Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 1, Number 5, 1 June 1984 — Lanaʻi Hawaiians Vent Anger at Ceded Lands Presentation [ARTICLE]

Lanaʻi Hawaiians Vent Anger at Ceded Lands Presentation

Hawaiians on the island of Lana'i expressed sharp criticism of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for ignoring and neglecting them. This was the feedback received by OHA Trustees Piilani Desha and Moses Keale during a May 22 presentation of the ceded lands slide show at Lana'i City.

They made it clear to the trustees that OH A cannot expect their support and cooperation or constituency network on the island. They also said they don't botherto read the OHA newspaper; theyjust throw it away because it never mentions Lana'i or feature articles from the island. Of immediate concern was the laek of attention to the estimated 400 Lana'i Hawaiians who know the larger Hawaiian issues were of long range concerns. A suggestion from the audience was to do an article on halau Na Hula O La'ikealoha, as kumu hula Elaine Kaopuiki is

considered a cultural treasure on Lanai. Another eoneem of the Hawaiians there is the need for regular scheduled service from Hawaiian agencies such as OHA, Alu Like and The Kamehameha Schools. They resent always being called upon to help accumulate information and data, then they are forgotten when services are provided as a result. Keale pledged to attempt to alleviate the problems and Community Services Coordinator Jalna Keala was immediately assigned to bring the Lana'i plight to the attention of other Hawaiians in the state via Ka Wai Ola O OHA.

Keala was also assigned by Administrator T.C. Yim to make regular visitations to Lana'i and to service the Hawaiians there. The meeting was held in the Lana'i School Community Library conference room.