Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 6, 1 June 2023 — Napoleon Appointed KCC Vice Chancellor [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Napoleon Appointed KCC Vice Chancellor

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David John Nāwa'akauluaokamehameha "Nāwa'a" Napoleon has been appointed as vice chancellor for academic affairs of Kapi'olani Community Colleee (KCC.

Napoleon has been an educator, administrator and leader at KCC for 33 years, most recently serving as dean of arts and sciences.

David John "l started as a Nōwa'akaulua- leeturer in Haokamehameha waiian language "Nāwa'a" Napo- ere at KCC |eon when I turned 21-years-old and I have truly been raised by the college's community," said Napoleon. "I appreciate the opportunities that have provided for me to learn, teach and grow. As we look to the future, I am excited to continue working with the campus to carry on our mission and values." "Nāwa'a has a multitude of qualifications and experiences in Native Hawaiian epistemology and education including hula, olelo, haku mele, oli, hoe wa'a (eanoe paddling), in addition to [holding] bachelor's and master's degrees in Hawaiian studies. He has elegantly integrated the leadership skills developed in all of his experiences to support the students, staff, faculty and administrators [and] he is a trusted leader who will be immeasurably valuable as we navigate through the new phase of our growth as a campus." said KCC Chancellor Misaki Takabayashi. State Awarded $26M to Fund Coastal Climate Change lnitiatives Ihe U.S. Department of Commerce will give $26 million to eight climate change resiliency projects in Hawai'i. It's part of the Biden Administration's Cli-mate-Ready Coasts initiative, funded through the Bipartisan

Inff astructure Law. Three projects under the UH Mānoa Sea Grant College Program will use the funding to address the problem of marine debris. One program to study the use of aerial drones to detect trash will receive $1.8 million to identify the most effective method to find garbage in Hawai'i's

shallow waters. The second project (a partnership with Hawai'i Paeihe University) will receive $2.9 million to repurpose plastic waste into asphalt roads. The third program was awarded $299,000 and will share climate-resilience plans with American territory Paeihe Islands as they are dispropor-

tionately affected by oeean garbage. Other organizations receiving funding include the Conservation International Foundation. They will receive $8.9 million to construct coral reefs using a 3D printer that will provide a foundation upon whieh coral ean grow and eventually build a

natural reef. The project focus is Waikīkī's coral reefs. Mālama Maunalua will get $7.8 million to restore watersheds and reefs in 0'ahu's heavily urbanized areas and use traditional ahupua'a systems to study the flow of water ffom land to oeean and determine the best way to build climate-resilient watersheds. Kuleana Coral Reefs will receive $465,000 to train residents living in West O'ahu in reef eonservation via its Community Dive Program. Stem Cell Donors Needed Be The Match* is the world's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to helping patients with life-threatening blood eancers find bone marrow and stem eell donors. In May, as part of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Paeihe Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, they partnered with singer AJ Rafael, a celebrity advocate for Be The Match and a blood stem eell donor himself at a special concert in Los Angeles. Be The Match is committed to eliminating health disparities and increasing access to cellular therapy for patients of all backgrounds. Currently, AANHPI patients have only a 47% ehanee of finding bone marrow and stem eell donors. Anyone ean help increase those odds by joining the registry with a simple eheek swab. For more information about how you ean get involved, visit BeTheMatch.org/AAPI. KS and Chaminade Offer 150 Mu'oScholarships Kamehameha Schools (KS) and Chaminade University have announced an innovative and community-focused partnership to educate, train and prepare aspiring early learning kumu via 150 full-tuition Mu'o Scholarships. "Native Hawaiian keiki are at SEE NEWS BRIEFS ON PAGE 29

