Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 5, 1 May 1991 — Coalition seeks $ for sovereignty workshops [ARTICLE]

Coalition seeks $ for sovereignty workshops

A coalition of Native Hawaiian organizations and individuals has begun to meet together to hammer out a joint application for a federal grant to fund statewide public educational workshops on the options for Native Hawaiian sovereignty and self-determination. The Administration for Native Americans has required the participation of a broad spectrum of Hawaiian organizations in the development and submittal of the grant applieahon. Previous grant applications were denied when agreement could not be reached to include all major players in Hawaiian poliheal activity today. Demonstrating renewed commitment to pursue federal funding with the full spectrum of Hawaiian political interests, the Native Hawaiian Educational Workshop Coalition represents members from more than 20 diverse community organizations and agencies. These include the Native Hawaiian Advisory Council, Hawaiian Civic and Political Action Committee (HACPAC), Ka Lahui Hawaii, Pro-Hawaiian Sovereignty Working Group, Ka Pakaukau, Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The coalition began meeting in April to write a

successful grant application to the Administration for Native Americans. Federal funds for such workshop are available through ANA. Their goal is to inform the Hawaiian community (and interested public) of Hawaiian poliheal and legal rights in order that Hawaiians may make informed decisions regarding critical issues such as sovereignty, self-determination, self-sufficiency and self-reliance. Several committees have been formed and are meeting to work out details of the grant application. Members of the program design committee include: Julie Cachola, Mahealani Kamauu, Joe Chang, Lela Hubbard, Kioni Dudley, Mililani Trask, Dr. Kekuni Blaisdell, Keoni Agard, Poka Laenui (Hayden Burgess) and OHA trustees Moanikeala Akaka and Rowena Akana. Members of the administrative entity design committee include: Liz Martin, Bruss Keppeler, Mel Kalahiki, Dr. Kekuni Blaisdell, Mililani Trask, and Charles Kaaiai. The next ANA grant application deadline is May 24. One eoneem voiced by several committee members is that the educational workshops should not advocate any single model of possible

Hawaiian sovereignty. They hope to ensure broad grassroots support and a large public turnout to involve as many Hawaiians as possible. The preliminary outline of workshop activities, still in a working concensus form, would address questions such as: • What is sovereignty? • How does this interact with current public benefit (for example, would Social Security benefits be lost?) • What are the sovereign powers that could be exercised by a native government? The 1990 grant application proposed to provide the Native Hawaiian community with all available information on sovereignty and self-determination relative to international law, Native Americans in the U.S. and trust territories, and to include the status of Native Hawaiian initiatives for selfgovernment. It sought funding for community mass education to "coalesce Native Hawaiians around a united strategy of nationhood so they may be able to pursue historical claims for alienation of their land base and natural resources and cultural and traditional rights . . . and to recognize their native birthright in their homeland."