Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 4, 1 April 2000 — H-K Trask/Osorio [ARTICLE]

H-K Trask/Osorio

Jon Osorio's letter defending Lilikalā Kame'eleihiwa's public support of Senator lnouye is a case of an uninformed boy scout defending his scoutmaster. Osorio claims Hawaiians' inclusion in federal policy on native nations requires Inouye's support. Inouye has blocked recognition for decades. As past chair of the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs. Inouye could have supported Hawaiian efforts years ago. Instead. he prevented federal recognition. Why? Because his vast patronage of Democratie Party leaders, including the criminals just removed as Bishop Estate trustees, kept him in office. īf Hawaiians achieved self-government, Inouye's power brokering would diminish. The Democratic Party would lose control of Hawaiian resources. And Hawaiian leaders would negotiate or litigate our land claims directly with the federal government. Osorio thinks poliūeal realities are "best addressed by discussion, education and negotiation." Wrong. They are best addressed through analysis and the asser-

tion of native power. My sister, Mililani, and I have been fighting for federal recognition since the early 1980s. When Osorio pays his political dues, as we have, he ean enter the political battle. Given his admitted ignorance, he should stick to singing. As for Kame'eleihiwa, I am criticizing her sell-out politics, not "sacrificing" her mana. She doesn't have any mana to be sacrificed. Haunani-Kay Trask Center for Hawaiian Studies Mānoa