Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 11, 1 November 2009 — We are all Hawaiian [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

We are all Hawaiian

Aloha no kākou, As we enter the season of thanksgiving and Lono, we have mueh to be grateful for despite our individual difficulties and challenges. Some may not think that they owe anyone anything, but at least we all owe Akua our existence on earth. We eame from somewhere, we are now here, and we have a plaee to go hereafter. Our ancestors have traveled the path we follow and await the day of our reunion. And so, what is it that we will report to them? Will our lives here have been beneficial to others? Will our work here have been for a good cause? Will our conduct here have been worthy of the preparation made for us by them? Perhaps not all of our ancestors could themselves report favorably on the above. But we need not judge or justify; only address our own impact upon ourselves, our families and our community in this life. Indeed, as individuals we account for ourselves now and forever. As members, partners, supporters and advocates, we should also account for our involvements and whether we represent our families, our people, our communities and our religions with the dignity and respect expected of us by our kūpuna. No group of people ean agree all the time and Hawaiians are no exception. OHA has been sued numerous times over the last 30 years and many times by Hawaiians, mostly based on blood-quantum questions. Recently I attended two hearings in federal appeals court involving lawsuits against OHA. One was the typical racebased allegation litigation by persons not willing to allow Hawaiians to be recognized as a distinct group of people and the other a lawsuit by Hawaiians who believe

that only those with 50 percent blood quantum should be served by OHA. The first being a repeat of previous arguments should be tossed out by the court, but the second being another attack against OHA by our own people is more troubling. These plaintiffs argue that despite OHA's

determination to serve all Hawaiians that that is illegal and contrary to our fiduciary duties. In 1920, delegate Jonah Kūhiō tried his best to reduce the 50 percent quantum set by Congress for Hawaiian Homes qualification to one-eighth because it was the intent of Congress to be done with the Hawaiian problem in a few years when it was expected that there would no longer be any 50 percent Hawaiians. At the rate of depletion of pure Hawaiians, that is not a surprising conclusion; however, this did not happen and Hawaiians were stuck with the 50 percent quantum. This is now being used by Hawaiians against Hawaiians to divide them and establish a class distinction to receive OHA assistance despite the good done by OHA for Hawaiian Homes residents, charter school students, college students, kūpuna and health organizations, homeless, etc. These 50 percent Hawaiians do not want OHA to provide for the betterment of those without 50 percent blood. I wonder how many of their grandchildren are 50 percent Hawaiian. How many 50 percent Hawaiians are there? Their attorney said 80,000 out of 400,000. 1 have my doubts. Suffice it to say that all who might benefit from eontinued legal survival of the Hawaiian people via federal recognition, or who might need legal representation fromNative Hawaiian Legal Corp., or education from Nā Pua No'eau, or help from Alu Like would be affected by the redistribution of funding from OHA. Then every other OHA program would be subject to dismantling and reassessment in order to address the desires of these Hawaiians. OHA has sought to ensure that all Hawaiians ean be recipients as incidental recipients within the confines of the law. We will continue with dignity and respect to account for the betterment of all Hawaiians as we see is our duty until otherwise ordered. ■

Būyd P. Mūssman TrustEE, Maui