Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 6, 1 June 2003 — A call to action [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A call to action

By Clyde Namu'o Today, we Hawaiians find ourselves at a historic crossroads, with our very existence as a distinct native people hanging in the halanee. As long as Hawaiians remain classified as a "race" in the eyes of the federal government, our people will remain vulnerable to legal attacks such as those currently making their way through the courts, whieh seek to deprive Hawaiians of our rights as an indigenous population with a well-established history of sovereign nationhood. Most recently, the danger of our current "race-based" federal status was yet again made clear in a May 16 opinion letter sent by the U.S. Justice Department to Sen. 01ympia Snowe, chairwoman of the Senate's Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The letter identifies what the Justice Department describes as "significant constitutional concerns" over a bill that would amend the federal Small Business Act to authorize grants and other assistance for the "development and enhancement ... of small business startups and expansions owned by Indian tribe members, Native Alaskans and Native Hawaiians." "To the extent that these grants would provide benefits to members of federally recognized Indian tribes ... or to persons who have a clear and close affiliation with a

recognized tribal entity," the opinion letter reads," ... courts would likely uphold them as constitutional. ... To the extent, however, that the bill could be viewed as authorizing the award of government benefits on the basis of racial or ethnic criteria, rather than tribal affiliation, the . . . standard would not apply. "To avoid this constitutional eoneem," the opinion concludes, "...we recommend that the term 'Native Hawaiians'be deleted." Such 'deletion'of Hawaiians'rights as a forcibly dispossessed indigenous population is precisely why OHA supports the intent of the federal recognition bill currently before Congress, whieh would give Hawaiians what we clearly deserve: at least the same level of status and protection enjoyed by Native American tribes and other peoples indigenous to territory now within U.S. boundaries. Without such recognition, we could soon lose the right to any indigenous status whatsoever. Certainly, OHA's Board of Trustees is respectful of the fact that there are many in the Hawaiian community who do not support the Hawaiian Recognition Bill, who question its specific provisions or who fear a veiled intent to co-opt true autonomy. But we believe there will be time and opportunity to resolve such issues onee at least a basic See CALL TO ACTION on page 9

The Hawūiian nūtion is in ū mee ūgūinst time for both fedeml recognition ūnd self-determinūtion

CALL TO ACTION from page 1 level of recognition is achieved. Without recognition, there may be no more time. In addition, OHA's board understands that federal recognition is only part of the story. What we also need, and need now, is to form an official body that is accepted by the Hawaiian people as their legitimate representative. That is why on May 1, OHA, partnered with other Hawaiian community organizations, launched the most important initiative in the trust's 23-year history — an intensive, community-based campaign to facilitate the process of forming a broad-based Hawaiian governing entity within a year. The process has been christened Ho'oulu Lāhui Aloha — or, To Raise a Beloved Nation. Let's be very clear on one thing: OHA's board has absolutely no intention of dictating the form or policies of the resulting governing entity. In fact, OHA plans to be dissolved and to transfer all trust assets to the new governing body onee it is established. OHA'srole is strictly to facilitate the process, and to communicate the need for urgent action. Weare committed to letting the Hawaiian people choose the shape of their nation for themselves through community-selected delegates at a broadly inclusive 'aha, a convening of representatives charged with framing the governing documents of the Hawaiian sovereign body. Whether the eonsensus is for a nation-within-a-nation model of self-determination, a drive for full independence, or any other possibility, so be it. OHA's role is strictly to offer the mechanism for debating and

eventually deciding such issues. In keeping with the urgency of the times, the governance campaign's timetable is tight: OHA proposes that nation-building discussions should begin at hālāwai (meetings), organized within the community. Informational forums, round-table discussions and electronic bulletin boards will all be available as venues for the community to share their thoughts, concerns, ideas and passions in the journey toward Hawaiian governance. In addition, we will be undertaking a media eampaign to ensure that the message of justice and reconciliation that Hawaiian nationhood represents is heard and understood by everyone, Hawaiian or not, whether living in Hawai'i or elsewhere. Needless to say, the critical role in the success of this process lies in the participation of as broad a spectrum of the Hawaiian community as possible. We fervently urge all Hawaiians of every point of view to get involved. Everyone must be heard so that we may arrive at consensus on the shape of our new nation. The time to act is now. The loss of programs serving Hawaiians is a clear and present danger. At this very moment, besides the Justice Dept.'s challenge to federal support for Native Hawaiianowned small businesses, legislation ranging from housing to employment to education is being scrutinized. Notably, though approved by Congress and signed by President Bush, the bill reauthorizing the Native Hawaiian Education Act, whieh would provide about $31 million to educational programs serving Hawaiian children over the next year, has been put on hold. As OHA Chair Haunani Apoliona said at the

launeh of the self-governance initiative: "There are people and organizations committed to seeing that all of the laws and programs that serve to protect and perpetuate our beloved culture and traditions are undermined and taken away. In the face of these challenges, we risk our culture and our people becoming mere historical artifacts." Considering the potentially devastating legal and political threats that Hawaiians now face, OHA' s trustees feel unanimously that it is their duty under the trust' s mandate to move forward in support of federal recognition and the speedy adoption of a Hawaiian governing entity as the best ways to protect the future of the Hawaiian people. But, as Chair Apoliona put it, "OHA is only helping to launeh the wa'a. It will be the collective and responsible actions of people of the Hawaiian community to steer us to our ultimate destination."

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Ni'i Hnn

Clyde Nāmu'o is administrator ofthe 0ffice of Hawaiian Affairs. This article was published in The Honolulu Weekly. ■