Halloween 1977 Maui: An Archaeological Memoir

We were sent over to Mala Wharf in Lahaina, Maui on Halloween. The really odd thing about it was that we were supposed to map a cemetery (we all found that to be a strange thing to be assigned to do on Halloween). The cemetery needed to be relocated to make  way for a big resort development. But only the native Hawaiian cemetery was impacted. The Japanese, Chinese and Christian graveyards were to be left intact. The Hawaiian cemetery had been abandoned for over a century, and was overgrown in large interlacing thickets of kiave.

Kiave is not a native plant on Maui, it had been brought to Hawaii by a Texan. In Texas, kiave is known as mesquite. I found out that it is amazing what a tropical climate and fertile volcanic soils can do to mesquite trees.

Authors note: Please bear with me on this story, as I am having a hard time writing it. The reasons are many. But the main challenge is I want to get this story right, and tell the cold hard truth. There was a lot going on that day, a lot that needs to be described first, as it makes the story even more remarkable. Also, something close to miraculous or supernatural occurred late in the afternoon. I want to describe the truth of that event, but it is difficult to reach back across 31 years and capture it accurately.

Still, I will tell this story somehow.