Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 9, 1 September 1990 — Hawaiian Home Lands solution [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiian Home Lands solution

By Rod Burgess Trustee-at-large

bince the creation of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act in 1920 whose purpose was to provide homesteads for displaced Native Hawaiians on 99-year leases, some, but insufficient progress has been made.

After 70 long years 150,000 acres of undeveloped, arid lands remain to be distributed to the ever growing list of frustrated Hawaiian families waiting for a miracle to happen. In 70 years, only 3,000 families have received homestead leases, accounting for only 30,000 acres of the 187,000 acres set aside in the trust. Seven years ago the waiting list numbered 7,000 families; today it is approaching 20,000 families. Can you imagine that the average Hawaiian family consists of four and a half people, therefore, 90,000 people are waiting, many of whom have an inheritance birthright to the lands of their forefathers. According to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) $2.4 billion is needed to develop 14,000 homesteads. That's right, folks, approximately $170,000 eaeh, because right now

there is no water, sewer, utilities and roads in plaee. The Waihee administration whieh has brought about the most positive results in the last two years has given DHHL $70 million to begin infrastructure development. So while considerable progress is being made, the list continues to grow as Hawaiians by the tens of thousands are continually being displaced within their own homelands with the explosive rise in real estate values fueled by foreign investors. The average home now costs $350,000. If our children could save the $100,000 down payment, their mortgage payment would still be about $2,400 per month. We can't go to the oeean to feed our families anymore either to make up for the housing costs because the biggest industry in the state, "tourism," has overrun the best beaches statewide. Instead, we now have hotels, condos and beach parks all occupied with six million tourists per year and rapidly growing in numbers. Our Hawaiian children are leaving home by the thousands looking for opportunity on the mainland and for a decently priced home. Statistics show over 200,000 of our people now live out of state. When OHA recently conducted hearings at various mainland cities with known Hawaiian populations, the results were overwhelming. Most of them want to eome home. If Hawaii's political leaders are going to be depended upon to correct this mass exodus of loeal people while our tax dollars are spent encouraging foreigners and mainlanders to eome build their businesses here to displace us, then I say it's about time that our Hawaiian leaders unite and do something about it! What ean they do? Well for starters they ean declare a "state of emergency" in DHHL. It will take many long years of lobbying Congress and the state before we finally get the $2.4 billion to build only 14,000 homesteads and by that time, you ean add on a large inflation factor, and we will still be short of our objectives. Besides as more Hawaiians are informed of the program, the list will eonhnue to grow. We should demand that the mighty U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force) whoare illegally occupying our trust lands for military installations pay for all the back Nrent, whieh amounts to billions of dollars, if we ean sell the concept to the Governor and our Congressional delegates (this is an eleehon year). Summit talks should be established to mobilize the military equipment and manpower to our respective land parcels for immediate site preparation. All federal agencies whieh could lend expertise, resources and expedite the process should be

identified and participate in this exercise. When a tornado or flood or fire occurs in Anystate, USA, and 100 families are displaced, history has proven that the governor calls it a state of emergency and federal aid comes pouring in. Well, our disaster is far greater than theirs, directly affects at least 90,000 people (all Hawaiians), and has been a nightmare going on 70 years now. What more do we have to do to get some help? Perhaps the seriousness of this situation should be amplified by mass demonstrations islandwide on all major military installations. What the heek! That's better than waiting in line 20-plus years. Perhaps the citizens of America should be informed that while the USA professes to democracy to the world, they should first elean up their own act. The Hawaiian story is one of armed military intervention by U.S. forces. the subsequent overthrow of our Queen, and the annexation of over two million acres of our lands to the U.S. government. Money alone will not cure this terrible mess. For one to believe that an infusion of $2.4 billion would result in immediate distribution of awards would be ludicrous, DHHL staff personnel would need to be increased in great numbers to handle the coordination of such a massive program and where would we find enough contractors with proper equipment? They are all busy building hotels and office buildings for foreign investors! I think that getting the military involved makes the most sense. The trick is, ean we do it? By the way, I failed to mention that you need 50 percent Hawaiian blood to qualify as an eligible beneficiary at DHHL. This dumb condition was established in 1920. The majority of Hawaiians today do not possess that blood quantum because of intermarriage. Does that make them any less Hawaiian? Heek no! OHA is presently in negotiation with the Waihee administration to address a permanent funding source in order to service all Hawaiians. Why not include a land transfer to OHA for homestead awards to all Hawaiians? My next article will share my thoughts on how political and cultural unity may be attained by po'e Hawai'i. A hui hou and Imua. Editor's note: OHA Vice-chairman Rod Burgess has served as an elected trustee since the inception of OHA in 1980 and has been re-elected in 1982 and 1986. He was also appointed to serve on the Federal-State Task Force on Hawaiian Home Lands 1982-83. He is co-chair of OHA's Committee on Native Hawaiian Status and Entitlements whieh conceived and developed the OHA blueprint on federal land claimsand reparations and settled the OHA entitlement to 20 percent of revenues on ceded lands.