Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 10, 1 October 1993 — The voice of determination [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The voice of determination

by the Rev. Moses K. Keale, Sr. Trustee, Kaua'i & Ni'ihau The Hawaiian learning process is unique to our culture. It is founded on three basic principles: Nānā ka maka, Ho'olohe ka pepeiao, Hana ka lima. I am a product of that process and it has stood me well over the years. In

addition to these prin- . ciples, two other things are of great importance — the value of the spoken word and the spirituality of the Hawaiian people. These five principles guide my thoughts and actions. In this often confusing world, it is easy '

to get lost in the counting and eheap talk, the empty drumbeats, and the false hopes. I have had to remind myself over and over again to think clearly and act with conviction and conscience. Through all the confusion it has been Ke Akua and my Hawaiian spirituality that have sustained me. I have leamed that in spite of overwhelming odds, the voice of determination ean sustain all good intentions. It sustained me when we paved new ground in establishing the OHA Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan fund for business entrepreneurs more than four years ago. It sustained me when we established the 'Aha 'Ōpio and 'Aha Kūpuna programs six years ago. It was that voice whieh sustained me when, in trying to settle the issue of back-rent entitlements for ceded lands, many tried to

confuse the issue of moneys owed to us with tempting exchanges for lands. I demanded a cash settlement — land issues were a separate matter unrelated to the debt owed. It sustained my conviction that we must do more to establish a solid footing for our people in

order to ensure our long-term goals — and the result was our OHA E d u e a t i o n Foundation. And finally, it has sustained me in the battle for housing as we establish the first steps in providing the means

for DHHL beneficiaries to live and maintain their dreams of housing on homestead lands. It will continue to sustain me as I push to have the promised $10 million delivered to the Education Foundation. And faced with our overwhelming housing problems, it will guide my future actions. In this area we must be bold and innovative. All efforts, however noble, have fallen far short of the need. We must not foilow the traditional paths if we are to succeed. The means to address the housing problems are available today. I have seen them and believe they ean work. The answers lie in discarding the political process whieh is heavily staked against our success. We must throw away the text book and write a new one. OHA must resolve this problem

through a multi-disciplinary approach of financial planning and control, employment of human resources, and sound holistic master-planned eommunities. We should stop "kicking the dog!" We need to have control over our own financing through the establishment of our own banking system. We need to

make use of the industry's existing technology and ability to produce eheap (not "affordable") houses. We must exert our right to obtain land — land stolen from us, land owed to us. And we, OFIA, you and I, the Hawaiians, should exercise our sovereignty granted to us in the existing laws to get on with our work! The fanfare is unimportant! The

hype is unimportant! Hana ka lima! Live up to the expectations! Resolve the problems! Show your support! I will live up to my commitments, to my word! Will you do your part? Will you walk with me so we ean get on with the task? Ho'okahi pu'uwai. Ho'okahi ka mana'o. Ho'okahi ke aloha.