HGTV stars Kamohai and Tristyn Kalama were sued after the remains of Native Hawaiian ancestors were allegedly shown on Renovation Aloha.
Multiple outlets reported on Tuesday, April 21, that the married couple caught the attention of the state’s Attorney General’s Office. According to a civil complaint filed earlier this month in the Third Circuit Court of Hawaii, the show discovered human skeletal remains at a residential renovation project site while filming. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and the State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) had reason to believe the remains may constitute iwi kūpuna based on the location of the property.
Iwi kūpuna refers to skeletal remains of Native Hawaiian ancestors, which are afforded “the highest level of protection,” according to the complaint. State law prohibits the taking, appropriation, excavation, destruction or alteration of burial sites. Photography of those remains is also considered “prohibited, unless written consent is first obtained” from relevant authorities.
The complaint claimed an episode from season 3, which aired on April 14, featured burial remains as Kamohai and Tristyn renovated a home. The pair allegedly “posted video and photographic content to their public Instagram account (@kamohaiandtristyn) that appears to depict the human skeletal remains.” There was at least one Instagram Story mention that remained available at the time of filing.
According to court documents obtained by People, a recent episode of Renovation Aloha contained footage depicting the human skeletal remains. Kamohai and Tristyn reportedly didn’t obtain written consent from either the appropriate burial council or DLNR before the footage was featured on the HGTV show.
“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 state argued in the complaint.
The lawsuit named Kamohai and Tristyn, HGTV, Discovery Inc. and producer Nathan Fields as defendants. The motion is seeking an unspecified amount in civil penalties and a permanent injunction ordering the defendants to remove any online or broadcast content showing the remains.
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“We take the concerns raised by the Native Hawaiian community very seriously and are committed to ensuring our programming is respectful and appropriate,” an HGTV spokesperson said in a statement. “We apologize to anyone who found any part of the episode offensive, as that was not HGTV’s intention.”
According to the Deadline, HGTV edited the episode to remove all footage of the remains. The episode noted that local authorities were contacted as soon as the remains were discovered and — out of respect — the couple did not develop on the lot.
Kamohai and Tristyn, meanwhile, addressed the episode on Instagram Live earlier this month. They emphasized that they never planned to build on the land and were allegedly following protocols known to them.
