The New York Times
December 28, 2005
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HONOLULU, Dec. 28 (AP) - A federal judge found four leaders of a Hawaiian group in contempt of court on Tuesday for refusing to disclose where they buried Native Hawaiian artifacts borrowed from a museum.
One of the leaders, Edward Halealoha Ayau, executive director of a group dedicated to the proper treatment of ancestral remains, was taken into federal custody after refusing the judge's order to reveal the location of the 83 artifacts borrowed from the Bishop Museum here.
The judge, David A. Ezra, ordered Mr. Ayau to be held until he or others returned the ancient objects or came forward with their location. Three members of the group's board were also found in contempt but not jailed. All four belong to the group Hui Malama I Na Kupuna O Hawaii Nei (Group Caring for the Ancestors of Hawaii).
The group has told the court that the items - including a human-hair wig, containers with human teeth and carved wooden statuettes of family gods - have been buried and sealed. But Judge Ezra said Tuesday that the court needed a precise location to better preserve and protect the artifacts.
Group members say the artifacts were looted from a cave by an archaeologist in 1905 and illegally sold to the museum. They argued that they put the items back where they belonged, but 13 other groups also claim ownership of the objects.