Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 6, Number 9, 1 September 1989 — Needs of Hawaiians in the 21 st century [ARTICLE]

Needs of Hawaiians in the 21 st century

by Moses Keale Trustee, Kaua'i Anoai Kakou: The month of August brought us new and historic opportunities to address the United States Congress and the American people. I had the opportunity to present testimony to the United States Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs and the House of Representatives Committee on Interior and lnsular Affairs. Although this testimony was given as an individual lessee of the Hawaiian Homestead and not on behalf of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, I would like to take this opportunitv to share my testimony with all of you. Honorable Senator Inouye, Representative Akaka, Delegate Blaz and Delegate Faleomavaega, and members of the staff of the United State Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs and United States House of Representatives Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs: Aloha! My name is Moses Keale, a resident of the Anahola Hawaiian Homestead located on the island of Kaua'i. I have rzused five of my seven wonderful children and continue to raise my grandchildren on that homestead. Considering the lengthy wait facing most homestead applicants, I feel very fortunate to have this home to raise my family. However, as a homesteader, I share the eoneem of my fellow Hawaiians regarding the shortcoming of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands administration and the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act. Before addressing my concems please allow me to properly identify myself, my background and qualifications. I was born on the island ofNi'ihau and I am a ful! blooded, (100 percent) native Hawaiian. 1 served in the Hawaii Army Nahonal Guard for 10 years and attended the officercandidate school, graduating in 1964, and was commissioned 2nd lieutenant. Not an easy feat for a Ni'ihau boy. I was active in the U.S. Jaycees attending nahonal conventions including delegate attendance in Portland in 1972 where we elected as nahonal president, the only person to have accomplished this recognition from Hawai'i. I hold the rank of Ali'i in the Royal Order of Kamehameha I, a Hawaiian benevolent organization; am state ehaplain of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Club; a deacon in my church, Ke Akua Mana; OHA's representative to the South Pacific commission; OHA's representative to the inuit Circumpolar conference; and OHA's representative to the Pacific Arts Festival. I feel that 1 have been chosen as a leader of the Hawaiian people. In 1980 1 made a purposeful decision to serve my Hawaiian people by running for trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. I was elected to that first constituting board and have continued to serve three consecutive four-year terms. I have had the honor and privilege of chairing most of the committees that constitute that organization's works including the position of viceehainman and ehainnan of the board. While serving as chairman of OHA's Budget and Finance Committee, I instituted the OHA investment portfolio starting with the inihal investment of $900,000, 1 am proud to say that this portfolio exceeds $4 million today. It has been an eye opening experience and I feel this experience qualifies me to make certain observations from a special perspective regarding the problems we eonhnue to face as Hawaiians. We find today, Hawaiians eonhnue to be in eonflict with issues that are commonly associated with eeonomie progress in an increasingly growing urban community. Confronted with the: • bulldozing of historic sites; • the restrictions of private ownership on beach

