Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 19, Number 9, 1 September 2002 — Water everywhere, not a drop to drink [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Water everywhere, not a drop to drink

Asaying that has a relationship to the quandary of OHA: VIillions of acres of ceded Crown andGovernment lands and not an acre of their own. But there may be hope. For a first time OHA is offered almost 200 acres, and unbelievably at no cost. The Land Committee has acted favorably towards the gift and now the process will eonhnue to perform investigations and due diligence as to the desirability of the gift. The gift is at Vlā'ili Point in Wai'anae, and is a former land remnant. The use of the gift may well be agricultural being adjacent to farming enterprises. This gift may have potential because it apparently is

not ceded land or our own land coming back to us. The initial inspection of the property I was privileged to make as an interested party along with OHA Administrator Cly de Nāmu'o. Farther away in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) are other current developments. A UnVersity of Hawai'i Department or its marBEC division have contracted an arrangement with a Dow Chemical affiliate or the Diversa Corporation to gather plant and animal material samples to evaluate their potentials. VIaterials have been gathered in the main Hawaiian islands for many yeam and are sub-

ject to the arrangement just eoncluded. And now new materials are also to be collected from the NWHI and examined for uses. Collected materials are placed in a laboratory to determine what compounds are suitable for human applieahon. The pharmaceutical community is interested in these kinds of new eompounds whieh have great healing potential and accompanying fmaneial rewards. We should be aware thatthare are vast reefs and living organisms existing in the NWHI, and that the area has a ceded lands connotation to benefit OHA. The intellectual property right for natives should

also be a consideration in evaluating the potential of the NWHI. That is, submerged lands are also in the ceded land inventory and OHA should be entitled to at least the indicated 20 percent ineome there from. And whieh suggests that OHA should be making a elaim on the resources of the NWHI as being a part of the ceded lands territory. The foregoing activities are neeessaiy now because in order for OHA to reach its goals and continue to serve its beneficiaries, it has to divemify its ineome and make land acquisitions as being more stable than stock investments. ■

Charles Ota Trustee, Maui