By Kamakana Ferreira and Leināʻala Ley

Since the passage of Hawaiʻi’s burial protection laws in 1990, The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) has steadfastly advocated for the protection of iwi kūpuna through enforcement of Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 6E and meaningful consultation with descendants and communities.

On April 14, HGTV’s Renovation Aloha disregarded both these laws and deeply rooted cultural values by broadcasting footage of iwi kūpuna interred within a burial cave on Hawaiʻi Island. Uncensored clips depicting the iwi were also widely circulated across social media platforms.

Under rules implementing HRS Chapter 6E, photographing or examining iwi kūpuna is strictly prohibited without the consent of Island Burial Councils which provide cultural expertise to the state and ensure the voices of lineal descendants are heard.

These protections are grounded in Native Hawaiian beliefs that iwi kūpuna should never be exposed to light – mai kaulaʻi i nā iwi i ka lā – as they are meant to remain in Pō.

As required by law, the disturbance was reported to both the Hawaiʻi Police Department and State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD), the agency responsible for administering Hawaiʻi’s burial protections.

However, it was only after SHPD pursued legal action and secured a temporary restraining order (TRO) that subsequent episodes were edited to remove images of the iwi from rebroadcast. OHA remained in communication with SHPD throughout the matter.

This type of desecration can be prevented through direct consultation with SHPD during the permitting process, and OHA urges all members of our community to familiarize themselves with HRS 6E requirements. Currently, it’s unknown to OHA whether the Renovation Aloha team obtained proper permits to proceed with work and filming on the parcel where the burial cave was found.

However, when consulted, SHPD will often require a survey ahead of construction work in high-risk areas with lava tubes, sand dune systems, or other known indicators of burial sites to identify them in advance. Further, archaeological or cultural monitoring is often recommended in high-risk areas as surveys rarely cover a project’s full footprint and a knowledgeable archaeological or cultural monitor on site can help prevent “accidental” disturbance.

With due diligence, accidental disturbances can be readily avoided and our ancestors left to rest in peace.

If you encounter exposed iwi kūpuna, immediately contact your county police department and SHPD. OHA also remains available as a resource, although it does not have authority to enter private property or to directly enforce HRS chapter 6E in the field.

Under the law, however, any entity – including private individuals – may seek a TRO to prevent imminent harm to iwi kūpuna. OHA can also assist beneficiaries with issues related to access across private property to mālama registered burials, the burial registration process, applications for island burial councils, and other rights tied to the protection of iwi kūpuna.

Our collective voice is strongest when united. Ola Nā Iwi!

Kamakana Ferreira is OHA’s Compliance Archaeologist and Leināʻala Ley is OHA’s Chief Advocate.

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Health care professionals and representatives from The Queen’s Health Systems, HMSA and HPH provided trustees with an overview of the proposed consolidation and its potential implications for Hawaiʻi’s health care landscape. Discussion included possible impacts on Native Hawaiian health care, access to care in rural communities across the pae ʻāina, cost structures, provider networks and broader effects on service delivery statewide.

The proposed partnership would bring together Hawaiʻi’s largest health insurer, HMSA, and one of the state’s largest hospital systems, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health. Leaders from both organizations said the merger could help stabilize Hawaiʻi’s health care system, reduce administrative costs and invest more resources into primary care and rural health services. They also emphasized the importance of keeping health care organizations locally controlled rather than being taken over by national corporations.

At the same time, some health care leaders and community physicians raised concerns about the potential impacts of the consolidation. Representatives from The Queen’s Health Systems and other providers cautioned that the merger could shift patients and resources in ways that may weaken safety-net providers that serve vulnerable populations. Some independent Native Hawaiian physicians also expressed concern that the proposed partnership could affect access to care, quality of services and the long-term stability of health care providers who support Native Hawaiian communities.

During the briefing, trustees asked questions to better understand how the proposed partnership could affect health care access and delivery across Hawaiʻi, as well as what it may mean for OHA beneficiaries and the agency’s ongoing advocacy and policy efforts. Trustees also discussed the importance of ensuring that any changes to Hawaiʻi’s health care system continue to support equitable care for Native Hawaiians and other underserved communities.

