HI HCR253

Requests the Department of Land and Natural Resources convene a working group to review existing systems and procedures for reviewing and preserving Native Hawaiian burial sites.

Directs the working group to determine fair and effective penalties for persons who negligently or intentionally damage Native Hawaiian burial sites.

Emphasizes the cultural and spiritual significance of ancestral bones (iwi) in Native Hawaiian tradition, which are believed to contain a person's mana (spiritual essence).

Notes that Island Burial Councils were established in 1990 within the Historic Preservation Division to make recommendations on treatment of inadvertently discovered Native Hawaiian skeletal remains.

Requires certified copies of the resolution be sent to the Board of Land and Natural Resources Chairperson, State Historic Preservation Division Administrator, and representatives of various Hawaiian cultural organizations and councils.