Draped in black and red instead of the traditional white for the Makahiki, native Hawaiian groups protested the Army's cancellation of the cultural celebration at the Makua Military Reservation.

Malama Makua and Hui Malama O Makua held a protest vigil at the facility's gate yesterday, the first day of Makahiki.

On Nov. 1, the Army discovered a 250-pound, World War II-era bomb near the gate to the live-fire training ground, and has denied access to native Hawaiian groups until it can detonate the device.

The protesters called the Army's reasoning "double talk," saying that if the bomb was really a threat, it would've been removed or detonated by now, since the initial danger zone from the bomb extended beyond the fence and into water.

"It doesn't make any sense for the Army to say it's too dangerous for us to go into Makua to practice our religion, and at the same time, refuse to remove a bomb it says threatens the lives of keiki playing at Makua Beach," said Momi Kamahele, cultural adviser for the group Makua Makahiki. "The Army's either lying about the danger, because it wants an excuse to deny us our cultural access, or it's being incredibly reckless with innocent people's lives."