Hawaii Island Burial Council (Department of Land and Natural Resources)

Hawaii Island Burial Council Meeting

Aso ma le Taimi Wednesday, July 1, 2026 9:30 AM
Nofoaga Division of Forestry and Wildlife Conference Room 19 E. Kāwili Street
Hilo, HI 96720
Avanoa Mai Mamao E maua foʻi i luga o le initaneti — siaki le faʻasalalauga aloaia mo faʻamatalaga o le fesoʻotaʻiga.
Aganuʻu ma Faatufugaga Siosiomaga ma Eleele

Aotelega na Fausia e le AI

Aotelega faigofie — ia faʻamaonia pea i pepa aloaia

What's Being Discussed

The Hawaiʻi Island Burial Council will meet on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM. The meeting is open to the public in person in Hilo or online via Zoom. Key topics include:

  • Two recent inadvertent discoveries of unidentified Native Hawaiian skeletal remains exposed by shoreline erosion — one at Old Airport Beach and one at Kamakahonu Beach, both in the North Kona district, found in June 2026.
  • A letter from the Allen County Museum regarding federal repatriation law (NAGPRA) and the return of Native Hawaiian ancestral remains.
  • A Section 106 consultation related to a County of Hawaiʻi watershed protection and recharge project.
  • Correspondence about a proposed housing development in the Kaumana Springs Wilderness Area.
  • A recent news story about burial councils and quorum issues.
  • An update from the Burial Sites Working Group.
  • A discussion about House Bill 2104, which relates to Island Burial Councils.

Decisions Expected

  • Approval of meeting minutes from March, April, and May 2026.
  • A determination on a cultural descendancy recognition application for ancestral remains located at a property in Hawaiian Paradise Park, Puna. Note: Part of this discussion may be closed to the public to protect the confidential location of burial sites.

Who Should Pay Attention

  • Native Hawaiian families and community members with connections to ancestral burial sites on Hawaiʻi Island.
  • Landowners and developers working near culturally sensitive areas in North Kona or Puna.
  • Anyone interested in historic preservation, repatriation, or burial site protections in Hawaiʻi.

Faʻapefea Ona Auai

O se fonotaga lautele lenei — e talia uma tagata o le nuʻu e auai ma tuʻuina atu molimau. E masani ona faia fonotaga i le tagata lava ma e ono mafai foʻi ona maua i luga o le initaneti.