KAUA‘I COUNTY COUNCIL APPROVES RESOLUTION REAFFIRMING COMMITMENT TO NATIVE HAWAIIANS AND OPPOSING THE RYAN V. WATSON LAWSUIT
Līhu‘e, Kaua‘i – On Wednesday, June 17, 2026 the Kaua‘i County Council approved Resolution No. 2026-18, Draft 1, a Resolution introduced by Council Chair Mel Rapozo and Council Vice Chair KipuKai Kuali‘i that addresses and defends against the fundamental misunderstandings in the recent Ryan v. Watson case filed in the United States District Court for the District of Hawai‘i, which seeks to dismantle the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA) of 1920 and the federal trust obligation to Native Hawaiians created by Congress.
The Resolution, which urges the Congress and President of the United States as well as the State of Hawai‘i to continue to preserve, protect, and fulfill the HHCA and all other laws enacted for the continued preservation of the Native Hawaiian people, reaffirms the Council’s unwavering commitment to the State’s Indigenous people who possess a unique political, cultural, historical, and trust relationship with the United States and the State of Hawai‘i.
Council Vice Chair KipuKai Kuali‘i emphasized that, “Everyone out there plays a role in defending against these attacks. Native Hawaiian is not just a race; the term encompasses so much more than that. Native Hawaiians are the Indigenous people of Hawai‘i with a unique political status that has existed for a long time.” Council Chair Mel Rapozo stated, “This lawsuit threatens the integrity of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act and undermines a century-old commitment to address the historical injustices suffered by Native Hawaiians through access to lands held in trust for their benefit.”
Resolution No. 2026-18, Draft 1, stands in firm opposition to the Ryan v. Watson case and seeks to set the record straight on the historical and cultural inaccuracies widespread within the lawsuit, which risks undermining the Congressional intent behind creation of the HHCA and over one hundred (100) federal enactments specifically designed to recognize and support Native Hawaiians as the Indigenous people of Hawai‘i.
For additional information, please contact the Office of the County Clerk, Council Services Division, at (808) 241-4188.
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