OHA schedules April trip to repatriate three iwi kūpuna from Ulster Museum; will pursue shared stewardship in Germany

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) said it will send staff to Europe and the U.S. East Coast from April 22 to May 3 to repatriate three iwi kūpuna from the Ulster Museum in Northern Ireland and to continue talks with the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, SPK) in Germany over two contested kiʻi.

The briefing, presented to the OHA Committee on Beneficiary Advocacy and Empowerment on April 2, described the trip as both a continuation of earlier claims and an opportunity for in-person negotiations and cultural ceremonies. "I'm providing an informational briefing on an upcoming Office of Hawaiian Affairs repatriation mission ... April 22 to May 3," a staff presenter said during the committee meeting.

Why it matters: The work addresses claims started in 2021 and later, including human remains and funerary objects taken to overseas institutions during the 19th century. Repatriation is a culturally sensitive matter for beneficiaries and touches federal repatriation rules under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and related state historic‑preservation processes.

Details of the Ulster Museum claim: OHA staff told trustees the Ulster Museum had been the subject of a claim begun in 2021. The museum had initially…