The existence of cultural and religious sites are evidenced through chants and stories, and not necessarily by the presence of structures. Imposing western concepts of culture is inappropriate and will result in a flawed EIS report. Again, this statement assumes western concepts of culture. A site's cultural and spiritual importance to Native Hawaiians is not based on whether it meets the criteria for National Register listing. A large majority of the residents of Ni'ihau speak primarily Hawaiian.
Language is a fundamental component of Hawaiian culture.
The impact on language must not be ignored or trivialized. It is alleged that this project will present the people of Ni'ihau with employment opportunities. Will the residents of Ni'ihau be found ineligible for most jobs based on lack of technical knowledge or experience. The EIS should calculate these costs to determine the real impact of this proposed action. Page 3-30 notes that the last survey done at Koke'e was in 1992.