The proposed merger has been submitted for federal review, and regulators will evaluate the potential impacts before any final decision is made.

Watch the discussion on OHA’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@OHAHawaii.

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Na UH News | Unuhi ʻia e Paige Okamura

He puke keiki ʻo Pōmai and Her Papa i kākau ʻia no ke kōkua ʻana i nā keiki e maopopo mai ai i ia mea he maʻi poina, a ua lilo nō i wikiō ʻonina kiʻi hou.

Pili ia moʻolelo iā Pōmai, he kaikamahine e aʻo ana i ke kōkua ʻana i kona kupuna kāne i loaʻa i ka maʻi poina me ke aloha, a ma ke ʻano Hawaiʻi, i hiki i nā ʻohana ke kūkākūkā e pili ana i ka maʻi poina. Ua paʻi mua ʻia e ke Kulanui o Mānoa i ka makahiki 2019 a laila unuhi ʻia i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, ua hele a laha kēia moʻolelo ma o nā keiki me nā kānaka mālama a puni ka paeʻāina.

Na Kalilinoe Detwiler, he haumāna laeʻula ʻōlelo Pelekānia ma ke Kulanui o Mānoa, i hana pū i kēia ʻonina kiʻi me ka hui Hā Kūpuna National Resource Center for Native Hawaiian Elders, ma lalo o ke keʻena Thompson Kula Mālama Kaiaulu me ke Olakino Lehulehu. Hoʻokino ʻia maila ka puke me nā kiʻi ʻālohilohi, nā hāmeʻe piha ʻeu, a kūkaʻi ʻōlelo ʻia e nā limahina o Hā Kūpuna.

“Ke lana nei ka manaʻo, na kēia puke me ka wikiō e hoʻoulu i ke kūkākūkā ʻana ma waena o nā keiki, nā mākua, me nā kūpuna no ia mea he maʻi poina i loko o nā loina Hawaiʻi, ma ke ʻano kūpono no nā pae makahiki,” wahi ā Detwiler, he lālā o ka Indigenous Nations Poet, Story Knife Fellow a he alakaʻi noiʻi no ka pāhana Symphony of Hawaiʻi Seas.

“Nanea au i noho pū me nā hāmeʻe, ka hoʻomoeā ʻana i ko lākou ʻano, a me wai lākou e pili ai. Pēia pū hoʻi me ka hoʻomoeā ʻana i nā hiʻohiʻona ʻike ʻia ma nā loli liʻiliʻi o ka naʻau me ko lākou maopopo ʻana i ka maʻi poina.”

Hoʻomaka akula ka papahana ma Ianuali o ka makahiki 2025 me ke kaha ʻana nā mahele o ka moʻolelo, ka hoʻolālā ʻana i ka ʻikena, ka ʻoki leo ʻana, ka hana ʻana i nā kiʻi ma hope, nā ʻonina kiʻi, a me ka hoʻoponopono ʻana.

“Iā mākou e hana nei i kēia mau kumu ʻike no nā ʻōpio me nā mea mālama, ua ʻike nō mākou i nā ʻano mea kūpono no nā hānauna like ʻole o ka ʻohana e noho pū ʻana ma ka hale like ma Hawaiʻi,” wahi a Detwiler. “ʻO ka ʻonina kiʻi kekahi ʻo ia mau mea. He mea ia i hiki ke hoʻolaha i kēia ʻano moʻolelo pohihihi a kaumaha.”

“ʻO ka pahuhopu o Hā Kūpuna, ʻo ia ka hoʻomaikaʻi ʻana i ka hoʻomaopopo ʻana i nā ola o nā kūpuna, ka hoʻohanohano ʻana i ko lākou ola, me ka hoʻomaikaʻi ʻana aʻe i ka ʻoihana mālama kūpuna,” i ʻōlelo ai ʻo Shelley Muneoka, ka Hoʻolaukaʻi Papahana no Hā Kūpuna. “He kōkua nō nā puke me nā ʻonina kiʻi i ka hoʻolaha ʻana i kēia ʻike i ka lehulehu ma ke ʻano kūpono.”

