Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 12, 1 December 2005 — Who's on aliʻi? [ARTICLE]

Who's on aliʻi?

In a court document she submitted for the Forbes cave lawsuit, Abigail Kawānanakoa stated: "Hui Mālama has been able to falsely assert [...] the dictates of the Kupuna of ancient times [...] suchmana (authority or power) rests solely with the ali'i (aristocrat) class." Kawānanakoa says

this because she identifies with the status of ali'i. She, however, neither understands nor practices the beliefs of her 'ōiwi ancestors, and her claims of being an ali'i are not only questionable, but absurd:- not because of her birthright, but because of her failing to mālama her kuleana. Hawaiian ali'i were not feudal figureheads of their people; instead they were the champions of their people, lest they be deposed. In the Hawaiian language we have words like na'au ali'i and 'ōpū ali'i, whieh define the character and integrity of the ali'i as being generous and pono. Our history teaches us that you were not only born an ali'i, but in order to maintain that status, the people

and the gods needed to agree that you were deserving of that kuleana. This is where Kawānanakoa has failed. With a history filled with ali'i who epitomize the mastery of the sacred and the skill to provide for effective leadership of their beloved people, what has Kawānanakoa exampled? How many Native Hawaiians has she provided shelter for? How many has she provided food for? How many Hawaiian families has she helped thrive in our homeland? Kawānanakoa is an ali'i in terms of white America - simply an aristocrat. She is a product of the native bourgeoisie, an artifact of colonialism. See LEĪĪERS on pags G

LETĪERS

Cūntinued fram page 3 As the 'ōlelo no'eau states: "I ali'i nō ke ali'i i ke kānaka." An ali'i is an ali'i because of the people; an ali'i without the people is no ali'i at all. Mehanaokalā Hind Pālolo, O'ahu