Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 8, 1 August 1991 — Ka ʻIwi should stay in Hawaii's hands [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ka ʻIwi should stay in Hawaii's hands

Ed. note: On July 1 OHA Trustee Rowena Akana, Vice Chairwoman of the OHA Board of Trustees testified against the acquisition of Ka 'Iwi Shoreline Park by the federal gouernment at a hearing in Honolulu. The hearing was conducted by U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Public Lands and Nahonal Parks and Forests. The official position °f OHA and Trustee Akana was stated and included the following testimony: by Rowena Akana Vice Chairwoman OHA Board of Trustees

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs recognizes that the Ka'iwi area has a unique and recreational value to the people of the state and should be preserved as open space. But, OHA believes the best interests of Hawai'i and

the Hawaiian people will not be served by allowing the federal government to acquire the property in question. OHA believes that preservation ean best be handled at a loeal level where the concerns and considerations of both the Hawaiian community and the general community are better understood. The basis of OHA's opposition is two-fold: first, mueh of the property included in the park proposal is owned by the Bishop Estate. For those unfamiliar with Hawai'i, the Bishop Estate is a private trust estate established by Princess

Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of the line of Kamehameha. The sole purpose of this trust is to educate native Hawaiian children. We cannot overemphasize the importance of Kamehameha Schools in their educational goals to the Hawaiian community. Bishop Estate is one of the remaining legacies of a proud Hawaiian nation. We are especially concerned with the involuntary taking of Bishop Estate land by any entity. Secondly, Hawai'i has a long and often bitter history with the federal government over Hawaiian land. With the active and illegal involvement of the United States, the Hawaiian nation was overthrown and more than 1.8 million acres of Hawaiian land were seized without the consent of, or compensation to, the native Hawaiian people. They continue to seek the return of the Hawaiian lands to the Hawaiian people, but their land claims against the federal government have not yet been addressed. Under such circumstances, the acquisition of more land by the federal government cannot be justified. lmmediately upon acquiring the public trust lands whieh were meant to be held for the benefit of the Hawaiian people, the federal government began manipulating their use. With the sugar industry in mind, the federal government created the Hawaiian Homes Trust in 1920 and set aside certain lands for native Hawaiian homesteads and agricultural purposes. This planned community was kept to the most marginal lands, while planters were aIlowed the most productive agricultural lands for sugar and pineapple. Subsequently, even the marginal lands were taken for federal non-trust purposes. Lualualei Naval Ammunition Depot on O'ahu is built on more than 1,000 acres of Hawaiian Homes Trust lands. The buffer zone around the Pacific

Missile Range facility is Hawaiian Home land also. Large segments of private and public lands have been appropriated by the federal government with a promise of return when the stated need is over. Most often, that promise has been broken by the federal government. Kaho'olawe, Waikane Valley and Bellows Field were taken in response to the urgencies of World War II. More than 50 years later, none of that land has been returned to its owners. Although we are grateful to Sen. Akaka in 1990 for establishing the Kaho'olawe Conveyance Commission, we are hopeful that at least that part of our concerns will be resolved with the commission's work and with the senator's continued assistance, the days of a mueh more adequate and responsible federal response will be upon us soon. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for Waikane Valley and Bellows Field. Instead of returning Waikane, the federal government is condemning the privately owned land and suggesting the state buy back trust Iands. The Hawaiian people have spent a full century trying to overcome the consequences of the federal stewardship of our land and resources. Recently, there has been a growing understanding in our community of the Hawaiian history and its effect upon the lives of the Hawaiian people. There is little doubt that Sen. Akaka, as a native Hawaiian, understands and shares our concerns and is just as eager to try to correct the injustices that have occurred. OHA's official position is that the Ka 'Iwi area should not be turned over to the federal government under the National Parks and Forests, and that it should remain under state control. As Hawaiians continue to forge their plans for the futuree, they believe that it is best to manage

their own resources. They ean only truly be accountable for their future when they have control over that future.

Ti*Mstcefs Vicws

(This eolumn is open to all OHA Trustees as a vehicle for them to express their mana'o. Opinions expressed are those of the individual Trustees and do not necessarily represent the official position of the OHA Board of Trustees.)