[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 79 (Tuesday, May 7, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H2882]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                     LAHAINA NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA

  (Ms. TOKUDA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. TOKUDA. Madam Speaker, before there was a Front Street or a 
banyon tree, Lahaina was known as Lele. It was the home and final 
resting place of countless ``ali'i,'' ``chiefs,'' serving as the 
capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii and including ``storied and sacred 
landscapes,'' ``wahi pana,'' like Loko Mokuhinia and Moku'ula.
  Lele was often referred to as the ``Venice of the Pacific,'' with 
fishponds, productive wetlands, and freshwater canals. Over the 
decades, the diversion of water removed almost all traces of this once-
fertile area.
  As we set out to rebuild, we must do so grounded in Lahaina's history 
and culture. Last week, I introduced the Lahaina Heritage Area Act to 
assess the future designation of the historic Maui town as a national 
heritage area.
  National heritage area designations support community-driven 
conservation and restoration efforts through recognition, Federal 
funding, and technical assistance.
  Of the 62 heritage areas across the United States, none are in 
Hawaii. With support from colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I can 
think of no better way to lift up our community's desire to rebuild 
``righteous,'' ``pono'' than by making Lahaina Hawaii's first national 
heritage area.
  Mahalo.

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