Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 7, 1 July 2006 — Akaka Bill, Hawaiian Registry and Kau Inoa [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Akaka Bill, Hawaiian Registry and Kau Inoa

The Akaka Bill, S . 1 47, did not pass in the Senate, and my comments are still, "it's not over yet." It took over 20 years to pass the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, what would make me think the Akaka Bill would be approved in six years. Also, S . 1 47 was changed to S.3064 to accommodate senators that had concerns relating to race discrimination and setting a new precedence throughout the country. "Let's say it like it is." The Akaka Bill is race discrimination, whieh is only for the aboriginal, indigenous race of people. Aboriginal means the first people to inhabit the land and indigenous almost mean the same as aboriginal. HELLO!!! As for creating a new precedence throughout the country, senators forget that Congress imposed the 50-percent blood quantum, and Congress said, and I quote, "we want to help the true natives and anything less than 50% is a white man." Unquote. And, in 1986 Congress approved the 25-percent Hawaiian blood quantum in the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act. The bottom line is, Congress made us adhere to race discrimination 85 years ago. In the whole United States, there are only three groups of aboriginal, indigenous people, and they are Indians, Eskimos and Hawaiians. The main point in the Akaka Bill is RECOGNITION. Even though the Akaka Bill did not pass in the Senate, we need to continue with the Hawaiian Registry and the Kau Inoa. Register your whole family including children and babies in the Hawaiian Registry. The purpose for the Hawaiian Registry is to find out who we are and where we are. All those 18 and older should sign up for the Kau Inoa. The purpose for the Kau Inoa is to vote for the nation, should we ever have a nation. Aloha, a hui hou. E3

Linda K. ūela Cruz TrustEE, Hawai'i