The George F. Arnemann Collection (Kauai Museum)
On October 17, 2007, Kauai Museum director, Carol Lovell and staff, in the company of Kumu Hula, Roselle Bailey came to Lanai to return a collection of 100 indigenous artifacts taken from Lanai in the mid to late 1950s by George F. Arnemann.
Though not an acceptable practice in the modern day, Mr. Arnemann traveled around the major Hawaiian Islands looking for artifacts—and Lanai was one of the places he collected from.
Fortunately Mr. Arnemann, recognized the importance of documenting his finds, and he kept good records, describing the locations where artifacts were gathered.
As a part of a repatriation program of the Kauai Museum, the Arnemann Lanai collection was donated to the Lanai Culture & Heritage Center, and is now being cared for as a part of our program.
When the collection was brought to Lanai, Kupuna and kamaaina gathered at the interim home of the Lanai CHC and offered pule (prayer) and celebrated the return of the artifacts.
