Five cultural items that were once part of the Forbes Cave collection have been designated "unassociated funerary items" by Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, paving the way for Native Hawaiian organizations to determine what to do with them.

The items belong to the same collection as 83 cultural objects that have been at the center of a long-standing dispute between Bishop Museum and several Native Hawaiian groups.

The five items housed at the park are a carved wooden female figure, believed to be a representation of the deity Kiha Wahine; a carved wooden game board; a cutting tool with a shark-tooth attachment; a water gourd; and a wrist ornament made of rock oyster.

"We have determined these items belong to the Native Hawaiian people," said Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando. "Now it's up to the Native Hawaiian people to determine the disposition of these items."