Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 30, Number 11, 1 Nowemapa 2013 — To attain a Hawaiian Nation, all options should be pursued [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

To attain a Hawaiian Nation, all options should be pursued

Trustee 's note: This month iwoulel like to share with you my remarks that I shared

with those that attended the 12th annual Native Hawaiian Convention held at the Hawai 'i Convention Center Sept. 3-5, 2013. America eelebrated the 50th anniversary acknowledging the men, women and children who marched on Washington to support civil rights legislation. They eame frommany Hifferent wa1ks of 1ife Thev

had many different points of view. There, on the steps of the Lineoln Memorial, they heard Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. proclaim, "I have a dream." His dream of racial equality is being realized faster than many ever imagined. Today, we have an African American president, something that would have been thought impossible just a eouple of generations ago. Things are still not perfect and there is still mueh work for everyone, but Dr. King's speech still inspires today! Native Hawaiians also dream of equality equivalent to Alaska Natives and 576 tribes who have sovereign rights recognized by the federal government. We are continuing to move down the path toward recognition. We are pursuing many different solutions that will help us reach our goal of a Hawaiian Nation, from Kana'iolowalu, state recognition to federal recognition to international recognition. All of these remedies are worth pursuing. For too long, we have been told we have to piek one. Why? For too long, we have been acting like 'alamihi crab in a bucket, if one crab appears to be headed for success, we pull it down to the bottom. But that's not unity, that's not togetherness and that is not how we are going to get ahead.

If we want equality, we have to prove that we are ready for it. Everyone should sign up

for Kana'iolowalu and take part in that process and help shape the future. When the roll is created and we have a mechanism for the state to recognize our government, we don't have to stop. It will be a first step. We will eontinue along the path toward federal recognition, or even independence. But we will do it together, Ho'o Hui Lā Hui Hawai'i. By putting aside our differences and working together to decide upon what thehestnath ala loa ean he

we will be mueh better off. No, we won't be satisfied- we will never be satisfied - until there is justice for Native Hawaiians. But before you ean have a mighty stream that can't be ignored, you need a single drop of water. The stream might start in different places, with people of different positions, but eventually we will all eome together and determine our own path. Over the years, we have allowed obstructions to divert our path, mueh like our streams have been diverted. But as we have reclaimed our water rights, we need to be mindful of that lesson. Do not throw up obstructions in other people's paths as we move toward self-determination - all paths lead to a new nation and eventually to unity. We need to honor and respect eaeh other and work together to reach our ultimate goal. In closing, I leave you with 'Ōlelo No'eau 113: "Aloha mai no, aloha aku; o ka huhū ka mea e ola 'ole ai. "When Iove is given, Iove should be returned; anger is the thing that gives no life." Aloha mai no, aloha aku. ■

/ LEO 'ELELE V > TRUSTEE MESSSAGES "

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Cūlette Y. Machadū ChairpErsūn, TrustEE Mūlūka'i and Lāna'i