A Community Is Trying To Save Hawaiian Burials From Eroding Into The Sea Climate change is threatening iwi kupuna from mauka to makai. Experts say the tools exist to come up with a solution but it will require political will.
Kamuela Kalai and Ian Masterson were sitting on a Kaaawa beach in January when they saw what looked like a little bamboo stick jutting out of the sand. The two were just talking story when they noticed it was actually a bone.
The pair followed the protocol of calling the police, and then the state Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, when finding iwi kupuna, or ancestral bones. It took a couple of hours before a state official could check it out. But Kalai knew then that it wouldn’t be the last time she’d have to call.
“We had no idea what was behind it, but we know that if you see one little fragment, there is probably going to be a lot more,” Kalai said.
