Notice of Intended Repatriation: Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI

Bishop Museum Prepares to Return Nine Rare Hawaiian Cultural Items from Forbes Cave

Nine cultural items taken more than a century ago from a cave on Hawaiʻi Island are slated to be returned to Native Hawaiian organizations starting November 30, 2026, according to a notice published by the National Park Service on federalregister.gov.

#TodayInHistory — The love of Charles Reed Bishop for his wife Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, and his shared dedication to her vision and kuleana, are a cornerstone of #BishopMuseum and our collections. Today on his birthday, we celebrate his remarkable life and legacy. (Cont.)

— https://x.com/bishopmuseum/status/1618325711013437461

The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu intends to repatriate the unassociated funerary objects after determining they are culturally affiliated with a coalition of local groups and trusts. Collected in 1905 from the Honokoʻa Gulch Cave Complex—specifically an area known as Forbes Cave in Kawaihae—the artifacts were received by the museum in 1907.

Artifacts Recovered in 1905

The collection, designated as Honokoʻa Gulch items “Lots 1–9,” comprises carved kiʻi, or stick images, ʻipu ʻaina refuse bowls, a feather cape fragment known as nae, a carved female figure called kiʻi wahine, a hair helmet or wig, and a boar tusk bracelet. David Forbes, Friedrich Haenisch, and William Wagner gathered the objects from the cave complex over a century ago.

Under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, museums must publish intent notices before transferring cultural items. The Bishop Museum determined by a preponderance of the evidence that the nine objects were placed with or near human remains during death rites or ceremonies.

Designated Requestors and Next Steps

The museum identified the most appropriate requestors as a group consisting of the Mary Kawena Pukui Cultural Preservation Society, ʻOhana Diamond, ʻOhana Kekumano, ʻOhana Keohokālole, ʻOhana Olds, and the Temple of Lono, alongside Aloha ʻĀina o Hawaiʻi, Inc.

Notice of Intended Repatriation: Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI

Written requests for repatriation can still be submitted by any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not previously listed, provided they prove their affiliation by a preponderance of the evidence under 43 CFR 10.9. Additional claims must be directed to Jill Sommer, NAGPRA Coordinator at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, located at 1525 Bernice Street, Honolulu, HI 96817, or via email at [email protected]. If competing claims arrive, the museum will determine the proper recipient before the transfer proceeds on or after November 30, 2026.