About Clare Apana

Claire is a native of Wailuku, Maui, is a cultural practitioner and teacher who is deeply involved with cultural preservation issues throughout Maui. Clare received the Sierra Club’s Onipa‘a Award in 2013 for her long dedication to research and advocacy to protect Maui’s traditional cultural landscapes and burial areas. She has a Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy and has a private practice in both Maui and Honolulu.

Clare Apana is a descendant of the sand dune burials on the island of Maui. She stood up against developers in court to stop the desecration of illegal sand mining on Hawaiian burial grounds. Her efforts has brought awareness of the burial desecration by the multi billion dollar rail project on Oahu, Maui hotel development and home subdivision developments.

She is the founder of the Hawaiian burial conference held on Maui. The conference incorporates speeches of Hawaiian burial descendants, Hawaiian lawyers and Hawaiian rights advocates to address current issues with solutions.