Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 7, 1 Iulai 1992 — Consider the legacy: E oni wale noʻoukou i kuʻu pono 'a'ole e pau [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Consider the legacy: E oni wale noʻoukou i kuʻu pono 'a'ole e pau

By Thomas K. Kaulukukui T rustec-at-lar gc

A s we remember the special events that began with the birth of Kamehameha, we must recognize and consider the legacy that Kamehameha left to the Hawaiian people, and why that legacy continues to be important today.

Kamehameha was regarded by our ancestors as a ruler from the time of his birth. He was "the child of the chiefs" and he led our people in peaee and in war. His strongest trait, even as a young boy, was the ability to inspire the devotion of his people. As his task he chose to end the eternal civil wars among the island chiefs by uniting the people under his strong leadership. In 1795 when the fighting was over and the islands were united as the nation of Hawai'i, he took on the greater task of keeping his people united and prosperous in peaee. Kamehameha urged the people to till the land and raise food. He inspired them by example and worked the fields himself. The people said of him, "He is a farmer, a fisherman, a maker of cloth, a provider for the needy and a father to the fatherless. He united his people in deed as well as in spirit." It is essential to our future we not forget this legacy of unity left to us by Kamehameha. We must set our own examples as Kamehameha did. We must believe, as Kamehameha did, that success comes from a united purpose and understanding. Kamehameha's father and mother were of high rank, but Kamehameha was not in the direct line of kingly succession. Kalaniopu'u, the leading chief of the island of Hawai'i was an old man when he proclaimed his son Kiwalao his successor and gave Kamehameha the guardianship of the war god. In the 10 years of civil war, Kamehameha was pitted against Hawaii's ruling chiefs of Puna, Ka'u and the neighboring island of Maui.

In the early part of those 10 years, an ineident happened that will always be remembered by the Hawaiian people. During a raid on the Puna district, Kamehameha leapt ashore alone to attack some fishermen he saw on the beach. As he pursued them he slipped and caught his foot in a crevice in the lava. One of the fishermen returned and struck Kamehameha on the head with a eanoe paddle that broke into pieces. The fishermen escaped and Kamehameha freed himself and returned to his eanoe. Later, the fishermen were caught and brought to Kamehameha for judgement but this guardian of the war god, this fearless chief who had the power to strike down anyone who defied him, admitted his fault in attacking the innocent and set the fishermen free with a gift of lands. In following years Kamehameha gave the

name "Mamalahoe Kanawai" (the law of the splintered paddle) to one of his decrees whieh is "Let the aged men and women and little ehildren lie down in safety in the road." It was Kamehameha's compassion and his understanding of making things right among his people that won their hearts and trust. Kamehameha soon became the hero of the Hawaiian people because it was he who emerged as the victor by uniting the islands and its people. Peaee over the islands followed, enabling Kamehameha to assure all Hawaiians that the making of firm foundations for the Hawaiian kingdom could now begin.

In contrast to that period of history, the last 100 years has been a century of disappointment for the Hawaiian people. Our government was abolished, our land was taken, our culture was commercialized and our pride diminished. Fortunately there is a growing recognition within our community that the injustices of the past ean be rectified in the future. In the 1990s we will be marking the centennial of many critical events in our past. As we remember these events and the overwhelming consequences to the Hawaiian people we must continue to keep in mind the legacy of unity left to us by Kamehameha. * The 1990s may be considered the "Decade of Decision" in recognition of the significance of events and choices that will face us in these 10 years. What are the challenges before us during this Decade of Decision? We must piek up the torch of unity that Kamehameha and those that followed him have left us. We must begin to rectify the wrongs that have troubled our people for 100 years, and make them right again. We must do this so that this legacy left to us by our ali'i ean onee again shine in honor and not be shadowed in shame. Like Amehean Indians and Native Alaskans, the Native Hawaiians hold a special legal status. The entitlement of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and of the Hawaiian Homestead program would be unconstitutional if it were based on race.

