Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 4, 1 April 2011 — Aloha mai kākou, [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Aloha mai kākou,

As the nahon recognizes Financial Literacy Month in April, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs shines a spotlight on the concept of Ho'okahua Waiwai, the Eeonomie Self-Sufficiency of our Hawaiian people. Improving the eeonomie stature of our people - from within - is significant because OHA finiTly believes that if we ean lift the quality of life for Native Hawaiians, everyone will benefit. Financial independence affects every facet in our lives, from education, to health, to our fami]ies' overall well-being, as well as our ability to govem ourselves and lead productive, fulfilling lives. In this issue, eome with us on a journey to North Hawai'i Island. That is where Hawai'i First Federal Credit Union through a partnership with OHA has provided 20 Native Hawaiians help in realizing their dreams of establishing a small business or continuing their education. Through the OHA Individual Development Accounts program, beneficiaries got into the habit of building their savings, got akamai about financial literacy and in the process improved their quality of life.

These benefits radiated throughout the community. As Alycia Iuvik, the credit union's Community Development Director, says of the partnership: "This is our first time that an organization believed in us enough to support us. OHA took that leap and it's because of them that all these fami]ies are thriving." Thriving families. It's like music to the ears. Another continuing priority for OHA is the achievement of federal recognition. OHA looks forward to working with Hawai'i's Congressional delegation now that the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act has been reintroduced this Congress. There also continues to be lots of activity at the state level as well. This year, there were several measures introduced that would recognize Native Hawaiians as the indigenous, aboriginal, maoli people of Hawai'i. OHA supports the concept of state recognition - not as a substitute for federal recognition - but as one of the means of bettering the conditions of the Native Hawaiian people. Federal recognition is a poMeal status that provides a government-to-government relationship between native peoples and the federal government. This isn't about race, but about the reaffinnation of the same federal policy of self-detennination of American Indians and Alaska Natives for Native

Hawaiians. While state recognition is siinilar, individual states hold greater discretion over the fonn and

parameters of recognition ultimately confened.

1 uuuiai iuuug,iuuuu, oiaiv ivvvg,iiiuvii, or both would require the cooperation of everyone in Hawai'i - our Native Hawaiian conTinunity, the general puhlie, the private

sector, and all ieveis of government. Recognition is not something to fear, but rather, it is a great opportunity and something to embrace; something that ean - and should - ben- -

efit everyone. Together, we ean do great things for our community. We invite everyone to I join us on this joumey. J

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Clyde W. Nāmu'o Chief Executive Officer