Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 8, 1 August 2022 — Civic Communion: Forms of our Advocacy and 'Āina ldentity [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Civic Communion: Forms of our Advocacy and 'Āina ldentity

> 'AHA HO'ONA'AUAO 'OIWI HAWAI'I ^ NATIVE HAWAIIAN EDUCATION COUNCIL *

By Elena Farden Our relationship with aina teaches us that the abundance of life ean manifest in many forms. From the kinolau reflected in specific native plants for lā'au lapa'au, to the kapa patterns and motifs born from our very own narratives of our akua - we are a people eonstantly acknowledging our connection. At this very precipice of time for our lāhui, I ean think of no better embodiment of connection than what we've seen powerfully demonstrated in our civic eommunion as Kānaka 'Ōiwi. We have seen and lived this with the kia'i holding the line against witnessing 38 of our kūpuna arrested on Mauna Kea. We have seen and lived this with the unwanted development of Hūnānāniho. We are living and enraged with this in the military fuel storage that threatens our life-giving waters. Whether you have shown up as a protector, a donor/supporter, a documentarian, a social policy advocate, an educator, a storyteller, or a community organizer - you have shown up in your own civic identity form. All forms are welcomed. All forms are needed. All forms play a key role in the very fabric of social movement and political change. As the Native Hawaiian Education Couneil thinks about our work ahead in the context of our upcoming elections, we do so with the understanding of our own advocacy and 'āina identity as part of the larger lāhui civic eommunion. Yes, our role is to inform and advocate for Native Hawaiian Education, but our role is also to honor the many voices that laid down the pōhaku for the kahua of a federal Native Hawaiian Education Act (NHEA). In immersing myself deeper into my work and role, I often find myself reading through pages and pages of federal testimony from community voices for NHEA ffom 25-30 years ago.

Many of the organizations you may already recognize, but what captures me the most are those individuals who stepped out of their homes and away from their families to stand up and testify in Congress. These are the inspiring names I recount when federal policy and funding does not move favorably for our community, and when advocacy begins to feel lonely. In the same way we as a people recall the names of our kūpuna or connection to the forces and kinolau in our 'āina to recenter and reafRrm our intentions and responsibilities, I do the same with the community names documented in testimony. These are the forms that shape my own advocacy and aina identity. I offer just a glimpse of some of the honored names of those who testified for the NHEA before Congress - some whom are still with us and others who have journeyed to Pō - to inspire all of you to also make sure your voice is heard this election year. Step into your civic identity form. You are meant to be heard. • Amelia Abreau • Rev. Darrow Lewis Kanakanui Aiona • Liberta Alhao • Ronald Albu • Maybell Brown • Malia Craver • Van Horn Diamond • Pilahi Paki • Dr. Leialoha Perkins • Keoni Agard • Winona Rubin • Randolph Kalahiki • Dr. VerlieAnn Malina-Wright E ola ka Lāhui Hawai'i! ■ Elena Farden serves as the executive director for the Native Hawaiian Education Council, established in 1994 under the Native Hawaiian Education Act, with responsibility for coordinating, assessing, recommending and reporting on the effectiveness of educational programs for Native Hawaiians and improvements that may be made to existing programs, policies, and procedures to improve the educational attainment of Native Hawaiians. Elena is a first-generation college graduate with a BS in telecommunications from Pepperdine University, an MBA from Chaminade University and is now in her first year ofa doctorate program.