Nāpua Greig, a Native Hawaiian musician and educator, offers an opening song at a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs oversight hearing on February 2, 2022.

In the song, Greig presents a genealogy of an important line of Native Hawaiian leaders. The words make reference to a sacred burial site in Hawaii.

“Our iwi, our bones are sacred,” Grieg said in introducing the song.

The hearing was titled “The Long Journey Home: Advancing the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act’s Promise After 30 Years of Practice.” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), the chairman of the committee, invited Greig to ensure it started off in an appropriate manner.

“Repatriating ancestral remains and cultural items is difficult and often painful work,” Schatz observed at the opening of the hearing.

Oversight Hearing “The Long Journey Home: Advancing the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act’s Promise After 30 Years of Practice” (February 2, 2022)

The Long Journey Home: Advancing the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act’s Promise After 30 Years of Practice (February 2, 2022)
Full-time NAGPRA investigator hired for first time in decades (January 31, 2022)