Water Rights
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).
The right to access traditional sources of water for Hawaiian crops, most notably kalo (taro), has been a pressing concern for Native Hawaiian farmers. Their right to adequate water for traditional Hawaiian crops attached to land awards issued during the mid-1800s by the Hawaiian Kingdom. State statutory law also safeguards these rights. NHLC has assisted many farmers with asserting these rights, most recently in East Maui.
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.
