Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 9, 1 Kepakemapa 2023 — Great Ka'ū, Warrior of Our Future [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Great Ka'ū, Warrior of Our Future

MOKII Q KEAWE

by Zuri Ka'apana Aki, OHA Public Policy Manager Ka'ū holds answers to the plight ofthe Native Hawaiian people. The OHA Public Policy teamjust retumed from Ka'ū, and this is what we learned. Kau mākaha (Ka u of the fierce fighters) Native Hawaiians face greater inequities and disparities, in our own homeland, than anyone else. We are in a constant fight for our survival on never-ending battlegrounds: health risks, homelessness, poverty, access to education, structural racism, injustice - far too many. This is our plight. We carry it together. This plight stems from historical injustice and is perpetuated by systems of oppression that were never dismantled. The 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom impeded Native Hawaiian self-determination. It is an open wound that is left to fester, and it only gets worse over time, heeoming an ever-increasing burden from one generation to the next - so, we fight in this war. Structural and institutional racism persists. These wrongs were never made right and so we fight for our survival. We fight for our healing. We fight for our future. Ka u carries invaluable lessons - strategies to win this war - borne through the ages from ka wa ma mua (the time before) to ka wa ma hope (the time after), lessons that we need to remember and learn. Part of remembering requires us to nānā i ke kumu (look to the source). And so we shall. Ka'ū nui kua makani (Great Kau of the windblown back) KaŪ is a majestic windswept land on the southeastern flank of the largest active volcano on Earth. A plaee where verdant hills roll into scorching lava deserts that endlessly clash with raging seas. Rugged and forbidding, it is a plaee of immeasurable beauty. It is the breast of Mauna Loa, a wonderous vault brimming with treasured experiences that are enshrined in the proudly celebrated memories of both the aina and maka ainana (people of the land). At 922 square miles, KaŪ is the largest district in the Hawaiian Islands and larger than every island in the archipelago - the obvious exception being the island of Hawai'i. Yet its population is comparable to that of Moloka'i

despite being three-and-a-half times its size. South KaŪ is one of the most rural and remote locations in Hawai'i - the very reason why struggle is no stranger to its people. Ka u malo 'eka, kua wehi (Ka u of the dirty malo and black back) Forged in the fires of Pele, tempered by the thunder of Lonomakua, and quenched in the waters of Kanaloa, the people of Ka'ū have always held the reputation of being stalwart and resilient. King Kamehameha I was raised in Ka'ū, toughened for his eventual conquests by the harsh and challenging hardships of life in this land. Today, the people of Ka'ū remain as tenacious as ever, enduring challenges that represent the peak of our plight. However, their struggle isn't the same as before. Subsistence, now, requires money. With a dearth of eeonomie opportunities, Ka'ū people face widespread food insecurity and financial instability. Most residents endure hours-long commutes to and ffom work. Younger generations see the district as a trap ffom whieh to escape, unintentionally leaving aging generations to structural vulnerabilities like the laek of adequate and accessible medical care. As the kupa (natives) of Ka'ū are forced out, they are rapidly replaced by non-natives - non-locals who are reshaping the district according to their distant and foreign values. 1his gentrification further expedites the displacement of the remaining Native Hawaiian population.

i This is Hawai'is story and history tells us what happens when we do not address this problem. Ka u hiehie i ka makani (Ka u, regal in the wind) The solutions to Ka'ū's problems are the strategies for f winning the war. And Ka'ū offers many solutions. J Ka'ū's solution to eeonomie instability is the strategy ; for creating Native Hawaiian-led eeonomie pathways. ī Ka'ū's solution to healthcare inaccessibility is the strati egy for Native Hawaiian healthcare workforce development. Ka'ū's solution to population displacement is the , strategy for restoring our traditional eommunal systems that make us stronger together. Integral to winning this war is the strategy of elevating f and amplifying the voices of these communities. Ka'ū is 1 a rallying battle cry for the resounding message that our 3 communities don't need outsiders solving our problems. We just need them to step aside, so we ean advance our ) own solutions. ) Stepping aside doesn't mean disengaging, there's still 1 a matter of accountability owed to historically disadvantaged communities - this is part of the elevating. ; The Ofīice of Hawaiian Affairs' Puhlie Policy team is focusing on amplifying and elevating the voices of Ka'ū, and we'll take these lessons with us to employing these strategies in every community to win this war. E hume i ka malo, e ho'okala i ka ihe. ■

Kalae, Ko'O, looking toward Mauna Loa and the district's southern shore. - Photo: luri Aki