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.