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By UH News

The children’s storybook Pōmai and Her Papa, which helps children understand Alzheimer’s disease, has been adapted into an animated video.

The story follows Pōmai, a young girl learning to support her grandfather as he experiences memory loss, offering a gentle, culturally grounded way for families to start conversations about dementia. First released by UH at Mānoa in 2019 and translated into ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in 2025, the story has reached keiki and caregivers across the islands.

The animation was developed by Kalilinoe Detwiler, a UH Mānoa Ph.D. candidate in English, with the Hā Kūpuna National Resource Center for Native Hawaiian Elders, housed in the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health. It brings the storybook to life with vibrant visuals, expressive characters and narration voiced by Hā Kūpuna team members.

“We hope the book and video will open conversations between children, parents and kūpuna about dementia in a cultural and age-appropriate way,” said Detwiler, who is an Indigenous Nations Poet, Story Knife Fellow and co-principal investigator for the Symphony of Hawaiʻi Seas project.

“I enjoy spending time with the characters, imagining their expressions and who they might sit beside in the setting. I also enjoy imagining visual representations to subtle changes in their emotions and understanding of dementia.”

The project began in January 2025 and included storyboarding, visual design, background art, voice recording, animation and editing.

“As we create resources for ʻōpio and caregivers, we recognize there are mediums that best suit the intergenerational households in Hawaiʻi,” added Detwiler. “Animation is one of those mediums. It opens possibilities for stories that can be challenging or heavy.”

“The purpose of Hā Kūpuna is to enhance understanding of kūpuna, celebrate their lives, and improve eldercare services,” said Shelley Muneoka, Hā Kūpuna program coordinator. “Storybooks and animation help extend this information to new audiences in a meaningful way.”

“Pōmai and Her Papa” can be viewed on Hā Kūpuna’s YouTube page. PDF copies of the story can be downloaded for free at manoa.hawaii.edu/hakupuna/pomai-and-her-papa/. For hard copies, contact Shelley Muneoka at muneokas@hawaii.edu.

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The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) recently completed a repatriation mission to Europe and the U.S. East Coast in collaboration with Hui Iwi Kuamoʻo (HIK) – a Native Hawaiian organization (NHO) that provides care and protection for iwi kūpuna, moepū (funerary objects), and mea kapu (sacred objects) through repatriation.

Travel took place between April 22 and May 3, with the first leg of the trip including stops in Berlin, Germany, and Belfast, Northern Ireland. The second leg of the trip included stops in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C.

An ʻawa ceremony was held on Oʻahu the night before the trip to prepare the travelers, including some coming in from neighbor islands, for the work ahead.

In Berlin, consultation negotiations took place with the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (abbreviated as the “SPK”) on April 24 for the return of two important kiʻi (carved images). The foundation is a federal government body that oversees 27 museums and cultural organizations in and around Berlin.

Previously, and in collaboration with HIK, OHA repatriated a total of 32 iwi kūpuna and seven moepū from the SPK in 2022 and 2023. These iwi kūpuna and moepū have since been reburied. The two kiʻi in question are to be returned under a shared stewardship agreement, wherein OHA and SPK would share custody.

Shared stewardship is a progressive way for museums to work together with Indigenous communities on the appropriate care of cultural objects without having to fully relinquish their interest in the object(s). The proposed agreement has garnered support from the U.S. Department of Interior and the German Consul General in San Francisco (whose jurisdiction covers Hawaiʻi).

The consultation negotiation was positive, with tentative agreement on the stewardship terms. OHA will continue to work with SPK until the agreement is executed and the kiʻi are returned home.

In Belfast, a repatriation ceremony took place to return three iwi kūpuna from the Northern Ireland National Museums (NMNI), Ulster Museum, on April 28. The event was attended and supported by James Applegate, the U.S. Consul General in Belfast.

OHA had originally submitted a repatriation claim in October 2021 for five iwi kūpuna and five mea kapu after being notified of possible holdings at NMNI by Hawaiʻi County Council Member Holeka Goro Inaba.