I suggest that in the Decade of Decision: 1. We pursue a redress of historic wrongs by reaffirming and asserting Native Hawaiian rights whieh are recognized and protected by the United States Constitution; and 2. Pursue congressional passage of claims legislation. There is clear precedent for this in American history. Nearly 400 Native Amehean tribes and peoples have received lands and compensation from the federal government for the illegal and forced taking of ancestral lands. The passage of time neither diminishes nor extinguishes these claims. During the Decade of Decision, we ean plan to begin the rebuilding of the Hawaiian nation. Kamehameha, after uniting the islands and its peoples, saw the importance of building firm foundations for the Hawaiian kingdom. Those foundations remain though the walls have crumbled over the years and need to be rebuilt through hard work and endless pride. Many Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians alike are frightened by the concepts of sovereignty and

self-determination. There is an idea that this would mean reestablishing the monarchy, renouncing our American citizenship, confiscating all property not owned by Hawaiians and exiling all nonHawaiians.

No! Hawaiians are Americans now, proud of the heritage and traditions of the United States though we never lose sight of our own proud heritage. Native Amehean governments do not exercise the equivalent of federal powers; they function in cooperation and concert with other jurisdictions. A basic power, for example, is the ability to define the membership of the group. Today, solely under the jurisdiction of the federal and state laws, Native Hawaiians are divided by a blood quantum definition that has not been determined by Hawaiians. The thought of dividing Hawaiians in any way is in defiance of Kamehameha's crusade of 10 years — to bring the islands and the people under one rule. It determines his legacy of unification. OHA has conducted two plebiscites on the single definition. In both cases 80 percent of the Hawaiians who voted did so in the affirmative. That is, if the definition were self-determined we would be a unified people and not separated by blood quantum. I don't think anyone disagrees when I say this should be a Hawaiian decision. Inspiration is often engendered by special dates, people, and the emotions they arouse. Such inspirational power often forges a renewed commitment for meaningful understanding and action. This decade will mark a centennial of crucial events for Hawai'i and especially Hawaiians. 1991 marked the 100th anniversary of the death of King Kalakaua and the succession of his sister, Queen Lili'uokalani, to the throne. 1993 will mark a century of shame associated with the overthrow of the monarchy and the destruction of the Native Hawaiian nation so carefully nurtured by Kamehameha. 1995 will commemorate the frustrated counter-revolution attempted by Hawaiians loyalists and the trial and imprisonment of the Queen for treason. 1998 will be the century of post-annexation of the Hawaiian Islands as an Amehean territory.

The events of the last 100 years in Hawaii's history ean either eonhnue to trigger increased anger and sadness among Hawaiians or they ean become important rallying points for a new vision and achievements of justice in Hawai'i. This vision must be understood and supported by all of the people of Hawai'i. At its heart, the dreams of the Decade of Decision are not to turn back the eloek or somehow undo history. They are modern dreams drawn from the Hawaiian past but standing firmly on American constitutional principles and law.

This too is in the tradition of Kamehameha. By his actions we ean assume that he believed continued on page 23

Trustee Kaulukukui /remwi9

in supporting and adopting new ideas. He was curious about new things the foreigners brought to Hawai'i. At the same time, he remained faithful to his people's customs and gave personal attention to their needs. His new vision brought the Hawaiian people from an isolated oeean existence into a worid nation. Those of you who have played in team sports know that you can't win a game alone, a lesson also known to our great Kamehameha. He knew his battles could not be won alone or his kingdom ruled without the commitment of his people. He knew that the goal is only won by a team that shares the dream. Kamehameha shared the dream with his people — a dream to aspire to greatness. We live in exciting but difficult times. We will need the understanding and support of all of you to succeed. We will need the legacy left to us by Kamehameha — unity and the dream of greatness for his people.

When asked, on his death bed, by one of his chief counselors Kaku'ihewa for his last words, Kamehameha offered this parting phrase: "E oni wale no 'oukou i ku'u pono 'a'ole e pau (Endless is the good that I have given you to enjoy. ") Let us not forget the endless good of the legacy that Kamehameha the Great left for all of us to enjoy: the legacy of strong leadership and of working together to make things right, of remembering the difficulties of the past yet recognizing the vision of a new tomorrow. It is a legacy of striving for compassion and forgiveness when our hearts are heavy with sadness and anger, and striving to inspire the devotion of succeeding generations to follow in the footsteps of our great chief and ruler of the Hawaiian people — footsteps of greatness. We celebrate Kamehameha the Great, his birth, and his legacy of unity for all Hawaiians. Meihalo.