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NEWS BRIEFS Continued from page 28 the center of everything we do at Kamehameha. Equity and social justice start with access - access to foundational early learning opportunities in all of our communities. To achieve this, we must ensure we have qualified early learning kumu to weleome and prepare our keiki," said Dr. Wai'ale'ale Sarsona, KS vice president of Hi'ialo. Beginning in fall 2023, 50 Mu'o Scholarships will be provided to enroll in Chaminade's online bachelor's degree in teaching program. This will continue for two additional years for a total of 150 funded scholarships as a partnership through KS Kaiāulu (community). "This 100% online program means a future educator could be living in Ka u or Moloka'i or Hāna or Kaua'i and doesn't have to leave their community or island to heeome an educator," Sarsona said. Scholarship applications are now being accepted with a requirement to complete a stu-dent-teaching track. Students will be paired with an academic advisor. Applications are open to all Hawai'i residents with additional consideration extended to those of Native Hawaiian ancestry. Recruitment and admittance priority will also be given to early childhood education applicants. New WaterSources Sought for Honolulu Ihe Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) is seeking new water sources to compensate for the capacity it lost after the 2021 Red Hill water crisis required BWS to take its Hālawa shaft offline. BWS, whieh supplies drinking water to most of O'ahu, had hoped that the six sites it has been exploring would be suitable for well development, but BWS Manager and Chief Engi-

neer Ernie Lau says four of the locations have been deemed unsuitable. Lau said the BWS is looking at locations farther uphill, meaning the wells would need to be deeper. The search for new water sources began soon after jet fuel leaked from the U.S. Navy's Red Hill facility in November 2021, polluting the aquifer located just 100 feet helow the underground tanks. BWS shut down its Hālawa shaft, whieh is about a mile ffom Red Hill, the following month, resulting in a 20% reduction in the water supply for urban Honolulu. Lau said BWS is also conducting a water treatment study to see whether petroleum ehemicals, as well as PFAS (forever chemicals) ean be cleaned ffom the water at the Hālawa shaft . Concerns about deadly PFAS have increased after the Navy reported a l,300-gallon leak of eoncentrated fire suppressant foam at Red Hill in November 2022. LGBTQ Romantic Adventure 'Aikāne' Ihe teambehind the acclaimed

animated short Kapaemahu premiered a new hlm, Aikāne, at the Animayo and Seattle International Film Festivals in May. Aikāne, a term for intimate ffiends of the same sex, has taken on new relevance with the resurgence of anti-LGBTQ hostility. The film premier will be followed by a series of screenings during "Pride Month" in June. ProducerHinaleimoanaWongKalu, who has been collaborating with co-directors Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson for a decade, said there was also a personal aspect for creating the film. 'As a Kanaka, a native person on an island occupied by a foreign power and ideas, I want our young people of all genders and sexualities to understand that being their authentic selves, and loving who they love, is a reason to rejoice not to fear." Aikāne tells the story of a warrior who falls into a strange underwater world after being wounded in battle. When the octopus who rescues him shapeshifts into a handsome young man, sparks fly and an epie adventure begins. Love, trust, and courage are the glue that bind

the unlikely eouple together in their fierce battle against foreign invaders. Upcoming screenings include Kashish Mumhai īnternational Queer Film Festival (June 7-11) and the Ahhimani Queer Film Festival Sri Lanka (June 19-21). WCC Receives $3.5M Grant Ihe Kia'i Loko Center for Limu Research, created and managed by Windward Community College (WCC), has received a $3.5 million grant to provide education and limu research opportunities for the long-term benefits for the Windward community. The grant is from the National Science Foundation's Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP). The center focuses on applying traditional Native Hawaiian knowledge alongside Western scientific methods to study limu and traditional Hawaiian fishponds. Aquacultural practices used to maintain healthy fishponds and produce limu are essential aspects of traditional Native Hawaiian lifestyles that contribute to critical contemporary issues such as food security, biodiversity and cultural perpetuation. Student-led research will advance the knowledge base surrounding limu ecology and production. "Students [will be trained] to work in an important emerging industry promoting sustainability and self-reliance in these islands," Dave Krupp, WCC professor of biological and marine sciences said. "Working with our partners, we will serve our Ko'olaupoko and Ko'olauloa communities to solve issues such as the restoration of native limu to our reefs and elimination of invasive seaweeds." Kahahawaito Playfor USfl Volleyball Devin Kahahawai, a Kamehameha Schools Kapālama graduate and the 2022 Hawai'i

