Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 2, 1 February 2012 — Returning native Hawaiians to their ancestral lands [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Returning native Hawaiians to their ancestral lands

Trustee's note: Tlūs month's eoīumn is written by Aīapaki Nahaīe-a, Chairman of the Hawaiian Homes Commission.

At the dawn of the 20th century, the Native Hawaiian population dwindled to roughly 40,000, a fraction of the number of Hawaiians living in the islands at the time of Western eontact in 1778. Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole, who was a delegate to Congress at the time, sought to reverse that trend. Historically, our people have had a special connection with the 'āina and so Prince Kūhiō envisioned a way to return

Hawaiians to their ancestral lands with the goal of rehabilitation. That vision heeame the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act. The act established a permanent land base for the benefit of native Hawaiians to, among other activities, live, farm and ranch. This stewardship of 200,000 acres of land in trust for the benefit of the Hawaiian people is an

extraordinary kuleana and one whieh we take very seriously. The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act also states that adequate amounts of water and supporting infrastructure be provided so homestead lands are usable and accessible. This is at the heart of testimony I submitted to the Commission on Water Resource Management on Dec. 20. The testimony describes why we support the proposed modifications to the Hawai'i County Water Use aneī Deveīopment Pīan but oppose the action of the National Park Service to request designation of the Keauhou Aquifer System as a Water Management Area. As we stated in our testimony, Hawaiian Home Lands places the utmost priority on our duty to protect our trust assets, whieh includes our stake in the region and our landholdings at the Villages of La'i 'Ōpua, mauka of the Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park. While our goals include increasing homesteading opportunities for our beneficiaries, we are foremost a trust that places high esteem on responsible stewardship of our land and protecting

natural and cultural resources. This is evidenced by our recognition that endangered plant species and archaeological sites need to be carefully nurtured and protected. On the slopes

of Mauna Kea, we recognize the importance of our oversight for 56,000 acres of mostly conservation land. And, in La'i 'Ōpua, we have created klpuka to keep endangered plants safe. To this end, we have kept abreast of the development activity in the region and have diligently participated in the Kona Water Roundtable. We have listened carefully to scientific evidence presented on these pages and in the community regarding the effects of development on water sustainability

and we do not feel that establishing the Keauhou Aquifer System as a Water Management Area is warranted at this time. We support efforts to continue monitoring groundwater data and the regular review of new scientific studies on the effects of growth

in the region. We believe that as stewards of our trust lands we ean responsibly halanee our natural and cultural resource oversight with proper development of our lands. By continued monitoring of growth in our region we believe we ean join the National Park Service and other landowners in our region to act responsibly when and if necessary. The National Park Service in Hawai'i and the Prince Kūhiō envisioned a way to return Hawaiians to their ancestral lands Hawaiian Home Lands Trust share a history. Prince Kūhiō created the forerunner to the Haleakalā and Volcanoes national parks. We commend the work being done by the park service to protect environmental and cultural sites within the Kaloko-Honokōhau Nahonal Historical Park and I look forward to us working together for the betterment of our 'āina and the Hawaiian people. ■

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Rūbert K. Lindsey, Jr. Trustee, Hawai'i