Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 7, 1 July 2006 — Hawaiian ID card [ARTICLE]

Hawaiian ID card

What's up OHA? You encourage people to sign up, "Kau Inoa," be counted as a Native Hawaiian. What for? When this Native Hawaiian went home and wanted to visit Haunama Bay, I tried to use my OHA card to get free parking at the entrance. They told me to "take a hike, that card is no good here." What's up with that? You have to be a resident

of Hawai'i with a valid driver's license to get a discount. As a child, I would go to Haunama often, and now we are told you have to pay. Rubbish. People who apply for a driver's license after being in Hawai'i for j ust a week have more acceptability than a true Native Hawaiian. My OHA card was accepted at the Bishop Museum with no problems. They were shocked that I had problems at Haunama. I thought OHA meant Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Let's get our affairs straight and start fighting forourpeople's rights. How strong a nation are we be if we can't define the simple things? Native Hawaiians should be able to enjoy everything that was onee ours. Pam Sylva Oceanside, Calif. Editor's note: OHA issues Hawaiian Registry identification cards to Native Hawaiians. Kau Inoa, however, does not distribute identification cards.