Unfortunately, three of the iwi kūpuna could not be located by Ulster Museum staff at the time; thus, OHA and HIK were not able to retrieve them when they first visited Belfast in May 2022.

The three missing iwi kūpuna were eventually located by Ulster staff in November 2024, and arrangements were subsequently made for their return. The NMNI Board of Trustees swiftly approved the return in January 2025 to enable the repatriation event in April. The iwi kūpuna were reburied upon their return to Hawaiʻi.

Continuing on to the U.S. East Coast, the OHA and HIK team first stopped in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 30 for the retrieval of the akua hulu manu (feathered god image) of Chief Kekuaokalani from Harvard’s Peabody Museum.

A repatriation claim submitted by a lineal descendant (also a member of HIK) for the akua hulu manu was approved under the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) earlier this year.

HIK graciously invited Hawaiian cultural practitioners, Hawaiian students attending Harvard University, OHA staff and OHA Board Chair Kaialiʻi Kahele to attend an ʻaha ʻawa ceremony to celebrate the return of the akua hulu manu. However, due to a scheduling conflict, Kauaʻi Island Trustee Dan Ahuna represented the OHA Board in Kahele’s place.

Immediately following the events in Cambridge, the team departed for Washington, D.C., to retrieve the ʻahu ʻula of Chief Kekuaokalani from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland, on May1.

This ʻahu ʻula was worn by Chief Kekuaokalani at the infamous Battle of Kuamoʻo in 1819, where he was killed by the forces of Liholiho.

While not an OHA claim, OHA supported HIK and the Smithsonian in their efforts to return the ʻahu ʻula to Hawaiʻi.

Sen. Brian Schatz recently applauded the effort and featured the ceremonial return on the U.S. Committee on Indian Affairs website. An ʻaha ʻawa ceremony was held at the Smithsonian to celebrate the return of the ʻahu ʻula.

The ʻahu ʻula was transported to the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on May 3 “on loan” until the formal repatriation process under the National Museum of the American Indian Act is completed. Final disposition for both mea kapu have yet to be decided by claimants.

OHA normally conducts several repatriation missions per year and plans them in a way to consolidate travel for multiple claims whenever possible. Work is often done in collaboration with descendants or other NHOs like HIK.

In mid-June, OHA will participate in repatriations with the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Chicago Field Museum in partnership with Nā Hoa Aloha o Ka Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau for the return of a mahiole (feathered helmet) and burial kapa that are believed to be from Kona, Hawaiʻi Island. Both of these cultural objects are being repatriated pursuant to NAGPRA.

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Even after the Hawaiʻi legislative session ended on May 2, 2025, Sen. Lynn DeCoite refused to give up on one of Molokaʻi’s most pressing needs: access to healthcare transportation.

“There’s an aging population, there’s needs, and even though doctors are trying to fill the gap, people are still retiring, and doctors who don’t live there cannot even get there on time,” said DeCoite.

For residents seeking specialized treatment, they travel by plane and when that is not available, by boat.

First elected to the House of Representatives in 2015, DeCoite has steadily introduced bills that would provide funding for reliable healthcare transportation for Molokaʻi. Over the past decade, DeCoite has introduced multiple bills to subsidize healthcare flights and costs for visiting physicians. This past session was no exception.

“My colleagues graciously supported it, but we couldn’t get the House to do it,” she said.

Undeterred, she has begun engaging with partners and organizations to bring much-needed investment to her home island. Specifically, she wants to create opportunities where traveling doctors can have reliable transportation and a place to stay for a few days to provide care.

“It’s working to fill the void of, you know, what we’re lacking. Whether it be just practitioners, it’s to try and put out more funding to help with costs.” said DeCoite.

Molokaʻi faces significant healthcare challenges due to its remote location and limited medical infrastructure. For residents, understanding the scope of available healthcare services and the limitations is crucial for planning and accessing necesary medical care.

The island’s population is about 7,400 residents. According to the 2021 Island Community Report by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, approximately 65% of Molokaʻi’s residents are Native Hawaiian.

