Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 8, 1 August 2006 — Federal Offīce of Hawaiian Relations to hold meetings [ARTICLE]

Federal Offīce of Hawaiian Relations to hold meetings

The new federal Office of Native Hawaiian Relations will conduct ū series of meetings throughout the state in August to inform people obout the mission of the office and to gather puhlie input on the creation of ū notification list that will be used by federal agencies to consult with Native Hawaiian organizations. Congress created the office, whieh falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of the lnterior, in 2004 and funded it with $1 00,000. At the time of its establishment, Sen. ūaniel Akaka called the office "an integral element in the ongoing reconciliation process between Native Hawaiians and the federal government that we īnitiated under the 1 993 Apology Resolution." The office is tasked with coordinating the federal

government's special trust relationship with Hawaiians. The office is currently generating ū notification list of Native Hawūiian organizations that will be used by federal agencies to carry out their legal obligations to consult with Hawūiians in accordance with certain federal laws, like the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. While the majority of the criteria for inclusion on the notification list are governed by federal Iūws and ean only be changed by Congress, the public ean provide constructive input on some aspects of the notification list, said the office's director, Ka'i'ini Kimo Kaloi. An individual or organization, whieh includes families, may provide both oral and written testimony at the puhlie

gatherings, or comments may be sent to the office in Washington, D.C. Because of limited resources, ū written copy of oral comments is appreciated, but not required. Written comments must be received by Oct. 1 7 to be considered. Send comments to: U.S. Department of the lnterior, Office of Hawaiian Relations (0S/PHI), 1 849 C St., NW, Mail Stop-3530, Washington, D.C. 20240. The schedule of the meetings, all of whieh will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., is: Aug. 1 4 - Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau, Hawai'i island, Aug. 1 5 - Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park Aug. 1 6 — Maui Community College Aug. 1 7 - UH Mānoa Center for Hawaiian Studies, O'ahu.