Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 21, Number 10, 1 October 2004 — HE AHA KOU MANAʻO? [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HE AHA KOU MANAʻO?

Why did you take part in the Ku i ka Pono march against mandatory leasehold conversion?

1 I feel as a Hawaiian that we neeel to fight for our lanel, anel we neeel to take back what belongs to us. Everyone marching anel being so supportive makes a difference - that we pull together in unity, yeah? All we're saying is that all these injustices that have been done to us must be made right. — Caroline Tautua I

When you're using the law of condemnation to force the ali'i trusts to sell the land - whieh is taking food and education away from our kids - that's just morally wrong. And without the money from these lands for Kamehameha Schools anel Lili'uokalani Trust, the DOE would have to educate our kids. That would put an even bigger burden on the state, and our educational system would get even worse than it is for everybody, not just the Hawaiian kids. — Kala'au Wahilani

I think what the Hawaiian people need to help the po'e haole (foreign people) understand is that they cannot elaim what isn't theirs. Like when people were saying, "if you get gathering rights, those take my rights away." No, it's not taking anything away from people, it's that it's ours - and, in fact, it's the reverse; they're trying to take it away from us. — Kealoha Pisciotta

I thought the march was effective in supporting the ali'i trusts, and I hope we continue to have marches to bring attention to the leasehold conversion situation. What's happening is that all of the Hawaiian entitlements are being challenged, and if we continue to let it go on, nobody knows where it's gonna stop. — Doug Frias

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