Two years ago, Molokaʻi lost two beloved physicians within months of one another – Dr. William Thomas, who passed away on Sept. 4, 2022, at the age of 63, and Dr. Emmett Aluli, the iconic leader of the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana, who passed away on Nov. 30, 2022, at age 78. Their deaths left an enormous gap in reliable primary care for the island, despite the continuation of traveling doctors.

After conducting many interviews, Molokaʻi General Hospital (MGH) president Janice Kalanihuia recently secured two doctors for MGH: an internal medicine provider and a pediatrician. One will begin in July and the second will start in November.

“We kissed a lot of frogs before we found the right ones,” said Kalanihuia. “We’re open to people coming here and moving; we watch to see how they integrate themselves into the community and how genuine they are, and their desire to be here.”

Kalanihuia says she is constantly tracking potential medical professionals as part of a recruitment effort.

MGH is the island’s only hospital, offering 24/7 emergency services, acute care, imaging, and outpatient treatments. It is fully operational and was recently recognized as one of the top 20 Critical Access Hospitals in the U.S. for quality care.

The island also has Nā Puʻuwai, which provides culturally grounded health services, chronic disease management, and wellness programs, and the Molokaʻi Community Health Center which offers primary care, dental, behavioral health, and mobile clinic services.

Kalanihuia noted that most residents seek primary care. “I think the kinds of services that we offer are fairly all-encompassing for rural [communities], because you have to remember, we don’t have any surgical capability. There are no on-island specialists, no anesthesiologists, so the kind of care we can provide is pretty narrow, but for a small community hospital, we are really well outfitted.”

MGH now has a wound care specialist at its facility once-a-week. “Previously you would have to get on a plane and go to Oʻahu for that kind of care – and a lot of people just did not do that. They opted to stay home until we sent them out and they ended up with amputations. So I think this service has really saved people’s limbs,” Kalanihuia said.

Medical needs that are complex and severe are what DeCoite is most concerned about. At times she has received calls from residents who need air transport, but no flights were available.

“When they’re stuck at the hospital and they cannot get on the airplane, I have to call the National Guard,” DeCoite said, adding that she has also reached out to those who own private helicopters for help. “That’s where we’re at.”

When DeCoite’s bill for subsidies had its first hearing this last legislative session, the Department of Transportation and the Chamber of Commerce offered favorable testimony.

“You know, nobody from Molokaʻi would testify, which was upsetting,” she said. DeCoite believes the lack of public testimony reflects the tension to preserve Molokaʻi’s identity without forgoing essential services or funding.

DeCoite wants to raise awareness of the challenges she faces in getting funds when there is a lack of community voices who favor business opportunities that would result in more transportation and lodging options on Molokaʻi.

In the meantime, the healthcare organizations on Molokaʻi continue to serve who and when they can.

“It’s a really serious business, and it’s a huge responsibility,” said Kalanihuia. “You know, I sit here with Emmett’s picture right over my shoulder, and I just think, you know, how would he want to see this unfold? What would he want to see happen? And then I try to do that.”

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The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) continues to assess and make recommendations to the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) and State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) regarding the septic tank and leach field installation project at the Hale Makai Cottages at 4400 Oneone Road in Wainiha, Kauaʻi, where iwi kūpuna were encountered during respective ground disturbing work on at least three occasions in June and September 2024.

This private installation was permitted by DOH as part of a greater statutory mandate to have all cesspools statewide converted to septic or sewer by 2050. While the landowner voluntarily elected to have an archaeological monitor onsite for ground disturbing work, the project was not submitted to SHPD by DOH as part of their permit review process.

In late June, OHA was notified about the discovery of iwi kūpuna by SHPD via email, but not alerted about any concerns from the community. The notification from SHPD indicated that the iwi should be preserved in place. As iwi continued to be unearthed, OHA became more aware of the situation in late September through phone-calls and observance of social media posts.

On October 18, three Native Hawaiians were arrested for trespassing while protecting iwi kūpuna in response to continued work on the site without re-evaluation by the DOH and SHPD.

