Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 21, Number 4, 1 ʻApelila 2004 — Thoughts on yesterday, today and tomorrow [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Thoughts on yesterday, today and tomorrow

The inspiration to talk about yesterday, today and tomorrow stems from decades of attending meetings, conferences and symposiums that constantly educate Hawaiians about the History of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the wrongs done to the Hawaiian people. Nothing is going to change Yesterday is history, so it is time for Hawaiians to decide something for today and plan something for tomorrow. One thing about the Akaka Bill S.B. 344, whieh is most promising, is the fact that Hawaiians are finally

speaking out loud and clear; for or against, something that concerns all the Hawaiian people. The overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom happened over a hundred years ago. It is time to take inventory of what we Hawaiians have left. Let's face the facts of today. The old saying of "something is better than nothing" is what the Akaka Bill is all about. All that is left for the maka'āinana (eommon people) are the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, as amended (whieh manages over 200,000 acres of land in the

State of Hawai'i), and the State Admission Act, Section 5(f) whieh controls 20 percent of the state revenues derived from the ceded lands. The State of Hawai'i and the Federal Government are the trustees and they make all the decisions for the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act and the 5(f) section of the Hawaii State Admission Act. The Ali'i Trusts belong to the Ali'i family. The Ali'i family makes all the decisions for the Ali'i trusts. Okay, but who are the beneficiaries? The purpose for the Hawaiian Registry was to establish the identi-

ty of the beneficiaries of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act and the Hawai'i State Admission Act section 5(f). The Hawaiian Registry Bill was finally approved by the Hawai'i State Legislature and signed by Governor Linda Lingle on July 2, 2003. The process took many years of kupuna legislative lobbying to heeome Act 217. In the past 100 years, Hawaiians have been absorbed by every nationality that eame to these islands. Again, let's face it. Hawaiians are a dying race of people. Aloha nō. ■

Linda Dela Cruz Trustee, Hawai'i