Requesting The Bureau Of Conveyances To Conduct Or Commission A Study To Determine The Rightful Owners Of Land In And Around Lahaina.
Furthermore, HR154 seeks to legally restore land to its rightful owners while also planning for the effective rebuilding of Lahaina. The document contextualizes the urgency of this request by referencing the long history of land being taken unlawfully from Native Hawaiians. It highlights that many Native Hawaiians currently face dire conditions, including poverty and homelessness, exacerbated by a systemic disconnect from their historical and cultural ties to the land.
House Resolution 154 (HR154) calls upon the Bureau of Conveyances in Hawaii to conduct or commission a study to ascertain the rightful owners of land in and around Lahaina. This initiative comes in the wake of historical injustices stemming from the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom in 1893, which led to significant land dispossession among the Native Hawaiian population. The resolution aims to address contemporary consequences of these historical events, which have contributed to socio-economic disparities within the kanaka maoli community.
Despite the noble goal of land restoration, HR154 may encounter opposition due to conflicting interests around land use and property rights. The exploration of rightful ownership may provoke legal disputes and resistance from individuals or entities that currently hold claims on the land in question. Additionally, the implementation of such studies may draw criticism regarding potential bureaucratic complications and the question of who qualifies as a 'rightful owner' in a legally complex landscape shaped by over a century of colonial governance.