Given allegations of mishandling of iwi and failure to follow proper protocols, OHA reached out to SHPD which has jurisdiction over the disposition of inadvertently discovered iwi kūpuna. OHA requested to know if: 1) Any formal disposition determinations were made for the iwi; 2) Any recognized descendants or the Kauaʻi Island Burial Council (KIBC) moku representative were consulted; 3) The police department was contacted; and, 4) If any exploratory testing was done to better understand burial context.

In reply, SHPD indicated that the police department, cultural descendants, and the KIBC moku representative were all contacted. A formal determination letter, dated Oct. 1, 2024, was also provided by SHPD which indicated that all iwi kūpuna were to be preserved in place except for one, and that a Burial Site Component of a Preservation Plan (BSCPP) must be prepared.

No answer was provided regarding exploratory testing. OHA additionally requested to be consulted on the BSCPP and requested further information on buffer zones.

As DOH is the responsible permitting party, OHA reached out to their director, Dr. Kenneth Fink, to discuss the permitting process for this project. The goal was to determine if a stop work order could be issued until treatment and disposition of the iwi kūpuna could be properly determined in consultation with OHA, the community, and recognized descendants.

The call for a stop work order was also simultaneously echoed by the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation and ʻĀina Momona.

OHA Chief Executive Officer Stacy Ferreira and staff were able to meet with Fink on October 23. During the meeting, OHA learned that, as part of the DOH permit review process for these kinds of Individual Wastewater Systems (IWS), there is no means to assess attestations from the landowner as to whether iwi kūpuna or cultural resources are present on property.

Further, there was no mechanism or process to determine which projects should be sent to SHPD for HRS 6E historic preservation review. Given these concerns and the potential liability for DOH, a stop work order was requested within hours after the meeting.

Ferreira also called for a meeting with the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Chair Dawn Chang on October 24. Chang expressed the importance of being proactive. If DOH had sent the project to SHPD for HRS 6E review, then they could have required an archaeological inventory survey (AIS) first.

It has been OHA’s stance that an AIS is the most advantageous means of identifying iwi kūpuna during the permitting process. Locating iwi during an AIS allots a “previously identified” designation that affords more time for consultation and puts disposition of the iwi in the hands of recognized descendants and the burial council – as opposed to SHPD for inadvertent discoveries.

At this time, OHA directly requested further consultation for the BSCPP, sifting of the backfill piles, and inclusion of culture monitors as part of future ground disturbance work.

After the meeting with Chang, SHPD issued a formal written request on October 28 to the landowner for further archaeological investigation and review of the treatment of iwi. The letter specifically requested a complete screening of the backfill piles and additional archaeological work to understand the extent of the burial context.

To ensure accountability and transparency, OHA called for a community informational meeting on November 4 in Waipā with a panel made up of representatives from the DOH, DLNR, SHPD, OHA, and the County of Kauaʻi.

At the discussion, Fink acknowledged inadequacies in DOH’s permit review process and committed to addressing this in collaboration with OHA and DLNR. Chang reiterated the need for more proactive processes to help identify iwi kūpuna ahead of project related digging and assured attendees that there will be more consultation for this project.

Director Kaʻāina Hull of the Kauaʻi County Planning Department stressed the need to re-evaluate county permitting exemptions currently in place for these types of septic upgrade projects as the current project was not routed to his department for review. OHA is tentatively planning another community meeting with the same panel to check-in on these follow-up actions and to further discuss next steps.

This article was edited by Maxx Ramos.

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By Kim Kuʻulei Birnie

After almost 30 years, the federal minimum standards for collecting data on race and ethnicity have been updated. The required race categories have been expanded to include six Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) checkboxes for data collection – Native Hawaiian, Samoan, Chamorro, Tongan, Fijian and Marshallese.

This revision, released on March 29, is a significant development reminiscent of the historic addition of the NHPI category to the minimum standard in 1997 after an outpouring of community advocacy.

The Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Response, Recovery & Resilience Team (NHPI 3R) was among many agencies who provided detailed recommendations last year to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the agency tasked with determining the minimum set of categories that all federal agencies must use when collecting information on race and ethnicity.

