Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 1, Number 1, 1 June 1981 — ISLAND NOTES [ARTICLE]

ISLAND NOTES

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs expresses a sincere mahalo a nui loa to all the island staff members of Alu Like who have given office space, equipment use, support and ALOHA to our Communify Information Specialists and island Trustees. HAWAI'I. Residents are voicing several concerns to the island Trustee and Community Information Specialists. These include pursuing Federal education grants that wiU encourage the teaching of Hawaiian language, culture and history throughout the educational system, calling for a complete inventory of all ceded lands by DLNR, designing a health care system that reaches direct!y into the eommunities, reviewing konohiki rights, fishing, water and access rights among others. The CIS's have also been busy participat-

ing as guest speakers for individual Hawaiian groups, community organizations, at conferences and workshops as well as on several radio programs. KAUA'I. The CIS' activities include speaking engagements about OHA and its role in the Hawaiian poliheal process to graduating seniors at Kapaa High School, participating in activities at Kaua'i Community College .... continuing efforts aiding residents to understand issues such as adverse possession and other significant land issues .... fun activities such as the Makahiki Celebration in Hanalei and the Kamehameha Day Parade .... The CIS continues to attend Kaua'i Council meetings as well as public hearings on land use in an attempt to gather information and share that information with the residents.

MAUI. After training on Oahu, the Community lnformation Specialist began in earnest a letter writing campaign to introduce herself as OHA's island staff member to public officials, Hawaiian organizations and groups, other public as well as private agencies .... The CIS has also been very active registering Hawaiians for the 1982 OHA and General Elections. At present she is seeking volunteers to help with the registration process. . . . The C1S reports that she has personally been touched by the warm reception received from community residents and has been able to meet severa! Hawaiian women who have rekindled interests in the arts and crafts — kapa making, quilting, the lomi lomi and others. This strong interest in the preservation and perpetuation of the Hawaiian arts will prove invaluable to OHA and its specific mandates for our cultural endurance. MOLOKA'I. Activity has been eoncentrated on specific issues and concerns brought to the attention of the Community Information Specialist as well as the island Trustee. Some of these eoncerns include aiding interested taro farmers in finding methods of expanding taro by-products, supporting aquaculture activities, investigating avenues to save

land parcels placed for public auehon by the State due to landowners' inability to pay back taxes, working with homesteaders to find expeditious means of solving individual land problems .... Working with the Moloka'i Citizen's Advisory Committee has allowed a closer scrutiny of what should happen to protect the island's fragile environment, including finding means to insure the protection of existing shorelines, agricultural lands, natural resources .... O'AHU. A major effort to regjster Hawaiian high school seniors for the 1982 OHA and General Election was undertaken by the Community Information Specialists. This was done in conjunction with the staff of both the Lt. Governor's Office and the City Clerk's Office. The registration drive was highly successful and will be activated again in the fall as the new school year begins .... The three ClS's eonhnue to spread the word of OHA and its activities. An important aspect of their work has been to meet and share mana'o with other Hawaiian organizations, both public as well as private, and grassroots, community agencies. Presentations have taken plaee to inform Hawaiians in various labor organizations and tourist-related industries of the impact of OHA and the work of the Trustees .