Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 8, 1 ʻAukake 2012 — The 43rd annual Kamehameha Lei Draping in Washington, D.C. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The 43rd annual Kamehameha Lei Draping in Washington, D.C.

n June I had the opportunity to attend the Kamehameha Lei Draping in Washington, D.C. This year was quite speeial as it was Senator Akaka's last ceremony prior to his retirement at the end of this year. One of the speakers that day was U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa. Her remarks were motivating and inspiring, and I would like to share some of them with you: "We honor today King Kamehameha the Great, who was born on June 1 1,

1758. To truly honor him we must understand his vision, his leadership, his skills and his compassion that drove his journey on behalf of his people, a journey that still eontinues today. "The king's vision and goal was to have his people develop as fully as they could. He knew that to accomplish this, the constant battles between his chiefs had to end. There were no standing armies and because of this people could not plant, harvest and thrive as he envisioned. Battles were costly in terms of lives and resources, and it took him a decade to overcome his rivals. In the end, he united the islands. King Kamehameha also knew there were people outside the islands, as he was part of the contingent that greeted Captain Cook in 1778. "Kamehameha's skills as a warrior and leader are legendary, especially in the Battle of Nu'uanu. His strategy and tactics have been studied at West Point. He is also reported to have conquered Kaua'i and Ni'ihau with diplomacy, not force. "King Kamehameha was a compassionate leader as evidenced by Kānāwai Māmalahoe - the law of the splintered paddle. He decreed that any human life was precious, and it was wrong for the powerful to mistreat the weak. But like all great leaders, his legacy is what followed him, he left an imprint on those

who succeed him. "In the more than 115 years from Captain Cook to the illegal overthrow, Kamehameha would have seen his Hawai'i grow into a vibrant, independent nahon. His nation's rulers were Hawaiian - most his direct descendents. Five years before the overthrow, Honolulu had electric street lamps installed on its streets. The Kingdom of Hawai'i had entered into 20 treaties with eountries like the United States, Germany, Great Britain,

France and Japan. Our ali'i toured the world, and were greeted and treated as equals by those nation's leaders. "It is the history of this sovereign and vibrant modern nation whieh makes Native Hawaiians unique in this country - equally as unique as Native Americans and Native Alaskans, a uniqueness that deserves equal footing with them. "The illegal overthrow of 1893 brought an end to autonomy and self-government. That time in history has passed, but the king's journey continues, the journey to have his people develop as fully as they could. For years, his people had to fight to regain their culture, their language, even their history. To me, this is the greatest travesty inflicted upon the Hawaiian people. I remember that from elementary to the eighth grade, not onee was I taught Hawaiian or Hawaiian history. "Now, it is only fitting that we are here in the nation's Capitol because his kingdom is now a state, and to accomplish his goals the battle is now within these halls of Congress and the White House down the street. . . . "When King Kamehameha passed, it was a different Hawai'i than he was bom to. It was a single nation, free of internal strife. His dying words said it best: 'E oni wale no 'oukou i ku'u pono 'a 'ole e pau -Endless is the good that I īeave for you to enjoy .' " I

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Editor's note: Beginning in June, certain trustees ' columns will not appear in Ka Wai Ola. In accordance with an Office ofHawaiian Affairs Board ofTrustees policy based on state ethics guidelines, any trust.ee runningfor re-election is suspended from publishing his or her regular eohmm until the elections are complet.e, except.for t.hose trustees ru.nning u.nopposed. Trustees Haunani Apoliona and Robert.Lindsey havefiled nominat.ion papersforre-election and, as a resu.lt, t.heircolumns are suspended pending the ouieome oft.he elect.ion.

Cūlette Y. Machadū Chairpersūn, Trustee Muluka'i and Lāna'i