Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 5, 1 May 2015 — Supporters of protect Mauna Kea ask OHA Trustees to be their voice [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Supporters of protect Mauna Kea ask OHA Trustees to be their voice

By Francine Kananionapua Murray and Kēhaunani Abad

On the morning of April 21, the view outside slowly turns red and then rises up the curving staircase at the front of Nā Lama Kukui where Ke'ena Kuleana Hawai'i, the Office of

Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), resides. Kūpuna, keiki and every ^ age in between are repre-

>ented as they eome wearing their red shirts - hundreds of people in the Kū

Kia'i Mauna March with banners or Hawaiian flags in hand, and ^ on the tip of their tongue a

message for the Board of Trustees: Plaee Mauna Kea on a Board

meeting agenda as quickly as possible. ^ The

r group m o v e s f o r w a r d

responding to oli (chants) and

Y resounding pū (eoneh shells) of OHA staff welcoming them into the

building. The greetings are reciprocated with oli from the

group. Kaho'okahi Kanuha, one of the lead-

ers of the Mauna Kea 'Ohana, comes forth to offer a speech ma ka 'ōlelo Hawai'i wale nō (entirely in the Hawaiian language). He speaks of the group's request to the trustees and emphasizes, " 'O ke aloha 'āiina ka mea i ho 'olōkahi i ke kanaka " (It is the love of our land and nation that unites us as a people." Mele lāhui (patriotic Hawaiian songs and chants) and mele koihonua (genealogieal chants) are offered by former students of Hālau Lōkahi and students of Hālau Kū Māna. Ka Pouhana and CEO of OHA, Kamana'opono Crabbe responds ma ka 'ōlelo Hawai'i wale nō. Crabbe acknowledges the group's request saying, "Ua lohe 'ia kou leo no kēia mea nui o kākou nō a pau o ka lāhui - ka mālama 'ana i ka Mauna o Wākea." ("The voices have been heard regarding this

important matter for our entire lāhui - the stewardship of Mauna o Wākea.) OHA's leaders and the group's leaders formally greet one another, and more speeches and mele follow. One comes from Lanakila Mangauil, a leader of the

Mauna Kea 'Ohana. He explains the group's code of behavior, its kapu aloha. "It's something that has set

this movement apart from any other," says Mangauil. "The mana'o (idea) of this is that we speak with the most righteous voice." He elaborates eloquently explaining that if we are too powerful, the stomping of our feet will have the water always rippling, and we will never be able to see our own reflection in that water, "We need to be the example of what we want to see in our Hawai'i." He shares a mele saying, "This is the song that has eome from the Mauna (mountain). It has helped to quell many of the harsh feelings, and it has helped to soothe . . . just feel it for yourself. We offer this gift of mele." Then the group sings "E aloha e" with OHA staff joining in. "If we will build a nation, it will be a nation not built on hostility or bloodshed," says Mangauil. "It will be a nation of love and respect for all." One of the march's organizers and former OHA Trustee, Walter Ritte, shares more about the group's request to the trustees: "We are here today because we have a problem. . . . They have to be our voice." He continues explaining that OHA was created to be the voice of the lāhui heard throughout the Islands. Ritte wants the resources of OHA to reflect Native Hawaiians' needs, saying, "We need Mauna Kea to be put on the board agenda immediately." This is just the first stop in the day's Kū Kia'i Mauna March. After visiting OHA the group takes to the streets of Honolulu marching proudly downtown and then to the governor's office, where Ritte offers the message that "there are some things that we will not compromise on. There are some things that are too sacred - our resources are for our future generations not for the profit of a few." ■

Students of Hūlau Kū Mūna and former students of Hūlau Lōkahi offered mele (songs) at the April 21 Kū Kia'i Mauna March, whieh was attended by hundreds of people starting at Nū Lama Kukui. - Photo: Francine Murray