Visiting Makua Valley

Hawai‘i Conference
3 hours ago
5 min read

Representatives from various faith communities gathered in Mākua Valley in west O‘ahu on a Saturday morning in August. This group, organized by Kahu Kaleo Patterson of the Episcopal Church, met to learn about the sacred place, its history, displacement of residents, the destroyed Mākua Church, environmental damage and restoration, and upcoming expiration of current military leases. There is a hope for faith leaders and religious organizations to get involved and support the restoration of the valley.

"For centuries, Mākua Valley has been home to Native Hawaiians and native species, a place of sacred sites deeply rooted in moʻolelo (Hawaiian history and traditions). In 1942, in the wake of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Army forcibly removed families living in Mākua for military training, with assurances that they could return. They never did. In 1964, the State leased lands at Mākua to the military for 65 years for one dollar." While live-fire training has ended in the valley, the land remains occupied by the U.S. Army, but the military leases are set to expire in 2029 and there is an opportunity to write a new story for Mākua. (The preceding quote is from a community statement that individuals and organizations are invited to sign: Joint Statement for the Return, Restoration, and Future of Mākua Valley)

Members of Kawaiaha‘o Church, United Church of Christ Judd Street, and the Woman's Board of Missions were present from the Hawai‘i Conference United Church of Christ; along with others from St. Andrews Cathedral, St. Mary's, St. Stephen's, Waianae United Methodist Church, Wesley United Methodist Church, and the Pacific Justice and Reconciliation Center.

Reflection by Melinda Ahn, MEd

President, Woman’s Board of Missions for the Pacific Islands

I have been aware of the military occupying Mākua Valley for years and always felt it was wrong, but actually going there and spending time with a faith-based group and the Army opened my eyes even more! I was surprised to find out how much unexploded ordnance is still there. Officer David Crowley, Cultural Resources Manager of the U.S. Army Garrison Hawai‘i Schofield Barracks, told us that a bomb was shot at the mountains and it missed and went over them and landed unexploded at Schofield. That scared me to think their aim was so poor that a big bomb made its way to the center of the island where it is populated. I was further alarmed to learn that when it rains ordnances wash into the streams and flow down to the ocean. One area had a cluster bomb land and break apart and nobody is allowed there because with age it rusted and blends in with rocks and it’s too dangerous for anyone, even the Army, to try to collect it. I had thought maybe Hawaiian housing could be built in the lower valley, but houses cannot be constructed because they can’t clear the ground deep enough for houses to be safely built! They cleared a small area where they want to make a Peace Garden because only that small area is cleared 6 feet down. Doesn’t the name Peace Garden contradict what has gone on in Mākua since WWll? I also learned they painted a cross on top of Mākua Congregational Church so it would not be bombed and the soldiers thought the cross was a target so they aimed and fired on it, destroying the church. Ironically, the land where the church was is still owned by the church.

The Hawaiians had no say on the land that should have belonged to them. The Mākua Congregational Church had its minister and his family evicted from Mākua before the United Church of Christ was formed. Hawaiian churches like Kawaiaha’o, Kaumakapili, Waialua and others would make a pilgrimage to Mākua Valley where they gathered for a Saturday concert and Sunday services, making it a regional meeting place for Hawaiian church communities.

I think we are moving in the right direction, but apologies without restoration is not justice. The land will revert back to the State in 2029. The Army, the State of Hawai‘i, and the DLNR need to make sure that Mākua is restored and not put the burden of restoring it on the Hawaiian people.

Reflection by Kristen Young

Member of United Church of Christ - Judd Street, HCUCC Justice & Witness Missional Team

I have been personally trying to follow and support the movement to end military leases in Hawai‘i, so I was grateful for the opportunity to participate in this visit to Mākua Valley with other people of faith. While I attended in my individual capacity, I also carry with me my identity as a person of faith and my ties with the Hawai‘i Conference United Church of Christ and Central Union Church where I work. Predecessors of both these organizations were involved with the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

I grew up in the United Church of Christ which, 100 years after the overthrow, in 1993, offered an apology to Kānaka Maoli on behalf of ancestors in the church who supported the overthrow. The apology states, “We do so in order to begin a process of repentance and reconciliation for wrongs done. . . . We are here to commit ourselves to work alongside our Hawaiian sisters and brothers — both those in the United Church of Christ and those beyond — in the hope that a society of justice and mercy for them and for all people, everywhere, may yet emerge.”

The resolution that led to the apology recognized the inherent right of Native Hawaiian people to self-determined governance. Through it, the Hawaii Conference United Church of Christ pledged its “support and solidarity, and advocacy of the same, in the name of Christ.”

It has been 33 years since that apology, millions of dollars in redress, and justice is still on the horizon, not yet here. There is no single apology or amount of money that can reverse the wrong and harm that was done. I believe reconciliation is something we must constantly work toward.

I sometimes think it would be easier for me to dissociate from the Church, an institution that has committed many transgressions. But I still believe the voice of faith communities has some weight—and we need to use it.

I cannot speak for anyone or any organization apart from myself, but I am informed by my church, and I am also informed by my faith. In addition to trying to make right the wrongs done in the past and living out resolutions that were made years ago, I believe my faith calls me to pursue justice here and now.

While this land remains occupied and held by an entity that makes war, I remember that I am called to make peace. While this land, and any land, has the possibility of being restored and returned to Native stewardship, I must stand for that.

This year, our Hawai‘i Conference UCC publication The Friend is exploring the ‘ōlelo no‘eau: I ka wā ma mua, ka wā ma hope. Look to the past to guide the future. There is unsettling history in our past, but we must confront it. It allows us to uncover the roots of today's issues and work toward justice, restoration, and reconciliation.

Our Hawai‘i Conference UCC’s Justice and Witness Missional Team is hoping to amplify and add to the voices calling for the return and restoration of Mākua Valley. Please stay tuned for more info, learning and visiting opportunities, and ways to get involved.

If you are interested in learning more or being part of this work with the Hawai‘i Conference, please reach out to kyoung@hcucc.org.

Learn more: malamamakua.org