Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 3, 1 March 2010 — Staying the course for nationhood [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Staying the course for nationhood

Aloha All, I write this on Feb. 11 because it is due today and you will read this in March. Mueh will transpire before then in Congress, in the Legislature, in the economy, in the world, and so far be it from me that I should forecast anything to eome. Instead I will reflect upon matters of relevance to the betterment of the Hawaiian people.

OHA recently awarded in excess of $2.2 million to a number of organizations seeking to better our people. Eaeh will contribute to helping Hawaiians and helping others to appreciate and understand our history, traditions and culture. If the Equal Rights anti-Akaka Bill groups succeed, none of the above moneys will be awarded in the future. OHA's $2 million is small in comparison to the numerous federal programs available to Hawaiians as the indigenous people of Hawai'i. Loss of these funding sources will mean loss of programs, loss of education opportunities, loss of jobs, loss of businesses, loss of housing, loss of heahh programs, etc., etc. Not only will Hawaiians lose, the whole state will lose as Hawaiians are equated to everyone else in the United States and thus are not recognized as legally deserving of any preferences, beneflts or entitlements. So mueh for our language. So mueh for our culture. So mueh for Hawai'i as the homeland of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiians will not be recognized as having any indigenous rights to their 'āina and any beneflts of State Supreme Court decisions securing indigenous Hawaiian gathering rights and access and burial rights will likely not stand. And so, will the Akaka Bill prevent all of this? Well, it will do a whole lot more in keeping Hawai'i Hawai'i and the homeland of our people than the United Nations will. It will keep Hawaiians alive as a people and allow them to continue to

progress and achieve dreams. It will protect our 'āina, our people and our culture the way no other option could. Thus, as we struggle to eome to terms with ourselves and those who lead our nation and state, we need to stay on course and tum our energies first to legal survival and then to perfecting a nation that ean address the needs of its people while existing within the United States.

To do this, we will need educated, experienced, rational, devoted men and women leaders who ean lead with confldence, inspiration and humility. We will need to expand the base of educated Hawaiians to complement those who are here today. Men like Miehael Naho'opi'i, whom I just met when he spoke at a Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber dinner meeting this week. Miehael was graduated from Kamehameha and the U.S. Naval Academy and served honorably in the submarine service. He has an MBA from Chaminade and is currently the Executive Director of the KIRC, Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission. Not only does he have experience and education in leadership, but he walks the walk and is an excellent example of Hawaiians who get it by incorporating their culture and values into their leadership in business and community. There are more Hawaiians like him but a new nation will need more. And when it comes to leadership, there is no better or experienced teacher than Judge Tom Kaulukukui of Queen Lili'uokalani Tmst. Among other things, he is a lua instructor who has been teaching leadership that was practiced by our ancestors for centuries. His program has been received enthusiastically by a wide variety of students from immersion ehikken to military generals. Leadership, education and culture are key to the betterment of our people and will help prepare us for a strong Hawaiian nation. Imua e nā pōki'i. ■

Būyd P. Mūssman TrustEE, Maui