Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 1, 1 January 1992 — Proud to be Hawaiian [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Proud to be Hawaiian

By Louis Hao Trustee, Moloka'i and Lana'i

Aloha Mai, Let's begin the year right. Hauoli Makahiki Hou! 1992 ean become a progressive year for us as Hawaiians. Be proud that we are Hawaiians, have pride in ourselves and our culture, appre-

ciate our heritage and share the aloha spirit nrst among ourselves and then with others. Hawaiians helping Hawaiians — 'ohana helping 'ohana. Unity cannot be possible without the realization that we are one people, one 'ohana, and inevitably there will be the unification of Hawaiians. We are native to Hawai'i, we are Hawai'i and Hawai'i is our homeland. The most challenging issue confronting Hawaiians today is the changing of our 'aina for eeonomie gains by other people, the exploitation of our 'aina for certain ethnic groups not of Hawai'i. Hawaiians are the greatest philanthropists in the world; we have given so mueh and received so little. Our ali'i have provided so mueh land for

the needs of people; lands for religious purposes and churches, lands for educational endeavors and facilities, lands for parks and recreation, lands for hospitals and health concerns, lands for cemeteries, lands for government facilities to serve the general public. Look around us today, these precious gifts are present — Kapi'olani Park, Queens Hospital, 'Iolani Palaee, McKinley High School, University of Hawai'i, to name just a few. 'Aina that were not given were wrongly taken. As a result of the illegal overthrow of our queen in 1893 and the annexation of Hawai'i into the union in 1898, the United States government assumed title to approximately 1.75 million acres. In 1959, upon statehood, the federal government returned to the new state of Hawai'i 1.35 million acres, keeping 400,000 acres of prime land for military purposes and as a first line of defense for the continental United States. The redistribution of Hawaiian lands between the federal, state, and respective counties was eonsummated by executive orders without fully addressing the needs of the Hawaiian people who owned the land in the first plaee. The Constitution of the United States of

America and the Bill of Rights guarantee us all a process to right a wrong. Our poliheal leaders in the halls of Congress, at the state Legislature, and in the chambers of eaeh county eouneil are obligated to a just solution and must recognize the claims of the Hawaiian people to the ceded lands now held in trust by the federal government, the state of Hawai'i and respective eounties. Upon us today is the question of sovereignty — the right to self-determination and a self-gov-erning status. The promise of justice is more demonstrable in the United States of America than in any other country. We have endured for nearly 100 years. Another year only brings us closer to the fundamental solution of building our cause — healing the wounds of a grave injustice of our people. I certainly look forward to a progressive 1992, because I feel America's most challenging issue is her standing in the international community. The world community will observe her treatment in healing the wounds of the Hawaiian people, and in building a world society in whieh people of diverse backgrounds live as members of one family. Ha'a Heo Ka Poe Hawai'i