[CPProt.net] Hawai. Engineers to advise on artifact retrieval

[Ton Cremers]

Engineers to advise on artifact retrieval
By Alexandre Da Silva
Associated Press

A federal judge selected two engineering firms yesterday to study whether it would be safe to 
unearth a set of Hawaiian artifacts buried in a Big Island cave complex by a Hawaiian group.

The group's executive director, Edward Halealoha Ayau of Molokai, has been in jail since 
Dec. 27, when he was found in contempt of court for refusing to say exactly where the 83 
priceless items were placed.

Chief U.S. District Judge David Ezra picked Englekirk & Sabol Consulting Structural 
Engineers Inc. and Geolabs Inc. to determine what would be the safest way to enter the 
caves and retrieve the artifacts, according to a court order.

The items were loaned by the Bishop Museum in 2000 to the Hawaiian group Hui Malama I 
Na Kupuna O Hawaii Nei, whose members claim to have reburied the items in accordance to 
their ancestors' wishes.

The judge has asked all Hawaiian groups with claims to the objects to settle the issue among 
themselves, but the judicial process continues.

Hui Malama argues that the items -- including a human-hair wig, human teeth and carved 
wooden statuettes of family gods -- are sacred funerary objects looted from a cave in 1905 
and not meant for public display. They also claim the cave has been sealed with concrete 
and is at risk of collapsing.

It is unclear when the firms could begin studying the caves.

Officials at Englekirk & Sabol Consulting Structural Engineers Inc. did not answer calls for 
comment late yesterday. An office manager at Geolabs Inc. said the company would not be 
able to comment until at least next week.

Both Hui Malama and the Bishop Museum, defendants on the case, will be paying for the 
engineering work on the caves, according to Ezra's order, which does not estimate the cost 
of the job.

Alan Murakami, Hui Malama's attorney, said he could not comment on the case, saying he 
had been sworn to secrecy to Ezra at a status conference meeting yesterday. Calls made to 
Bishop Museum were not immediately returned.

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