Bishop Museum: Notice of Intended Repatriation
Excerpts from Published Notice N7299 in the Federal Register on July 15, 2026. The full notice is available here: www.federalregister.gov/d/2026-14162.
Dates: Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice may occur on or after August 14, 2026.
Summary: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum (BPBM) intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects and that have a cultural affiliation with the Native Hawaiian organizations and nā ʻOhana in this notice.
- A total of approximately 687 cultural items identified collectively as “Lots 10-83 (with additional pieces)” or “Lots 10-83+,” from the Honokoʻa Cave Complex, also known as Forbes, Kawaihae, and Mummy caves, have been requested for repatriation.
- The BPBM has determined that there is a connection between the cultural items described in Published Notice N7299 and the Mary Kawena Pukui Cultural Preservation Society; the ʻOhana Diamond; the ʻOhana Kekumano; the ʻOhana Keohokālole; the ʻOhana Olds; and the Temple of Lono.
Requests for Repatriation: Additional requests for repatriation may be submitted by any lineal descendant or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice who shows, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the requestor is a lineal descendant or a culturally affiliated Native Hawaiian organization. Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural items in this notice to NAGPRA Coordinator, Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice Street, Honolulu, HI 96817, or email to [email protected].
Cultural Impact Assessment: Inter-Island Submarine Fiber Optic Cable Project Wākiu, Hāna, Maui.
SWCA Environmental Consultants is preparing Cultural Impact Assessments (CIAs) and Ka Paʻakai Analyses for the proposed Kūnoa North Inter-Island Middle Mile submarine fiber optic cable (FOC) project. This project will establish six cable landing sites designed to bring fast, reliable broadband to rural areas across the Hawaiian Islands.
The planned Hāna High and Elementary School landing site is located within the ahupuaʻa of Wākiu TMK (2)-1-3-006-008, adjacent to the school’s southern boundary. The proposed alignment for this segment consists of a submarine FOC that will make landfall via a horizontal directional drilled (HDD) borehole and conduit placed beneath the shoreline. The submarine cable will connect to the terrestrial FOC at a beach manhole (BMH), which will serve as the transition point between the offshore and onshore segments. From the BMH, the terrestrial FOC will continue along an overland route via a buried trench, underground HDD, or on overhead utility poles for connection to existing telecommunications infrastructure. On Maui, this project is set to benefit the communities of Waiehu, Keʻanae, and Hāna, as well as the Hawaiian Home Land communities of Waiehu, Paukūkalo, Keʻanae, and Wailua.
SWCA is seeking community input regarding cultural knowledge of the area, including past and present land use, cultural traditions, gathering practices, and any concerns related to cultural resources or practices near the project area. Please contact SWCA at [email protected] or (808) 437-8974 by Aug. 28, 2026, for more information or to share insights. Your input will help ensure cultural practices and concerns are properly considered.
Cultural Impact Assessment: Wailani Affordable Housing Project Ponahawai And Punahoa South Hilo District, Hawaiʻi Island
On behalf of Wailani Development, LLC., ASM Affiliates (ASM) is preparing a Cultural Impact Assessment (CIA) for the proposed Wailani Affordable Housing Project (TMK parcels [3] 2-3-044:019 and 023-025) within the ahupuaʻa of Ponahawai and Punahoa 1 and 2, South Hilo District, Island of Hawaiʻi. The proposed 162-acre project consists of the development of 700 single and multi-family residential units as well as commercial areas, open space, a medical park, and associated infrastructure.
The purpose of the CIA is to inform the environmental review process by identifying and assessing the potential effects the proposed Wailani Affordable Housing Project may have on significant cultural, natural, and historic resources, as well as traditional and customary Native Hawaiian practices. ASM is seeking consultation with cultural practitioners, kamaʻāina, lineal and cultural descendants, and community members who have knowledge of cultural resources and past or present traditional customary practices within the proposed project area and Puʻu Honu, in particular. ASM also welcomes input regarding strategies to avoid, minimize, or mitigate potential impacts to culturally valued resources and/or traditional practices. If you have and are willing to share such information with ASM, please contact Teresa Gotay via email at [email protected], phone (808) 854-0553, or mailing address ASM Affiliates 507-A E. Lanikaula Street, Hilo, HI 96720. Mahalo.
Cultural Impact Assessment & Ka Paʻakai Analysis: HDOA Panaʻewa Irrigation Well Project Waiākea Ahupuaʻa, South Hilo District Hawaiʻi Island
On behalf of Akinaka & Associates, Ltd., ASM Affiliates (ASM) is preparing a Cultural Impact Assessment (CIA) and Ka Paʻakai o ka ʻĀina Analysis (KPA) for the proposed Panaʻewa Irrigation Well Project that consists of drilling three non-potable irrigation wells on three separate properties (Tax Map Key parcels [3] 2-2-056:039 and 054, and [3] 2-4-049:026) in Waiākea Ahupuaʻa, Hilo District, Island of Hawaiʻi. The proposed well installations are part of a Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture (HDOA) pilot program to improve irrigation infrastructure and provide a reliable non-potable water source for agricultural operations within the HDOA-leased project areas.
The purpose of this CIA and KPA is to inform the environmental review process by identifying and assessing the potential effects the proposed Panaʻewa Irrigation Well Project may have on significant cultural, natural, and historic resources, as well as traditional and customary Native Hawaiian practices. ASM is seeking consultation with kamaʻāina, lineal and cultural descendants, cultural practitioners, and those who may have knowledge of cultural resources or past and present traditional cultural practices within the proposed project areas. ASM also welcomes input regarding strategies to avoid, minimize, or mitigate potential impacts to culturally valued resources and/or traditional practices. If you have and are willing to share such information with ASM, please contact Candace Gonzales via email at [email protected], phone (808) 969-6066, or mailing address ASM Affiliates 507-A E. Lanikaula Street, Hilo, HI 96720. Mahalo.
