A resolution asking the census to renominate Captain Cook as Ka’awaloa moved to the State Senate.
Concurrent House Resolution 27 calls on the U.S. Census Bureau to redesignate the census-designated place known as Captain Cook on the island of Hawaii as Ka’awaloa. It further asks Hawaii County to remove all references to Captain Cook as a place name.
Introduced by Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D-Naalehu, Ocean View, Captain Cook and Kailua-Kona) and others, the UNHCR27, if passed, would not have the force of law, but rather would set out the official position of the Legislature.
The proposal cleared its final House mission by passing the Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee on April 5 on a 9-to-1 vote with two “yes” votes with reservations. The only negative vote was submitted by Rep. Gene Ward (R-Oahu).
Evidence heard at the April 5 meeting was overwhelmingly supportive of the renaming of the city of South Kona. Some 53 people and groups offered written testimony on the issue with only three opposing the resolution. One person testified but did not take a position.
Among the supporters of the measure was Mehana Kihoi, one of only two people to testify via Zoom during the hearing. The other witness at the hearing was Mitchell Lee, who opposes the resolution.
“I live in nearby Honaunau and every day for 38 years I have been forced to acknowledge the historic trauma and genocide that Captain Cook inflicted on my people over 200 years ago,” Kihoi said. , noting that she represents six Aboriginal people. Hawaiian members of his household. “Just being around, hearing that name spoken daily, changed my energetic relationship with that ‘aina. There is absolutely nothing honorable about irreparably damaging the continuity of the indigenous peoples of this land.
Kihoi pushed back against changing the name to “cancel culture”.
“A common argument I’ve seen is the idea that it nullifies culture, a phrase that was coined by settlers with no genealogical ties to this land, a phrase that is not only offensive but also grossly inaccurate. What we are doing here is to fix the culture and restore the pono and the integrity of the island,” she said, noting that more than 2,600 signatures had been collected in support of the new designation.
Mitchell Lee, a resident of Captain Cook for 30 years, said the 12 to 15 people he interviewed informally who lived or worked in the town thought it was a bad idea to rename it Ka’awaloa. . He said attempts to glean additional information from Kapela about community support for the proposal were unsuccessful.
“I have always respected and loved learning about native Hawaiian culture, but I have to say that the proposed name change really has little to do with Hawaiian culture but a lot to do with cancel culture,” he said. declared. “I’m not sure with all that’s going on in the world if this is the right thing to do, it will have a financial toll on both the city and county of Hawaii as well as small businesses like myself. .”
He concluded with a request for a non-binding referendum to determine whether the Captain Cook community, in fact, wants the name change.
“I was very impressed with the testimony from both sides. I’m seeing more and more of what’s happening at ground level, but like in Mckinley High School’s proposal to change the name once they’ve spoken to those on the ground – i.e. alumni — they said hey, back off,” Ward said before voting no on the resolution. “I’d like to see the 2,600 signatures if it’s from the people of Captain Cook or what would be a plebiscite to get a better read and maybe it’s from Rep Kapela but at the moment I’m still in the negative category .”
Captain Cook, located between Honaunau and Kealakekua in South Kona, was so named after a post office established at the Captain Cook Coffee Co. in the early 1900s. The coffee company was named after the Captain James Cook, the British explorer and navigator and first European to discover Hawaii, later killed in Kealakekua Bay on February 14, 1779.
Previously, the area was known as Ka’awaloa and was home to a thriving Hawaiian village and the haunt of many Kona chiefs, including King Kamehameha I.
The area’s new designation as Ka’awaloa is essential to recognizing and honoring Hawaii’s rich and rich history, according to the resolution.
The resolution is currently pending a hearing before the Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee.
