Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 3, 1 March 1990 Edition 02 — State, OHA Join Forces [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

State, OHA Join Forces

Combined Effort Brings Agreement

Ul ī Te believe an equitable settlement has been VV reached with regard to OHA's native Hawaiian trust, " said Thomas K Kaulukukui, Sr. , ehaimnan of the board of trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Speaking on behalf of the board at the joint an-

nouncement, Kaulukukui said this agreement "achieves a clarification" of the law whieh allocates to native Hawaiians a portion of the revenues from certain state lands. "However, as vou know, OHA is mandated to meet the needs of all Hawaiians, regardlessof bloodquantum. " He said OHA and the state govemment "will eonhnue discussions to provide for those beneficiaries of the trust who are Hawaiian, wilh less than 50 pereei it blood auantum. The

parties hope to present a proposal prior to the 1991 session." Kaulukukui said this issue has been plaguing the trustees since the founding of OHA 10 years ago. He said this agreement "is the result of two years of negotiations between the trustees and the govemor's office." He said the agreement is a first step, and emphasized that "it in no way is a settlement of OHA's claims against the Federal govemment as a result of the illegal and immoral overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893, and the subsequent taking of some 1.8 million acres of crown, govemment and public lands." Kaulukukui said "OHA is pursuing these claims" through its Blueprint for Native Hawaiian Entitlements, or Operation Ea.

The issue of ceded land revenues is one that "desperately needed to be resolved," said Hawaii Govemor John Waihee during the joint Office of Hawaiian Affairs-State of Hawai'i announcement Febmary 8. The govemor recognized the time and effort that

went into making the "historic event possible," and said he was "extremely excited that this day has finally eome." "This agreement is a result of many years of working toward a single goal, and it began with the formation of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. That goal is to fulfill the commitment we have to the Hawaiian people," he said. "This agreement will fullf ill part of that goal — the commitment we have to native Hawaiians.

"There are two things, however, that still remain unresolved. We still need to deal with the issues of an identified orcommitted source of revenues for Hawaiians in this state. . .We must now continue working on insuring that Hawaiians also receive their fair share of support. "And finally, and most importantly, this legislature must understand and make very clear that this settlement in no way absolves the reparations due to the Hawaiian people from the U.S. federal govemment." The govemor said he is pleased and proud of the proposal "we have sent to the legislature. My heart is filled with gratitude to all...who are responsible in seeing this happen."