Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 12, 1 Kekemapa 2001 — Native Hawaiians: anyone born in Hawaiʻi [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Native Hawaiians: anyone born in Hawaiʻi

Linda Dela Cruz Trustee, Hawai'i

First, I want to thank all the people who called the staff and me at OHA to share your mana'o (opinion). The comments were so divided, I have to go back to the drawing board and think again about "What do we want?" One thing is for sure, the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act and Section 5(f) of the State Admissions Act, Ls a Rehabilitation Program for only Hawaiians that have Hawaiian blood. In last month's issue of the Ka Wai Ola 0 OHA, I provided the defmition of "rehabilitation." This

month, look at the definition for the word "native." NATIVE. Adj. 1. being the plaee or origin of a person or thing, 2. belonging to a person by birth or to a thing by nature, 3. belonging to the original inhabitants of a region, 4. born in a particular plaee, 5. originating naturally in a particular region, 6. sometimes offensive, one of the people indigenous to a plaee, 7. a person • born in a particular plaee, 8. an indigenous animal or plant. So, why all the definitions? To prove a point. Hawaiians believe

that every time you mention the word "native" Hawaiian, it means only those with the Hawaiian blood. The Governor was right when he said he was native Hawaiian. The word native means everybody born in Hawai'i regardless of his ancestry - is a native Hawaiian. The only thing that saves us (with the blood) is the 50 percent blood quantum in the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act. Next question - WHO ARE WE? Are we native Hawaiian with the capital "N", or are we native Hawaiian with a small "n"? Here

are a few names that are going around the state: Fifty percent Blood-Quantum Hawaiians, Indigenous Hawaiians, Aborigine Hawaiians, Multi-cultural Hawaiians, Kanaka Maoli, Ka Lāhui Hawaiians, Kingdom of Hawai'i Hawaiians, Hawaiian Kingd6m Hawaiians, etc. In my opinion, we are just plain Hawaiians. Our ancestors called themselves "Hawaiians." Why can't we just be Hawaiians, period? Call me; leave a message, what you think? Mahalo, a hui hou. ■