Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 12, 1 December 1993 — Civic club convention draws record crowd in Las Vegas [ARTICLE]

Civic club convention draws record crowd in Las Vegas

by Deborah L. Ward In this 100th anniversary of the overthrow of the Hawaiian nation, the topic of Hawaiian sovereignty has spread beyond the state, and Mainland Hawaiians are, like their fellow Hawaiians in Hawai'i, looking seriously at where this road may lead. A record 1 ,000 civic club delegates, members and guests gathered in Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 27-30 for the 34th annual convention of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs. A quarter were members of clubs from Alaska, Utah, California. Colorado and Nevada. Three new clubs were added to the association: Kauwahi Anaina Hawai'i Hawaiian Civic Club (Utah), 'Ahahui Sivila Hawai'i O Kapolei (O'ahu), and Hawaiian Civic Club of Hui O Hawai'i of San Diego (California). Association president H.K. Bruss Keppeler described the Hawaiian civic club movement as "vibrant and growing" in its 75th year since its founding by Prince Kūhiō and other Hawaiian leaders. Today there are 44 clubs throughout Hawai'i and the Mainland. Keppeler, a Honolulu attorney, said that awareness of Hawaiian rights and claims for self-determi-nation, self-governance and redress has grown this year. but that "we've just scratched the surface. "We must impart knowledge of our cultural values to others," he said. "although it may feel like speaking a foreign language. We must take our appeal to others from their point of view of injustice." Keppeler is a member of the Hawaiian Sovereignty Advisory Commission. He said the eommission has a big job to eome up with a recommendation from the Hawaiian community on a process for establishing sovereignty. Keppeler said that decisions on sovereignty should be made not by a few but by the whole. In response to criticisms that the commission is only "bait" for Hawaiians to fight over and tear apart, he said, "Let's make it work in spite of them." He called upon all Hawaiians to help the commissioners and to "make it our plan." During the convention, 36 resolutions were acted upon by the delegates on topics covering native Hawaiian benefits and entitlements, employment and housing, education, health, preservation of Hawaiian language and culture, and natural resources. Hawaiian rights One resolution was titled "Declaration of the Hawaiian right to self-determination." It asserts comprehensive Hawaiian rights in political self-determina-

tion, and in pursuing and preserving distinct eeonomie, social, eultural and legal development as Hawaiians. Among other resolutions passing were those: • calling for federal funding to clear the Kamaka family's land in Waikāne Valley of military ordnanee, and to restore the valley to its original state; • urging DHHL beneficiaries to file breach of trust claims with the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust Claims Review Panel; • requesting the Native Hawaiian Bar Association to study the feasibility of creating and funding an Office of Public Advocate of native Hawaiian rights; • supporting the Hawaiian Sovereignty Advisory Commission and Act 359; • calling upon club members to urge their resj)ective state governors to require the U.S. to meet its obligations to the Hawaiian people. Non-resident Hawaiians Two resolutions were adopted whieh called for non-resident Hawaiian access to federal health promotion, disease prevention and primary heakh care services for Hawaiians, and for a native Hawaiian student exchange program with Mainland universities. The Office of State Planning and Hawaiian Sovereignty Advisory Commission were also commended for appointing a mainland member (Victor K. Jarrett of Las Vegas, Nevada) to the commission, whieh recently held meetings in Mainland cities as part of its first round of statewide public information meetings. Andrew Berard, president of the civic clubs' Mainland district eouneil, said a primary eoneem is access to entitlements and benefits for native Hawaiians living on the Mainland, estimated at about 90,000. Berard noted, however, "We as native Hawaiians are not counted in terms of any entitlement — educational funds, for instance. The have no access. "There are Hawaiians living in Hawai'i who feel you must be living there to appreciate problems faced by resident Hawaiians, who feel when you leave Hawai'i, you no longer practice your culture. That is far from the truth. " Berard noted that mainland Hawaiians are also very interested in what sovereignty may mean for them and their children. "Don't forget us, we ean help the process. ... We ean make a differenee to support (federal) Hawaiian legislation where we reside and are organized." "The Hawaiian nation must take into account our citizens wherever they live and work. That issue is being faced by the Hawaiian Sovereignty Advisory Commission."