Protecting Traditional and Customary Practices in Contemporary Settings
Protecting Tradition
NHLC provides legal services to confront the problems facing Native Hawaiians, including the threatened loss of their ancestral lands, the unfulfilled-promises made by state and federal government to hold Hawaiian land in trust for their betterment, and the preservation of their indigneous way of life which includes traditional means of resolving disputes (ho’oponopono or peacemaking).
Traditional and cultural practices are often compromised by modern institutions. NHLC has expanded its services to address contemporary challenges to their way of life.
NHLC has worked to secure the rights of Native Hawaiians to practice the indigenous religion, though serving their sentences in prisons on the mainland.
NHLC has also challenged the failure of hospitals to recognize the cultural significance of placentas in Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practice. Classified as toxic waste, placentas were destroyed by hospitals. This policy and practice was odious to the Native Hawaiian tradition of burying the placenta in a place of significance.
If you have a legal issue and would like to see if we can help you, please call our office at (808) 521-2302 or contact us using our Contact Form.
