Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 11, 1 November 2015 — Aloha mai kākou, [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Aloha mai kākou,

Are you a glass-half-full sort of person? When opportunity knocks, do you answer the door? Are you a person who thinks our best days might just be ahead of us? Are you the type of person who loves the journey, and the pursuit of a better future for all of us? If so, you're the type of person we need to help us build a nation. There's a lot of criticism coming from all sides on the process that's underway right now as we seek to reestablish a Hawaiian Nation. There is also a lot of criticism of U.S. Department of the Interior's rulemaking that would establish a process a future Native Hawaiian government could use to be recognized by the federal govemment. But the one thing we have to remember is this is a process. Is the process perfect? Of course not. No process ever is. But the magic happens when people make the most of an imperfect situation. A lot of people are trying to poke holes in the process, and I would challenge them to stop poking holes and help us shore things up. Many people are making assumptions and predictions about what the results of a Native Hawaiian 'aha will be. They're making assumptions and predictions about what will happen if the DOI adopts a rule. I can't and won't predict the outcome of any of these processes. No one ean. But if people from various viewpoints ean work together, the product will be better than any prediction. So vote for delegates who you ean believe in. Bring your mana'o to the table at an 'aha. Get involved in the ratification process.

We ean make the world a better plaee. What is unacceptable is the status quo. It is our kuleana to do better for our lāhui. Those who are lobbing criticism from afar, those encouraging people to reject the process are really advocating for the status quo. It is a form of apathy. We ean eonhnue to grumble for another hundred years or we ean do something about better education for our children, improved health services to heal our people and build an economy that is kanaka-based. A

Let me put it this way. There's a road in front of us. There are many ruts and potholes. It hasn't been paved in years. In fact, por- , tions are no better than a dirt road. We ean choose the adventure i of heading down that road knowing despite its flaws it will lead I to a better future. Or we ean stop and refuse to move.

If our ancestors did not choose to head into the unknown or their wa'a facing all of the dangers of eanoe travel would we even be here today? But since we are here, don't we owe it to them and the next generation of Hawaiians to embrace ' the unknown to make a better life for everyone? Won't you join me on this journey? 'O au iho nō me ke aloha a me ka 'oia'i'o, /a.. Ci^SL&-c Kamana'opono M. Crabbe, Ph.D. Ka Pouhana/Chief Executive Officer

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