Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 19, Number 5, 1 May 2002 — Thoughts on assimilation [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Thoughts on assimilation

The American Heritage Dictionary's definition of assimilation is "the process whereby a minority group gradually adopts the customs and attitudes of the majority," īt all started when the people of other lands became guests in our homeland, We welcomed them, shared with them and learned from them as they learned from us, All contributed, Our neighbors eame from all parts of the world - Japan, China, Portugal, Philippines, Samoa, United States, Great Britain, Korea, Mexico, Greece, Russia, Scotland, Germany, Poland, Spain, Puerto Rico - just to name a few, Hawaiians are the indigenous people, and this is their homelandl We shared our food - poi, fish,

malasadas, sushi, manapua, kim ehee, adobo, and many other ono dish.es, We never went empty~hand~ ed to visit someone, and our neigh~ bors would always insist that we take somethmg home in return, We didn't have a lot, but we always had enough to share with our neighbors, Protestant, Catholic, Mormon, Hebrew, Buddhist, Shinto, it didn't matter; we respected eaeh other's way of worshiping, We eommunicated through a language all our own - pidgin, We have adopted, adjusted and integrated the culture and customs of all people who live here, , , all have contributed, All of our ethnic groups maintain and practice cultural traits of our heritage, and they have become a part of our everyday life, These

groups do not demand or expect what others have as their birthright, Specific rights are granted by virtue of their heritage, Hawaiians are the indigenous people of this lanā. Hawai'i is their homelanā! It disturbed me greatly when I read in the Advertiser on March 24, 2002, the article, "TAP ĪNTO OHA, LEAVE HURRICANE FUND ALONE" written by Patricia A. Carroll, one of the Plaintiffs in the Arakaki v. Cayetano suit, ī want to set the record straight, the 20 percent that OHA receives from the Public Land Trust (ceded lands) is not taxpayers' monies, īt is derived from lease rentals on ceded lands, Of those proceeds, 80 percent goes to the State to educate all of Hawaii's children.

That is why we enjoy the beauti~ ful life in our islands, All have assimilated for many generations, and all have contributed, Respect is granted to those who have taken this path, Hawaiians are the indigenous people. Hawai'i is their homeland! However, all ethnic groups are aware that Hawaiians have special rights granted to them because the intervention of the United States in the internal affairs of an indepen~ dent nation was illegal under the United States Constitution as well as as the īnternational Law, Hawaiians are the indigenous people, Hawai'i is their homeland, He 'ōiwi ka Hawai'i no Hawai'i nei, a he kulaiwi 'o Hawai'i nona. ■

[?]

[?]

Donald Cataluna Trusfee,, Kaua'i and Ni'ihau