After Fire Destroyed 'Sacred Place' Lahaina, Native Hawaiians Face 'Unimaginable' Trauma (Exclusive)

“This is going to take a generation or longer to bring it back to what it was," Kuhio Lewis tells PEOPLE

Hawaii has become a worldwide brand wrapped in iconic images of Hula dancers, tiki torches, mythic gods and surf riders, all coming from the culture of Native Hawaiians.

But now Native Hawaiians in Lahaina face a future bereft of loved ones, homes left in ashes and the loss of both irreplaceable artifacts representing their history and community centers for their spiritual needs.

Photos of Lahaina’s historic Waiola Church engulfed in flames have flooded the news, but few in the outside world know how devastating the destruction of the spiritual touchstone is for Native Hawaiians already suffering soul-crushing losses.

"It’s like what you think of churches in England or Rome," Kuhio Lewis, the CEO of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, tells PEOPLE. "It’s where many of our chiefs are buried. So under the rubble are their ancestral remains. Lahaina was a sacred place as much as those. The church has significance to our culture, and now it is just gone."

Lewis visited outside the community of Leiali'i on Sunday after the deadly fires, speaking to the leaders and members of the Native Hawaiian community around Lahaina. The matching fundraising campaign the council started will provide aid to Native Hawaiians impacted by the Maui fires.

Related: How to Help Hawaii Wildfire Victims, Including Ways to Donate

“I think people are in the shock phase, still trying to come to terms with what happened,” Lewis says. “There has been an overwhelming amount of support coming from all over the world. But this is going to take a generation or longer to bring it back to what it was.”

Fears are rampant about the rebuilding process, which can take years, and housing issues that have long plagued Maui even before the fire.

"There’s a fear among Native Hawaiians and local people in general that they’ll be left out of the rebuilding and a massive land grab will happen because they can’t afford to rebuild," says Jeanne Cooper, co-author of Frommer's Hawaii. "This is one of the last bastions of working-class affordable housing for Native Hawaiians that was close to jobs, and now it could be gone."

It's a long haul, going from devastation to rebuilding a livable community.

"The fear is that the actual people, who kept that continuous connection with Hawaiian history and culture, won't be able to live there," Cooper says. "They're getting some sense they will be taken care of in the short term. But the long-term looming fear is they will be left behind."

The prime real estate occupied by generations is a hot commodity on the tiny island. The pressure is on people who may not be able to afford to rebuild even with insurance and federal emergency funds.

The cost of living has already forced many Native Hawaiians off the island. In fact, Las Vegas has the second-highest population of Hawaiians.

“This is where the sharks come in, with people in distress,” Lewis says. “We are already hearing stories of people offering to buy land. Some people just don’t have the same values. But I don’t think the Hawaiian community would allow their land to be taken over by [speculators].”

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In a press conference on Monday, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said those very real concerns raised by citizens are being addressed.

“I’ve reached out to the Attorney General to explore options to do a moratorium on any sales of properties that have been damaged or destroyed,” Green said. “Moreover, I would caution people that it’s going to be a very long time before any housing can be built.”

The immediate impact is Maui’s dependence on tourism and the need for shelter for displaced victims. Hotels are being used to house many residents. But that means there is no room for tourists.

Related: Lahaina Man Recounts Race Through a Wall of Fire That Leveled the Hawaiian Tourist Town

More than 2,000 structures have burned, and more than 80% have been residential, according to Maui Now. As a comparison, after the town of Paradise, Calif., was wiped out in the 2018 fire, about 1,000 homes were rebuilt in three years. And that was a place where construction workers and supplies were readily available.

“Maui already had a housing problem before this, so what happens to the economic engine that drives Maui’s economy?” asks Lewis. “The impacts are everywhere. These are jobs that people depend on to pay their bills.”

While those issues hover over the heads of the Hawaiian community, it is the immediate impact of the fire that is foremost on their minds.

Lewis recounted stories he had heard from the community about a mom who could not get her child out of the backseat of a burning car and had to leave. Of the people running to the ocean to escape the flames, many were not able to do so, including a number of elders. Children and grandchildren watched their parents and grandparents, who were unable to reach water, before being incinerated.

“It’s trauma that will last for generations,” Lewis says. “The emotional mental trauma this community is going to have to overcome is unimaginable.”

Lewis says the count of those who perished will likely climb daily.

“I can tell you it’s already a lot higher than what has been released,” Lewis says. “It’s a number we’re not even thinking of because of so many still unaccounted for. I saw a lot of spaces there where there are remains. Metal melted. It’s going to take a while to identify the remains.”

Related: Hawaii Fire Heroes (Including a Boat Captain and a Doctor) Detail 'Apocalyptic' Scenes: 'I’m Still Numb'

As they face an uncertain future, Hawaiians must cope with the loss of their spiritual and ancestral history.

Lahaina was the previous capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom. There’s also a large Hawaiian homestead community (land set aside for Native Hawaiians) that has been almost completely destroyed. Also lost was a Native Hawaiian language immersion school, Pūnana Leo, which educated local children in Hawaiian language and culture. Additionally, it provided childcare and community services to the native community.

Lewis’ group had just begun plans to make Lahaina and other tourist destinations more cultural destinations.

One of those destinations was the Na ‘Aikane o Maui Cultural Center in Lahaina, which was completely decimated. Inside were irreplaceable artifacts from as far back as 300 years ago.

"It housed generational items passed down over the years," Lewis says. "Buried within these stories is a culture, a people, what Hawaiians connected us to, [and] what kept us vibrant as a community. And it’s gone."

Lewis says the story of Hawaiians is a story of resilience, of surviving for generations as the indigenous people of Hawaii.

"We are a people of overcoming. We've overcome adversity. We faced it time and time again, and we've always persevered," Lewis says. "And I see this as another moment in our history where we will overcome."

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