Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 13, Number 7, 1 July 1996 — Our Readers Write [ARTICLE]

Our Readers Write

Tears in the sand We have called Mākua a pu'uhonua because this word comes closest to describe what happens there. Pu'uhonua is a sacred plaee of peaee and sanctuary, where warrior and chief, fisherman and thief crazyman and priest ean sit and talk, spend time to heal the mind, heal the body and the soul. It is a plaee to be with our God, our 'aumākua, our ancestors, and the child within. Some of us at the end of our wits and shattered lives, eame here to die. To our surprise, we got stronger, heahhier in body and mind. In time we get strong enough to re-enter mainstream society again. Pushed to the end of the earth and the end of living I had to stop and pause for a reality eheek. Why am I at Mākua? After

months of soul searching, I found that my life and relations had shattered. My spirituality, my will to live,-my life force was gone. So I eame to Mākua to pray. I feel uneasy discussing my religious practices. Most of our sacred land and temples have been systematically destroyed or preserved as state or national parks or even private lands. I am not allowed access without having to ask for permission. I don't know of any other religion that requires permission from others to be practiced and with a time limit of when and how long. Religious persecution goes beyond civil rights. It is part of the genocide of Hawai'i and the Hawaiians. I do not have freedom to practice my Hawaiian religion in Hawai'i. How would the Catholics, Christians, Protestants, Mormons, Jews, Hindus Muslims feel if their altars and churches were made illegal and systematically dismantled or destroyed. I live a very simple life, just wanting to love and be loved, to offer me and my family a life of peaee and happiness, to be able to work and pray and worship as is right for me. I don't know of anyone who wants to die, but these last few wecks, many men and women have cried and sung their death

song. There is a certain clarity that follows the tears and the death song. Life's little moments become truly important, very real and precious. All of us eame to Makua for different reasons and we will stand and resist for those same reasons. I know that after the tears in the sand, my blood may follow. Sparky Rodrigues Mākua What does plebiscite mean? Plebiscite, ceded lands, sovereignty, what do all these foreign words mean? You might as well say it in Hawaiian, whieh is understood by less than one percent of our poorly educated brethren and sisters. Will this be another scheme to take so mueh from so many to make a few politicians or trustees very very rich? What is the big vote all about? I just heard on ehannel 1 1 that, as a Hawaiian sovereign, I will lose my U.S. citizenship. What

does that mean? Will I have to pay back all the welfare benefits that were received by my family? Who will be my king? Who is Hawaiian? If you are even half Hawaiian you are half overthrower and half overthrown so your rights are cancelled out. Hanalei Akala Honolulu » OHA is the funnel for funds It is totally unrealistic to think that having United Nations recognition as a sovereign/colonized nation will make one iota of a difference in the relationship between the United States of America and Hawai'i. The name of the game is power politics and basically one point remains today as it has since 1898: the U.S. will not allow Hawaiian independence if it means a break from the Union. Ka Lāhui recognizes this in its "Nation within a Nation" positioning, and frankly I believe the vast majority of Hawaiians wish to remain American Citizens

not to mention Hawai'i's nonHawaiian citizens. A nation within a nation is an obtainable goal. The only question is how to get there and, of course, a definition of the limits of this dual power relationship. In the same way that one must define the word "plebiscite," the term "Hawaiian Vote" also demands a definition. That definition must exclude any coercive use of the results of said vote by any government other than that of the Hawaiians themselves. For better or for worse the only such entity that has a legitimate elaim to such authority is the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. To ignore OHA as a valid instrument of the people is to ignore the millions of dollars of assets available from the state and federal treasuries. To make dreams into realities some form of financing is essential and, for the here and now, OHA is the funnel through whieh the money flows. Tomās Belsky Hilo

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