The HGTV cable network and a pair of Hawaiian home renovators are accused of screwing up after the on-camera discovery of human bones on a Big Island property.
The shocking find was featured on the latest Season 3 episode of “Renovation Aloha,” which is hosted by married house flippers Tristyn and Kamohai Kalama, and aired last week.
“Holy crap,” husband Kamohai Kalama said while shining a flashlight into an underground lava tube, the Honolulu Civil Beat reported Friday. “There’s bones back here.”
In a lawsuit filed against the Kalamas, HGTV and others, the state Attorney General’s Office alleges that the bones were shown on the reality TV show and social media in violation of state laws that prohibit the disturbing and desecration of burial sites and human skeletal remains.
Deputy Attorney General Julie China and Miranda Steed said that the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the State Historic Preservation Division believe that the bones constitute “ʻiwi kūpuna,” a Hawaiian term.
The term ‘iwi kūpuna’ refers to the concept that ancestral bones of Native Hawaiians are sacred and connected to spiritual and family identity.
Officials also said the Kalamas were served with a written directive to “immediately remove all content depicting the remains from all social media platforms” and “cease and desist from any further posting or dissemination.”
“Upon information and belief, Defendants did not remove all content depicting the remains prior to the broadcast of the episode of ‘Renovation Aloha’ on HGTV,” they wrote.
“The broadcast of footage depicting ʻiwi kūpuna’ on national television causes profound and irreparable harm to the Native Hawaiian community, to the State’s interest in protecting its cultural resources, and to the dignity and sanctity of the ancestors whose remains were depicted.”
The lawsuit seeks unspecified civil penalties and a permanent injunction ordering the defendants to immediately take down any online content showing the bones and to never show it again.
On Friday, HGTV – which titled the episode “Bones on the Big Island” – apologized for releasing it and said it would be edited for “all future network airings and platforms.”
“We take the concerns raised by the Native Hawaiian community very seriously and are committed to ensuring our programming is respectful and appropriate,” the company said. “We apologize to anyone who found any part of the episode offensive, as that was not HGTV’s intention.”
HGTV also said that authorities were notified about the remains, as shown in the episode, and that the Kalamas decided against developing the lot, which “was later blessed by a community elder.”
The Kalamas, who don’t have editorial control over their show, said on Instagram that they followed the protocols they knew and that they never intended to develop the property, according to Deadline.
Both sides are due in court on Friday for a hearing in the case.
