Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 8, 1 August 2021 — Aloha mai kākou, [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Aloha mai kākou,

V 'OLELO A KA POUHANA MESSAGE FROM THE CEO

WHEN RESISTANCE IS REQUIRED Kū'ē (nvt. To oppose, resist, protest.) v-_ . -i'i. 7 7 i '

When I was small, I spent one wonderful weekend in Happy Valley on Maui. My dad played softball in a community league, and when there was an interisland tournament on Maui, he took our family with him. I remember our Kohala families being hosted by Happy Valley families like the Kuloloio 'ohana, and making friends with a little girl named Mei Ling. Fifty years later, I still remember how our 'ohana was welcomed by the 'ohana of Happy Valley, and have lasting impressions of the warmth and assurance of that eommunity, in that plaee and time, that transcends the decades. At the time, I was too young to know that Happy Valley was onee part of an extensive and abundant wetland ravaged and forever altered by the sugar industry. There was no way I could have understood the decades of resilience and the resistance that defined the kupa aina of that plaee. This idea of resistance, of kūe, is a thread that runs through this issue of Ka Wai Ola. Our cover story recounts the struggle over Nā Wai 'Ehā and the Water Commission's recent historic decision recognizing the rights of traditional kalo farmers. For more than 150 years, Hawaiians on Maui have resisted the business interests that greedily diverted and hoarded the precious water resources of the West Maui Mountains at the expense of Kānaka Maoli. Ku ē manifests in many ways. With a focus on Maui, we highlight some of the ways that 'Ōiwi and others are resisting the status quo, asserting their voices, refusing a system that would have them believe they are "less than," and making pono and sovereign choices for themselves and for their 'ohana, mo'omeheu and 'āina. For example, there is a small, private Hawaiian immersion school in 'īao that has developed an innovative, interactive curriculum. Residents of the remote moku of

Kīpahulu are making strides to protect their land, fisheries and sustainable lifestyle. The owners of popular eatery, Kalei's Luneh Box, are known for both their 'ono food and their servant's hearts. An ambitious affordable housing plan developed for Maui County by Hawaiian Community Assets has the potential to not only resist, but upend, 40 years of bad federal housing policy at the loeal level. Meanwhile, UH Maui College Assistant Professor Kaleikoa Ka'eo shares a thought-provoking essay about resisting "Admission Day." We also celebrate the ku ē of Prince Kūhiō who spent a year in prison for rebelling against the illegal overthrow of the kingdom and went on to

secure the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act in the U.S. Congress with deft diplomacy despite blatant and pervasive racism. J

And, finally, we collectively grieve the loss of Dr. Haunani-Kay Trask, arguably Hawai'i's most influential Indigenous scholar, activist and feminist. Her example of ku ē, her legacy of courage and resistance, inspired generations of young Hawaiians. She was a fierce and fearless warrior who spoke truth to r>ower

and her voice will live on. E ala a ku ē; arise and resist. ■ Sylvia M. Hussey, Ed.D. Ka Pouhana | Chief Executive 0fficer