Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 9, 1 September 2008 — Hawaiian convention [ARTICLE]

Hawaiian convention

An Alaska Native leader who helped achieve passage in 1971 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act - one of the nation's largest land and cash settlements - will be the keynote speaker at the Native Hawaiian Convention, whieh runs Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 at the Hawai'i Convention Center in Honolulu. Willie Iggiagruk Hensley will discuss how Alaska Natives went from land dispossession to repossession at a luneheon on Oct. 1 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Their settlement from the federal government comprised ahnost $1 hillion dollars and title to more than 40 million acres of land, roughly 12 percent of Alaska's total lands. The seventh annual convention, themed "Raising Change - Defining our Future," will unhe loeal, statewide and national leaders to discuss priorities in the Native Hawaiian coimnunity. Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona will deliver the opening address Sept. 30 in a 9 a.m. ceremony that begins with a traditional oli session whh kumu Leina'ala Kalama Heine of Nā Pua Lei o Likolehua. The three-day convention includes presentations on charter schools, running for elective office, the recent Hawai'i Supreme Court ruling on ceded lands, and progress and plans in homesteading, presented by state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Director Mieah Kāne. Also scheduled are a roundtable session of indigenous business leaders from here and the U.S. continent, and workshops on financial literacy, a possible Constitutional Convention, teaching nonprofits how to find grants, and more. A pre-convention symposium will be held Sept. 29 to discuss native constitutions in the Pacific and nationwide. Winners will also be announced for annual awards in the fields of small business, nonprofit service, education, eeonomie development, community advocacy, and housing and heahh care. Evening events include a Sept. 30 concert by 2008 Grannny nominees and winners, and an Oct. 1 Aloha Nā Ali'i Banquet whh Bishop Museum hon-

oring Princess Ruth Ke'elikōlani, whieh includes a 5:30 p.m. viewing of royal artifacts. Registration fees apply, and scholarships are available. For infonnation, contact the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement at 5968155, toll-free from the Neighbor Islands at 800-709-2642, by e-mail at events@hawaiiancouncil.org or visit hawaiiancouncil.org.

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