Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 5, 1 May 2007 — Kau Inoa on Molokaʻi [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kau Inoa on Molokaʻi

Aloha kākou! By now many of you have already seen the new Kau Inoa commercials playing on loeal television stations. Personal testimonies by Hawaiian leaders - such as Vicky Holt Takamine, Rev. Butch Helemano, Dr. Lilikalā Kame'eleihiwa and Moloka'i's own Raiatea Helm - aim to encourage those who have not registered to do so soon. Kau Inoa was launched in 2004 to begin a process of establishing a new Native Hawaiian government. Kau Inoa literally means "to plaee your name," to be on the list of those who will build the new Hawaiian nation. Although there are many different ideas and perspectives on the type of government that would best serve a Hawaiian nation, they all begin with a registry process. The first step in building a Native Hawaiian governing body is to gather a list of people of Hawaiian ancestry who are willing to participate in the process. As the indigenous people of Hawai'i, Native Hawaiians have an inherent human right to self-deter-mination and self-governance. The overthrow of the Hawaiian nation has been recognized as an illegal act by the United States, the State of Hawai'i and the international eommunity. A process of reconciliation has begun and the Native Hawaiian people have the opportunity to again assert their inherent right to selfdetermination. OHA has set a goal of securing 200,000 Kau Inoa registrations by the end of 2007. This number translates to approximately two-thirds of the total Native Hawaiian voting population over the age of 18. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, there are more than 400,000 Hawaiians in Hawai'i and on the mainland. So far Hawai'i Maoli, the non-profit organization serving as the official repository for

the Kau Inoa program, has reported 61,080 registrants. OHA's Hawaiian Governance division along with OHA's offices on eaeh island continue to actively register Hawaiians across Hawai'i and on the U.S. mainland. Based on the 2000 U.S. Census, Moloka'i has a Native Hawaiian population of 4,507. So far, 2,033, approximately 45 percent of Moloka'i's Native Hawaiian residents, have registered for Kau Inoa. Moloka'i community resource coordinator Irene Kaahanui and her dedicated staff members, Hālona Ka'ōpūiki and Kapena Johnston, lead the charge for getting Native Hawaiians on Moloka'i enrolled. Irene and her staff try to attend every community event with the potential to reach more Hawaiians. "We believe it's our responsibility to get our Moloka'i community involved in the process," she said. "If there's room for us to set up a table and an audience who'll have us, we'll be happy to attend." She adds, "I want to make sure that Moloka'i is right there at the table when the nation-building process starts to take shape. Our eommunity takes pride in being the most Hawaiian island, they should have a say in the nation that gets approved." Irene and staff have been seen going door to door for registrations in communities across Moloka'i. During April they spent more than one Saturday at Ka Hale Mua, a housing project on Moloka'i's west side. They've had booths at Earth Day celebrations, a table at loeal eanoe regattas and even a table at Na Pu'uwai Cancer screening programs. Irene's goal is to enroll 3,000 Moloka'i residents by the end of 2007, whieh would represent twothirds of the Native Hawaiian population on the island. Enthusiastically, she welcomes all Moloka'i beneficiaries to eome by the OHA office at Kūalana 'Ōiwi to get more information, register for Kau Inoa or to find about other programs OHA offers. For more information, eall them during normal business hours at 808-560-3611. m

Cūlette Y. Machadū TrustEE, Mūlūka'i aud Lāna'i