What's Being Discussed
The Hawaiʻi Island Burial Council — part of the State Historic Preservation Division — will meet on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM. The meeting is held both in person in Hilo and online via Zoom. Key topics include:

Repatriation of remains: A letter of support the Council issued regarding returning the remains of Carolyn Sue Harp and family to Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park.
Construction and development consultations: Review of letters from the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation (guardrail and road shoulder work near Keaʻau-Pāhoa Bypass), a planning firm regarding the Keauhou Bay Management Plan environmental impact statement, and a pre-assessment for non-potable water wells at Panaʻewa Agricultural Park.
Inadvertent discoveries: Two separate cases of Native Hawaiian skeletal remains uncovered by shoreline erosion in June 2026 — one at Old Airport Beach and one at Kamakahonu Beach, both in North Kona.
Burial Sites Working Group update: A status report from the ongoing working group.
Cultural descendancy application: A request by Johnson K. Kalawe to be recognized as a cultural descendant of unidentified Native Hawaiian remains found in North Kohala.

Decisions Expected

Approval of minutes from the July 1, 2026 meeting.
A determination on the cultural descendancy recognition application by Johnson K. Kalawe.
Setting agenda items for future meetings.

Who Should Pay Attention

Native Hawaiian families and communities with ancestral ties to burial sites on Hawaiʻi Island.
Landowners, developers, or agencies with projects near known burial areas.
Anyone interested in the protection and respectful treatment of Native Hawaiian iwi kūpuna (ancestral remains).

Public testimony is welcome. Attend in person in Hilo or join online at https://zoom.us/j/96752133889 (Meeting ID: 967 5213 3889, Passcode: HIBC26).