Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 5, 1 May 1990 — Clarifying ceded trust [ARTICLE]

Clarifying ceded trust

To thc Editor: I attended a community meeting in Kaneohe April 3, sponsored by OHA to introduce the new legislation they and the Waihee administration are proposing whieh will help clarify OHA's funding from state ceded lands. Members of the negotiating team, including trustees Frenchy DeSoto, Rod Burgess and Clarence Ching, were present and in clear language explained the proposal they've helped draft. For me, their talk and the video, "A Promise in Trust", were helpful in claricontinued on page 1 1

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/rom page 10 fying OHA's position, the state government's role and whieh issues eoneem the federal government. What I find disheartening, is the Hawaiian eommunity's reluctance to accept and encourage the steps OHA is taking. Mueh of the crowd at the meeting seemed to have a one-track mind focused on Hawaiian Home Lands, an issue that falls entirely outside OHA's jurisdiction. The panel members explained themselves repeatedly, but to no avail. Movement toward improving OHA's programs will not hamper Hawaiians trying to win homesteads; it ean only help as with more power and resources, OHA wil! be in a better position to help all Hawaiians in all situations of need. OHA staff and trustees are to be commended for their hard work and dedication. I hope their effort to bring a progress report to the Hawaiian population at large will not be such a discouraging experience that achievements thus far will be lost or abandoned. Sincerely, Tamara Moan