The new standards directly address two critical priorities for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) data: using more detailed categories to support greater data disaggregation and provided guidance that can ensure that all NHPI community members are included in reported statistics.

According to Dr. Joseph Keaweʻaimoku Kaholokula, chair of the Department of Native Hawaiian Health at the John A. Burns School of Medicine and NHPI 3R co-chair, “This is an important step toward improving the standardization and collection of more detailed Pacific Islander data, which will allow for better characterization of our diverse Pacific Islander groups to address health disparities and ensure resources get to those communities that need them the most.”

While these new standards are a significant improvement, it’s just a start to collecting data that will report a more accurate representation of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. NHPI 3R recommends the OMB encourage agencies to go beyond these standards by including additional checkboxes and a write-in option whenever feasible.

Tellie Matagi, director of Ka Pūnana at Papa Ola Lōkahi and the NHPI 3R Pacific Islander community lead, emphasized that providing more detailed options will help government employees gather more thorough data and ensure that the community is accurately represented.

“When you can identify a person’s specific race and/or ethnicity,” Matagi explained, “you gain a better understanding of their cultural background, which allows for the development of solutions tailored to the community’s needs.”

Furthermore, the “alone or combination” approach to reporting multiracial data should become the norm in Hawaiʻi where more than one in four individuals identify with two or more races and/or ethnicities. This method of reporting data can ensure that individuals with complex racial and ethnic backgrounds are fully represented.

NHPI 3R advocates for the continued improvement of data collection practices for NHPI communities and recommends local agencies adopt and implement these new standards in Hawaiʻi quickly.

Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Response, Recovery, and Resilience (NHPI 3R) convened by Papa Ola Lōkahi, is a coalition of more than 60 agencies and organizations focused on leveraging partnerships and collective strengths to best respond to health crises. They are committed to collecting, analyzing, and reporting accurate and relevant data & information; to identifying and lending support to initiatives across the Hawaiian Islands working to address the health and wellbeing among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders; and to unifying to establish a presence in the decision-making processes and policies that impact our communities. www.nhpicovidhawaii.net/

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At first, the need was to bring iwi kūpuna home from around the world. So many were treated with disrespect, bundled together in bags on museum shelves. Later, it was discovered that many iwi kūpuna here at home were also secretly stored in cardboard boxes on shelves in State Historic Preservation Division offices, some for more than 80 years.

With rising development here at home, so, too, did our kūpuna rise. As developers ravaged the land throughout our islands to build their hotels and high rises, iwi kūpuna began rising as they were disturbed and desecrated.

It is important to us, as Kānaka ʻŌiwi, to care for our ancestors, and now is the time for our lāhui to mālama nā iwi kupuna in a dignified manner. Caring for our ancestors empowers and strengthens the Native Hawaiian community spiritually and culturally.

The Hawaiian Church of Hawaiʻi Nei was recently awarded its second Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) grant of $50,000 for a two-year period to provide workshops to make sacred items to care for iwi kūpuna throughout the pae ʻāina. An earlier OHA grant in 2021 helped to fund a series of 26 free workshops to teach the Native Hawaiian community how to make hīnaʻi lau hala, kapa and kaula hau.

We provide the education and knowledge necessary to gather and prepare the materials, then create the items, needed to care for our iwi kūpuna. It is difficult, time-consuming work, that takes dedication, commitment, and positive energy. Our workshops are two-day events and participants must attend both days.

The first day we focus on gathering and preparing. The second day we teach participants to craft the sacred items. Where possible, we use traditional tools. Most participants are lineal descendants who belong to a Native Hawaiian Organization or group working to mālama nā iwi kūpuna in preparation for reinterment.

Founded in 2015, The Hawaiian Church of Hawaiʻi Nei is an Indigenous, cultural, faith-based organization committed to strengthening and empowering Hawaiian spirituality through traditional Hawaiian ceremonies, rituals and protocols. Its mission is to promote, protect, preserve, and hoʻomau Indigenous Hawaiian religious practices, cultural rights, and traditions inclusive of spiritual and physical healing, spiritual and physical health, self-reflective understanding, hoʻoponopono and peace.

