Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 1, 1 January 2023 — He Ho'onnaka [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

He Ho'onnaka

lmages from the Dec. 8 investiture of the Office of Howoiion Affoirs Boord of Trustees. It wos o joyful ond festive offoir thot included beoutiful performonces by Amy Hōnoioli'i Gilliom ond Hōlou Hi'iokoinōmokolehuo, heortfelt speeches by Choir Cormen "Hulu" Lindsey, OHA CE0 Dr. Sylvio Hussey, ond Keoli'inohomoku Wiehmon (o young houmono ot Ke Kulo 'o Somuel Komokou pictured in blue obove). The celebrotion olso included a rousing sermon by Kohu Kenneth Mokuokōne. The investiture wos ottended by representotives of the royol benevolent societies, oli'i trusts ond the stote government, olong with 'ohono of the trustees, ond OHA stoff ond beneficiories. - Photos: Joshua Koh

By Eel Kalama "'A'ohe mea nāna e ho'opūhili, he moho no ka lā maleani; īhere is no one to interfere, for he is a messengerfor the windy day." Said in admiration ofa person who lets nothing stop him from carrying out the task entrusted to him. In an emblematic show of unity, all nine OfRce of Hawaiian Affairs trustees were together inducted into their terms of office at an investiture ceremony held at Kawaiaha'o Church on Dec. 8, 2022. Last year's elections saw new At-Large Trustees Brickwood Galuteria and Keoni Souza take their places on the board, joining re-elected incumbents Kalei Akaka (O'ahu), Carmen "Hulu" Lindsey (Maui), Mililani Trask (Hawai'i), and John Waihe'e IV (At-Large). Dan Ahuna (Kaua'i and Ni'ihau), Keli'i Akina (At-Large), and Luana Alapa (Moloka'i and Lānai) won election as trustees in 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, OHA's 2020 investiture ceremony was cancelled, as were planning efforts to reschedule that investiture in 2021. The Kawaiaha'o Church ceremony marked the first investiture where all nine trustees were inducted together since the first OHA board was established in 1981. With a theme of "Ho'oulu Lāhui Aloha - To Raise a Beloved Lāhui," the ceremony - intertwined with cultural and spiritual elements - was attended by an audience of roughly 400 including representatives from the royal benevolent societies, ali'i trusts, state and county ofhcials, trustee 'ohana, OHA staff, and beneficiaries. The Honorable Todd Eddins, an associate justice on the Hawai'i State Supreme Court, administered the Oath of Ofhce to_the newly elected trustees during the ceremony, whieh was livestreamed on 'Olelo TV, and is available on the OHA Facebook page. Eaeh of the trustees was presented with a lei hulu and given a special blessing by Kahu Kenneth Makuakāne to commemorate their work ahead. Lindsey, who has served as board chair since December of 2019, OHA Ka Pouhana/CEO Dr. Sylvia Hussey, and Makuakāne offered remarks at the event. 'As one who has preached the value of working together in a spirit of lōkahi, I see a symbolism in all of us receiving Ke Akua's blessing together today. May we continue to work in unity as one 'ohana as we move forward with the mission of this institution," Lindsey said. Participating in a state working group to address issues surrounding OHA's share of the Public Land Trust revenue, and the development of OHA's lands at

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