Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 4, 1 April 2016 — Native Hawaiian Constitution Adopted [ARTICLE]

Native Hawaiian Constitution Adopted

AHA 2016 NEWS RELEASE Maunawili, Hawai'i - During the month of February over one hundred people participated in a gathering to draft governing documents for a Hawaiian govemment. The gathering - a result of an election supported by Na'i Aupuni, whieh was blocked by a U.S. Supreme Court intervention - whieh consists of participants from Hawai'i and as far as Sweden, voted to adopt a constitution on Feb. 26. The constitution, drafted over several weeks, laborious conunittee meetings and intense floor debate, addresses everything from a core government structure to native rights. At the core of the goveming document is the need to have culture and kūpuna wisdom. The participants of the convention eame with varied careers, attorneys, cultural practitioners, professors, retired jurists, laborers and many more. The constitution was approved with 88 yes votes, 30 no votes and one abstention. The convention ended Feb. 26 with nearly 130 of the 151 participants taking part in the discussions over the month of February. NA'I AUPUNI DECIDES NOT TO PURSUE RATIFICATION VOTE Education and Ratification of Native Hawaiian Constitution Best Pursued by Broad-based Group

NA'I AUPUNI NEWS RELEASE HONOLULU - Na'i Aupuni said today it would not be conducting a ratification vote on the proposed constitution produced by the recently completed 'aha. It believes that the 'aha participants, who represent a diverse and multigenerational cross section of the Native Hawaiian leaders from Hawaii, the North American Continent, Asia and Europe, or a similarly broad-based group, would be the entity to best advance the ratification vote and eonduct the important process of educating our communities about the constitution. "Na'i Aupuni is appreciative of the participants who utilized the strength of our rich culture, the knowledge from our kupuna and the collective wisdom of the 'aha to significantly advance Native Hawaiian unity. Na'i Aupuni believes that it is the participants, those who prepared and voted on the document, that are best able to lead efforts in effectively sharing the proposed constitution with the eonununity and ultimately arranging for a ratification process. The participants have evidenced a remarkable willingness and ability to identify leadership, build critical teams, and respectfully support the voices of many divergent opinions. It is for these reasons that we are deferring to the 'aha participants to further advance their work," said Kuhio Asam, president of Na'i Aupuni. Asam said that although the stated objectives of Na'i Aupuni were to conduct an election, an 'aha, and a ratification vote, the overarching goals were to provide an opportunity for Native Hawaiian leaders to

exercise their inherent right to self-detenni-nation, to discuss self-governance options and, if they so decided, to develop a eonstitution that would unify and best serve the current and anticipated needs of Native Hawaiians. Asam also said that although there were many hurdles along the path to the 'aha, it produced more than a constitution. "The 'aha generated a long overdue and significant dialogue among the participants and within the larger conununity. It is crucial that this conversation continues. The 'aha also allowed leaders from the community to emerge, and created momentum for further educating the puhlie about self-gover-nanee, the proposed constitution and nation building." Bill Meheula, legal counsel for Na'i Aupuni, reviewed the actions taken along the way due to legal challenges. "From the beginning, we anticipated potential legal challenges and we currently eontinue to defend against the Grassroot lawsuit that is now before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals," he added. "In addition, now that we cancelled the election and will not be conducting any ratification vote, Na'i Aupuni contends that the appeal is moot and we are hopeful that the case will be eventually dismissed." Meheula also said that the estimated remaining grant funds of a little over $100,000, allocated to cover the cost of the ratification vote, would be returned to OHA. Na'i Aupuni also plans to publicly publish an accounting of how the funds were spent Information on Na'i Aupuni ean be found on the website: naiaupuni.org.

Read the Constitution ofthe Native Hawaiian Nation in its entirety at www.aha2016.com, as well as the Declaration of the Sovereignty of the Native Hawaiian Nation - An offering of the Aha. Here is the preamble: CONSTITUTION OF THE NATIVE HAWAIIAN NATION Preamble We, the indigenous peoples of Hawai'i, descendants of our ancestral lands from time immemorial, share a eommon national identity, culture, language, traditions, history, and ancestry. We are a people who Aloha Akua, Aloha 'āina, and Aloha eaeh other. We mālama all generations, from keiki to kupuna, including those who have passed on and those yet to eome. We mālama our 'āina and affirmour ancestral rights and Kuleana to all lands, waters, and resources of our islands and surrounding seas. We are united in our desire to cultivate the full expression of our traditions, customs, innovations, and beliefs of our living culture, while fostering the revitalization of 'Ōlelo Hawai'i, for we are a Nation that seeks Pono. Honoring all those who have steadfastly upheld the self-determination of our people against adversity and injustice, we join together to affirm a government of, by, and for Native Hawaiian people to perpetuate a Pono government and promote the well-being of our people and the 'āina that sustains us. We reaffirm the National Sovereignty of the Nation. We reserve all rights to Sovereignty and Self-determination, including the pursuit of independence. Our highest aspirations are set upon the promise of our unity and this Constitution. UA MAU KE EA O KA ' INA I KA PONO

EA v www.oha.org/kwo | kwo@OHA.org G0VERNANCE / NATiVE HAWAiiAN » NEWS | FEATURES | EVENTS