Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 11, 1 November 2010 — Keeping Kuleana lands in Hawaiian hands [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Keeping Kuleana lands in Hawaiian hands

Keep Hawaiian lands in Hawaiian hands was the sentiment as OHA and members of the Hawaiian conununity lobbied for property tax exemptions for kuleana land owners. Traditional Hawaiians lived a subsistence lifestyle believing their existence was tied to the land. To them losing these lands meant losing a part of your family and your history. "We gathered kūpuna, Hawaiian language schools and students from Kahuku and we went to lobby the City Council," said kuleana land owner Dawn Wasson. "We presented ourselves and stated that the City Council members were going to be doing the right thing for Native Hawaiians, and that for the first time they could make an impact in the lives of kuleana land owners." The measure passed, and on May 3, 2007, then-Mayor Mufi Hannemann signed it into law. Descendants of Hawaiians who received land under the 1850 Kuleana Land Act were then eligible to be exempt from paying all but a minimum in property tax per year on their residential or agricultural land. OHA Trustee Rowena Akana initiated the agency's support for the tax exemptions. With OHA's help "we were able to get together to do our family genealogy, and we were able to get all our documents to prove we were lineal descendants," said Wasson. "And then, we were able to qualify. We were the first family to qualify for the tax exemption." Genealogy verification by OHA or a court order ean help applicants qualify. The other counties now have similar ordinances. However, the qualifications and the minimum annual tax amounts vary: Honolulu's minimum property tax if you are exempt is $300; Hawai'i, $100; Kaua'i, $25 and Maui is zero. "It helped us pull our family closer together," Wasson reflected. "It helped us pay off the existing taxes." — Francine Murray ■

Ea: Government

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