| 45 | | - | WHEREAS, Lēahi, or Diamond Head, is the most identifiable landmark in Hawaii; and WHEREAS, Lēahi was formed more than one hundred thousand years ago by violent steam explosions that contributed to the construction of the Hawaiian Islands; and WHEREAS, Lēahi has been known by many names over the years; and WHEREAS, the earliest recorded reference to Lēahi was Lae-ahi, as the mountain was compared by Hiiaka, the younger sister of Pele, to the brow of the ahi fish; and WHEREAS, the name was later condensed to Lēahi; and WHEREAS, in the early 1800s, British sailors found calcite crystals in the rocks on the slopes of Lēahi and thought they were diamonds; and WHEREAS, following the discovery, Lēahi crater was also referred to as Kaimana-Hila, or "Diamond Hill"; and WHEREAS, Lēahi crater has been used as a strategic military lookout beginning in the 1900s and was named a National Natural Landmark in 1968; and WHEREAS, today, the Lēahi trail is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year; and WHEREAS, the Hawaii Tourism Authority's mission is to "strategically manage Hawaii tourism in a sustainable manner consistent with economic goals, cultural values, preservation of natural resources, community desires, and visitor industry needs"; and WHEREAS, the Hawaii Tourism Authority's most recent strategic plan establishes a goal to support Native Hawaiian culture and the community "through genuine experiences for both visitors and residents"; and WHEREAS, as a strategic choice to achieve this goal, the Hawaii Tourism Authority ensures an increased emphasis on the Hawaiian language by preserving language resources past and present and encouraging appropriate use of the language; and WHEREAS, due to the rich cultural history surrounding Lēahi and the Hawaii Tourism Authority's commitment to encourage the appropriate use of the Hawaiian language, it is only appropriate to properly reference the landmark by its Hawaiian name; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources and City and County of Honolulu are requested to independently identify the roads, monuments, landmarks, and public parks within their respective jurisdictions that use the name "Diamond Head" and identify the process for renaming these roads, monuments, landmarks, and public parks from "Diamond Head" to "Lēahi"; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources and City and County of Honolulu are each requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources and Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu. Report Title: Diamond Head; Leahi; Department of Land and Natural Resources; City and County of Honolulu; Rename |
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| 45 | + | WHEREAS, Lēahi, or Diamond Head, is the most identifiable landmark in Hawaii; and WHEREAS, Lēahi was formed more than one hundred thousand years ago by violent steam explosions that contributed to the construction of the Hawaiian Islands; and WHEREAS, Lēahi has been known by many names over the years; and WHEREAS, the earliest recorded reference to Lēahi was Lae-ahi, as the mountain was compared by Hiiaka, the younger sister of Pele, to the brow of the ahi fish; and WHEREAS, the name was later condensed to Lēahi; and WHEREAS, in the early 1800s, British sailors found calcite crystals in the rocks on the slopes of Lēahi and thought they were diamonds; and WHEREAS, following the discovery Lēahi crater was also referred to as Kaimana-Hila, or "Diamond Hill"; and WHEREAS, Lēahi crater has been used as a strategic military lookout beginning in the 1900s and was named a National Natural Landmark in 1968; and WHEREAS, today, the Lēahi trail is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year; and WHEREAS, the Hawaii Tourism Authority's mission is to "strategically manage Hawaii tourism in a sustainable manner consistent with economic goals, cultural values, preservation of natural resources, community desires, and visitor industry needs"; and WHEREAS, the Hawaii Tourism Authority's most recent strategic plan establishes a goal to support Native Hawaiian culture and the community "through genuine experiences for both visitors and residents"; and WHEREAS, as a strategic choice to achieve this goal, the Hawaii Tourism Authority ensures an increased emphasis to the Hawaiian language by preserving language resources past and present and encouraging appropriate use of the language; and WHEREAS, due to the rich cultural history surrounding Lēahi and the Hawaii Tourism Authority's commitment to encourage the appropriate use of the Hawaiian language, it is only appropriate to properly reference the landmark by its Hawaiian name; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to identify all state and county roads, landmarks, monuments, and public parks that use the name "Diamond Head" and identify the process for renaming these roads, landmarks, monuments, and public parks from "Diamond Head" to "Lēahi"; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources. OFFERED BY: _____________________________ Report Title: Diamond Head; Leahi; Department of Land and Natural Resources; Rename |
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