Brian Schatz

09/03/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/03/2026 13:45

Schatz Leads Roundtable Discussion on Improving Repatriation of Native Hawaiian Remains, Cultural Items

Published: 09.03.2026

Schatz Leads Roundtable Discussion on Improving Repatriation of Native Hawaiian Remains, Cultural Items

Schatz's Efforts To Press Museums, Institutions Has Resulted In Over 400% Increase In Notices Of Intent To Repatriate Items

HONOLULU - U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, led a roundtable discussion on the status of repatriating Native Hawaiian ancestral remains and cultural items under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and ways to improve the law's implementation in Hawai'i.

"We've seen a significant uptick in efforts by museums and institutions to comply with federal law and repatriate remains and cultural items back to Native Hawaiians and other Native communities, where they belong," said Vice Chair Schatz. "But our work is not over, and this discussion was a chance to hear about what Congress can do to strengthen the law to improve compliance and speed up repatriation."

Joining Schatz in the roundtable discussion were Kaiali'i Kahele, Chair of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Dr. Kristofer Helgen, President and CEO of the Bishop Museum; Dr. Halena Kapuni-Reynolds, Associate Curator of Native Hawaiian History and Culture at the National Museum of the American Indian; Dr. Kamanamaikalani Beamer, Dean and Professor at the Hawai?inuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge and the University of Hawai?i at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law; and Dr. Kehaunani Abad, Vice President of Uluhiwa Strategy and Experience at Kamehameha Schools.

Since 2023, Schatz has repeatedly pressed more than 70 institutions with the largest unrepatriated NAGPRA collections to comply with the law. As a result, notices of intent from museums and institutions to repatriate NAGPRA items have increased by over 400 percent. Schatz is working on new legislation to strengthen NAGPRA in several areas, including creating opportunities for improved relationships between museums and communities, compliance, enforcement, and funding.

###

  • Print
  • Email
  • Share
  • Tweet
Brian Schatz published this content on September 03, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 03, 2026 at 19:45 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]