Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 30, Number 10, 1 October 2013 — Buying back the national legacy to build a nation [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Buying back the national legacy to build a nation

n managing the OHA investment portfolio, there is an investment category established by the global investor community termed MRI, or Mission Related Investment. MRI deviates from the normal stockholder-driven investments in that the return is not measured strictly by Ananeial return (although in some cases it ean be). For a number of years, OHA has been active in acquiring

properties for their cultural value to the Hawaiian people and what we expect will someday be the Hawaiian Nation. The OHA mission, as a plaeeholder until such time that a nation is rebom, includes pursuing initiatives that restore the geo-cultural dignity of the nation by physically deflning it. Building an inventory of properties that speak to the national history and in whieh are embedded the spiritual soul of the nation is very mueh a fiduciary duty of OHA. So many of our wahi pana (sacred places) were lost to the Hawaiian people in the colonizing of the Kingdom, it seems appropriate for OHA to reacquire as many as we ean by just buying them back. The time for begging is pau. These are some of the properties now in the OHA land inventory: Waimea Valley was carved by rain and wind from the flank of the Ko'olau Mountain range some two million years ago. With its range of habitats stretching from the dry, salty seashore to the eool, misty uplands, it is home to a vast array of fems, flowering plants, invertebrates, stream life and birds, including the endangered 'alae 'ula, a hlaek water bird with a red shield. Waimea Valley is one of the best places on O'ahu to look for native species while strolling to a lovely waterfall and natural pool, and enjoying the many peacocks, the favorite bird of Princess Ka 'iulani. Kūkaniloko Birthstones is one of

the most significant cultural sites on O'ahu. These uplands, located near Wahiawa, were a plaee where chiefs were bom and where famed chiefs lived. Wahiawa is translated as "plaee of rumbling." It is said that Wahiawa is where thunderstorms, the voices of the ancestral gods, welcomed an offspring of divine rank. Being the center of the island, Kūkaniloko is also symbolic of the piko (navel cord) and thus, birth.

Pahua Heiau in Hawai'i Kai is located at the foot of the Kamilo Iki ridge. It is believed to have been built in the 14th century and is dedicated to the god of agriculture. Wao Kele o Puna is the forested upland rain belt of the district of Puna. At 27,775 acres, it is home to the largest expanse of lowland tropical forest remaining in the Hawaiian Islands, and the entire United States. It is a vital part of our island's watershed and is a haven of diversity, with many species that remain to be documented. This is also an area of great cultural importance to Native Hawaiians, who use it to gather plants for traditional crafts, medicine and ceremonial uses. Palauea is a 20-acre property donated to OHA to be maintained as a cultural preserve between the towns of Kīhei and Mākena along the west coast of Maui. It features an ancient fishing village and agricultural sites tied to Native Hawaiian culture, and is managed by the University of Hawai'i Maui College. The property offers invaluable insights on the traditional Hawaiian landscape. The purchase by Hawaiians of these properties reminds us of the words of Kamehameha III: Ua mau ke ea o ka 'āina i ka pono. The sovereignty ofthe land is perpetuated in righteousness. I Read more, get links and contact me at www.PeterApo.com.

PetEr Apo TrustEE, O'ahu