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The minutes provide comprehensive documentation of the Hawaiian Homes Commission activities and decisions since its inception in 1921. They consist of minutes of the public portion of the commission regular meetings held monthly at various homestead communities throughout the state. Include minutes to public portions of special commission meetings held once or twice a year. Meeting notices, agenda, staff reports and recommendations, and exhibits are filed with the minutes. The Commission’s decisions regarding lease activity, capital improvement projects and infrastructure improvements, development plans, management plans, land exchanges, licenses issued for utility and access easements, government loan applications, lot subdivisions, departmental personnel, and Commission finances are documented in the minutes.

Textual and visual records comprise the public relations files of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL). Textual records consist of directors’ speeches, testimony, interviews, news releases, radio and television scripts, flyers, and programs. Visual records consist of black and white and a few color photographs, negatives and videotapes.

Records of the Department’s efforts to award homesteads to native Hawaiians from the late 1960's to the early 1990’s comprise the bulk of the collection. There are a few photos ca. 1920's to 1930's of Moloka‘i settlements and agricultural activities, Keaukaha homesteads and Waiakea Airfield (General Lyman Field and Hilo International Airport) construction.

The records and images provide coverage of homestead awards to applicants and public works projects to develop infrastructure required to support the subdivision of Hawaiian home lands into pastoral lots, agricultural lots, and residential lots for single family homes. Projects include construction of new streets and improvements to existing roads, water supply, drainage, fencing, and soil erosion mitigation. Agricultural development projects on Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i and Maui; and residential subdivision development on all islands are covered. There are images depicting social services programming such as maternal care, childcare, and early education for O‘ahu homestead residents. Images of buildings, offices, and staff members of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands as well as assorted local, state, and federal government officials; Hawaiian musicians; and homestead residents are found in this collection.

Speeches, interviews, and testimony topics include accelerated home building projects, department accomplishments, entitlements to native Hawaiians, homestead evictions, home loans, infrastructure improvements, state of the state drafts, accomplishments of Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole (1871-1922), and a eulogy for George Jarrett Helm (1950-1977).

News releases announce groundbreaking, dedications, homestead award recipients, homestead beautification awards, land use development and management plan revisions, public hearings and meetings, employee service awards, bid advertisements, department rules and regulations, financial and management audits and legislative proposals.

The records of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands comprises of two series: Minutes of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, dating from 1921 to 2010; and the Public Relation Files from the Information and Community Relations Office, dating from 1921 to 1994.

The Minutes of the Hawaiian Home Commission are of public proceedings and provide comprehensive coverage of the policymaking and decision making activities of the commission since its inception. There are gaps for minutes to the Hawaiian Homes Commission meetings in October, November, and December 1977 (meeting numbers 209, 210, and 211). Minutes dated 1921 to 1967 were bound by the Commission prior to transfer to the archives; Minutes from 1968 to 1974 were filed in pressboard binders by the commission prior to transfer to the Archives. For preservation purposes, bound minutes from 1960 to 1974 were disbound during processing.

The Public Relations Files of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands consist of directors’ speeches, testimony, interviews, news releases, radio and television scripts, flyers, and programs. The bulk of the collection are records of homesteads awarded to the native Hawaiians from late 1960’s to early 1990’s.