‘NOT OK’

Unearthed Human Remains Cause Stir at Hawaiian Property With Obama Ties

Native Hawaiian bones found at a luxury property being developed by Obama Foundation chair Marty Nesbitt were reportedly left in a filing cabinet for months before being reburied.

The treatment of Native Hawaiian remains at a new development project with ties to President Barack Obama has stirred up controversy between developers and the native population. Workers unearthed human remains in January at a multimillion-dollar oceanfront project that is set to become a luxury compound and is being developed by Obama Foundation chair Marty Nesbitt. The bones, discovered where the developers planned to put a swimming pool and a septic system, were initially stored in a filing cabinet where they were wet and grew black mildew, according to activist Kamuela Kala‘I. They were reburied months later in a different location. “All over the place, our kupuna, somehow it is OK to sacrifice them for the sake of buildings and cesspools and swimming pools,” said Kala‘I, a member of the Waimanalo Native Hawaiian community. “It’s not OK. It’s not OK. I will say that until the last breath in my body can say it.”