Bill Text: HI HR139 | 2019 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urging The Chairperson Of The Board Of Land And Natural Resources To Rename The Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park In Waimea, Kauai, To Paulaula.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 15-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-14 - Referred to WLH, JUD, referral sheet 33 [HR139 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2019-HR139-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	139
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

Urging the chairperson of the BOARD OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO RENAME THE RUSSIAN FORT ELIZABETH STATE HISTORICAL PARK IN WAIMEA, Kaua‘i, to pĀ‘ula‘ula.

 

 

     WHEREAS, King Kaumuali‘i was born in 1780 at Pōhaku Ho‘ohānau at Holoholokū, Wailua, Kaua‘i, to Kamakahelei and Kā‘eokūlani; and

 

     WHEREAS, Pā‘ula‘ula is the traditional place name for the eastern bank at the mouth of the Waimea River where Kaumuali‘i had his royal compound, including a heiau; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 1815, the Russian-American Company ship Bering was shipwrecked on the beach in Waimea, Kaua‘i; and

 

     WHEREAS, in December 1815, the Russian-American Company sent Georg Anton Schäffer to Kaua‘i to recover the cargo from the Bering; and

 

     WHEREAS, an alliance was created between Schäffer and Kaumuali‘i for the construction of a fort at Pā‘ula‘ula using the rock from the heiau and a largely Hawaiian labor force; however, the Russians were expelled from Kaua‘i in 1817; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaiian government completed the half-finished structure and used the fort until 1864; and

 

     WHEREAS, many names have been given to this enclosure, which reflect its cultural significance and multicultural history, such as Pā‘ula‘ula, Fort Elizabeth, stone fort, and my fort; and

 

     WHEREAS, Pā‘ula‘ula is a term applied to the fort by Kahopuhopula, a Hawaiian testifying before a Land Commission hearing and there are two other heiau in Waimea, Kaua‘i known as Kapā‘ula; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 1972, the State of Hawai‘i acquired the seventeen-acre property encompassing the fort structure to preserve the site; and

 

     WHEREAS, the site, administered as the Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962 and listed on the Hawai‘i Register of Historic Places in 1981; and

 

     WHEREAS, the two hundredth anniversary of the fort was commemorated with a forum on Kaua‘i in 2017; and

 

     WHEREAS, in March 2018, a working group, consisting of representatives from various cultural and historical organizations on Kaua‘i, government agencies, and the Russian-American community, formed to discuss the future of the site; and

 

     WHEREAS, the working group's objectives include recognizing and sharing the Hawaiian history of the site as part of the larger history of Waimea and Kaua‘i and reaching out to the community to discuss proposed name changes for the Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park; and

 

     WHEREAS, this body supports the Kaua‘i community representatives, who believe the name Pā‘ula‘ula should be included and honored, so that the mo‘olelo of this wahi pana is shared and the ‘āina that cares for the iwi kupuna is honored; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawai‘i's place names should reflect the State's cultural heritage and its historical and geographical integrity; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, that the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources is urged to rename the Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park in Waimea, Kaua‘i, to Pā‘ula‘ula; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chairperson is also urged to develop new interpretive signs, brochures, and websites for the site that are available in Hawaiian and English and primarily reflect the ‘āina of Kaua‘i's ali‘i nui, as well as the rich multicultural history of the site; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of State Parks is urged to collaborate with the National Park Service to update the National Historic Landmark designation of the site and incorporate its Hawaiian place name, its multicultural history, and recent research findings by Hawaiian, American, and Russian scholars; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Secretary of the Interior; National Park Service Director; Governor; Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources; Chair of the Board of Trustees, Office of Hawaiian Affairs; and Mayors of the City and County of Honolulu and Counties of Maui, Kaua‘i, and Hawai‘i.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park; Pā‘ula‘ula; Renaming