Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 11, 1 November 2014 — Akaka speaks on sovereignty [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Akaka speaks on sovereignty

Retired U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka said unity and respect for differing beliefs was of utmost importance as the Hawaiian community determines its path to achieving self-governance. Long a proponent of ' Hawaiian self-determination, Akaka was the final speaker at a sovereignty summit at the Native Hawaiian Convention, following panelists Miehelle Kauhane of the | Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, Kamaki Kanahele of the Sovereign Coun- , cils of the Hem'aiian Homeland Assembly, ' Brian Cladoosby ofthe Nalional Congress ■ ofAmerican Indians, Tex Hall ofthe Coalij tion ofLarge Land Tribes and Sheri Buretta ) ofthe Alaska Federation ofNatives. Here is an excerptfrom his speech. — Lisa S Asato "As you know, the enactment of Act 195 ^ was for me a momentous movement for our I people. It not only formally recognized Native S Hawaiians as indigenous peoples of the state ! of Hawai ' i, but it also set into motion the reorJ ganization of our people. Act 1 95 established the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission and Kana'iolowalu, the roll of qualified Native Hawaiians, giving our people the opportunity

to re-establish a Native Hawaiian governing entity. Moreover it has the potential to allow us to eome together as a people, exercise our inherent right of self-determination through self-governance. ... "My brother Rev. Abraham Akaka fittingly said the future is not only for our public officials to decide, but for you and me also. And we're deciding that future eaeh day in what we do and say and think. We all have an important role in deciding the future of our people, of our governing entity. I encourage you and all the people of Hawai'i to get involved, to leam about the issues that impact our community and share your opinions. Do not remain idle. There is momentum in our movement to re-establish a Native Hawaiian governing entity. You will decide what will result from this momentum. "During my 36 years in the U.S. Congress, I was a staunch advocate for Native Hawaiians and all indigenous peoples. I worked tirelessly to ensure Native Hawaiians were afforded the same rights of self-determina-tion and self-governance as those enjoyed by our friends and other indigenous peoples of our country. Despite criticismand opposition of my efforts, I never gave up. You must also continue to persevere. Re-establishing a governing entity and exercising true selfgovernance is pono, and it is critical to the well-being of our people. This movement

must not be stalled. Regardless of the ehallenges and criticism that may be faced, I feel we have waited too long. "Further, in order to create a healthier brighter future for our people, it is essential that we all work together. Like culture and tradition we must all paddle in the same direction like a team in a wa'a to hoe a mau. We must respect eaeh other even if we have differing beliefs. And we must eome together as a people in unity - lōkahi is strength. "My passion for Native Hawaiian selfdetermination and self-governance has not faltered. Even in my retirement. But now it is time for the next generation of leaders to take the lead and bring to fruition initiatives that I along with other leaders of my generation have worked so hard to achieve. "I encourage today's leaders to embrace and lead with our Native Hawaiian values, particularly the spirit of aloha. Aloha will enable you to do good to rise above the negative to see and pursue the positive and to bring people together. Aloha is seltless. And powerful. The spirit of aloha has helped me through many, many trying times. It is my hope that our current and future generations of leaders recognize the strength of aloha and use it to do what's pono. This is important now more than ever as we embark on re-establishing a Native Hawaiian governing entity. ..." ■

Former U.S. Senator ūaniel Akaka posed for pictures after hi spoke. - Photo: Lisa Asato