Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 30, Number 7, 1 July 2013 — Alaska, Hawaiʻi delegations join forces on native issues [ARTICLE]

Alaska, Hawaiʻi delegations join forces on native issues

By Lisa Asato The legacy of an across-the-aisle friendship of two powerful Senators from Alaska and Hawai'i lives on after their deaths. The congressional delegations from the 49th and 50th states met with leaders of their states' native peoples in Washington, D.C., in June for the inaugural Alaska-Hawai'i Roundtable, pledging to build on the working relationship between Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, a Republiean, and Hawai'i Sen. Daniel Inouye, a Democrat. "These senators held one of the most admired bipartisan partnerships that grew into an incredible friendship of brothers. They worked together to advance the interests of the 49th and 50th states for five decades, and it included our respective native peoples whether through

passage of our education, heahh and housing acts, or small business initiatives," Robin Puanani Danner said in a statement. Danner's Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement co-hosted the June 4 roundtable with the Alaska Federation of Natives. With the four senators and three representatives attending, native leaders presented issues ranging fromappointing native judges, preserving native programs in the federal budget and taking care of the country's native veterans, who serve in higher numbers per capita than any other group. According to CNHA, Rosita Worl, a Tlingit Haida leader from Southeast Alaska shared that the Alaska Federation of Natives and the Alaska Native people will stand with Hawaiians on their right to self-governance, telling Hawaiian leaders and the eongressional delegations: "We have stood with you in the past, we stand

with you today and we will stand with you tomorrow. We will teach our children and the next generation of our native leaders to continue the support until you have achieved your right to control your own future." The roundtable, whieh was held in the Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing room, will be hosted altemately in Hawai'i and Alaska. Its aim is to conduct an annual briefing of policy priorities and to host receptions to foster friendships among native leaders. "Both Senator Inouye and Senator Stevens always encouraged us as native leaders to reach out to eaeh other, and to work together where our priorities complement the other," Billly Ornellas, CNHA's board vice chairman said in a news release. "We are dedicating the Alaska-Hawai'i Roundtable to both senators and recommitting ourselves as leaders to the legacy of friendship and aloha, between our two states and between our native peoples." About two dozen Native Hawaiian leaders attended the event, including OHA Chairperson Colette Machado and OHA CEO/Ka Pouhana Kamana'opono Crabbe. Republican Congressman Don Young of Alaska said the coming together of the two states reaffirmed SEE DELEGATIONS ON PAGE 11

GOVERNANGE To restore pono and ea, Native Hawaiians will achieve self-gover-nanee, after whieh the assets of OHAwillhe transferred to the new governing entity.

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Continued from page 4 their commitment to "jointly uphold the interests of our native peoples." Democratic Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa of Hawai'i, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs, said in a statement that when Inouye and Stevens joined forces, they were unstoppable. "As champions of native rights, they recognized the importance of our two states working together to ensure our respective peoples have access to quality health care, educational and eeonomie opportunities, as well as the resources to preserve their unique culture andlanguage. We have a duty to carry on that legacy," she said. Also attending were Alaska Sens. Mark Begich, a Democrat, and Republican Lisa Murkowski, and Hawai'i Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, all Democrats. Hirono, in a statement released by her office, said the delegations have "a special commitment to supporting Native Hawaiians, Alaska Natives and all the indigenous people of the United States." She said she worked closely with Alaska Congressman Young to restore funding for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian education programs after opponents tried to zero them out and was "working closely with my Senate colleagues to build support for reauthorizing this and other programs." ■