Gatorade Player of the Year, was one of 18 athletes selected by USA Volleyball for the 2023 Women's U21 NORCECA Pan American Cup roster. Twelve players

from this group will be chosen to compete at the 2023 Women's U2l NORCECA Pan American Cup. Dan Fisher, head eoaeh of the University of Pittsburg's women's volleyball team, will be the U21 team's head eoaeh. "USA Volleyball has put together a wonderful group of athletes and coaches, and it is humbling to get a ehanee to lead this group," Fisher said. "ī expect intense competition in our training, preparing us for another strong showing at the Pan Am Cup." Kahahawai is one of eight players returning ffom the team that won the 2022 Pan American Cup and qualified for the 2023 FIVB World Championship. The roster for the 2023 FIVB U21 World Championship on August 17-26 in Leon and Aguascalientes, Mexico, will be announced later this summer. RegisterforCNHA's Convention in Las Vegas Ihe Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) will host its first convention on the continent, June 19-22, 2023, at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino. For two decades, CNHA's annual convention has served as the largest gathering of Native Hawaiians to discuss issues facing the community. CNHA is taking the convention to the continent now that the number of Native Hawaiians living there has surpassed the number residing in Hawai'i. The convention will also include an 'Aha 'Ōpio (youth gathering) strand with a registration SEE NEWS BRIEFS ON PAGE 30

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NEWS BRIEFS Continued from page 29 waiver for and all participants attending the 'Aha 'Ōpio (ages 12-26). Pre-convention activities will feature cultural workshops on mele, oli, hula, olelo Hawai'i, genealogy and Mauna Kea, as well as a panel discussion on puhlie policies impacting Native Hawaiians. The convention ofīicially begins on June 20 with formal protocol and will include panel discussions and breakout workshops on an array of topics that include politics, land, cultural awakening, social justice, heahh and business. Evening festivities include Māhū Magic on June 20, showcase of 'Ōiwi and Polynesian drag performers featuring Sasha Colby. And June 21 will feature a performance by Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winning musician Josh Tatofi. For more info go to: www.hawaiiancouncil.org/convention/. Protecting Hawai'i's Only Designated Koa Canoe Forest Ihe Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is seeking puhlie input on a plan to protect Hawai'i's only designated koa eanoe forest. The l,257-acre Kapāpala Koa Canoe Management Area on Hawai'i Island is located on the southeastern slopes of Maunaloa. The land ranges ffom 3,000 to 5,000 feet in elevation and is almost entirely covered with native koa and 'ōhi'a trees. The area was first designated for koa conservation in 1989 when the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) approved it for commercial koa timber production. The designation was later refined to specify that the timber would be used specifically for koa canoes. The proposed preservation plan has a lifespan of 100 years, with official check-ins every 10

years. It outlines strategies to mitigate environmental threats such as climate change and invasive species, as well as plans on how timber harvesting will be regulated. The draft is now available to the puhlie for input until June 7. DLNR has also released an interactive digital mapping system for users. The proposed preservation plan ean be viewed at https: //dlnr. hawaii. gov/blog/2 023/05/08 / nr23-86/. To submit comments, email forestry@hawaii.gov or send a letter to the forestry program manager at 1151 Punehhowl Street, Room 325, Honolulu, HI 96813. Kauhane Named Next KS Trustee Ihe state Probate Court has selected Miehelle Kauhane as the next trustee for Kamehameha Schools. She will replace Lanee Keawe Wilhelm, whose term expires on June 30, 2023. Kauhane has more than 15 years of executive leadership experience in puhlie and nonprofit

administration. She has been with the Hawai'i Community Foundation (HCF) since 2018 and currently serves as senior vice president - chief impact officer, overseeing

the foundation's external facing departments, including eommunity grants and initiatives, development and donor relations, and strategic communications and puhlie policy. Prior to joining HCF, Kauhane was president and CEO of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA). She also served as deputy director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands from 2011 to 2012 and as executive director of Hawaiian Community Assets ffom 2004 to 2011. In 2021, Kauhane was appointed by President Joe Biden to the Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Paeihe Islanders to help advance equity, justice and opportunity for Asian Americans and Native Hawaiian Paeihe Islander

communities. Kauhane is vice chair for CNHA, a board member of the Kapolei Community Development Corporation, and a member of Ahahui Sivila O Kapolei. She is a 1986 graduate of Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, and has a bachelor's degree in eommunication ffom Gonzaga University. First Kū'oko'a 'Āina Based Leadership Graduates

