Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 4, 1 April 1991 — Native Hawaiians at era of change [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Native Hawaiians at era of change

by Moses K. Keale OHA Chairman

Anoai kakou! During the last week of February, I had the honor and privilege to speak before an international conference on sovereignty held in San Rafael, California. Present were delegates from 23 nations repre-

senting indigenous peope from Russia, South America, Canada as well as our brothers and sisters of the Pacific and American Indian nations. I wish to share with you the text of the message I delivered at that conference as it is certainly worth sharing with our people. What follows are the texts from those two addresses given on behalf of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Opening Address to the conferees attending the Aboriginal Public Policy Institute International Indigenous Sovereignty Conference

Aloha, I am Moses Keale, Chairman of the Board of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, known as OHA. OHA is a unique agency created by Native Hawaiians to serve as a vehicle for reparations, as well as to provide services for our 'ohana (our Native Hawaiian family). We are an independent entity, devoted solely to the interests of the people of Hawaiian descent. Today there are approximately 235,000 descendants of the islands who pre-existed white settlement in Hawai'i. They are our constituents — some 67,000 registered to vote in the 1990 OHA trustee eleehon. Native Hawaiians are now at a historical era of change — perhaps an era of great opportunity. Serious work has begun on the state and federal levels to resolve some of our claims. Claims to two million acres of land taken without payment when the United States, in 1893, participated in the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i. Some of this land ultimately has been placed in different trusts that native Hawaiians have beneficial rights to. Our claims also involve these trusts. Today, although Native Hawaiians suffer the worst health, education and imprisonment rates of any population in Hawai'i, Native Hawaiians also serve in key places — Governor and United States Senator — to help in the effort to resolve claims, and to achieve self-determination. Our Hawaiian community is in the mid-stages on the road to resume sovereignty. We have a clear vision of that road. We have eome here to leam, from your experiences and to share with you ours, and solicit your help in making the Hawaiian aspirations a reality.

Closing Address to the House of Delegates For over a millennium, Hawaiians exercised abso!ute sovereignty over the lands and waters of Hawai'i. Our ali'i, our chiefs, ruled with the sacred right of their mana and their genealogies whieh they traced back to the gods. Valley, district, and island chiefs managed a complex social and eeonomie system whieh included a sophisticated religious system whieh honored the divine quality of all things, animate and inanimate; typically produced surplus food; and sustained a civilization known for its vast water and irrigation networks, roads, and temples. The Hawaiian Islands comprised several kingdoms, that is several sovereign nations. Early in the 19th Century, Kamehameha 1 extended his dominion from the Kohala region on the Big Island throughout the whole Hawaiian ehain. By clever diplomacy, the last king of Kaua'i was persuaded

to recognize Kamehameha's dominant position and the Hawaiian islands became one kingdom, one sovereign nation. Kamehameha died in 1819. When the first missionaries arrived a year later the Hawaiian Kingdom was a fu!ly functioning, healthy, independent sovereign nation ruled by Kaahumanu, as Regent for the young King, Kamehameha II. While not governed in the same manner as the European or United States models, it was in every respect a sovereign nation — making and enforcing its own laws, enjoying the support of a vast majority of its populahon and quite able to defend itself, as the Russians discovered when they attempted to annex Kaua'i in those early days. White interests began to exert significant influence on the monarchy until Queen Lili'uokalani, the seventh successor to the throne of Kamehameha I ascended the throne in 1891. She soon showed a disposition to use her own judgment in the conduct of affairs, not always agreeing with her white advisors. Becoming more and more alarmed over the Queen's increasing independence and aided by the United States military, these white business people, church leaders and politicians brought forth a revolution in 1893 whieh unseated the Queen, abolished the monarchy and established a short-lived Republic. A counter-revolution initiated by some Hawaiians loyal to the queen in 1895 failed. The results made it a foregone conclusion that the Republic would solicit American "protection."

"VJe Hawaiians are, or ought to be realists. This power to hold and govern ean onty be securedfrom an arrangement with the United States."

These were the days of "Manifest Destiny" in whieh the United States was embarked on becoming a world power. To have strategicallyplaced Hawai'i, with its marvelous Pearl Harbor, brought under its wing — at little or no cost — was the highest consummation of United States statecraft. Thus it has been for almost 100 years, that Hawaiians have been governed by the United States territorial government and now the State of Hawai'i.

