Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 10, 1 October 2003 — Recent meetings reflect growing unity among Hawaiians [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Recent meetings reflect growing unity among Hawaiians

Aloha everybody! During the last week of August, I attended two meetings; one on Aug. 27-30 for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) - Second Annual Native Hawaiian Conference and the Ka Lāhui Hawai'i committee meeting. At this conference, I noticed the theme was, "Me Ho'okahi Leo Wale Nō — With Just one Voice." On Aug. 30, I slipped away from the CNHA conference and hurried to the U.H. Mānoa Hawaiian Studies Center, where Ka Lāhui Hawai'i was also having a meeting. Mahalo (thank you) to Sister Maile Akimseu for informing me about the Ka Lāhui meeting. The next observation is my personal mana'o (opinion) and no reflection on anybody. At the Ka Lāhui meeting, I suddenly saw the light. As far as I ean remember in all my adult life, Hawaiians have never spoken with one voice and they never will. So, don't push it, it won't work, just wasting time. And, time we don't have. However and meanwhile,

think about it. We are all saying the same thing in different ways. We want justice and all that goes with it. Native Hawaiians (capital N), native Hawaiians (small n) etc., etc., etc., we have a long way to go to reach "JUSTICE". The Akaka Bill (S.344) is just a step in the door, or is it a foot in the door? Of course it is not everything we want but it certainly is a new beginning for the kamali'i (children). If the bill passes, we move on. If the bill does not pass, we still move on. As Prince Kūhiō said in 1921 when the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act was made, "Hawaiian are a dying race of people," I also say, in another 100 years, there will be no more Hawaiians with the Hawaiian blood. We have been absorbed by every race that has eome to these islands. Next, there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about the Native Hawaiian Registry (NHR-1) and the Native Hawaiian Roll (NHR-2). The NHR- 1 began when Alu Like, ine. first started it. At that time, it was called the Hawaiian Genealogy

Bank and the purpose was to help the 50 percent Hawaiians prove their blood quantum. To make a long story short, Governor Linda Lingle signed the NHR- 1 bill telling OHA to make the Registry and keep it safe. Mahalo (thank you) to Governor Linda Lingle and all the Hawai'i State Representatives and Senators. It's been a long 30 years. The NHR-1 and the NHR-2 are two different and separate items. The only same thing is you ean register for both; at any OHA office; on any island. You just need a birth certificate with the word "Hawaiian." As long as it says Hawaiian-Chinese, HawaiianPortuguese, Hawaiian- Japanese or Hawaiian-whatever, or an ancestor with Hawaiian; you qualify. For the NHR-1, all Hawaiians including children ean register. For the NHR-2 only those 18 years and older ean register. One more thing. I made a proposal to the OHA trustees that we pay eaeh Hawaiian that qualifies to register, $25. Oh boy! You should have been there. All I could hear

was, IF THIS, IF THAT, IF MAYBE. From what I could gather, this proposal was too expensive and we should make a deal with Board of Health that would make it cheaper. Also, this sounds like bribery or an incentive for crooks to crash the gates, so to speak. Well, my idea was pure education. It is time, for onee, to have the Hawaiians do their own homework instead of always having someone else do the job for them. This was supposed to refund the cost of the birth certificate and the time and energy to go get the certificate. Also, the Board of Health needs money, that's why the fee went up to $10.00 a certificate. It's time that Hawaiians learn how to pay their own way. Please kala mai (excuse) the Pidgin English. End of story. Aloha, a hui hou, (Love, until we meel again). ■

Linda Dela Cruz Trustee, Hawai'i