Ka Paʻakai Analysis: Kawela Microwave Tower Replacement Project
Cultural Surveys Hawaiʻi (CSH), at the request of HHF Planners, on behalf of the City and County of Honolulu, Department of Design and Construction (DDC), is conducting a Ka Paʻakai Analysis for the Kawela Microwave Tower Replacement Project, Kawela and Hanakaʻoe Ahupuaʻa, Koʻolauloa District, Oʻahu, TMKs: (1) 5-7-004:002 and 5-8-002:005. The proposed project consists of the following components:
- Demolish existing 90-foot tower and transfer all City and Army antennas to new 180-foot tower
- Construct new 180-foot microwave tower and harden existing Building 84 to withstand a Category IV hurricane
- Provide new dedicated power directly from Hawaiian Electric Company
- Provide concrete sidewalks around front and both sides of Building 84
- Provide driveway and turnaround area
- For safety reasons the proposed project will:
- Remove all trees within communications compound
- Remove all trees within a 25-foot radius of compound’s perimeter fence
- CSH seeks your knowledge, insight, and input on the following topics:
- Your knowledge of traditional cultural practices within the proposed project area and Kawela and Hanakaʻoe Ahupuaʻa
- The different natural resources associated with your specific cultural practice
- Referrals to other kūpuna, kamaʻāina, and traditional cultural practitioners knowledgeable about the proposed project area and Kawela and Hanakaʻoe Ahupuaʻa
- Your comments or thoughts on the potential impacts the proposed project may have on cultural sites, practices, and resources within the proposed project area and Kawela and Hanakaʻoe Ahupuaʻa
If you are interested in participating in this study, please contact CSH Cultural Researcher, Kellen Tanaka at [email protected].
First Circuit Court Notice: Kalima Class Action Settlement Trust Dated June 23, 2023
FILED, a Petition for Approval of Second Interim Accounting by Emily H. Kawashima, Esq., Probate Special Master, whose address is 700 Bishop Street, Suite 1700, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 (808) 744-4688, seeking approval of the Trustee’s second interim accounting for THE KALIMA CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT TRUST DATED JUNE 23, 2023.
A copy of said petition, along with the accounting and a copy of the Trust are all available at www.kalima-lawsuit.com. The accounting covers the period from January 1, 2025 through and including December 31, 2025, and includes those who received settlement awards during the same period.
The date, time and place for hearing said Petition shall be Friday, October 2, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in the courtroom of the Judge of the above-entitled Court who shall be sitting in probate, in Kaʻahumanu Hale, 777 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813. Parties interested in this Petition have the right to be represented by a private attorney, at said party’s own expense.
DATED: Honolulu, Hawaii, June 12, 2026.
R. SO Clerk of the Above-Entitled Court
SCOTT C. SUZUKI, Probate Special Counsel
(808) 983-3850
Human Hair Samples Repatriated
In May 2026, Hui Iwi Kuamoʻo, a Native Hawaiian organization, repatriated ancestral Hawaiian human remains from the Harvard University Peabody Museum in Cambridge, MA, that included several samples of human hair belonging to living Hawaiian individuals. According to Harvard University records, the hair samples “were likely acquired in 1916 from the Industrial and Reformatory School for Girls located at Mōʻiliʻili, Oʻahu island.”
We are reaching out to the families of the following nine (9) Hawaiians who were between the ages of 13-16 at the time to return these hair samples to their descendants: ANNIE HENU, EMILY PAIKALANI, MARIA KAIHANA, AGNES KALUNA, E. CUMMINS, A. KAOLA EHU, E. KAPIO, M. KALAIKINI, and PAUALIWA.
Please contact Edward Halealoha Ayau at [email protected] or call (808) 646-9015.
Notice of Application for Variance Received by the Department Of Health State Of Hawaiʻi Community Noise Control Variance Application
Pursuant to Ch 342F-5(h), Hawaii Revised Statutes, State of Hawaiʻi, Department of Transportation (HDOT) seeks comments regarding the Department of Health (DOH) Community Noise Variance Application for the Keaʻau-Pāhoa Road Intersection Improvements at Makuʻu and Orchidland Drive Project. The HDOT, Hawaiʻi District, 50 Makaʻala Street, Hilo, Hawaiʻi 96720, applied to DOH for a variance from Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules, Chapter 11-46, Section 11-46-6(a).
HDOT plans intersection improvements along Keaʻau-Pāhoa Road (Route 130) at the two intersections of: 1) Makuʻu Drive in Hawaiʻi Paradise Park and 2) Orchidland Drive in Orchidland Estates located in Puna, Hawaiʻi. The proposed project involves the construction and installation of two roundabouts and will feature share used paths, bus pullouts, concrete splitter and central islands, and street lighting improvements to increase safety and multimodal accessibility.
The applicant proposes to perform the work from Dec. 28, 2027, to Nov. 24, 2030, (excluding holidays) on Sunday (12:01 a.m. – midnight), Monday – Thursday (6:00 p.m. – 6:59 a.m.), Friday (6:00 p.m. – Saturday 8:59 a.m.), and Saturdays (6:00 p.m. – Sunday 12:00 a.m.).
HDOT will accept written public comments through Sept. 1 2026. Submitted written comments should reference Variance Application No V-1491 Docket No. 26NRVN-26 and be directed to: Courtney Supe, HDOT Project Manager, 50 Makaʻala Street, Hilo, Hawaiʻi 96720, Email: [email protected]. The DOH may hold a public hearing regarding the noise variance request prior to making a decision.
