Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 6, 1 June 1988 — Petition Proposes Decade of Hawaiian [ARTICLE]

Petition Proposes Decade of Hawaiian

A petition containing the signatures of 665 Kona residents has reached the desk of Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee and Ho'olako President Thomas K. (Unele Tommy) Kaulukukui Sr. urging him to "do whatever you ean to extend the Year of the Hawaiian into the Decade of the Hawaiian so that there will be nine more years in whieh to deal with the issues." The petition drive, whieh eame as a complete surprise to Kaulukukui, was initiated by Lois M. Taylor of Captain Cook and Alexander Cadang of Kealakekua. "This year (1987) has gone by too quickly and

there is mueh that needs to be done about issues that are very important to Hawaiians such as education and reparations," they noted in the petition. Kaulukukui, who is chairman of OHA's External Affairs Committee, said he was touched by the petition, especially the names of many non-Ha-waiians whom he refers to as "Hawaiians-at-heart." He responded to the group in a letter, noting that OHA has discussed these concerns, including health, and that the agency was the proper ehannel for the issues described.