Issues and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs
By Peter Apo
Partnering with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
The disenfranchisement of Hawaiians began with the loss of our lands. Combining OHA’s financial strength with DHHL’s land base is an idea that makes sense. This process has already begun through OHA home loans and other programs, but involving other partners, such as banks and Hawaiian trusts, can provide further leverage. Getting Hawaiians back on the land can stop the diaspora that is draining Hawaiʻi of one of its most precious resources – Hawaiians – who are the carriers of Hawaiʻi’s host culture.
The True Meaning of Sovereignty
I support self-determination for Hawaiians. Real sovereignty, in my view, empowers Hawaiians to become genuine contributing members of Hawaiʻi society. This means economic and cultural vibrancy through investment in the cultural, intellectual and land assets that are the birthright of native Hawaiians. Political autonomy must mean cultural and economic self-determination. Hawaiians, as a collective community of aliʻi trusts, entitlements, Department of Hawaiian Homes Lands, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, have tremendous economic capacity. The combined assets add up to thousands of acres of land and billions of dollars.
I believe we are missing the kind of dynamic and visionary leadership that can bring all the major players to the table to hammer out a process that will lead to a common vision of a Hawaiian future, and that is one of my primary initiatives as a Trustee of OHA. Hawaiʻi Loa Kū Like Kākou! I believe many of us confuse political sovereignty with economic sovereignty. Political sovereignty has a long way to go before we can agree on what we mean by that term. But economic sovereignty is within our grasp. We have but to seize it and move forward as a major player in charting the growth of these islands. We don’t need anyone’s permission to establish our economic sovereignty.
Obtaining political sovereignty is important. OHA’s role must be one of an agent of change in guiding the process of transition to true self-governance. While the specific role of OHA in a newly constituted governing entity remains unclear, OHA may settle into an adjunct administrative role with its long experience in shepherding Hawaiian programs. The overarching goal of Hawaiian well-being should be paramount and not the survival of the organization.
Perpetuation of Hawaiian Culture
Without culture, the term Hawaiian has little meaning. Hawaiian culture not only adds value to the culture of our home, it is the centerpiece of Hawaiʻi’s global brand. OHA needs to nurture our living keepers of the culture — kumu hula, chanters, navigators and practitioners in all the arts and sciences that define us as a people. The key to Hawaiian cultural revitalization is culturally-rooted yet globally-directed education. Through culturally-rooted education, Hawaiians can make their own way in modern society and add value to the current economy with new ideas and ways of doing things. Hawaiʻi’s language immersion schools are great examples of how a culturally-rooted education results in individual empowerment, dignity, and sense of cultural pride. OHA has recognized the value of such education, but has yet to become a leader in cultural educational programming and funding. I hope to be part of pushing the board further in the direction of enriching culturally-rooted educational opportunities for Hawaiians.
Meeting the Needs of OHA Beneficiaries
The “OHA beneficiaries” are real people. They do not exist separate and apart from the rest of Hawaiʻi nor are they exempt from the challenges faced by all the families of Hawaiʻi. They have the same struggles as everyone else in our island home — healthcare, housing, education — the entire quality of life index. But the degree of difficulty they face in meeting these challenges is dramatically heightened by their tragic history of disenfranchisement and alienation from their lands, their culture, their political and economic voices, and certainly their loss of dignity and honor. Historically they have had a more difficult time meeting their needs. This is the reason for the network of government entitlements and the tapestry of agencies that provide assistance such as Hawaiian Homes. I will work within OHA to raise the level of resources committed to empowering existing Hawaiian organizations to improve the quality and level of services. OHA need not invent new programs. We need to provide more support to those already in the field until such time as we reach the tipping point when Hawaiians can stand on equal footing with all other groups in Hawaiʻi.