Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 19, Number 3, 1 April 2002 — Oweesta Conference [ARTICLE]

Oweesta Conference

The 12th annual Oweesta 2002 Conference, supported in part by the Office of Hawaiian Affaris, will bring together eeonomie development practitioners working with native communities throughout the

country and our islands, Rescheduled from last September, the event will be held at the Renaissance 'īlikai Waikīkī Hotel May 5-9. Named after the Mohawk word for money, the conference will provide opportunities for native people to eome together and learn from one another and top practitioners in the eeonomie development and finance fields, with a focus on sharing strategies on "strengthening native assets" through culturallyappropriate eeonomie development, led and conducted by native eommunities. Pre-conference events include a forum on indigenous land rights issues, sessions on financial literacy, leadership and negotiation, and a site visit focusing on Polynesian navigation and wayfinding. The conference features hands-on training on indigenous economics, business and financial planning, nation-building, advocacy and fund raising techniques. Special plenary sessions led by recognized experts in their fields include discussions on globalization, eco-tourism and intellectual property rights in biotechnology, Registration fee is $375; $450 on-

site, Daily conference rate $150. Contact 540-371-5615, ext. 11 or visit www.firstnations.org or info@firstnations.org for more information.