Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 1, 1 January 2009 — A hope for progress in 2009 [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A hope for progress in 2009

Hau'oli makahiki hou, 2008 is gone forever and now we look forward to 2009 and the hope for a better world and a better Hawai'i. With the eeonomie disaster that has hit America and the rest of the world we certainly have challenges here at OHA, but we ean weather the storm. To do so we will need to cut here and there and some of you will necessarily be affected. Whenever there is more need than resources we must tighten our belts. And so to address the challenges now and to eome, OHA will need to work ever closer with our beneficiaries. If we can't fund a program we might be able to offer advice, direction, partnerships, etc., and to help in other ways. Regardless, we will continue to seek the betterment of all Hawaiians as best we ean by speaking up, by providing leadership, and by defending in the courts. Currently in the United States Supreme

Court we face a challenge to our elaim to ceded lands and worry that the court could expand the issue to include whether Hawaiians should be given any benefits whatsoever just for being Hawaiian. The question as to whether the Equal Protection Clause prohibits any referenee in the laws to Hawaiians or Native Hawaiians if addressed now, would seriously jeopardize our legal existence. Should that occur, OHA would disappear mueh faster than we had foreseen and instead of a new governing entity there would be nothing. Other Hawaiian organizations such as Hawaiian Homes and Kamehameha Schools would be facing a tenuous future. And so, the need to secure our identity now becomes even more urgent, and thus the need for the Akaka Bill, whieh will allow us Hawaiians a foothold for our future by a government-to-government relationship as with our Alaskan and Indian brothers. In that way, the decision of the Supreme Court will have to take into consideration Congress' action as a clear determination that Hawaiians are at least equivalent to the other two indigenous groups in America and deserving of recognition as a people. On the loeal front, Hawaiians have so many needs that I cannot possibly note them all here; however, I do believe there are some we ean all agree to and work on cooperatively. Let's put aside

our disagreements for now and focus on what we ean agree upon as Hawaiians. Not that OHA doesn't have enough to do, but why not address the mutual concerns of all? We hear from the mainstream organizations and nonprofits and appreciate their input and kōkua. We don't really communicate with the vocal opponents of our efforts, whether in federal recognition, or ceded lands, or other issues, because until now their interests have been contrary to ours. The time has eome to sit down and listen and talk story to the effect of establishing rapport and identifying those areas we ean assist one another in for the benefit of all Hawaiians. To do this, we must acknowledge that though we may disagree, there must be some issues upon whieh we ean agree. So if you want to have the United Nations order Hawai'i back to the Hawaiians and I want to remain an American, we ean still agree to something, I would hope, that would benefit Hawaiians not only today but tomorrow. It could be working on genealogy, building affordable housing, providing employment, building more Hawaiian businesses, addressing specific heahh issues, reviewing education needs, preserving our heritage, employing our values, and I believe many more matters small and large that will help all of our people. Let me know if you agree. S

Bnyd P. Mūssman TrustEE. Maui