Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 19, Number 9, 1 September 2002 — Untitled [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

E LILIU Ē — Kamana'opono Crabbe blows the eoneh signaling grassroots unity and deep reverence inspiredby Hawai'i's last queen. The Sept. 2 gathering organized by the 'īlio'ulaokalani Coalition honored Queen Lili'uokalani's birthday and protested the City Council's Council's lease-to-fee conversionBill 53. The proposedmeasure would make it easier for owners of condominiums on leasehold land to force the sale of the land under their apartments. But the dissolution of the Queen Lili'uokalani Trust's Waikiki land holdings, ancestral lands whieh the monarch willed in trust to benefit orphaned and destitute Native Hawaiian children, would jeopardize over 300 programs now serving more than 9,000 children statewide. Following a ceremony held at Mauna'ala (the royal mausoleum) in Nuhanu, protesters held signs reading "Stop Legalized Land Theft" and "Stop the Land Grab" as they marched to 'Iolani Palaee. An afternoon rally held on the palaee grounds solidified community resistance in preparation for the Sept. 11 Executive Matters Meeting and the Council's Meeting and Final Vote onBill 53 on Sept. 25. Both meetings will be held at Honolulu Hale. For more information or to find out how to help, eall the Kūpa'a Mākou Ma Hope O Lili'u support group at 808-732-4140 or log onto www.kupaa.org. ■

Photo: Naomi Sodetani