Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 1, Number 6, 1 ʻAukake 1984 — NACo Urges Establishment of Ceded Lands Commission [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

NACo Urges Establishment of Ceded Lands Commission

More than 4,500 county officials from all parts of the United States have urged Congress to establish a joint FederalState Ceded Lands Commission to review the present status and the possible release of federally controlled ceded lands in Hawaii. A resolution calling for establishment of the Commission was passed July 10 at the annual conference of the National Association of Counties (NACo) in Seattle, Wash. The delegates proposed that the Commission be given the authority to declare federally controlled ceded lands as surplus and available for return to the State of Hawaii and that native Hawaiians be included and consulted in the course of the Commission's review. These lands are part of the 1.8 million acres of crown and government lands controlled by Queen Liliuokalni at the time of the overthrow of the Hawaiian government in 1893. The lands were appropriated by the U.S. at the time of annexation in 1898, without the consent of the Hawaiian people and without compensation. As a condition of statehood, the federal

government returned a portion of the ceded lands to the state, and in 1963 ordered that the remainder be returned when and if they were no longer needed by the federal government. According to a study by the Hawaii State Legislative Reference Bureau, less than 600 acres out of a total of 404,000 acres of federally controlled ceded lands have been returned to Hawaii since Statehood. Ceded lands returned to Hawaii are held in trust for two beneficiary classes; native Hawaiians and the general public. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs administers the ineome from the Hawaiian portion of this trust and, by law, is entitled to 20 percent of the ineome or other revenue from the ceded land trust. The NACo resolution was introduced by the Hawaii State Association of Counties whieh consists of members of all four county councils. Hawaii eouneil members who attended the N ACo convention were George Akahane, Rudy Pacarro, LeighWai Doo and David Kahanu (Honolulu); Jesse Fukushima and Ronald Kouehi See NACO, pg. 6

• NACO, from pg. 1 (Kauai); Abe Aiona and Howard Kihune (Maui); and Steve Yamashiro and Takashi Domingo (Hawaii). OHA was represented by its Chairman Joseph Kealoha who presented the organization's ceded lands slide show, "Aina Mo'omoku"and, along with Maui Councilman Aiona, gave testimony to NACo's lndian Affairs Subcommittee. The Subcommittee unanimously approved the proposal urging Congress to create a Federal-State Ceded Lands

Commission. However, the Subcommittee postponed action on other Hawaiian related issues. Committee members felt they needed more information before recommending that Congress make a commitment to reparations, lower blood quantum requirements and extend to Hawaiians eligibility in all Native Ameriean programs. The ceded land resolution was adopted by NACo delegates at the conference's General Session.

OHA Chairman Joseph Kealoha and \laui Councilman Abraham Aiona testifying before the Indian Affairs Subcommittee of the National Association of Counties in Seattle, Wash. Name of woman delegate to their left was not available.