Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 2, 1 February 2000 — OHA Legislative Priority Poll: Beneficiaries weigh in [ARTICLE]

OHA Legislative Priority Poll: Beneficiaries weigh in

īuition waivers, ceded lands paynients/inventory, biood pntum top concerns

By Paula Durbln HAWAIIANS WOULD like to see the Legislature require the State of Hawai'i to pay ceded land revenues to Hawaiians and conduct an inventory of ceded lands. They also want tuition waivers for Hawaiian students attending the University of Hawai'i. And many believe in revising the definition of Hawaiians as those individuals descended from the aboriginal people inhabiting the islands before Captain Cook's arrival in 1778. That's according to responses received in Ka Wai Ola 's informal survey published in the November issue. With the legislative session here, Ka Wai Ola asked readers to indicate their five top priorities from among 16 issues likely to be considered by lawmakers in 2000. The responses sent to Ka Wai Ola are consistent with the findings of the lengthier and more scientific poll conducted by SMS Research in 1999, whieh eonfirmed that education and land were the top concerns among Hawaiians and that most want to see the blood quantum lowered. Almost everyone who returned a completed survey form was a registered voter - not surprisingly since Ka Wai Ola distribution mirrors voter lists. Native Hawaiian respondents with a 50 percent blood quantum outnumbered by almost two-to-one the number of Native Hawaiians indicating a lower quantum. The two groups varied slightly in their emphasis, however, as shown in the following tallies of the respondents' indications that a given issūe deserved at least some priority, but the top concerns of both groups are the same. The top concems of native Hawaiians with a 50 percent or more blood quantum follow in order of importance: ■ Require payment of ceded land revenues. 70 percent listed the payments as a priority and 47 percent of those ranked the issue first or second. ■ Tuition waivers for Hawaiian students at all UH campuses from funds owed for the use of ceded lands. 53 percent included the tuition waivers as a

priority and 67 percent of those respondents ranked this issue first or second. ■ Require the State of Hawai'i to conduct an inventory of ceded lands over whieh it is trustee. The inventory was a priority for 48 percent of the "50 percenters." ■ Adopt a single definition of Native Hawaiians as all descendants of the aboriginal people inhabiting Hawai'i prior to 1778. 38 percent listed the single definition as a eoneem. ■ Reaffirm rights of Hawaiians to elect their own leaders. 30 percent of the respondents assigned a priority to these rights. »Native Hawaiians with less than 50 percent blood quantum ordered the same concerns as follows: ■ 87 percent assigned priority to tuition waivers. ■ 61 percent included the ceded lands inventory among their priorities and 62 percent of those ranked this issue first or second. ■ 58 percent wanted the state to pay ceded lands revenues and 65 percent of those ranked this issue first or second. ■ 48 percent of the "less-than-50 -percenters"gave the single definition soine priority and 61 percent of those ranked this eoneem first or second. ■ 35 percent indicated their eoneem that Hawaiians elect their own leaders. n response to the opportunity to indicate any other issue of importance, several respondents did so. Here are some of the comments from Hawaiians of more than 50 percent quantum: • "Restoration of the Hawaiian Homes Act to its origi-

nal tmst agreement of 1920." • "Raise the ineome level so that we ean qualify for OHA loans." • "Require the state to implement Native Hawaiian water rights." • "Establish a Hawaiian radio station for community broadcasting." • "Address the state of Hawai'i's not taxing pensions. No wonder the state cannot pay us!" • "Define Native Hawaiian to be 50 percent or more. Anything less will be native to all the other countries around the globe." • "All native Hawaiians should be exempt from paying property tax." • "Bishop Estate should be protected at all costs." • "Stronger support ffom OHA in our Hawaiian culture programs in prison. We need a workshop on selfdetermination and sovereignty." • "Require the Department of the Interior to conduct the ceded lands inventory." • "Establish a Hawaiian bank, savings and loan, stocks and insurance." • "Care for the kūpuna." • "Check the beds at Queen's Hospital. Are there any free beds for Hawaiians?" • "Pre-natal care for mothers at risk." Native Hawaiians with less than 50 percent blood quantum voiced some similar concerns among their comments: • "Hawaiian programs should be available to all Hawaiian people, not just those within a certain ineome range." • "Trade ceded lands held by the military for other lands." • "Help support reauthorization of the Native Hawaiian Education Act." • " Limit immigration to Hawai'i." * • "Establish medical insurance for Hawaiians over 62 who do not qualify for Quest or Medicare" • "Provide free medical care for all Hawaiians." The Ka Wai Ola staff thanks all those who responded to the poll. ■

15 • 'Umikumālima