Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 8, 1 August 2021 — La 'i' ōpua 2020 Hosts Wa' a Community Day [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

La 'i' ōpua 2020 Hosts Wa' a Community Day

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(L-R) Brothers Jun ond Iko Bolonao aemonstrote binding techniques on tne wo'o. - Photo: Courtesy

On the grounds of La'i opua 2020 in the ahupua'a of Kealakehe, a double-hull wa'a is being assembled by members of the Kona community. The eanoe, named La'i opua, will be the first wa'a to be fully eonstructed on Hawai'i Island in almost 30 years. On July 10, community members gathered at La'i'opua 2020 for a Wa'a Community Day. Featured guests included Chadd Paishon, cultural advisor for the Wa'a Project; Iko Balanga, co-founder of Anelakai Adventures; George "Keoki" Roldan, master weaver; and kalo practioners Kamuela Meheula and Keahi Tomas, who shared mana'o and hands-on demonstrations. The day began with a genealogy oli gifted to the La'i 'opua wa'a by Paishon. Afterwards some 100 attendees broke out into smaller groups. Balanga and 'ohana were stationed at the wa'a, demonstrating the precise process of binding the 'iako (crossbeams) to the ka'ele (hull). Roldan shared mo'olelo on the art of weaving lauhala and taught participants to create beautiful 'ohana bowls. Tomas and Meheula provided instruction on making pa'i 'ai and shared 'ike about the envi-

ronmental, social, and cultural values of the kalo plant. Two more wa'a builds are scheduled on August 7 and 21, from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. For more information, visit www. laiopua.org. Kahele lntroduces Legislationto Ensure 'Ohana Successorship

Last month, Congressman Kai Kahele announced the introduction of bipartisan legislation that would ensure long-term tenancy to henehciaries of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA). Called the "Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole Protecting Family Legacies Act," this legislation would reduce the successorship qualification of a lessee's spouse, children, grandchildren or siblings from one quarter to 1/32 Hawaiian. "My legislation advances the original draft, vision and intent of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole who championed the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act - legislation he fought to pass in Congress as a non-vot-ing delegate," said Kahele. "I want to do everything I ean to help ensure future generations of Native Hawaiians benefit from the original intent of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act - that is, to return Native Hawaiians to their lands with prompt and efficient placement in order to support self-sufficiency and self-deter-minahon." The Hawai' i State Legislature passed this amendment in 2017 and it was signed by Gov. David Ige as Act 80 that same year. This action has been deliberated by HHCA beneficiaries and homestead associations for years and deemed necessary because many descendants of HHCA beneficiaries currently

face displacement and the loss of their ancestral homes. Documenting the Life of Leina'ala Kalama Heine

Papaku No Kamehaikana, a Hawai'i nonprofit, has received a $99,965 grant from the Insitute of Museum and Library Services for their project "Kuleana: I Ulu No Ka Lala I Ke Kumu" whieh will document and record the genealogy of Kumu Hula Leina'ala Kalama Heine, as told by those who

hold that genealogy. As part of the project, over the next two years, Papaku No Kamehaikana will produce monthly webinars and huaka'i, and train a group of eight opio (youth) in transcription technology, collections management and application design. Their first webinar was on July 27 and featured Heine's longtime friend, Kumu Hula Robert Cazimero. "Our goal is not only to document the legacy of Kumu Hula Leina'ala Kalama Heine in ways that ean be shared with students of hula for years to eome, but to connect our opio to our cultural traditions through technology," said Niulii Heine, Papaku No Kamehaikana president. The mission of Papaku No Kamehaikana is to encourage and enahle families to understand, live and practice Hawaiian values and cultural

traditions. House Native Hawaiian Caucus Challenges lge's Judiciary Nominee On July 21, the House Native Hawaiian Caucus, led by Rep. Daniel Holt, sent a letter to Gov. David Ige expressing their eoneem regarding his recent selection of Daniel Gluck to fill a vacancy on the Hawai'i Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA), calling for Ige to withdraw Gluck from consideration. "[Gluck] lacks the legal practice and lived experienee in Hawai'i that other nominees hold. Every other candidate before you has more courtroom experience. Three candidates have participated in SEENEWS BRIEFS ON PAGE 23

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NEWS BRIEFS Continued from page 22 over a hundred circuit court cases. Two candidates have argued over a dozen cases before the appellate court. Comparatively, your ehoiee has participated on eight cases on appeal and made one supreme court oral argument." The caucus notes that Ige's choices during his term have not provided equitable racial and gender representation to judges for Hawai' i's highest courts, and that there are currently no Native Hawaiian, Filipino, Paeihe Islander or African American judges at Hawai' i's Supreme Court or at the ICA, and that it has been more than 30 years since a Native Hawaiian has been appointed to serve on the ICA. They also point out that the list of nominees includes individuals who have studied 'ike Hawai' i, lived Hawaiian culture and practiced Native Hawaiian law. All of the nominees are graduates of UH Mānoa's Richardson School of Law - except for Gluck. Their letter states that, "In this

and other rounds of applicants, you have overlooked qualified individuals born and raised on the neighbor islands, and graduates of puhlie and Hawaiian schools with experience working with and in Hawaiian and underserved communities as teach-

ers, advocates and allies." "Based on your history of appointments, there is an unwritten implication of a ceiling for highly qualified candidates to the judiciary." ■

Photo: KW Archive