Ipo nihipali biography of michael

Differences of opinion over the right way to restore Oahu's largest Hawaiian heiau have erupted, with work halted until an agreement can be reached.

When Kunani Nihipali, a leader of a native Hawaiian group, visited Puu O Mahuka (Hill of Escape) on the bluff overlooking Waimea Bay, he didn't like what he saw.

"We were upset at the bizarre changes and irreversible damage that had been done to the original heiau structure -- the traditional intent and design being lost for all time," Nihipali wrote in a letter to state parks archeologist Martha Yent on Dec.

5. He signed the letter as poo (director) of Hui Malama I Na Kupuna O Hawaii Nei (Group Caring for the Ancestors of Hawaii).

Hui Malama is the group that had protested about the Bishop Museum's handling of rare Hawaiian cultural artifacts from Forbes Cave on the Big Island, ultimately taking possession of the artifacts and refusing to return them.

In Nihipali's view, the "pohaku (stones) were moved out of place, with the int