Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 21, Number 6, 1 June 2004 — The ongoing Akaka Bill debate at all levels of Hawaiian society: emoiion v. law [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The ongoing Akaka Bill debate at all levels of Hawaiian society: emoiion v. law

Aloha kākou. The recent visioning conference sponsored by OHA was well attended and organized and brought together a variety of views and commentary. I was interested, however, to note the comments of several speakers regarding their laek of support for the Akaka Bill and conclude that mueh misinformation has infiltrated to all levels of Hawaiian society and a response is warranted. Hawaiians as opposed to those from the Far East who seem to focus on the person and inner being and those from the West who seem to focus on material things, are more focused on the plaee, our 'āina. We have existed until today with our land as part of our being. The loss of our 'āina is not imaginable and the speakers seemed to eeho this sense of security; however, reality suggests otherwise. If we take warnings of the loss of our benefits, our privileges, and our land as "extortion" to force us to support the Akaka Bill, we end up

no better than an ostrich and with our heads in the ground and will never be able to confront the forces whieh continue to press for the end of any recognition of the Hawaiian people. The Akaka Bill is a clear, specific, attempt to preserve for Hawaiians that whieh is rightfully ours and further to maintain our identity as an indigenous people. With all the whining that the bill is not perfect so forget it until it is, we stand to lose every federal and state benefit we receive today. And so why Akaka? In one word: Arakaki. We also stand to lose any elaim to ceded lands, revenues, and rights to use the lands heretofore established in our courts of law. To ridicule the ominous situation we are facing today is to ignore eommon sense and reality and rely on emotion rather than law. It seems the world is more interested in saving plants and animals and placing them on endangered species lists when right in front of us are the remnants of a onee proud

people, a sophisticated civilization, an indigenous people who face the real possibility of being erased from any legal existence. What will heeome of our lands? They go to the State of Hawai'i and the federal government. What will heeome of our scholarships, grants, youth programs, Alu Like, Nā Pua No'eau, prison programs, employment programs, housing, Hawaiian Homes, health programs, etc? At best they are divided with the other 80 percent of the people in Hawai'i. Why? Because losing Akaka will likely lead to our losing Arakaki and then those Hawaiians who refused to support because they didn't trust, or they wanted "justice," or they wanted all or nothing, or they felt oppressed or knew better, or put all their eggs in the United Nations basket, will be left with nothing but empty memories and no nation of any kind. The life of the land is hanging in the halanee, and the righteousness of the people is the only thing that will save it. This righteousness is

not one based upon intellectual ideology or blind commitment but upon reason and eommon sense and wisdom steeped in the culture of our Hawaiian ancestors. For those who decline to support Akaka, your ehoiee is acknowledged, but eontinued ridicule or disparagement of the Akaka Bill only advances the cause of our adversaries who argue that all efforts to recognize and help Hawaiians to date by the government, based on race, must be dismantled and terminated. They would take away any claims we have to our lands and with the land, its bond to the people who without their "'āina" will wither away into history. So, do we continue to argue against Akaka and reduce even more our chances of winning in the United States Supreme Court, or do we stand together for onee and fight for our existence by working with, rather than against, the best solution to our predicament, the Akaka Bill? Think about it. ■

Boyd P. Mossman Trustee, Maui