Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 1, Number 3, 1 April 1984 — from the Chairman's Desk [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

from the Chairman's Desk

By Joseph Kealoha OHA Chairman, Maui Trustee

The Hawaiian community is to be congratulated for its overwhelming response to the April hearings of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The Committee has just concluded four days of hearings on the Native Hawaiians Study Commission reports. The turnout on all islands was excellent and the testimony, with very few exceptions, was thoughtful and constructive. The excellent research produced by Kina'u Kamali'i and the Kaulana Na Pua lnstitute was made possible by a grant authorized by the OHA Board of Trustees. lt was money well spent and 1 would like to say mahalo to the expert witnesses for ajob well done. Their efforts will go a long way toward providing the documentation necessary to convince the Congress that our cause is just. Our thanks also go to Sen. Spark Matsunaga who chaired the hearings with great expertise and diplomacy and to Sen. Daniel Inouye and Congressmen Daniel Akaka and Cec Heftel who not only testified on behalf of the Hawaiian cause, but served as "honorary committee members." The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has been involved in the Native Hawaiians Study Commission deliberations from the start. Our efforts to secure Congressional redress for the wrongs committed against the Hawaiian people will eontinue as long as necessary.

The just concluded hearings demonstrate conclusively that the Hawaiian community ean unite to achieve a eommon purpose. The OHA Board of Trustees maintains a continuous effort to remain aware of the needs and eoncerns of our beneficiaries and to inform them of the Board's activities. Starting in May, the Trustees begin their annual series of neighbor island community meetings. These meetings are scheduled in conjunction with our regular monthly Board meetings. The community meetings are scheduled at times whieh we hope will be convenient for you. We need your mana'o if we are to function effectively as the elected representatives of the Hawaiian people, and we encourage your attendance. In May, themeetings will beon the Big Island(seeseparatearticlein this issue of Ka Wai Ola for schedule.) The Board will meet in June on Lanai, in July on Molokai, in September on Kauai and in October on Maui. We will be publishing a detailed schedule in plenty of time for you to make plans to attend on your island. See you there!