Hawaiian Jailed in Buried Artifacts Case

The executive director of a native Hawaiian group dedicated to the proper treatment of ancestral remains was jailed Tuesday after he refused to reveal the location of 83 artifacts the group has hidden in caves on the Big Island.

Edward Halealoha Ayau, executive director of Hui Malama I Na Kupuna O Hawaii Nei, was taken into custody after refusing Chief U.S. District Judge David Ezra’s order to say where the group has placed the disputed artifacts.

“We did the honorable thing,” Ayau told the judge.

Three members of the group’s board -- William Aila, Pualani Kanahele and Antoinette Freitas -- also were found in contempt but were not jailed.

Ezra ordered Ayau held until he or others return the ancient objects or reveal their location. The judge said he was not ordering the objects to be returned to the Bishop Museum, where they were previously stored, but said Hui Malama must comply with his order.

“Make no mistake about it, the court’s order will be complied with,” he said.

The four were called before the court to explain why they have refused to abide by a federal court order that they provide the locations of the objects and name those who had participated in their reburial.

Hui Malama has told the court that the items were buried and sealed in the Kawaihae Cave complex on the Big Island. But Ezra said he needed a more precise location to better preserve and protect the artifacts.

Hui Malama says the artifacts -- which include a human-hair wig, containers with human teeth, carved wood statuettes of family gods, bowls and other tools -- were looted from a cave by an archeologist in 1905 and illegally sold to the museum. The museum loaned the items, known as the Forbes collection, to the group in February 2000, but Hui Malama reburied them rather than returning them.

The group argued that it has simply put the items back where they belong. However, 13 other groups also claim ownership of the objects.