Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, 1 March 1983 — LET US DREAM OUR DREAMS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

LET US DREAM OUR DREAMS

by Trustee Card Kealoha

1 PTR(ISTEE'S CORNERl l his eolumn is open to all OH A Trustees as a vehicle for them to express their mana'o. The opinions expressed are the personal \iews of eaeh individual Trustee and do not necessarily represent the official position of the OH A Board of Trustees. ^ r

Is it not enough to know of our great heritage; to know of the excellence that our ancestors maximized within the limitations of their times. Are these not the magical rocks referred to in " Kaulana na pua" that ean sustain us. ean serve as a basis for what we ean aspire and create today? To harangue constantly on historical wrongs gets us nowhere. The criminals who did the crimes are make. lt is not fair to expect those who are not responsible forthem to pay unduly for those misdeeds. This does not mean of course, that we should forget those corrections that must be made so that our children may ha\e it easier than we or oui kupuna haveexperienced. lnstead let us dream our dreams. Dreams that ean reinforce our collective pride. Dreams that are already possibilities because we have the will and talent to make them realities. As Chair of the OHA Advisory committee on Education let me share a few dreams that I have nourished for many years \vith you: * The establishment of a Chair at the University of Hawai'i will enable the longoverdue research, cataloging and translating of the crumbling Hawaiian collections housed in the finest university libraries and museums. They contain our history and must be brought to light. (Editor's note: Mr. Kealoha's article was submitted to Ka Wai Ola prior to release of the Native Hawaiian Educational Assessment Project final report. One of the report's recommendations is the establishment of a \ati\ e Haw aiian Scholar chair at the Uni\ersity of Hawaii.) * The establishment of OHA supported Hawaiian language schools for all ages in the after school hours is needed so that we may not have to depend on the vagaries of public funding. A sequential currieulum should be developed encouraging the nurturing of future scholars. Hawaiians must take the responsibility of learning their own language. Our language \alidates the continued operation of these schools. * The support for the publication of our oral literature currently known by the rapidly diminishing number of our knowledgeable kupuna, kumuhula and other scholars in Hawaiian lore is crucially needed in revitalizing a diminished culture.

* The implementation of computer training in the elementar\ and secondary levels of our public schools with significant enrollments of Hawaiian children utilizing basic academic skills so that they may also develop computer literacy is necessary in order to compete for the new high demand, highly technical. highly paid jobs. OHA must provide noticeable assistance in enabling our children to bridge the technological gaps that ean take them out of stereotyped employment careers. * The establishment of Early Education Centers for pre-school children utilizing Hawaiian kupunawho ean reinforce our cultural values and our sense of extended family is needed in an era necessitating two paycheck families in orderto maintain decent levels of living. * The high percentage of incarcerated Hawaiian youth and adults is of extreme eoneem. They are part of our Ohana and \ve must exert e\ery effort to see that they become producti\e contributing members of the communit\ at large. Consequently, OHA must closely monitor state and county rehabilitation systems to see that there are viable educational work study programs effectively operating and assist in developing other initiatives that will lead to reducing the alarming escalation of Hawaiian pa'ahao while increasing their options for intergrating into community life as quickly as possible. * Parents experiencing difficulty with their children and \ice \ersa must ha\ea means to freel\ find effective counseling that ean prevent the de\elopment of w orsening factors that lead to unwanted atypical behavior. OHA may well want to look at ways it ean assist the school system with professional and kupuna assistance in reinforcing positi\e \alues and sound self determining expectations. These are just a few of many dreams. They ean become realities. 1 ean remember when Alu Like and OHA were pipedreams discussed at the Puwalu conferences sponsored by the Council of Hawaiian Organizations. These dreams became concrete because the entire community supported them. Our non-Hawaiian extended family recognized our situation and returned the aloha that our kupuna gave to their kupuna. Let us never forget this as we move ahead.

In addition, there are two important aspects of ourpresent condition in our country that merit our close inspection. The present restructuring of Amenea indicates a dynamic movement towards handing back decision making to localized communities. This is an extremely significant notion for it becomes very important that we inculcate and reinforce our cherished Hawaiian values regarding the management of limited island resources crueial to the future of our influence in these islands. This ean only be done by cooperatively working together on solutions that will not threaten the existence of our fellow Hawaii residents. There is also a real danger externally of other societies that persistently try to subvert American influences abroad. Internally, there are dissidents who deliberately try to weaken our collective resolve that is needed1n order to straighten out our domesticand internal problems. We cannot function without a system of laws in situations of dangerous consequences. Neither ean we use the excuse of law and order to stifle dissent and the search for justice. Our enduring sense of good will and aloha ean heal and bind and prevent the tyranny of extremism. Whether we would like to admit it or not, the people, the maka'ainana in ancient Hawai'i did not have the privileges accorded to their counterparts today that was first articulated in the French and American and Russian revolutions. Later during the reign of Kamehameha 111, we see the profound influence of individual worth expressed in his Declaration of Rights or the Hawaiian Magna Charta. lt insured the dignity of all of his Hawaiian subjects breaking hundreds of years of traditional thought. The liberties expressed in the American Constitution accord us the right to a self determination far different from that enjoyed by our kupuna at the time of Cook's arrival. Finally, the words of Queen Lili'uokalani in her beautiful prayer may give us some insight to her thoughts while imprisoned in lolani Palaee. "Behold not with malevolence The sins of men And cleanse." Would it not be easier to think of the challenge and excitement that our ancestors articulated so beautifully in the Kumulipo? That is the charge we have in meeting the demands of today's living. lt holds an enduring promise for the future of all who eall these islands, home.