NHLC Files Suit to Protect Native Hawaiian Burial Sites in Lahaina
The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (NHLC) has filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of the Second Circuit on behalf of ʻOhana Kimokeo, a Native Hawaiian family from Maui, to protect sacred ancestral burial sites in the Lahaina area from desecration and to hold the State of Hawaiʻi and an individual landowner accountable for violations of Hawaiʻi’s historic preservation laws. The Practice of Mālama Iwi Kūpuna For generations, ʻOhana Kimokeo has engaged in the traditional and customary practice of mālama iwi kūpuna — the caring for and protection of ancestral remains. This obligation is central to Native Hawaiian culture and ...
NHLC Joins the Kalana Ola Coalition for Compassionate Release
The Kalana Ola coalition was formed in 2025 to assist paʻahao (incarcerated individuals) who may be eligible for compassionate or medical release. Kalana Ola means “freed and forgiven to heal,” signifying the compassion in releasing paʻahao who are elderly, near end of life, or critically ill. Compassionate release is rooted in humanitarian principles and aligned with Native Hawaiian values of aloha, mālama (care), and kuleana (responsibility to one another). This relief is acutely needed for Native Hawaiian paʻahao, who are substantially over-represented in the Hawai’i prison system. This longstanding crises for Hawaiian ʻohana disrupts the pono and the perpetuation of ola through ...
The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation Welcomes Its 2026 Spring Students to the Huʻeaʻo Program
The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation is proud to welcome its Spring 2026 Huʻeaʻo Interns. NHLC's Huʻeaʻo experiential learning program allows law students from schools around the world to learn about Indigenous legal advocacy within an Indigenous-led, Indigenous rights legal practice. Students that participate in the program assist with substantive legal projects, engage with community, and participate in cultural practice trainings to develop cultural competence and knowledge about the law, Native Hawaiian culture, and the ʻāina necessary to effectively represent and advocate for the lāhui. NHLC is honored to work alongside these emerging leaders and is grateful for their dedication ...
Lonoikamakahiki!
This year NHLC worked on more than 100 cases representing Native Hawaiian ʻohana, communities, and cultural practitioners to protect and advance Native Hawaiian rights and justice in legal matters. NHLC partnered with Maui-based, Native Hawaiian artist Bailey Onaga to create images that represent three examples in celebration of this hana (work). Hunting This image represents traditional hunters. NHLC stands with Native Hawaiian hunters when their constitutionally protected rights to hunt according to traditional and customary practices are unreasonably threatened by legal restrictions. Limu Limu is a critical component of Hawaiʻi’s marine environment and ...
I am the sole caregiver for my moʻopuna. Does our hānai relationship give me legal rights? What legal process do we need?
By Angela Correa-Pei, NHLC Of Counsel Hānai – the traditional practice where someone other than the natural parents assumes kuleana for a child’s upbringing – is well-established in Hawaiian culture and common in kupuna–moʻopuna relationships. The ʻōlelo noʻeau “ʻIke aku, ʻike mai, kōkua aku, kōkua mai; pela iho ka nohona ʻohana” (Recognize and be recognized, help and be helped; such is family life) captures this spirit of mutual care. While hānai is recognized under Hawaiʻi law in some contexts, hānai mākua may need additional, formal legal status to fully meet the needs of the keiki. Three primary legal options allow ...
The real property taxes for my ‘ohana land are so high. How can I get it reduced?
By Liʻūla Christensen, NHLC Senior Staff Attorney Real property taxes are burdensome and must be kept current to avoid tax liens and foreclosures. The counties offer a variety of exemptions that may apply to your property to reduce real property tax amounts. The four counties offer a kuleana property tax exemption that reduces the real property tax on kuleana lands to at least the minimum real property tax. In order to qualify, the kuleana land must be owned in whole or in part by a lineal descendant of the person that received the original title to the kuleana. This ...
The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation Welcomes Its 2025 Fall Students to the Huʻeaʻo Program
The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation is proud to welcome its Fall 2025 Huʻeaʻo undergraduate interns, Joanie Wood (Dartmouth College) and Samantha Murray (University of Queensland). NHLC’s Huʻeaʻo experiential learning program allows undergraduate and law students from schools around the world to learn about Indigenous legal advocacy within an Indigenous-led, Indigenous rights legal practice. Students that participate in the program assist with substantive legal projects, engage with community, and participate in cultural practice trainings to develop cultural competence and knowledge about the law, Native Hawaiian culture, and the ʻāina necessary to effectively represent and advocate for the lāhui. NHLC is honored ...
Kahoʻohanohano Midwifery & Traditional Birthing Practices Litigation Settled
As a result of litigation and legislative advocacy, Native Hawaiian practitioners can now train and engage in traditional birthing practices without fear of criminal penalties Today, the state of Hawai‘i agreed to end a case brought by the Center for Reproductive Rights, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (NHLC), and the law firm Perkins Coie. The case challenged a law that restricted midwifery in the state, preventing pregnant people in Hawai‘i from using skilled midwives and traditional birthing practitioners for their pregnancies and births, as they have for generations, and threatening Native Hawaiian traditional birthing practices with criminal liability. The lawsuit shed ...
How does adoption affect DHHL eligibility?
Can I designate my adopted child as the successor to my lease? What about other adopted relatives? By Henderson Huihui, NHLC Staff Attorney, ʻOhana Services There is a legal distinction between legal adoption and the traditional practice of hānai. The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA) provides a specific list of relatives who may succeed to a homestead lease. This list includes spouse, children, grandchildren, siblings, as long as they have at least 25% biological Native Hawaiian blood quantum. The list also includes parents, nieces, and nephews, as long as they have at least 50% Native Hawaiian blood quantum, referred to ...
Is there a way to prepare a will if you are unable to afford an estate planning attorney?
By Devin Kamealoha Forrest, Esq., NHLC Staff Attorney and Research Specialist In Hawaiʻi, wills are governed by The Uniform Probate Code under Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes (“HRS”) §560. This law generally outlines three criteria which are necessary for a document to be considered a valid will. First, the document must be in writing. Second, the document must be signed by either the testator (person making the will) or by some other individual at the direction of the testator and while in the testator’s presence. Third, the document must be signed by at least two individuals within a reasonable time after they ...
