Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 35, Number 1, 1 January 2018 — By Davianna McGregor, Ph.D. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

By Davianna McGregor, Ph.D.

Lā ho'omana'o, the Hawaiian won for "anniversary," translates into ; time to remember, recall, eommem orate, reflect deeply on, meditate This year, 2018 marks several sig nificant lā ho'omana'o to reflec upon. As we acknowledge thesi historic times, let us ask ourselves are we better off as a people because of what occurre( decades or centuries ago? Would we want to erase an; of these events or have these events, good or bad, dis tinctly shaped our national identity? The mapping of the Hawaiian Islands in 1778 by Capt. James Cook, when he voyaged through the islands

240 years ago, led to a world system of trade between Europe, the Americas and China. Abraham Fornander, in An Account ofthe Polynesian 1 Race, Volume 2, p. 186, summed up Cook's visit as follows: e 1 And how did Captain Cook requite this boundless hospitality, that never e onee made default during his long stay of seventeen days in Kealakekua Bay

... By imposing on their good nature to the utmost limit ofits ability to respond to the greedy and constant calls oftheir newfriends ... by gi\'ing the king a linen shirt and a cutlass in return for feather cloaks and helmets,

whieh, irrespective oftheir value as insignia ofthe highest nohili in the la?id, were worth singly at leastfromfive to ten thousand dollars, at present phee ... by a reckless disregard of the

proprieties ofordinary intercourse. The process of establishing a private system of land ownership was called Ka Māhele. In 1848, 170 years ago, the kin" ^iiip was \^anwu ±va ±v±aiiG±u. ±u ±oto, ± / \j )ta±s u±v i\jlij

and the chiefs reached an agreement about whieh lands eaeh would remove their interest from so that the other may own the title. The king received 2.5 million acres and turned over 1.5 million to the chiefs and the people

and the Legislature declared these to be the government lands. They retained 984,000 acres and the chiefs combined received 1.6 million acres. All of these lands were "subject or reserved only to the rights of the tenants." As the tenants received

only 28,600 acres, their rights in the crown and government lands are still reserved. The king and the chiefs also reserved the right of the people to access public and private lands to exercise traditional and customary rights.

Jan. 17, 2018 will mark the 125tl anniversary of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy by the

U.S. government, and November 2018 will mark the 25th anniversary of Public Law 103-150, the official Apology of the U.S. Congress and the President of the United States to the "Native Hawaiians on behalf of the people of the United States for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii on January 17, 1893 with the participation of agents and citizens of the United States, and the deprivation of the rights of Native Hawaiians to self-determination." (107 Stat. 15 13) Throughout the territorial period, distinctly Native Hawaiian organizations continued or were established to exercise the inherent sovereignty of the Native Hawaiian people and to advocate for our well-being and the perpetuation of our culture. These included the four rr\\ 7 o I 1J r\\ j n I I lr/*i /-\*r I/ aman aman o I tna

royal societies - the Royal Order of Kamehameha I, the Society, the Hale O Nā Ali'i O Hawai'i and Māmakakaua - the Daughters and Sons of Hawaiian Warriors. Prince Kūhiō established the Ahahui Pu'uhonua o nā in 1914 and 100 years ago, in 1918, he founded the Hawaiian Civic Clubs whieh continue to be active on every main island and on the U.S. continent.

tate of Hawai'i constitutional conventions (Con Con) were held in 1950, 1969 and 40 years ago in 1978. In 2018 Hawai'i's voters will again be asked if they want to hold a constitutional convention. A lot is at stake for Native Hawaiians if a eon- . „

stitutional convention is held because the 1978 Con Con incorporated several key articles into the constitution that recognize and protect Native Hawaiian rights. First, Native Hawaiians are acknowledged to be a beneficiary of

the ceded public lands trust together with the general public. Second, the Hawaiian language is an official language of the state together with English. Third, the state reaffirms and protects all rights traditionally and "■";tomarily exercised by Native Hawaiians for subsistence, cultural (luiiiaiii^ LAULihLU uy i>aLivu ±±awaiiaiia ±ui ōuuōiōiuill, uunuiai

and religious purposes. Fourth, the state promotes the study of Hawaiian culture, history and language. Fifth, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs was established. K..s

The final event is the awesome, magnificent and inspiring eruption of Kīlauea Volcano at Pu'u 'O'oKupaianaha, 35 years ago on January 3, 1983, making it the longest-lived reft-zone eruption of the last two centuries. Pele continues to erupt,

invigorate and remind us of our heritage as the indigenous people of these islands A who, like her, endure and create li our destiny. Lonoikamakahiki ! I Hau 'oli Makahiki Hou ! ! ■

i Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees oversee an agency established in 1 978 to s address historic injustices against Hawaiians. - Photo: KWO File

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