Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 5, 1 Mei 1997 — Panels discuss: Consensus on sovereignty, sensitivity in writing about Hawaiʻi [ARTICLE]

Panels discuss: Consensus on sovereignty, sensitivity in writing about Hawaiʻi

by Kelli Meskin Hawaiian community leaders discussed building consensus at a panel discussion on sovereignty. The panel was part of the RitzCarlton's Fifth Annual Celebration of the Arts Festival in Kapalua, Maui, in March. A primary topic was the future of the Native Hawaiian Vote. Speakers discussed the cost, validity and weight of the vote and what steps must now be taken to achieve sovereignty. The necessity of building a consensus on sovereignty was the focus. "The native Hawaiian community is left sharply divided by the issue (of the native Hawaiian vote)," said Mililani Trask, kia'āina of Ka Lāhui Hawai'i. Trask mentioned that she and

sovereignty adversary Kīna'u Kamali'i have stopped fighting and are working together to find consensus. A number of Hawaiian organizations were represented on the panel:

Frances Kamakawiwa'ole of Nā Leo o Maui, Moanalihe Uweko'olani of Maui Nui, Kina'u Kamali'i, one of the coordinator of the Kualoa Unity Conferenee and a former OHA trustee, Ku'ulei Minehew of the Hawaiian Homelands Action Network, and Trask. "All Hawaiians want land," Trask said. Unity is important in order to settle land claims with the state, Kamali'i added. "All of us here today are pieces of the puzzle toward sovereignty," Minehew said. Uweko'olani emphasized unifying through knowing your genealogy. Kumu hula Pua Kanahele, who sat in the audience, agreed with Uweko'olani saying genealogy tells people who they are and their relation to the land. The last

name of Kāne could be related to water and water rights. Kanahele suggested that culture ean play an aggressive

role in the sovereignty movement. Uweko'olani called upon today's kūpuna to be responsible and active because they are the holders of the past. "In the absence of our ali'i, kūpuna are the next in line." he said, "Let's give our mo'opuna (grandchildren) something to cherish." "There are too many Hawaiians who want to believe government doesn't affect their lives," Kamali'i said. "We must be involved in government, we must speak and be heard." Minehew, who works with Hawaiian youths, said 'ōpio ( Hawaiian youths) needed to be aware of Hawaiian issues and sovereignty events, so they ean make their own decisions. She feels there is a lot of confusion on the issue of sovereignty partly because the DOE doesn't talk about the "s"

word. The panel noted that some of the issues that need to be addressed among the Hawaiian community, with or without sovereignty, are housing, health, education, financial stability, and the blood quantum law. Literary Panel The discussion on the media panel focused on the conflict of being a writer in Hawai'i and trying to portray the "real" Hawai'i and its culture. Journalists Bob Krauss, Honolulu Advertiser columnist, Jay Hartwell, author of "Nā Mamo - Hawaiian People Today," and Rita Ariyoshi, author of "Maui on My Mind," discussed some of the conflicts and virtues of the publishing world. "Panel" Continued on page 10