Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 1, Number 9, 1 November 1984 — Desha Takes OHA Message to Alaska [ARTICLE]

Desha Takes OHA Message to Alaska

Office of Hawaiian AffairsTrustee Piilani Desha was invited to make a presentation to the board of directors of the Alaska Federation of Natives prior to the organization's convention Oct. 25-27 in Anchorage. The invitation was the result of the August visit to Anchorage of Desha and fellow Trustee Moses Keale who met and made contact with Alaska native organizations.

Keale was unable to attend the convention because of pressing personal and business affairs. He had also just returned from the South Paeilie conference where he was the official OHA representative. Desha addressed the group and presented the OH A ceded lands slide show to the AFN board. lnaddition, the trustee asked the organization to adopt the OHA resolution "urging the Congress of the U nited States to acknowledge the illegal and immoral actions of the U.S. in the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1893, and to indicate its commitment to grant restitution for the losses and damages suffered by native Hawaiians as a result of those wrongful actions."

Desha was also a special guest of the AFN board at various functions of the convention whieh attracted an estimated 950 delegates representing 13 regional corporations and 1 1 of the 12 non-profit native organizations. The federation was organized in 1966 as 17 native groups met to address aboriginal land rights.lt strongly survives to represent the concerns of Alaska natives before the U.S. Congress, the Alaska State Legislature and federal and state governments.

AFN is a dynamic organization that recognizes its role as a "living link to their culture and the land," not unlike Hawaiians. Desha pointed out several similarities and made ever> effort to gain support for Hawaiians from this native Alaska community.