognition of the profound insights provided by the body of information and beliefs held by Indigenous Peoples, including Native Hawaiians, in the regulatory review process we oversee.
In accordance with that statement, I have proposed an exemption from our process for any site restoration activities led or managed by Native Hawaiian organizations. That means that the restoration or reconstruction of the fishponds, waterways, taro patch, buildings, and sacred sites associated with Native Hawaiian history can happen without delay or added cost. Consultation with Native Hawaiians and public engagement on the proposal is underway, and I'm hopeful that the exemption will be approved promptly.
Prioritizing the reconstruction of sites lost represents a departure from mainstream preservation approaches. For far too long, preservationists have disfavored reconstruction. In the eyes of some, reconstruction using historic techniques but new materials is akin to "faking history" or creating something inauthentic.
I disagree. In recovering after World War II, many bombed-out cities rebuilt centuries-old structures according to the same plans used when they were first erected. While the war and the lost lives would never be forgotten, in some ways the rebuilding facilitated healing. Urban historians and planning scholars have noted that Warsaw, among other places, actually re-emerged stronger than before.
Lahaina has used this technique in the past. The Waiola Church, originally built in 1823, and adjacent to the cemetery that is the final resting place for members of the Hawaiian royal family, has already been rebuilt twice before, and its current incarnation was included in the National Historic Landmark district. And during a recent visit to Maui, I and former ACHP Tribal Member Reno Franklin met a cultural monitor who had painstakingly unearthed a blocks-long waterway, following its historic path.
Lahaina has suffered tremendous loss. By making history and heritage central to the rebuilding effort, we can forge a new type of recovery—one that can in some small part heal the layers of loss, from both the fire and the attempted erasures before it.
Sara C. Bronin is the chair of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, an independent federal agency that promotes the preservation of our nation's diverse historic resources and advises the president and Congress on national historic preservation policy.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
