Three West Hawai'i community groups alleged yesterday that secrecy surrounding a major archeological find at a construction site at Kohanaiki violates an agreement the developer made with the county and others to allow the luxury home project to go forward.

In a written statement released yesterday, the groups Kohanaiki 'Ohana, Pono I Ke Kanawai, and Na Keiki He'e Nalu O Hawai'i said they want to be included in the discussions on what will happen to artifacts found in a punctured lava tube on the construction site.

The groups warned of possible lawsuits or protests if Rutter Development Co. of California does not explain its actions, and urged the company to make a public statement by Thursday "to prevent confrontation."

"This week we were informed by local and outside island groups of plans and intent to conduct acts of civil disobedience against the developer," the groups said in a joint statement.

Three West Hawaii cultural and community groups are warning of unspecified "civil action" against a residential and golf development at Kohanaiki, North Kona, where old Hawaiian wooden images were found in a lava tube cave in September.

Kohanaiki Ohana, Pono I Ke Kanawai and Na Keiki Hee Nalu O Hawaii expressed anger at the "willful exclusion of interested parties" who were not consulted when the images were found.
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More than 20 images, believed to be kii, or carved images of gods, were found on the 450-acre property north of Kailua-Kona, where the Shores at Kohanaiki is being created by two California companies, Rutter Development Corp. and Kennedy-Wilson International.

Some of the images were finished objects, while others were incomplete, according to sources familiar with them. Probably dating from the first half of the 19th century, they might be religious images hidden when the old Hawaiian religion was overthrown or commercial objects created for sale to foreign sailors, said Hawaiian historian Herb Kane.

No human bones were found in the lava tube, said the development's archaeological consultant, Paul Rosendahl.

The fact that this is not a burial site and was accidentally discovered gives the landowner the legal right to determine how to dispose of the artifacts, Rosendahl said.

The developers see themselves as custodians of the objects while they work with people with specific family links to the area, he said.

The three groups stated, "Gods do not belong to individuals; they belong to the community whose values and practices they represent. They are the cultural and intellectual property of a social group."