Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 1, 1 Ianuali 2012 — 2011 STATE OF OHA BRINGS CALLS FOR UNITY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]
2011 STATE OF OHA BRINGS CALLS FOR UNITY
ByTreenaShapiro \ative Hawaiians are urged to stand firm - and stand together - moving into what could be a pivotal year in the community's history. Roughly 400 people attended the State of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs ceremony at St. Andrew's Cathedral on Dec. 14, where speakers offered heartfelt and inspiring reflections and set the stage for the coming year. Thunderous applause filled the cathedral as OHA Trustee Colette Machado made an impassioned eall for unity. "Today's our day to 'onipa'a, to move together in all that we ean do so that we ean restore a government that our children and the generations to follow don't need to lament over (past wrongs)," she said. "And I stand here in front of all of you, asking all of you to lay your weapons down, lay your spears down, and embrace with aloha." OHA will continue to work to achieve federal recognition in Congress, where passage of the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, or the Akaka bill, would allow Native Hawaiians to establish a sovereign governing entity, Machado said in prepared remarks handed out to attendees.
Referring to Queen Lili'uokalani, the Hawaiian Kingdom's last monarch, Machado said that from the trove of music and written words the Queen left behind are two sentences that "hits hard in my na'au." Those words are: "I could not turn back the time for political change, but there is still time
to save our heritage. You must remember never to cease to act because you fear you may fail," she said, quoting the Queen. Former Gov. John Waihe'e III followed Machado with a powerful keynote address. Waihe'e, Hawai'i's first Native Hawaiian governor, is Chairman of the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission, whieh is tasked with preparing and certifying a roll of Native Hawaiians qualified to participate in nation building. The five-member commission was created over the summer with the signing of Act 195, a
state law recognizing Native Hawaiians as the sole indigenous people of Hawai'i. Referring to the growth of Hawaiian learning and awareness over the decades, Waihe'e shared a story about a young girl who, speaking in Hawaiian, asked the former govemor who he was. The young girl may not have known who he was, but she knew who she was as a Hawaiian, said Waihe'e. He pointed to the growing number of schools for Native Hawaiian children as a sign of progress. "We have reawakened a nation and it will never be put back to sleep again," he said. Hawaiians must stand united to make sure they preserve the rights they have as they move toward self-determination and reunification. "Today, perhaps because of how far we've eome, we are being besieged on all sides," he said. Hawaiian rights are being threatened, and cherished institutions challenged, he warned. Waihe'e said Hawaiian recognition by the state simply reaffirmed what Native Hawaiians already knew. "What we as a commission are committed to, and why we are committed to the work ahead, is we believe that we will lay the foundation for the restoration of Native Hawaiians' selfXI STATE 0F OHA ON PAGE 16
" We are a nation reawakened." — Former Gov. John Waihee III, Chairman of the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission
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STATE 0F OHA Continued from page 14
determination and governance," he said. "Our primary imperative, as the commission, is to reunify the sovereignty of Native Hawaiians, one by one, by the thousands," Waihe'e said. "Together we are a nation - reawakened, reunited and restored." He concluded by calling out " 'Onipa'a!" The mandate to stand firm brought audience members to their feet. OHA Chief Executive Officer Clyde Nāmu'o participated in his final State of OHA before he retired Dec. 30. In his speech, he said he would be serving as the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission Executive Director at Waihe'e's request. By state law, Nāmu'o can't perform the duties as a paid employee for a year, but he said he was so honored to be asked that he agreed to do it as a volunteer. Nāmu'o offered reflections on his 10 years as OHA's longest-serving CEO, emphasizing some of the agency's achievements. During his tenure, OHA streamlined its grants program and over the past eight or nine years the Trustees have awarded well over $100 million; OHA acquired its first significant fee-simple land, Wao Kele o Puna on Hawai'i Island, whieh is "the first ceded lands that was returned to the Hawaiian community since the overthrow"; and in a 2001 lawsuit, won reaffirmation of the state's obligation to Native Hawaiians on Puhlie Lands Trust revenue, although that issue remains unresolved. During the 2012 legislative session, OHA and state elected officials will be working on a proposed settlement to transfer land to OHA in order to resolve the decades-old dispute over the agency's share of revenue generated from the Puhlie Land Trust, whieh is comprised in large part of the former crown and government lands of the Hawaiian Kingdom that were ceded by the Republic of Hawai'i to the United States during annexation. Gov. Neil Abercrombie and Machado announced in November they had reached an agreement in principle to settle past-due claims through transfer of prime Kaka'ako Makai land worth $200 million. After the ceremony, Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz said: "It's a time of tremendous transition,
both for OHA and all of the people of Hawai'i. With the passage of Act 195 and the possibility of a settlement, we're poised to make great progress and it depends on our ability to collaborate." Trustees will decide whether to accept the deal after completing due diligence on the land's value, legal and environmental concerns and other issues, as well as considering puhlie comment. The state Legislature will also have to approve the settlement. A similar settlement was reached in 2008 between OHA and Gov. Linda Lingle's administration but failed in the Legislature. Several state lawmakers attended the event, among them Sen. Brickwood
Galuteria, Chairman of the Hawaiian Affairs Committee. Galuteria, a member of the Hawaiian caucus that crafted the state recognition legislation, said the Legislature will consider the settlement's merits and determine whether other alternatives were considered. Lawmakers will also need to assess whether the settlement would open the state up to potential lawsuits. OHA and the Abercrombie administration have both acknowledged that there is more work to be done in order for the settlement to be approved by the Legislature and endorsed by the puhlie. Amendments are expected as the bill moves through the Legislature, whieh returns to session this month. Nāmu'o, in his speech, talked about why he left the judiciary after three decades to serve as OHA Administrator. He said it was time to make a contribution to the Hawaiian community, that it was his kuleana. As for his longevity at OHA, Nāmu'o attributed it to the agency's mission to serve Native Hawaiians. He said, "The work we do at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is such important work that people can't simply turn their backs on it." ■ Treena Shapiro, a freelance writer, is a former reporter for the Honolulu StarBulletin and Honolulu Advertiser.
"Lay your spears down and embrace with aloha." — Colette Machado, Chairperson Office of Hawaiian Affairs
CTATC A S www.oha.org/kwo kwo®OHA.org O 1/1.1 \J VyllA * NATIVE HAWAIIAN » NEWS | FEATURES | EVENT S
Kanohowailuku Helm performs a moving musical selection as OHA Chairperson Colefte Machado looks on. At one point, she was seen wiping tears away. - Photos: OHA Communications
State Sen. Brickwood Galuteria, former Gov. John Waihe'e, Henry Kapono Ka'aihue and Palani Vaughan.