Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 1, Number 4, 1 May 1984 — Panelists Split on Issue of Blood Quantum [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Panelists Split on Issue of Blood Quantum

The second in OHA's series of broadcast roundtable discussions turned out to be a lively and informative exchange of views. The program, carried on KCCN radio Sunday, May 6, examined the difficult question of whether to eliminate the 50 percent blood quantum requirement for the Hawaiian Homes and Ceded Land Trusts. The panel consisted of OHA Trustee Walter Ritte, founder of

the program; attorney Mililani Trask; Germaine Keliikoa of Waianae and Charles Maxwell from Maui. Ritte and Maxwell favored lifting the blood quantum restrictions saying they have caused division and hardship in the Hawaiian community and that Prince Kuhio, "father of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act", did not want benefits restricted to 50 percent Hawaiians. Trask and Keliikoa both opposed eliminating the blood quantum at this time. Keliikoa said there needs to be a long range plan to meet the needs of the 50 percent Hawaiians before there ean be any consideration of lifting the present restriction.

I rask called thc proposal to drop blood quantum requirements a "political smoke screen" whieh is being used to divide the Hawaiian community. Her solution was to organize the Hawaiian community into a corporate entity empowered to ask federal and state governments to surrender the Hawaiian trust assets to it. In this way, Trask said, Hawaiians would enjoy self-determination and the native trust would be managed by and for its own 'ohana. Trask said this concept has been successful amongthe Maoris of New Zealand. Although there was a wide diversity of opinion, all four panel members did agree on two significant points.

They all approved of legislation, now being considered in Congress, whieh would allow the immediate family of homesteaders to remain on the land after the death of the lessee, providing the heirs haveat least onequarter Hawaiian blood. Presently, successors must vacate their homes unless they are half Hawaiian. The other area of general agreement was the need for a series of state-wide"puwalus"or conferences, to inform and educate the total Hawaiian eommunity on the blood quantum issue and to seek some sort of consensus. The first "puwalu" is scheduled tentatively for this September in Waianae.

OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS 567 So. King Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

This is the panel of speakers whieh addressed the 50 percent blood quantum issue May 6 on KCCN radio. It was the seeond in a series of Hawaiian roundtabIe discussion programs counducted by OHA Trustee Walter Ritte. From left to right, they are Charles Maxwell, state chairman of the Hawaii Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission; Ritte; Attorney Mililani Trask; and Germaine Keliikoa, president of the Waianae Valley Homestead Community Association. Moderator was Ed Miehalman, OHA Public Information Officer.