Department of Land and Natural Resources
Island Burial Councils
What This Council Does
The Island Burial Councils are the collective body of Hawaii's individual island burial councils, which advise the State Historic Preservation Division on the treatment, protection, and reinterment of Native Hawaiian skeletal remains and burial goods under Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 6E. Each council reviews inadvertent discovery reports, consult on development projects that may disturb burial sites, and make recommendations on appropriate disposition. Their decisions carry significant weight in land use and construction permitting across the state.
Why You Should Care
If you are a Native Hawaiian lineal or cultural descendant, a developer, or a homeowner undertaking ground disturbance, burial council decisions directly affect what happens when ancestral remains are encountered and what obligations apply.