I Koe ke Kuleana
Protecting Wahi Pana and Culturally Significant Places
The I Koe ke Kuleana program takes inspiration from the Mahele and Kuleana Act documents that reserved and preserved the rights of the makaʻāinana for access, gathering, and other purposes even after the adoption of fee simple land ownership in Hawaiʻi. This program is meant to ensure that these rights continue to be reserved and preserved for the people of Hawaiʻi.
This program seeks to defend and uphold the constitutional rights of cultural practitioners and sacred place stewards to enable access to, and culturally necessary protection of, sacred places. This program includes legal advocacy in courts and before administrative agencies, as well as engagement in Native Hawaiian consultation processes involving federal, state, and local government agencies.
If you have a legal issue and would like to see if we can help you, please call our office at (808) 521-2302 or contact us using our Contact Form.
Contact
Kirsha Durante
Litigation Director
Terina Faʻagau
Staff Attorney
Resources
- Ho‘ohana Aku, a Ho‘ola Aku: A Legal Primer for Traditional and Customary Rights in Hawai‘i provided by the Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law
News + Insights
HILO, Hawai‘i- The future of Punaluʻu, one of the most biologically rich and culturally revered places in Kaʻū, is now uncertain, but a proposed resort development that threatened its integrity may be off the ...
On Friday, May 9th, in a powerful defense of Hawai‘i’s environment, cultural heritage, Hawaiian rights and public lands, the state’s Board of Land and Natural Resources voted to reject the U.S. Army’s final ...
Kauaʻi County Planning Commission Finds in Favor of Kilauea Cultural Practitioners to Protect Nihokū
The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (“NHLC”) recently represented client Nā Kiaʻi o Nihokū before the Kaua‘i County Planning Commission (the “Commission”) at its November 12, 2024 meeting. Nā Kiaʻi o Nihokū includes ...
