Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, 1 January 1983 — REMARKS BY [ARTICLE]

REMARKS BY

ALOHA KAKOU L.adies and Gentlemen: I want to thank the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for inviting me to speak to you this morning. 1 am most pleased to weleome you and to provide you with some of my thoughts about the topic areas you will be discussing in your conference workshops. In the next few days, you will be meeting to share ideas and information. and to discuss issues whieh have farreaching effects on a particular group of indigenous people Hawaiians. So I want to begin this morning with some reflections on where Hawaiians stand, as a people, at this point in history — and to make some suggestions as to where we should be directing our energies in the future. I've been asked to take a broad perspective on Hawaiian affairs and assess theadvancements Hawaiians have made politically, culturally, and economically. Usually. in these kinds of speeches, one talks round and round the subject and then reaches some conclusions. Well, today I'm going to tell you my conclusions first. They are not startling, but they do need to be stated. Culturally , in the past decade. Hawaiians have made tremendous advancements in re\i\ing and revitalizing their culture, in raising cultural awareness, and in fostering cultural identity. Politicallv , in the last five years (particularly with the advent of OH A), Hawaiians have begun to act as a politically cohesive unit. The strength of that unit will be built and tested in the years to eome. Economicallv, Hawaiians. as a group. have not made an impact on Hawaii's economy. But, they have the potential to do so. I would suggest to you that these three areas must be viewed together, indeed cannot be isolated from eaeh other. It is my personal perception that, having made advancements in cultural recognition and awareness, having taken the most important steps toward political cohesion. the next leap forward for Hawaiians will be in achieving eeonomie stability and a measure of selfsufficiency. These are my conclusions. Now to back track and examine eaeh of these areas in a little more depth. I '11 begin with culture because it is the base on whiehall else has been built. By this I mean that only through acceptance of Hawaiian culture — acceptance by Hawaiians themselves and by the "dominant" society — have Hawaiian strengthened their identity as a people. Cultural identity for Hawaiians then serves as a basis for political and eeonomie identity. I don't believe it necessary to go into detail on the disintegration of Hawaiian culture after Western contact. T o some extent, the Hawaiian experience parallels that of other indigenous people — the fall of the kapu system. the change in land tenure from eommunal to fee simple ownership, the breakdown of traditional family and societal relationships, the influence of Christianity and its mores and values, the influx of foreign trade and eommerce, eventually the overthrow of the native government and annexation to the United States, a period of despair followed by attempts to become part of mainstream American society. Throughout this entire process there were mostly subtle. but sometimes quite clear and eoncerted. efforts to destroy Hawaiian culture. Certain Hawaiian practices, including hula and ceremonies related to Hawaiian religion, were forbidden. Land tenure laws resulted in the destruction of traditional values, the extended family structure was irreparably harmed. The stereotype of the Hawaiian became the lazy but warm-hearted "kanaka." Yet. at the same time this