Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 24, Number 10, 1 October 2007 — Amend Home Lands Act [ARTICLE]

Amend Home Lands Act

Those who are pleased with the recent reshuffling of the Hawai'i Civil Rights Commission use the guise that they just want a say in the political process determining the future of their home. The trath of the matter, however, is that these folks don't just want to get involved in deteimining the future of "their home." Rather, they seek to meddle into Hawaiian lands and other programs that are, quite frankly, not their business. Since 1921, Hawaiians have had lands set aside for us under the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act. Almost immediately, these lands became a polhieal football as everyone and his brother tried to figure out how to get a pieee of them at little cost. We are plagued by government entities awarding eheap leases of our lands to big-box retailers and other non-Hawaiian causes, wliieh have no frnancial benefrt to the Hawaiian people. In fact, such leases are actually detrimental to the mission of these programs. Additionally, Hawaiians are constantly bombarded by non-Hawaiians trying to determine our iight to self-determination. Hawaiians deserve the same rights.

no more no less, afforded to Native Americans on the U.S. continent; it's also pertinent to point out that Native Americans on the continent were never one single nation united under one government that was recognized globally, as Hawai'i was before the overthrow. The most effrcient way to achieve self-determination is by amending the Hawahan Homes Commission Act, whieh is an existing pieee of federal legislation, rather than crafting new legislation. I beheve, as did our frrst delegate to the U.S. Congress, Piinee Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole, that all Hawaiians, regardless of blood quantum and residency, should and ean have the opportunity to benefrt from such programs and participate in this process. Whitney ī Anderson Waimānalo, O'ahu