Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 4, 1 April 2023 — A Hawaiian Home Lands Trust Beneficiary Perspective [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A Hawaiian Home Lands Trust Beneficiary Perspective

J KANAKA FORWARD W > ON THE HOMESTEADS '

By KipuKai Kuali'i What we eall ourselves and our lands matter! What others eall us and our lands matter! That we are here to speakfor and represent ourselves and our lands matters even more! For far too long, we have been causing confusion by the words we use (and that others use) about ourselves as Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA) trust beneficiaries or Hawaiian Home Lands (HHL) trust beneficiaries, and about our lands as HHCA trust lands or HHL trust lands. Calling ourselves "trust beneficiaries," "Hawaiian Homes beneficiaries," "Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA) trust beneficiaries" or "Hawaiian Home Lands (HHL) trust beneficiaries" are all fine. Calling ourselves "DHHL beneficiaries" is not. Calling our lands "trust lands," "beneficiary trust lands," "trust beneficiary lands," "Hawaiian Home trust lands," "Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA) trust lands" or "Hawaiian Home Lands (HHL) trust lands" are all fine. Calling our lands "DHHL lands" is not. The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) is an administrative division of the State of Hawai'i that has been responsible for the management of our trust lands since its creation in 1960 soon after the passage of the Statehood Act of 1959 whieh gave Territorial control and the administration of the HHCA to the newly formed State of Hawai'i. In truth, not just DHHL, but rather the entire state government, is responsible for the management of our trust lands. DHHL's (and the State's) role is one of oversight: managing our Hawaiian Home

Lands trust effectively, developing and delivering our trust lands to us native Hawaiian trust beneficiaries. It is not the role of DHHL to ever speak for us or represent us (trust beneficiaries) nor for them to ever speak for or represent our trust lands. We do that ourselves! We do that collectively as the Sovereign Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations (SCHHA) whieh was founded in 1987 through a collaboration with former Gov. John Waihe'e's administration and DHHL to unify trust beneficiaries as defined in the HHCA of 1920 around solutions and improved administration. SCHHA is organized as a coalition of Homestead Beneficiary Associations (HBA) members defined in federal code 43CFR Part 47.1. We also do that separately as individual HBAs, such as my own Anahola Hawaiian Homestead Association (AHHA). Our beloved Prince Kūhiō made it very clear in the purpose of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act using the words "...to enable native Hawaiians to return to their lands in order to fully support self-sufhciency for native Hawaiians and the self-determination of native Hawaiians..." In order to attain our self-sufficiency and our self-determination we have to be seen and heard. We begin with how we talk about ourselves and our lands. We grow when we teach others to do the same. And we succeed when we speak for ourselves and are heard! ■ A longtime advocate for Hawaiian Home Lands trust beneficiaries and lands, KipuKai LLuali'i is the newly elected chair ofthe Sovereign Council ofHawaiian Homestead Associations, the oldest and largest eoalition ofnative Hawaiians on or waitingfor Hawaiian Home Lands. Kuali'i also serves as the vice chair of the Kaua'i County Council and is one of three from Hawai'i on the National Association of Counties ( NACo ) board. After more than 10 years on the continent, Kuali'i moved home in 2001 and now lives in Anahola, Kaua'i with his husband where he serves as the Anahola Hawaiian Homestead Association { AHHA ) president.