Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 11, 1 Nowemapa 1991 — Actions speak louder than words on Hawaiian issues [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Actions speak louder than words on Hawaiian issues

Rev. Moses K. Keale, Sr. Trustee, Kaua'i & Ni'ihau

Aloha kakou. The time has eome to report on concrete and programmatic solutions to the problems we face as Hawaiians in coping with the stresses and strains imposed upon us by the environment we live in. The 1989 session of

the 15th Legislature requested that the governor appoint a Task Force for Hawaiian Services. This was accomplished and the Hui Imi Task Force for Hawaiian Services was convened and met for almost two years to identify, through the service agencies, the most pressing issues according to Hawaiians. The members of the task force unanimously agreed that two issues stood out as most critical and important to all Hawaiians. The first was education and the second housing. Laced throughout the report was the need for the Hawaiian to be aware of and have the ability to practice Hawaiian cultural values. It is in the areas of education and Hawaiian cultural values that this article concentrates. There is no need to rehash the volumes of negative statistics attached to the various reports on Hawaiian educational under-achievements. That rhetoric is old news. Action speaks loudly and clearly!

As chairman of the education and culture committee, I believe in action programs. Upon my appointment, I immediately set about and implemented an action plan. After meeting with the committee members and our office staff, we identified the immediate needs in education, the communities' expressions regarding the services they felt were desired, and an inventory of programs initiated by agencies that affect the education of our Hawaiian people. Our action plan is a simple one. The laws of the State of Hawaii mandate all agencies of the state as follows: "It shall be the duty and responsibility of all state departments and instrumentalities of the state government providing services and programs whieh affect native Hawaiian and Hawaiians to actively work toward the goals of this chapter (Hawaii Revised Statues, Chapter 10)and

to cooperate with and assist wherever possible the Office of hlawaiian Affairs." We have already begun! We have met with the Board of Education, Hawaiian Affairs Committee and presented our plan to cooperate and coordinate our efforts with their efforts to enhanee the programs available to the Hawaiian communitv.

Both the members of the Board of Education committee and our committee have eome to an understanding of OHA's position on the importance of quality educational opportunities for every Hawaiian, our desire to enhanee the Hawaiian Studies program, our eoneem on continuing support for the Hawaiian language programs and our efforts to expand our Hawaiian leadership program. We intend to enhanee our Hawaiian youth leadership program, Aha Opio O OHA, and have been assured by the Board of Education of greater participation from the schools.

In Hawaiian language, we intend to assist the quality expansion of the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program. Although our role will be one of support, we will, when called upon, plaee the considerable weight and constitutional mandate of this office behind any effort to enhanee the greater use and teaching of our mother tongue. Our efforts in monitoring the Hawaiian Studies Kupuna Program will eonhnue with greater emphasis on workshops whieh assist our kupuna to identify and disseminate true Hawaiian cultural practices and spirituality. *Over the past few months, we have strengthened and expanded the network of participating kupuna as our most recent kupuna conference in October has demonstrated.

Our most recent accomplishment has been to become involved in the process by whieh the University of Hawai'i select its administrators. But for a newspaper article, we would not have known that the university was about to interview candidates for the second highest administrative position that the university system has to offer. We became involved in the process, inviting all four candidates for the senior vice president's position to our committee to discuss their viewpoints on Hawaiian student recruitment, retention and other Hawaiian programs throughout the university system. It is our feeling that if we are to make a difference, we must have influence at the very top

policy-making levels. Our young men and women must feel welcomed at the university and must have a support network that is based upon the support network that our 'ohana philosophy embraces.

We have begun the process of putting together a basic Hawaiian Educational Foundation to assist all Hawaiians with their educational goals. At this writing, we have sent to the board a request for appropriate administrative funding to create the foundation and hope to have an announcement very shortly regarding its endowment. Among the many, many purposes and functions of the foundation is a program to provide scholarship monies. Yes, shortly we will begin to provide substantial assistance to those who seek higher education but fall short of the funding to pursue these goals. It is truly a great tragedy when our Hawaiians cannot pursue their goals for a better eeonomie future because of the laek of funding needed to get a quality education.

And finally, in the area of cultural pursuits, we have committed ourselves to protecting the environment and the significant cultural resources of our people. In that line, the committee on education and culture will be asking you to submit applications for nomination to the Native Hawaiian Historic Preservation Council. This will become a permanent eouneil and will play a major role in preserving those things we consider important to our cultural identity. One of the major accomplishments of this group so far has been the repatriation of the iwi of our ancestors. I have been proud to serve on this task force over the two years of its existence. As we give this task force a more permanent position in OHA's programmatic arena, it is our feeling that it will become a formidable protector of Hawaiian culture and historic sites. (more on NHHPC elsewhere in this issue.)

There are many more action items coming soon. Stay tuned for more details and more announcements. I believe the time has eome to deliver tangible returns to the beneficiary. If you should have ideas on how we ean address your concerns, please do not hesitate to eall on me. Actions speak louder than words. I prefer my words to be meaningful and our actions to be to your benefit. A i manao kekahi e lilo i waena o oukou, e pono no e lilo ia i kauwa na oukou. Na ke Akua e malama a e alakai ia kakou apau.