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

Hou

Kaka'ako Makai - recently renamed Hakuone - will be key areas of focus for the agency in the coming year, Lindsey said. Lindsey told her fellow trustees that she was proud to have the distinction of serving alongside eaeh of them. "Mahalo for your willingness to stand up for our people. Mahalo for your dedication to our lāhui, and mahalo for your commitment to bettering the lives of Native Hawaiians. We will need eaeh of your individual skill sets to tackle the challenges that will eome before us in the coming months," she said. Hussey referenced the olelo no'eau: "Umia ka hanu! Ho'okāhi ka umauma, ke kīpo'ohiwi i ke kīpo'ohiwi. Hold the breath! Walk abreast, shoulder to shoulder." (Be of one accord, as in exerting every effort to lift a heavy weight to the shoulder and to keep together in carrying it along). Hussey asked "In our mind's eye, ean we see all nine trustees being of one aecord, walking abreast, shoulder to shoulder? Shouldering the kuleana, even the kaumaha (weight) of responsibilities and trust? We are all here today, invited to witness their induction, their commitments, and we add our own silent, yet staunch support." Makuakāne, in a powerful and sometimes fiery sermon, shared a recent eonversation that he had with a kupuna about the Hawaiian Nation's history and about learning from the lessons of the past. "I was talking to a kupuna who said, 'We are resilient people. We have endured several migrations across this vast waterway. We have endured many battles over the centuries in Hawai'i. We have endured catastrophic epidemics: cholera in 1804; influenza in 1820; mumps in 1839; measles in 1848; smallpox in 1853; leprosy in 1860; and other diseases - including Covid in 2020. "'We endured having our kingdom stolen. And people thought that we were going to heeome extinct. But we, the lāhui, have endured.' "But I refuse to endure having our own people, my people, have hakakā (arguing/fighting) with and among eaeh other," Makuakāne said. "You want to do that? You go do that in your own house, but you don't go putting your dirty laundry outside where everybody ean see, where everybody ean hear. Makuakāne said having differing opinions is fine. "It's okay to have different mana'o from other kānaka," he said. "It is not okay to belittle another kanaka's dignity. Because when we do that, we unknowingly belittle another kanaka's mo'okū'auhau. Because when you speak to them, you also speak to the family that has been here with them and still continues to be with them. So we never speak ill about other kānaka, mueh less anybody else." On Dec. 12, at the first meeting of the new board, trustees unanimously selected Lindsey to return as board chair and selected the rest of its leadership including leads for its two standing committees. SEE HE HO'OMAKA H0U 0N PAGE 20

HE HO'OMAKA HOU

Continued from page 19 Lindsey is a former properties administrator for Maui Land & Pineapple Co. as well as a former administrator for the County of Maui's Land Use and Codes Division. She has owned her own real estate company for more than 40 years, is a long-time member of the 'Ahahui Ka'ahumanu, and an active member of the Central Maui Hawaiian Civic Club. She is also an award-winning recording artist. Trask was selected as vice chair of the full board, while Waihe'e will chair the Committee on Resource Management assisted by Vice Chair Alapa. Akaka will chair the Committee on Beneficiary Advocacy and Empowerment. "I am beyond honored to see the faith and confidence that my fellow trustees have placed in me, and I promise them that I will continue to work as hard as I have since first accepting this leadership role two years ago," Lindsey said. "We will continue to share our message of working together in a spirit of unity and lōkahi, and we will strive to do our very best in bettering the lives of the Native Hawaiian community because that is what our Deoole trulv deserve." ■

Following the formal investiture af Kawaiaha'o Church, guesfs continued the celebration at ū festive luneheon lū'au style at Hakuone, 0HA's property at Kaka'ako Makai. The event was cafered by Haili's Hawaiian Foods and enferfainment was provided by a trio of musicians led by Iwalani Apo. Guests were also treated to impromptu performances by trustee/musicians Carmen "Hulu" Lindsey and Keoni Souza, eaeh of whom took a turn on the stage to the delight of the crowd. - Photos: Joshua Koh