front properties; • decimation of natural forests of open space for the sake of geothermal installation; • reduction of areas available for natives to practice religious ceremonies and gathering rights; and • the continued abuse of native lands. Hawaiians have resorted to confrontational measures as a means of demonstrating their frustrations. 1 am sure it has become apparent in these hearings that our people are having great problems with the programs that were designed to help them. The Hawaiian Homes Act was structured to provide an agrarian program whieh would allow the Hawaiian people to return to farming. However, the program provided no infrastructure such as water,sewage, electricity. Also lacking were water for crop irrigation, tools, equipment, entrepreneurial training for marketing goods and transportation to market. The support systems to make this a successful venture were not made a part of the act. TTierefore fewer Hawaiians could afford an agrarian life style. Consequently the Hawaiians used the Homestead Act for residential purposes and sought other opportunities for employment. I might add here that an immediate but shorttermed fix would be the infusion of federal and state monies to address these concems but the long term solution lies in understanding the more modern need of the Hawaiian in the 21st century. Today we find that only 20 percent (5,800) of the estimated 29,000-plus Hawaiian families residing in Hawai'i is serviced by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. And that service is basically limited to providing housing. The majority of the 80 percent of the families not served by DHHL faces the problem of finding housing without the benefit of this government assistance. Can Hawaiians afford housing? This question poses a further dilemma. Although the statistics quoted eome from various sources and represent only estimates, it is believed that well over 20,000 Hawaiian families are in need of assistance in securing residence (as evidenced by the 18,000 families awaiting awards by the Departmen\ of Hawaiian Home Lands). While assistance is available to all people living in Hawai'i, Hawaiians are limited in their ability to compete for this assistance or to know where to turn for assistance. The planning division of the State Department of Eeonomie DevelopmentHousing estimates that of the 80,000 or so clients who are on some sort of waiting list for government or other assistance in securing housing (rentals or purchases) 27 percent are Hawaiian. That is roughly 2,200 families of the 20,000 families needing assistance, or only 10 percent. Compounding this problem the statistics indicate that Hawaiians are under-employed and/or unemployed, have poor health conditions, and have inadequate education and therefore face extreme hardships in meeting goals to improve their conditions. In order to address these negative conditions, programs need to be developed in vocational training and education to provide levels of employment adequate to sustain a life style whieh provides a home and subsistence for a family. Alu Like has provided training programs for all Hawaiians whieh has helped Hawaiians receive education and job placements. However, these programs did not specifically target the lifestyle and eeonomie opportunities as identified in eaeh homestead area. In order to take advantage of the eeonomie opportunities to accommodate the lifestyles of Hawaiians who are looking for integration of Hawaiian values and vocational opportunities,

vocational programs must target the homestead. These vocational programs may vary from entrepreneurial programs to developindependent businesses to educational training to high-tech employment opportunities. The type of programs offered to eaeh homestead should be developed and tailored according to the eeonomie opportunities available in the area of the homestead. These vocational programs may be centered around the homestead, however the opportunities to participate in these programs should be open to any Hawaiian and their immediate families. Coupled with employment and training, another important consideration is education. The Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate, a private organization whose sole purpose is to provide educational opportunities for Hawaiians, also has provided vocational and entrepreneuria! training opportunities. However, the important contribution has been its exceptional track record in college preparatory curriculum. Because of the intricate and cumbersome public educational system in Hawai'i, Hawaiicins who have not been accepted by the Kamehameha Schools have suffered from inferior quality education as evidenced by the differences between the educational quality found in more affluent communities and the communities of high Hawaiian populahon such as the homesteads. This substandard education has prevented young Hawaiians from aspiring towards a college education. This limits the career opportunities to non-professional employment. Where does this all lead us? If we continue to walk in the pathway of dependence on others to provide for our needs we will certainly find ourselves confronted with a journey that leads us into a black hole of spiraling deprivation. It is time for us to recognize our problems and put our heads together to solve these problems. It is my firm belief that we, Hawaiians, have eome to a crossroad in expressing our need for self-determination. Some people have labeled this need for self-determination "sovereignty." I am not clear on the meaning of that term nor am I bright enough to understand how that comes about. However, if sovereignty means that Hawaiians should govern the administration of their lands, including the policies that govern its use, share in the ineome that this lands produce, and generally to become a land based people again, then Icertainly applaud this effort. If sovereignty means that we are permitted to control and shape our educational system to provide the best possible education and the greatest opportunity for our youngsters to choose a proper destiny for them,selves, then I applaud this effort. If sovereignty means that we will be provided the resources and opportunity for strong eeonomie development making us competitive in the business and eeonomie, then I again applaud this effort. If sovereignty means that our young parents ean look forward to the purchase of his/her own home and eeonomie self-sufficiency outside of the social welfare system whieh degrades our self-esteem, then I applaud this effort. And finally, if sovereignty means that Hawaiians ean stand with pride and say to all who wish to listen, "I am a Hawaiian! I am proud to be a Hawaiian!" then I endorse this effort. There are many among us who would choose the cautious road when addressing this issue. I agree that we should not nor do we need to rush into a program of autonomy and self-governance. But this is not a new concept bearing strange ideas. We have been successful in making inroads toward self-determination. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, whieh marks its ninth year ofexistenceisa continued on page 23