Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 1, 1 January 1991 — Trustees reflect on roles at investiture [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Trustees reflect on roles at investiture

by Deborah Ward Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs received symbols of their office as e!ected leaders of the Hawaiian people during a colorful investiture ceremony Dec. 5 at Kawaiaha'o Church. Prior to the investiture trustees gathered at Mauna 'Ala, resting plaee of Hawaii's ali'i, for a brief prayer service and blessing. The hour-long ceremony at Kawaiaha'o Church was attended by members of Hawaii's royal societies and other Hawaiian organizations, members of the public and by otherdignitaries,including U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye. During the ceremony the nine trustees were presented with "lei hulu ka moe," signifying their leadership roles. The leis, of orange-yellow "mamo" color will be used by trustees during offieial functions and ceremonies. The lei is a figurative name for child and the hulu or feathers represent preciousness and esteem . . . Unity like a lei In his blessing, Kahu William Kaina reflected on the lei hulu: "The lei maker's spirit of aloha means your task must be done in the spirit of aloha, of ho'olokahi. "Form an 'ohana of unity. Unity like a lei is beautiful, has a pattern, form, shape, shows the constituency whieh way to go." The ceremony of placing the lei hulu was carried out by OHA staff, in the symbolic role of retainers, and representatives of the Hawaiian community organizations. Ho'okupu from the land and sea were next presented to the trustees, symbols of the tools they will need as a group to lead and care for their people: — hala, representing eompleiion of a stage of growth, and progressing to a new phase; — pohaku, for courage and strength; — wauke, the putting together of many pieces into one strong fabric; — ulu, representing physical, spiritual and mental growth, affirmation of intellect and character; — niu, for stature and soundness, youthful usefulness and compromise; — kalo, representing 'ohana, kuikahi and lokahi — la'i, meaning deep regard for right, consideration and respect — kukui, for enlightenment, vision, process, implementation — pa'akai, for preservation, protection, guardianship OHA administrator Richard Paglinawan and deputy administrator Stanley Lum were also presented with different lei hulu in recognition of their administrative roles, and received the ho'okupu of hue wai, spring water, for purity and cleansing, and bringing satisfaction to the thirsty. Challenge of the people The trustees then heard the kupuna, makua and 'opio generations challenge them to wisely lead their people. Kupuna Elizabeth Ellis, 87, said "We chose you to speak and act on our behalf when we as Hawaiians are in a period of high risk in our 'aina. "The mana of the house of OHA is ha, the force of God's breath . . . Malama the well-being of the kupuna, makua, and opio. "The kupuna ask you to reflect on yesteryear and tradition. "There is no plaee for fragmentation in the house of OHA. Set aside personal egos, only plaee for unity, harmony, compassion, humility and tranquility." Rev. Tyrone Rhinehart, speaking for the makua generation, said "Your board is heir . . . kahu, kokua to the rich tradition of Hawai'i . . . Receiving the lei hulu is part of tradition." Rhinehart said Hawaiians today are concerned about protecting the ancient sacred sites, preserving the rituals and traditions of Hawaiian eulture, about righting the wrongs to Hawaiians since

the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom. But, he added, the nation of Hawaiians is also concerned with the need for shelter, medicalcare, housing, food, the number of Hawaiians in prison. They are concerned about the powers that dominate and do not share their values, about the future of self-determination, he said. As he did in the 1988 investiture, Rhinehart presented eaeh trustee with a kukui nut, to remind them of their charge to display enlightened leadership. Representing the 'opio (youth) generation was Nohealani Nihipali, a senior at Kamehameha Schools and elected youth governor of the OHA 'Aha Opio youth legislature. She told the trustees, "... our success todayas a race of people is owed to our kupuna . . . who supported the quest for ha'ole technology and knowledge so as to better adapt to the needs of ka po'e Hawai'i. "It is your task . . . to carry on our traditions into the next generations . . . to improve the conditions of our people and restore the price of our race. We must impress upon these generations that our future revival will depend on racial pride and not upon rivalries." Chairman's address In his investiture address, Thomas Kaulukukui, ehainnan of the OHA board of trustees, eompared OHA's early years to "a voyage of discovery into uncharted waters." (Editor's note: the full text of Kaulukukui's remarks is published in this issue.)

Now, he said, OHA is refining a package of land and money to benefit Native Hawaiians, and is in a process to obtain an entitlements package for Hawaiians. OHA is coordinating its planning with other Hawaiian service agencies, is managing a loan fund for Hawaiian-owned businesses, participating in culture and arts revival programs, involved in health system planning for Hawaiians, and active in private and public partnerships to benefit all Hawaiians. He predicted that OHA's next 10 years will be a "decade of decisions," in whieh OHA will draft legislation for federal restitution to end "a century of dishonor" of the Hawaiian people. Issues to be resolved will include the question of self-deter-mination, self-governance and sovereignty, he said. "Our voyage is the search for justice . . . to no longer be strangers in our own land."

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Trustees prepare to receive lei hulu, symbols of their role as elected leaders.

Elizabeth Ellis

Rev. Tyrone Rhinehart

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Nohealani Nihipali