We Hawaiians believe that there are three necessary elements for implementing effective self-government. These are: 1. A land base 2. A populahon 3. A government with sufficient power to hold the land and govern its populahon. The Hawaiian people have good claims to all three of these elements: 1. Our land base is established on two basic trusts. The first is the Hawaiian Home Lands, approximately 200,000 acres of land identified in 1921 through the efforts of our beloved Prince Kuhio, our delegate to Congress for 20 years. He succeeded in having the United States government give back these lands to a trust to settle native Hawaiians upon them. The trust has not always been used particularly well. But now and in the recent past a new urgency, a new spirit has been infused and the new Commission of the Hawaiian Home Lands is well-led by Hawaiians of great talent and determination. The second land trust comprises the ceded lands provided to Hawai'i by the United States upon its admission to the Union in 1959. That trust was established to benefit all the inhabitants of Hawai'i. These roughly 1.2 million acres remain a source of controversy. However, the things upon whieh all Hawaiians unite are: • That these lands belonged to the government

and royal family of the Kingdom of Hawai'i; • That they were illegally taken from them when Hawai'i was annexed to the United States; and • That these lands should still belong to Hawaiians.

2. The exact number of persons with Hawaiian blood is not known with precision. However, there is general agreement that there are at least 235,000 and that more than half of these are under the age of 21 years. 3. A government with sufficient power to hold the land and govern the populaton. We Hawaiians are, or ought to be realists. This power to hold and govern ean only be secured from an arrangement with the United States. To seek to achieve sovereignty without this accommodation with the most powerful nation in the world as your neighbor is pure stupidy! In 1979 after many fits and starts and after mueh discussion, a young native Hawaiian who some years later became our state governor, formulated a plan and saw it through to become law to create a program to develop a government structure for Hawaiians when they finally reassert sovereignty. It is this law whieh created the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, "OHA," the Board of Trustees of whieh I have the honor to chair. This board is elected by Hawaiians and only Hawaiians. At the last eleehon, last November, 67,000 Hawaiians were registered to vote. Of those 80 percent cast their ballots. OHA is an independent entity charged by law to formulate and to support programs to advance the interest of the Hawaiian people. It is in many respects like a fourth branch of the state government, but it is remarkable in that both the state and federal governments recognize that it will literally put itself out of business. When sovereignty is assured, the Hawaiian people will create their own government. They will undoubtedly have a constitutional convention, where delegates representing ali Hawaiians, not just a few, will attend and work out a proper constitution. This is OHA's task. This is OHA's leadership function — to strengthen Hawaiians for their return to exercising sovereignty.

"This is OHA's task . . . to strengthen Hawaiians for their return to exercising sovereignty."

As you have already gathered, the Hawaiian populahon is greatly at risk in their own homeland: • 75 percent of imprisoned persons are of Hawaiian descent, while they constitute less than 25 percent of the population. • Hawaiians have the highest rates of death from cancer, heart disease and diabetes of any populahon segment in Hawai'i, this is the state whieh has the highest life expectancy rate in all the United States. • Our people have the worst school drop-out rate in the state of Hawai'i. I could go on and on concerning the challenges OHA faces. But we have some real bright spots too.

• Uur state governor is a native nawanan; one of our two U.S. Senators is a native Hawaiian; Our other U.S. Sen., DanInouyeisawell-knownfriend and supporter of the American Indian and their quest for their rights; he is equally involved and supportive of the rights of Hawaiians to sovereignty. We are on our way! We have gathered respect in the halls of power. We have learned that the continued page 23

Chairman's view on sovereignty

from page 15

fight for self-government cannot be won merely by good intentions nor with loud rhetoric. lt requires sound, and often, quiet strategy. It requires the nurturing efforts of those who would succeed. It requires the cooperation of the whole body. But true sovereignty begins from within your own personal na'au (with your gut). True sovereignty is nurtured by your cultural upbringing, your spirituality. You must know who

you are and where you are going. Some people say that spirituality, cultural values, identity and wisdom eome from the heart. But I say no! The Hawaiian word for heart is pu'uwai, a lump of water. If you try to hold a lump of water in your hands it leaks out and dissipates. No, all these things we hold essential to our own essence eome from the "gut", the na'au. It is where one lives. It is the center of one's being. It channels and centers oneself. When your na'au is together, you are together. When you are together, you have achieved your own sovereignty. Only then ean you talk about sovereignty to others. Only then ean you begin to think of sovereignty for our people.

We of OHA and of the Hawanan people are proud, but not arrogant. We want and we need the help, the advice, the good thoughts and the expertise of you who have succeeded in gaining your sovereignty. And with your help we will one day, and very soon — we hope, take our plaee with you and all aboriginals as the rightful sovereigns of our lands and culture, standing tall and proud and confident that our children will inherit a better peaee, a better life. A i manao kekahi e lilo i pookele i waena o oukou, e pono no e lilo ia i kauwa na oukou. Na ke Akua e malama a e alakai ia kakou apau.