Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 12, 1 November 1994 — Pequot lndians, OHA Grants, Hamakua Lands [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Pequot lndians, OHA Grants, Hamakua Lands

bv Moanike'ala Akaka Trustee, Hawai'i

The TV program "60 Minutes" did a segment about the recent good fortunes of the Pequot Indians of Connecticut, whom 1, Trustee Kamali'i, and staff visited in early October. The Pequot five years ago were a non-entity. Today they are among the power forces of the entire Northeastern U.S.A. and

Connecticut's largest employer. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that native peoples may have casino gambling on their sovereign lands and a handful of Pequots - some 300 persons - are receiving hundreds of millions of dollars eaeh year. A people onee thought extinct due to an English massacre in 1637 are today, through intelligent use of their money, rediscovering their history and culture. Any person who ean prove one-sixteenth part Pequot is welcomed to this new nobility. Naturally, there are social problems and opponents.

Shall we dream of what we might do for our people with similar resources? Think of the educational facilities, the scholar-

ships, health programs, Hawaiians placed on the 'āina, small business loans and programs for those who have fallen through the socalled "safety net." In the upcoming visit, I will leam and report to you as mueh as possible about how the Pequots earn and spend their monies, and the social ramifications of gam-

bling. I anticipate the outcry from some segments of our great 'ohana that monies eamed from gambling — even legalized gambling — would be illieil, sullied and even sinful. And. while I too have reservations about this avenue of gain. I know that the loss of these islands was achieved by individuals who would have used violent force to consolidate their appropriation of our kingdom 100 years ago. I ask you to consider the good we Hawaiians might do for our children and our kūpuna if we had resources similar to those that

now flow into the coffers of our fellow native Americans, the Pequot Indians. Resources and direct services An amendment to give over a million dollars in grants to groups that will help our people was made at the September 15 BOT meeting by Trustee Kealoha and myself. The month before, a joint eommittee of Budget and Finance plus Education and Culture Committees supported only a $157.000 grant funding whieh raised mueh eoneem among other trustees and administration. I am happy that we augmented the grants to $1,072,500 whieh will be dispersed to worthwhile community projects. It is imperative that resources and direct services get to you. the Hawaiian people. After mueh deliberation the BOT voted, at that same meeting, to acquire the Waikīkī Yacht Club site for $3.5 million and 6.5 acres of commercial-industrial zoned land at Sand Island. This is the only open large parcel available between Honolulu and the airport. Cost will be drawn from the $15 million already eamed from ceded 'āina this year.

Hāmakua land The early September auction of 30,500 acres of 'āina by the bankrupt Hāmākua Sugar Co. was attended by outraged representatives of 23 Hawaiian organizations who feared this land might fall into nonHawaiian hands. This will be one of the largest transfers of 'āina in decades, and could be the beginning of a Hawaiian nation Iand base. There are definitely over 300 acres of ceded lands in this auetion that are being removed from the list as it is illegal for the sugar company lo sell ceded lands. On September 26, Judge Alan C. Kay continued the auction for the Hāmākua lands. We trustees could not bid because we have a fiduciary responsibility and must do a proper "due-diligence." Consequently, the Bishop Estate bid $21 million and won the bid. OHA will negotiate with Bishop Estate so that we may obtain some of this 'āina. Mālama pono. Ua mau ke ea o ka 'āina i ka pono.