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 ...
Settlement Reached to Rebury 28 Iwi Kūpuna at The Park at Keʻeaumoku Project in Honolulu
The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (NHLC) and its client, Edward Halealoha Ayau, have reached a settlement in their litigation with the State of Hawaiʻi, the City and County of Honolulu (County), and Keʻeaumoku Development LLC (KDL) regarding Native Hawaiian burials at the Park at Keʻeaumoku project (the Park Project). Pursuant to the settlement, a total of 28 iwi kupuna that have so far been discovered at the site will be reburied, on location, in accordance with and an accepted Burial Treatment Plan and traditional protocols by September 30, 2024. The Park Project is a two-tower, mixed-use condo development that ...
