Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 6, 1 June 2014 — Native Hawaiians on Maui urge OHA leaders to move beyond dispute over letter [ARTICLE]

Native Hawaiians on Maui urge OHA leaders to move beyond dispute over letter

By Harold Nedd Fallout from the much-publi-cized letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry created an intense swirl of attention for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees at two meetings on Maui that both drew more than 100 people. Most of the Native Hawaiians who spoke at the four-hour eom-

munity meeting May 14 in Lahaina, then at regular board meeting in Wailuku the next day, voiced strong support for OHA's Ka Pouhana and CEO, Kamana'opono Crabbe, whose letter asked Kerry about the status of the Hawaiian Kingdom under international law. In spirited testimony that often drew cheers and applause, a parade of speakers at the meeting defended the letter as long overdue, appealing to trustees to work through differences with Crabbe over it and refocusing on facilitating efforts to form a Hawaiian Nation. Some also praised trustees for sitting and listening to community concerns about not letting any hard feelings about the letter to Kerry cloud their best judgment of Crabbe, who directly reports to OHA's nine-member Board of Trustees. "We will take everything under eonsideration as we deliberate as a board," Maui Trustee Hulu Lindsey told the crowd before adjourning the nearly four-hour-long community meeting at Waiola Church Hall at 10 p.m. The May meetings on Maui marked the start of the Board of Trustees' annual round of community forums and regular board meetings on Neighbor Islands. Next up will be Moloka'i, where a eommunity meeting is scheduled for June

18 and a regular board meeting is planned for June 19 at Kūlana 'Ōiwi. Among the most animated speakers was Kaleikoa Ka'eo, Hawaiian studies instructor at University of Hawai'i Maui College, who during his comments at both meetings handed out copies of historical Hawaiian documents and literature to trustees and those in attendance.

"We all need to be educated before we start telling more lies," said Ka'eo, whose comments were often met with applause at the community meeting. "We will not accept misinformation. I ask you guys to be brave and listen to the community." Others like Foster Ampong told trustees that a legal opinion is long overdue on whether the Hawaiian Kingdom still exists as an independent nation under international law. "The question should have been answered 121 years ago," he told OHA trustees. "I understand that it's not a politically comfortable question to ask, but I support the intent and content of Dr. Crabbe's letter." Blossom Feteira used her time at the microphone to tell trustees that their disagreement with Crabbe over the letter should not outweigh the ability he's demonstrated to get things done as a Hawaiian leader. "He has never put himself above the needs of his people," Feteira told OHA trustees. "And when you are a warrior in the fight we are fighting, sometimes you have to step outside the box." At the same time, the professionalism of trustees during the community meeting didn't go unnoticed as some speakers publicly acknowledged them for politely listening to their concerns without time limits or interruptions. ■

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ŪHA Moloka'i meetings The OHA Board will be traveling to Moloka'i this month fortwo meetings. The public is welcometo attend the meetings, scheduled as follOWS: • Community meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 18 at Kūlana 'Ūiwi • Board of Trustees meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday, June 19 at Kūlana 'Ūiwi For more information, eall Gayla Haliniak-Lloyd at 0HA's Moloka'i office at 560-3611.