Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 5, 1 May 2014 — On Molokaʻi, Nation-building discussion centers on next steps [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

On Molokaʻi, Nation-building discussion centers on next steps

By Cheryl Corbiell On April 18, Kumu Iolani Kuoha's Hawaiian immersion class from Moloka'i Middle School chanted a weleome to an eclectic group of panelists who were on Moloka'i to share their divergent views about Hawaiian Nation building with 200 participants. The meeting was one of 19 town hall meetings held by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs statewide. On May 1, the Official Roll for Native Hawaiians will close with more than 121,000 names of whieh 5,000 are on Moloka'i. Although most panelists stressed that the audience make a decision about signing up, the main discussion

focused on the next steps. The panelists were: Kawika Riley, chief advocate at OHA; Dennis (Bumpy) Kanahele, leader for the Nation of Hawai'i; Walter Ritte, Moloka'i homesteader and Hawaiian rights advocate; and Māhealani Wendt, Native Hawaiian Roll commissioner and former executive director of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. Riley described OHA's role as a neutral facilitator, saying Native Hawaiians will determine the process to build a governing entity. "OHA has always seen itself as a transitional governing body to ultimately transfer assets responsibly to the Nation," he said. Kanahele spoke about the early years of Hawaiian Nation activism that began in eamest 30 years

ago. Referring to the Apology Bill signed by then-President Bill Clinton, Kanahele said: "In 1993 the United States apologized to the Hawaiian people. The overthrow of Hawai'i heeame illegal; therefore, Hawaiians ean declare themselves independent. The political, eeonomie, social and cultural landscape is changing, so I am supportive of the Hawaiian Roll and OHA. The simple way to look at Nation building is the state government told us to go get a roll. We are doing that, and it is a good time to get on with our future." Like Kanehele, Ritte has been an active participant in the nationbuilding process, attending OHA's press conference and summits on SEE MOLOKA'I ON PAGE 14

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^ TT ~ Befty Puaa, a Kalama'ula homesteader, was among the 200 attendees at the town hall on Moloka'i. In April, OHA held town hall meetings statewide to discuss Nation building. - Photo: Cheryl Corbiell

MOLOKA'I

Continued from page 10 the issue. "When I saw the OHA commercials about unity, I jumped on a plane to find out what was happening," Ritte said. "Nation building is a complicated process. I'm still learning. It is important to eome together before voting on the process, and I am just asking to slow down the process." As for Wendt, she reflected on how a Hawaiian government onee stood strong 121 years ago. "This is an opportunity to participate and take steps to realize the dream to be independent again," she said. "The question is do we take the steps now or later. It is really hard for 500,000 Hawaiians to rise up with one voice and agree. Let's deal with the reality and seize the moment." Other speakers at the meeting included Kauluna'e Hamakua, a

business owner, who said: "I signed up and wasn't fully knowledgeable at the time. Now I'm learning more and want more information." In a presentation on Nation building, Mehana Hind, OHA's Knowledge Based Strategies Specialist, said the time is right for self-determination. She referenced Tahiti, whieh is pursuing independence from France. Speaking of Hawai'i, she said: "We don't know what the Nation will look like, but we ean discuss the values and how to create the document that will guide us. We are like a eanoe club or civic club. Sometimes they agree and disagree about specifics, but the clubs are bound together by a eommon purpose just like the Hawaiian people have a eommon purpose, so get involved." ■

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