Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 6, Number 9, 1 September 1989 — Trustees set forth OHA recommendations [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Trustees set forth OHA recommendations

By Ann L. Moore Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs tesitified on Kaua'i, Aug. 8, before members of the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs held in conjunction with the House of Representatives Committee on Interior and lnsular Affairs. Present on the committee were U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye and U.S. Representative Daniel Akaka, both of Hawaii, and U.S. Delegate to Congress from Guam Ben Blaz. Testimony was presented by A. Frenchy Keanuenueokalaninuianamao DeSoto, Rod Kealiimahiai Burgess, Moses Kapalekilahao Keale Sr. and Trustee Chairman Thomas Kaauwai Kaulukukui Sr. The history of OHA's establishment, following the 1978 Constitutional Convention, and the eleehon of Hawaiian trustees by Hawaiian people to represent all Hawaiians regardless of blood quantum, was recounted. Trustee also recounted the history of the ceded lands and the history of the establishment of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Trustee Keale pointed out that in 1963 Congress enacted a law whieh set aside a five-year deadline on land returns for all land excpet Nahonal Park land (then about 227,972 acres). "Despite the good intentions of this law," Keale said, "less than 500 acres has been returned." He said that, even today, federal properties considered surplus are generally sold by the United ' States. "We believe," Keale said, "that surplus federal lands should be returned to the Hawaiians." He noted that the Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources receives and administers the public land trust established by the admission Act.

drug and aleohol abuse, to help the homeless. More programs are needed, DeSoto said, and OHA needs the funds to continue to support a broad range of initiatives. In eonclusion she re-emphasized the need for land base for the Hawaiian people. Trustee Burgess reiterated that OHA was not getting the statutory 20 percent of revenues due it from ceded lands. "We are still being told OHA cannot receive its 20 percent of airport revenues." (Airport revenue is estimated at approximately $180 million a year.) Landing fees at Honolulu Airport are ineome from 5(b) lands and subject to the OHA trust, he said. However, OHA is told by the state that federal law prohibits the sharing of that money for anything but offsetting construction costs at the airport. Provisions like that effectively diminish the OHA trust, he said. Burgess noted that funds now a vailable to OHA amount to $30 per native Hawaiian of 50 percent or more Hawaiian blood, and

OHA, he said, is supposed to receive a 20 percent share of the ineome from ceded lands but OHA has not received its full share yet. Trustee DeSoto told the committee of the OHA programs instituted with the limited funds available. She enumerated the following: OHA's institution of the Native Hawaiian Land Title Project with the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, whieh has served over 2,000 Hawaiians and recovered 250 acres valued at about $6.1 million. OHA's contribution of $500,000 ($250,000 in special funds and $250,000 in general funds) to help pay staff lawyers of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation; OHA's involvement in historic preservation projects; OHA's graduate scholarship program and the kupuna program; OHA's grant project whieh procured funds for, and helped manage, programs to assist Hawaiian entrepreneurs, to prevent continued on page 9

Presenting testimony of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs on Kaua'i were OHA chairman Thomas Kaulukukui (at microphone), Rod Burgess, A. Frenchy DeSoto and Moses Keale seated before maps of Hawaiian nomelands and ceded lands.

OHA recommendations from page 5 less than $15 per person for those of less than 50 percent Hawaiian blood. He asked that the following changes be made in federal laws to recognize and to enforce the OHA trust: • that federal funds not be released to the state Department of Transportation unless the OHA trust is honored; • that all land exchanges be reviewed and reflect a proper accounting to the OHA trust in order to be approved; • that federal surplus property laws be amended to assure the health and continuation of the Ceded Land Trust and to anticipate the native Hawaiian land claims and entitlements settlement. Trustee Kaulukukui reminded the eommittee that in 1982 OHA made a report to the Native Hawaiians Study Commission on "Reparations and Restitution." lt asked the federal government to acknowledge the wrongful taking of Hawaiian land; to provide for self-government for native Hawaiians; to provide a land base for Hawaiians and monetary compensation. No final plan for reparations ean be achieved without hearing from the Hawaiian people and obtaining their ap-

proval of any paln, Kaulukukui said. To that end OHA is about to begin a detailed eonsultation process with the community, he said. This long range plan is called I Luna A'e (Moving Upward.) Among the I Luna A'e components are Operation 'Operation 'Ohana (enrollment), Operation Po'e (definition of membership, and Operation Ea (federal entitlements). A Blueprint for Native Hawaiian Entitlements that truly reflects the input of the Native Hawaiian community will emerge from a series of meetings and hearings, Kaulukukui said. The Blueprint will serve as the basis for federal legislation to be introduced in Congress. Operation 'Ohana, he explained, will be an enrollment system built on the traditional Hawaiian family system. It will provide the first true demographic information on Hawaiians and provide a data base on the wants and needs of Hawaiians, identified by Hawaiians themselves. Operation Po'e will provide a ehanee for the native Hawaiian community to define its own membership by seeding to define the answer to "Who is Hawaiian?" OHA, he said, feels strongly that Hawaiians must define who they are and whay they stand for,

without outside interference in the process. Operation Ea is OHA's approach to federal entitlements. To determine what approach to take, OHA began work on a document called the draft Blueprint. "Despite newspaper articles to the eontrary," Kaulukukui stressed, the draft Blueprint is a "concept" paper proposing pos0sible approaches to a number of issues, not the final document. Before a final Blueprint is adopted a number of steps will have to be completed. OHA will mail copies of the draft Blueprint to members of the native Hawaiian eommunity and make copies available in public places. A major effort will be undertaken to listen to the community's reaction. This will include public informational meetings eonducted by staff members on all islands, mailings, questionnaires, and a media eampaign. There will be public hearings on all islands conducted by trustees. The draft Blueprint will be revised to reflect the opinion expressed by the native Hawaiian community. This process, he said, will continue until OHA's trustee feel confident the final document truly reflects the views of the native Hawaiian community.