Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 12, 1 December 1988 — Overwhelming Vote For Single Definition [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Overwhelming Vote For Single Definition

By Linda Kawai'ono Delaney, Land Officer In an historic, first-ever referendum, OHA registered voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of a singie beneficiary class definition for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. With nearly 20,000 votes cast, the final tally of ballots showed 16,482 or 84 percent voting "Yes" for a single definition to include all Hawaiians and only 2,981 or 15 percent voting "No." As noted by interim Chairman Louis Hao, "This impressive return is proof of both the importance of the question asked, and — even more — of the commitment of the Hawaiian people to "take charge" of our own future, and to find our own answers to issues whieh have troubled and divided us for nearly a century." "When we initiated this process," Chairman Hao continued, "the ballot contractor Sequoia Pacific told us that their experience was a 10 to 20 percent return — depending on the intensity of the issue or election involved. We have received and tabulated more than 19,000 ballots — a return of nearly 35 percent of the 63,450 ballots mailed." The referendum was marred by postal delivery problems. However, as the Moloka'i trustee added, "there were difficulties with this referendum. We had to twice extend the deadline for voting — and we are still receiving calls from OHA voters who never received their ballots." "A mailout referendum of this scale and signifieanee is a "first" for the State of Hawai'i, Trustee Hao said. "More than 60,000 ballots were mailed." "What must be stressed, however, are not the hardships encountered in this referendum — but the powerful opportunity and exercise of selfdetermination whieh was provided," Hao eoncluded. The tabulation of ballots culminated the dramatic move by the OHA Board of Trustees to empower the Hawaiian people and to exercise the right of self-determination through a mailout ballot. The mail referendum of OHA registered voters asked two questions: 1 ) "Should every Native Hawaiian have the right to enjoy the benefits of the assets of the Office Hawaiian Affairs, as provided by poli-

cies adopted by the OHA Board of Trustees? The term "Native Hawaiian" means all descendants of the indigenous people inha biting the Hawaiian Islands prior to 1778." 2) "Are you 50 percent or more Hawaiian blood? To this second question, 54 percent answered "yes," or 10,642 votes. Only 45 percent or 8,803, answered "no." Its implications for the future, however, are enormous. Trustee Rod Burgess, chair of the ad hoe eommittee on ceded lands, noted that through intermarriage the number of Hawaiians with 50 percent or more Hawaiian blood is rapidly decreasing. He said, "It is obvious that Hawaiians want to be identified as Hawaiian, both now and into the future, regardless of the quantum of Hawaiian blood they possess. Trustee A. Frenchy De Soto noted that the referendum vote by itself does not change anything. Presently certain trust ineome may only be used to benefit those Hawaiians with 50 percent or

more Hawaiian blood. Now, she said, "We need ta change several laws. We need to address the State Constitution. (This referendum) gives us a measurement of how (we) feel as a people." Foremost, the referendum marks the first time that Hawaiians have ever been asked what we believe the definition of Native Hawaiian should be. Although the United States Supreme Court has consistently upheld the basic right of eaeh Native American group to define its own membership — Hawaiians have consistently been denied this opportunity. In the past, whether through an act of Congress (as with the Hawaiian Homes trust definition whieh was set in 1921) or through state legislative action (as with the OHA trust definition), the decisions regarding the Hawaiian definition have never been drawn from or submitted to the Hawaiian people. As Chairman Hao summarized, "From the results whieh we will soon know, the OHA Board of Trustees ean proceed — confident that our actions are guided by the will of the Hawaiian people."

OHA Trustees announced the referendum results on November 29 at the State Capitol Auditorium.