Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 2, 1 February 1998 — Vice-chairperson's message [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Vice-chairperson's message

Hawaiians, the census and BOP Ka welina e nā mamo ALOHA O HAWAI'I, mai kēia pae 'āina a hiki i nā 'āina a pau. This is the 12th article in my series of 46. Census 2000 Update The Census Bureau is hiring community, govemment and media partnership specialists for the twelve regional census centers whieh manage and supervise census field activities. Other positions will also become available. The regional office for Hawai'i in Los Angeles ean be reached at (818) 904-6339 or fax (818) 904-6427. The Census Bureau home page is http://www.census.gov. A "dress rehearsal census" will be conducted in Apiil in Columbia, South Carolina; Sacramento, Cahfornia; and at the Menominee Reservation in Wisconsin. Two of the six recommendations made by the API Advisory Committee to the Census Bureau include "that the API Committee be split into two separate advisory committees: Asian Advisory Committee and Native Hawaiian or other Paeilīe Islander Advisory Committee" and, relating to the dress rehearsal, "that Native Hawaiian be listed after

American Indian and Alaska Native in the race question on the Census 2000 form." Beneficiary Outreach Project Last month, I emphasized the eonneetion between Native Hawaiians, the legislature and the elections

and how to make a difference. The OHA Beneficiary Outreach Project, or BOP, launched on Jan. 6, provides another ehanee for information and dialogue. The 18 "facilitated" meetings will address revenue, land, pending legislation and the potential for Hawaiian votes to make the "swing" differenee in 1998 elections. Did you know that 54 percent ( 1 1 8,907) of our Hawaiian population is of voting age as eom-

pared to 75 percent (877,200) of the general populaūon? That between 1980-1996 the average voter tumout for Hawaiians was 73 percent versus 79.20 percent for the general population? That in addition to the governor, lieutenant govemor and all 5 1 state representatives, 12 senate I II— I T Ml Wl— !!■■ ■!■ ■■ I ■! II ■ I »

incumbents are up for re-election: Malama Solomon, Wayne Metcalf, Roz Baker, Avery Chumbley, Lehua Fenandes Salling, Les Ihara Jr., Rod Tam, David Ige, Randy Iwase, Cal Kawamoto, James Aki and Robert Bunda? Senator Mike McCartney is not mnning and his position will be open. Six Board

of Education seats will be on the ballot, including three at large (Compton, Knudsen, Sakata) and one eaeh for Central O'ahu (MeMillen), Windward O'ahu (Sakurai) and Maui (King). Five of nine OHA seats will be decided, three at large, and one eaeh for Maui and O'ahu. Also up for election are all eouneil seats in Hawai'i, Maui, and Kaua'i eounties and the City and County of Honolulu. We ean make a difference if

we register to vote and then vote — at the polls or by absentee ballot. In 1982, by Act 121, the legislature required a ceded lands inventory report whieh was not finished until 1986. The DLNR is the fīrst to admit that the inventory contains inaccuracies in classification

of lands and in acreage. For a complete, accurate and comprehensive inventory, surveys and title searches are required. Regarding revenues due Hawaiians, the Admission Act of March 18, 1959 transferred approximately 1.4 million acres of ceded land from the United States to the state of Hawai'i to be held in trast for five purposes, including the betterment of Native Hawaiians. Yet from 1959 to 1980, Native Hawaiians received no revenues from these lands? Did you know that the preamble to our Hawai'i state constitution states, "We, the people of Hawai'i, grateful for divine guidance, and mindful of our Hawaiian heritage and uniqueness as an island state, dedicate our efforts to fulfill the philosophy decreed by the state motto, Ua mau ke ea o ka 'āina i ka pono"? A constitutional convention could revise this preamble and extinguish this philosophy along with OHA and the continuation of the Hawaiian Home Lands program. A constitutional convention could also threaten rights customarily and traditionally exercised for subsistence, cultural and religious purposes by Native Hawaiian ahupua'a tenants. To leam more about these subjects, eome join us at BOP meetings. This is the cenmry and the year to make the differenee, to correct the " historic hewa" of 1 898. Call 594- 1 888 for information. ■

[?]