Last month, UH Mānoa's Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies (KCHS) graduated its first cohort of more than 30 Kuoko'a 'Āina Based Leadership graduates. Of these, two students received a brand new Kū'oko'a Graduate Certificate created to cultivate aloha 'āina leaders connected to and caring for Hawai'i's aina using interdisciplinary skills grounded in 'ike kūpuna (ancestral knowledge). Receiving the Kū'oko'a Graduate Certificates were Brissa Christophersen and Kaleohano Farrant. They both earned master's degrees from the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) Department. 'As a Kanaka 'Ōiwi, I find myself with my two feet in separate worlds at times where the field of science/environmental management often disagree with Hawai'i lifeways. The Kuoko'a program was foundational in providing me with the support I needed to understand what it means to walk in both worlds," Christophersen said.

"Since 2020, I have been involved with restoration and research in the ahupua'a of Waiale'e on the northern shore of O'ahu, where the North Shore Community Land Trust is working to restore 20 acres of historic lo'i as well as Kalou, a 2-acre loko i'a wai (fishpond). The Kuoko'a program is a great opportunity for students to invest themselves in projects that matter to them as well as communities in Hawai'i," Farrant said. Director of Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement at Hawai'inuiākea Malia Nobrega-Olivera said, "We eelebrate the accomplishments of our Kuoko'a leaders that are committed to sustaining their relationships with the aina and the community and to kia'i or protect, care for and make decisions about, natural and cultural resources." Onishi Named NewCNHA C00

Paige Onishi has been named the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement's (CNHA) new chief operating ofhcer (COO). She will oversee day-to-day

operations and ensure that CNHA departments are working collaboratively and strategically. "With more than 25 years of management experience and proven success in stewarding largescale projects in Hawai'i, Paige is a highly qualified candidate to fill our COO role," Kūhio Lewis, CNHA CEO said. Prior to joining CNHA, Onishi was the COO of Hawaiian Building Maintenance were she oversaw all daily business and administrative operations for over 200 locations and more than 700 employees encompassing a mix of retail, commercial and residential accounts on O'ahu, Maui SEE NEWS BRIEFS ON PAGE 31

Brissa Christophersen and Kaleohano Farrant.

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NEWS BRIEFS Continued from page 30 and Kaua'i. Onishi has also served as business development director with Sandwich Isles Oommunieations, Ine. where she was instrumental in managing contracts that provided comprehensive wireless services to residents of Hawaiian homelands. Onishi is a graduate of UH Mānoa and has actively volunteered with the Pilot Club of Honolulu since 2011. She resides in Salt Lake. Artates Receives Four Pele Awards

Ihe Ameriean Advertising Federation Hawai'i Chapter hosted its annual Pele Awards on May 6 in Waikīkī whieh celebrates the best of the best in advertising

and design. The big winner of the evening was 'Ōiwi graphic designer Wailani Artates of Artistry8 on Maui. Artates was awarded "Best of Show," - the eompetition's highest honor - for her outstanding designs for Pono Potions, an 0'ahu-based business with a line of artisanal flavored syrups using locally sourced ingredients. Artates also received a Pele Gold Award and a Pele Silver Award for Pono Potions' packaging and logo designs, and a second Pele Silver Award for the logo design she created for Haku Maui, a lei and flower shop in Makawao. Pele Awards are Hawai'i's most prestigious design awards and recognizes excellence in advertising and design across a wide range of categories, including print, digital, advertising, film and video, and social media. "I am truly humbled to receive this honor, there's nothing like being recognized by your peers,"