We need help from the community if we want to get iwi off shelves and out of cardboard boxes. Our kūpuna are waiting to be returned home – to be kanu back to our ʻāina, so that their ʻuhane may lele wale ka pō – fly off and return to the realm of gods.

For many years, Kahu Lokoʻolu Quintero and I have worked under the radar making hīnaʻi lau hala for iwi kūpuna disrupted by many development projects. I have spent more than 30 years caring for the ancestors of Hawaiʻi, first as a member of Hui Mālama i Nā Kūpuna o Hawaiʻi Nei and now continuing this kuleana. I’ve been trained and educated in all aspects of the traditional care of nā iwi kūpuna, including ceremonies and protocols. This training ensures that the respectful treatment and reburial of nā iwi kūpuna is passed on.

Eventually, The Hawaiian Church of Hawaiʻi Nei hopes to aquire land on each island to build an ahu for the iwi kūpuna who have no other place to rest – so even if their specific kulāiwi is not known, they will always have a place to rest in peace.

For more information and a workshop schedule visit: www.hawaiianchurchhawaiinei.org

The Hawaiian Church of Hawaiʻi Nei a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. They offer traditional Hawaiian ceremonies, rituals and protocols for all aspects of life (birth, reconciliation, wedding, cleansing, memorial) to our lāhui and others in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi or English.

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The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has unveiled revised federal regulations for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The new provisions prioritize and defer to Indigenous knowledge and culture when repatriating native remains and burial items.

Enacted in 1990, NAGPRA mandates that museums identify Native American human remains, funerary items, sacred objects, and other objects of cultural significance within their holdings and collections. NAGPRA defines “museum” as “any institution or state or local government agency (including any institution of higher learning) that receives federal funds and has possession of, or control over, Native American cultural items.”

These museums must then collaborate with lineal descendants, Tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations to facilitate their repatriation.

“Finalizing these changes is an important part of laying the groundwork for the healing of our people,” said DOI Secretary Deb Haaland.

NAGPRA also addresses the discovery of Native American human remains, funerary items, sacred objects, and other objects of cultural significance from federal lands and Hawaiian Home Lands. Redefining “discovery” to include both inadvertent and intentional discoveries is significant for lineal descendants and Native Hawaiian organizations, including ʻohana – especially for those who have been engaged for decades in these matters.

The revision process for the final changes began in 2011, involving consultation sessions that extended through January 2023. In October 2022, the DOI published a proposed rule for public comment and received 181 individual submissions, generating over 1,800 specific comments.

The final rule, published on Dec. 13, 2023, takes effect on Jan. 12, 2024. It introduces comprehensive revisions and updates to the existing NAGPRA regulations – a pivotal step toward ensuring the rightful return of cultural artifacts.

The final rule revises and replaces definitions and procedures for lineal descendants, Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, museums, federal agencies, and the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) to implement NAGPRA.

Critically, the final rule enhances processes for the disposition and repatriation of Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony. It also provides a step-by-step roadmap with specific timelines to aid all stakeholders in understanding the process and the necessary steps.

The DOI’s Office of Native Hawaiian Relations (ONHR) is seeking public input on the best ways to support lineal descendants and NHOs with the new regulations.

“We heard from the Native Hawaiian Community [about] how climate change and its effects on erosion, both coastal and inland, are causing more exposures of iwi kūpuna, moepū, and many cultural resources, said ONHR Senior Program Director Stanton Enomoto. “Thus, improvements to NAGPRA implementation on federal lands in Hawaiʻi and on Hawaiian Home Lands are very important.”

In addition to seeking funding from the National NAGPRA Program, Native Hawaiian organizations can apply for funding from ONHR’s Kapapahuliau Climate Resilience Program to cope with these climate change effects on burials.

Interested parties can email their comments to ONHR at hawaiian@ios.doi.gov with the subject “NAGPRA Final Rule.”

The final rule is available in an 89-page document on the Federal Register website

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