Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 5, 1 May 2005 — Native Hawaiian Coalition defines steps to nationhood [ARTICLE]

Native Hawaiian Coalition defines steps to nationhood

Voter registration, elections anel a constitutional convention are among components in building a native government

By Sterling Kini Wong Registration of voters, elections and a constitutional convention are among the eight components in building a Native Hawaiian government that have been identified by a grassroots group representing

a wide range of sovereignty interests. The Native Hawaiian Coalition initially drafted the components at its December meeting and then further refined them in February. The statewide coalition was formed in February 2004 and has convened six times

since then, not including smaller meetings held on individual islands. The mission of the coalition is to "establish a process that will provide the Hawaiian people with a mechanism for achieving self-governance through self-determination." Members of the diverse group include advocates for complete Hawaiian independence, nation-within-a-nation status and the reinstatement of the Kingdom of Hawai'i. OHA facilitates the coalition by providing funding for meeting facilities and travel expenses for members. To date, OHA has spent more than $120,000 in support of the effort. Now that the coalition has identified the

components to nationhood, there is some disagreement over the group's future. At an OHA board meeting in March, Administrator Clyde Nāmu'o told the trustees that he believes the eoalihon has satisfied its mission, and that the question now is who should be responsible for implementing the nation-building process. "Whoever is tasked with implementing these steps must have strict management and be held accountable," he said. "Will it be the coalition? I don't know. But it is important that the community determines it. OHA cannot simply take it over." While several trustees expressed See COALITION on page 7

COALITION from page 1 eoneem that OHA has already spent a considerable amount of money on the coalition, Trustee Dante Carpenter, OHA's representative to the group, said that the coalition is on the cusp of success and shouldn't be dissolved yet. "Nahon building is a long process," he said. "One year and $100,000 is peanuts compared to what other nations have needed to create their own government. We need to be patient." Carpenter added that the Akaka Bill is not supposed to ināuenee the process. "As OHA trustees, we have to support

what our beneficiaries want. But we still don't know what they want," he said. Coalition member and former state legislator Annelle Amaral said that she doesn't believe the group has fulfilled its mission yet, since it hasn't refined all of the steps. "It's going to take more time," she said. "We're all volunteers working as hard as we ean." The eight nation-building components identified by the coalition are: • Education: Would include informing Native Hawaiians, the general public and political leaders about the different models of self-determination.

• Registration: A possible goal would be to sign up 150,000 Hawaiians to take part in the process. It has not yet been determined if the current Kau Inoa registration process will be used. • Organizational structure: To ensure management and fiscal accountability of the nation-building entity. • Community organizing: Collaboration among various groups to better inform communities and to identify and develop potential leaders. • Elections: To develop and conduct a

fairly apportioned and secure election of representatives to the Hawaiian convention. • Constitutional convention: Hawaiian representatives would debate all forms of government, then draft organic documents for the Hawaiian nation. • Ratification: Ratify organic documents for the Hawaiian nation. • Elections for new government: In accordance with the ratified organic documents, elections would be held for the leaders of the new Hawaiian nation.!D