Nā Wai E Hoʻōla i Nā Iwi? – Who Will Save the Bones?

Produced by Nā Maka o ka ʻĀina

From an ancient burial site at Honokahua, Maui, to the streets of Honolulu, the issue of protecting ancestral remains is brought passionately to the public’s attention by Hawaiians.

A few days before Christmas, 1988, an all night vigil is held at the state capitol to protest the excavation of over 900 ancient burials from the sands of Honokahua bay, Maui, by archeologists contracted to clear them for the construction of a new Ritz Carlton resort.

The effort to stop the desecration is met with overwhelming support from the community and soon an agreement is reached between the state government and the developer to move the hotel site and reinter the bones.

This collective action eventually resulted in legislation to repatriate ancestral remains from universities and museums throughout the world and protect burial sites throughout Hawai’i.

Produced and directed by Puhipau and Joan Lander of Nā Maka o ka ʻĀina

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