Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 6, 1 Iune 2014 — ln earning their Native Hawaiian Law Gertificate, students help communities [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ln earning their Native Hawaiian Law Gertificate, students help communities

By Derek Kauanoe Twelve law school students graduated from the William S. Richardson School of Faw in May with a Native Hawaiian Faw Certificate and, in the process of working toward the certificate, served the Native Hawaiian community. As part of a legal elinie, Hoku Ka'aekuahiwi worked with Native Hawaiian families to help them protect their ancestral family lands from quiet title actions on Moloka'i, whieh eome into play when land ownership is disputed in court. She also worked on issues dealing with the development of Hanalei River Ridge and water on Kaua'i. Mahina Tuteur interned at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Earthjustice. And Megan Moniz enj oyed working in Kahana, O'ahu, helping "with subsistence-based planning and conservation enforcement." Asked what the certificate meant to her, Moniz said: "Working toward the certificate was such a pleasure. I am so honored and grateful for the guidance and mentorship of everyone at Ka Huli Ao (Center for Excel-

lenee in Native Hawaiian Eaw). Fearning about the law from an indigenous perspective was enlightening and empowering." Native Hawaiian student Dorothy Meisner said pursuing the certificate "seemed like a natural area of law I wanted to study. It allowed me to take challenging courses, work with great professors and collaborate with bright peers." Kimberlyn King-Hinds, from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, added, "It's a great source of pride because the program allowed me to contribute to the Native Hawaiian cause." She was among several of the graduates enrolled this spring in elinie courses, whieh took her to Moloka'i and Hawai'i Island to work with communities on legal issues. Assistant law professor Malia Akutagawa said elinie students "applied their knowledge of Hawaiian rights law to identify and document traditional and customary subsistence practices of key kama'āina informants living in Mana'e (East Molokai)." Students also conducted community workshops on traditional and customary Native Hawaiian rights and practices as well as state and federal laws

on preserving native burials. The workshops were sponsored by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in partnership with Ka Huli Ao. After graduation, the graduates will prepare for the bar exam; several have jobs awaiting them. King-Hinds and 01iver Manglona will both return to their homes in īinian and Rota, respectively, in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. "I plan to use the tools that I've leamed in my Native Hawaiian law classes to advocate for loeal laws that are beneficial to the Chamorro people," Manglona said. Several other certificate graduates will begin judicial clerkships. To date, 62 law students have graduated from Richardson specializing in Native Hawaiian law. From 2007 until 2009, 11 students graduated with a Pacific-Asian Fegal Studies certificate with a specialization

in Native Hawaiian law. Fifty-one students have graduated with the now-standalone certificate since 2010. Courses range from Native Hawaiian rights to administrative law. Clinical work and a writing component are required, and participation in the school's award-winning Native American Moot Court team may also fulfill a requirement. "I feel incredibly proud, humbled and inspired to have been gifted knowledge and mentorship to be a true agent of change in my community," said graduate Shaelene Kamaka'ala. Kamaka'ala along with Meisner and Tuteur also earned an Environmental Eaw Certificate. ■

Derek Kauanoe is the student and community outreach coordinator for Ka HuliAo Centerfor ExceUence in Native Hawaiian Law.

Raeanne CobbAdams

Oliver Manglona

Daylin Gibson

Dorothy Meisner

Shaelene Kamaka'ala

Megan Moniz

Kimberlyn King-Hinds

Hoku Ka'aekuahiwi

Kurt Klein

Nieole Tuteur

Lindsay Kukona

Lisa Yang