Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 7, 1 July 2001 — Hawaiian opportunities [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiian opportunities

It is apparent there are opportunities for Hawaiians and they need to be prepared to participate in these areas or fields. Among them are the elements of the oeean and its seabed. What are the interactions between the living organisms and the inorganic elements. Further the worldwide interest in the seabed and its potential for future exploration or even exploitation now exists. Many nations have already identified areas they wish to reserve for their investigations and these are relatively close to Hawai'i, stretching 3,000 miles from Clipperton Island to Clarion Island off the coast of Baja. If these activities are for mining, what will mining do to Hawai'i, will it be a benefit or detriment? Trained Hawaiians to examine and investigate these activities are needed. The two bodies of water in and around Hawai'i of wai (fresh water) and kai (oeean) offer other opportunities in the fields of aquaculture. Some species of fish have been eultivated for generations and the process indicates more fish species will be, whieh is already being done worldwide by those who

acquire the necessary expertise. Many of our traditional fish or seafood species have been reduced or near invisible due to demand and other factors including environmental degradation. Further, trained Hawaiians may develop fish farming to a degree similar to the large fish farming enterprises being practiced in the salmon industry. There are massive shrimp raising farms on land in the Quandong province of China from where through Hong Kong mueh of the product in marketed worldwide. And our interest is, in Hawai'i we consume more fish than any other state in the United States as a regular part of our diet. And we have to import the majority of the fish we consume to meet this part of our diet. Trained Hawaiians in this area are also in demand. Because we have to import at least 80 percent of our needs including food stuffs of meat and vegetables and fruits, we are not self sufficient and this may well contribute to our well known high cost of living. Would more agriculture not be helpful in this area? With the decline of the sugar indus-

try freeing up mueh land, now lying fallow, an opportunity presents itself. As an example the recent announcement of the success in developing a new type of "giant" taro will help the supply. Poi is in demand, but the problem is that poi is sold by the ounee. For 16 ounces you ean pay at least $3 or 19 cents an ounee. Then you may purchase rice on sale at $5 for 20 pounds or 25 cents a pound, and potatoes on sale at $1.39 for 5 pounds - the same at 25 cents a pound. This means that, by the ounee, poi ean be 19 cents and rice or potatoes only 1.6 cents an ounee. Two basic Hawaiian foods, fish and poi arealmost out of reach. Outside the food sector there is the ornamental trade of flowers to be improved, whieh all agriculture ean be, in growing, transportation and distribution. The growing medicinal field of native plants and accompanying native intellectual property expertise is evident. And Hawaiian trained personnel in this area will be necessary. It is important that Hawaiians trained in more specialty fields would be a plus. By my experience

it is apparent that even in the area of archaeology there is a need. Because of a Hawaiian background, they ean understand the finer implications of Hawai'i and its long practiced customs. For example, sometimes a specialist will be lacking a thorough understanding of what ean be seen but not really known. In this case it could be humorous if not frustrating. On my Kula property on Maui, a non-resi-dent archaeologist saw the pile of rocks in my pasture and told me to fence the area off because it was the remains of a heiau. I informed him that the pile was a collection of rocks cleared from the pasture. End of story. The point I wish to make is that we need Hawaiians to determine their own lives and paths they take by being trained for the above fields. And in that respect I am proposing to have the Office offer scholarships in these fields of education. A proposal entitled the "Special OHA Scholarship Programs" is being drafted for consideration. ■

Charles Ota Trustee, Maui