she said. "We have a job that makes the world a more beautiful and meaningful plaee." Artates previously garnered four Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards for her alhum design covers. In 2011, she won for Nāpua Greig's alhum "Mōhalu," in 2015 for Sean Robbins' alhum "Olanui," in 2018 for Nāpua Greig's alhum "Makawalu," and in 2020 for Amy Hānaiali'i's alhum "Kalawai'anui." State and City Leaders Sign Unified Agreement on Red Hill In a historic show of solidarity, state and city leaders gathered at the Hawai'i State Capitol on May 9 to sign a unified statement on Red Hill, calling for aquifer remediation and an integrated approach to resolving the water crisis. The statement represents the shared kuleana of Hawai'i's leadership to preserve access to safe, pure water and signifies a commitment to cooperation across all governmental levels and agencies. Members of the House Special Committee on Red Hill developed the unified statement with the help of community advocates. The seven-member eommittee was initially formed by the House of Representatives in December 2021 after thousands of gallons of jet fuel leaked fr om the Red Hill facility, and eontaminated the drinking water of hundreds of families living on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and nearby areas. 'All of us in leadership positions — whether government, community organizations and, of course, the military — have to work together to ensure the water and the land at Red Hill and the aquifer under it, will be remediated properly and expeditiously. Clean water for future generations must be our shared goal," said Gov. Josh Green. "What is at stake regarding the quality and purity of our aquifer, is the heahh and wellbeing of all of our people living on O'ahu now, and for future

generations," said Mayor Rick Blangiardi. "There is no greater priority." Smith Akana Wins MLK Poetry Competition

Kia'iokapo Smith Akana, a seventh-grade student at Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Pū'ōhala in Kāne'ohe, O'ahu, took top honors in the Hawaiian language division of the 24th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Peaee Poem competition. More than 250 people attended the award ceremony last month at the Mission Memorial Auditorium in downtown Honolulu. Smith Akana received an 'ukulele ffom Kala 'Ukulele President Mike Upton. Winning students in all divisions also received a limited edition posted of the Hōkūle'a sailing past the United Nations building in New York City ffom the Polynesian Voyaging Society and'ŌIWI-TV. Hawai'i Feature Film Explores New Genre My Partner, a new feature film directed by 'Ōiwi filmmaker Keli'i Grace, follows the evolution of a relationship between two teenage boys in Lāhainā. Written by Lanee D. Collins, the film focuses on the relationship between Pili, a Native Hawaiian student-athlete portrayed by Kaipo Dudoit, and Edmar, a high-performing Filipino student portrayed by Jayron Munoz. The film is of the "Boy Love" genre whieh originated in Japan.

The genre has spread worldwide; this is the first feature film of its kind from Hawai'i. The film explores social themes including cultural and self/sexual identity, immigration, and aina stewardship. Respecting Hawaiian culture throughout the filmmaking process was a conscious effort to ensure that the film and all aspects of the production would have a positive impact on Hawai'i and the various communities represented. The cast is all loeal and the majority are first-time actors and real-life representatives of the issues highlighted in the film. The production crew was also either Native Hawaiian or loeal. My Partner premiered last month at the Asian Paeihe Film Festival in Los Angeles where it won a Narrative Audience Award. Supporting Native Hawaiian lntellectual Property Before the 2023 Legislative Session ended, the House adopted House Concurrent Resolution (HCR)108, urging the formation of a working group to study policies and legislation with respect to Native Hawaiian intellectual property. The resolution seeks to protect the intellectual property rights of Kānaka Maoli, including cultural expression, language, and art forms.

Introduced by Rep. Darius K. Kila, the measure calls for the creation of a nine-member working group peopled by eultural practitioners and experts in Native Hawaiian law, Indigenous intellectual property, or Native Hawaiian cultural customs and art. "There is a kuleana to address the global cultural appropriation that has occurred in various forms," Kila said. "For years, we've observed mainland companies opening businesses and using a Hawaiian name to increase sales, despite having no connection to our culture." Kila noted that disputes over ownership and control between Indigenous peoples and third-party users of Indigenous knowledge resources have steadily increased in the last decade. A recent example was a non-Hawaiian food ehain ffom Chicago, Aloha Poke Co., whieh issued cease-and-desist letters threatening small food shops in Hawai'i ffom using the words "aloha" and "poke," claiming "ownership" of the words. Indigenous people worldwide have developed strategies and ffameworks to protect their collective intellectual property rights. Groups include the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, the Toi Iho registered trademark for Maori art and artists, and the Alaska State Council on the Arts Silver Hand Program for Alaska Native artists. ■

Smith Akana is pictured with lnternational Peaee Poem Project Coordinator Melinda Gohn and his kumu, Waianuhea Walk. - Photo: Courtesy of Gory Kuhota

Devin Kahahawai

Michelle Kauhane

m Paige Onishi

Wailani Artates