Bringing you today’s stories on issues important to Native communities.  NewsClips is a complimentary service of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.  For information and updates on our training workshops and events, please visit our Web site at: www.hawaiiancouncil.org.

 

 

September 7, 2005

 

 

Posted on: Monday, September 5, 2005

 

Hawai'i's charter schools still keeping up

 

By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Education Writer

 

For the second straight year, Hawai'i's 27 charter schools have kept pace with traditional public schools under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, with 37 percent meeting the state's academic targets.

 

However, this is a decline of 18 percentage points from last year (a difference of two schools), due in part to significantly higher benchmarks in reading and math that eluded the majority of public schools across the state, regardless of type.

 

Despite the setback, 13 of the 27 charter schools are still in good standing under the law after last spring's administration of the Hawai'i State Assessment and will remain there if they hit the targets next year.

 

But an equal number have missed their targets for three years, and another — Kualapu'u on Moloka'i — is now subject to restructuring, the most severe sanction under the federal law.

 

Charters, which are public schools with their own local school boards, have the flexibility to choose their own curricula and teaching strategies but are bound by the same academic standards as other Department of Education schools.

 

The first charter school, Wai'alae Elementary, converted in 1995. Lanikai soon followed, and the rest of the schools have opened or converted since 2000.

 

While charter schools nationally have underperformed compared with regular public schools, for the past two years — the only years they have been treated as their own "district" — Hawai'i's charters have at least kept up with the rest of the state.

 

Kualapu'u's status presents an interesting case because schools in restructuring could potentially be converted to charter schools under the No Child Left Behind Act.

 

The small rural school made the decision for itself before reaching the point where it would be forced into action under the law.

 

"Kualapu'u actually preemptively converted to charter because they knew where they were headed," said Jim Shon, executive director of the Charter School Administrative Office.

 

However, a year has not been enough time for the school to completely reverse its downward trend, he said.

 

At this point, there is no clear definition of what restructuring will mean at that or any charter school, but it will be a few years before any other school is threatened with the penalty.

 

"It's kind of exciting in a sense to have the luxury of one school to sort out what restructuring will mean," Shon said.

 

Shon does not expect that charters or any other schools will be spared the fate as the No Child Left Behind Act targets get even harder to reach.

 

"It's an inevitable march of all schools toward restructuring as each year's proficiency ramps up even more," he said.

 

While the charter school numbers look favorable when compared with traditional schools, their sample size is significantly smaller — 27, compared with 255 traditional schools.

 

In addition, those with small student-populations may not have to separate out their disadvantaged, disabled or non-native English speakers, which have to reach proficiency on their own if there are 40 or more such students per grade.

 

DOE spokesman Greg Knudsen offered further cautions against making comparisons between charter and traditional schools, or even considering charter schools as a whole.

 

"It really takes examination on a school-by-school basis," he said.

 

In addition, he points out that one reason fewer charters are being sanctioned is that many have not been in existence long enough to even be subject to the more severe penalties.

 

Shon agrees that considering charters as a whole doesn't work well, considering that there are vast differences between the 27 schools, which include rural and urban schools, Hawaiian immersion schools, Hawaiian culture-based schools, schools that converted from traditional schools and those that started from scratch.

 

"It's hard to respond to (adequate yearly progress) challenges in any generic way," he said.

 

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

Native Hawaiian Conference Wraps Up

 

HONOLULU – The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement wrapped up its 4th annual conference on Friday.  More than 900 people gathered for the four-day conference to discuss current topics important to Native Hawaiian communities, including education, housing, the economy, the Akaka Bill and the Kamehameha Schools lawsuit. 

 

On the last day of the conference, a special luncheon was held, dedicated to Hawaii’s veterans and current military men and women. Keynote speaker U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka emphasized that Native and Pacific peoples have one of the highest records of military service per capita of any group in the United States.  The audience was shown a very moving video that was dedicated to 1st Lt. Nainoa Hoe, who lost his life in Iraq earlier this year.  The Kamehameha Schools graduate was among 2,200 soldiers in Hawaii’s 29th Infantry Brigade deployed to Iraq.  Afterward a ceremonial presentation was performed by Pa Ku‘i A Holo.  Donned in traditional malo and lei, the group chanted and performed rituals to honor Nainoa Hoe as well as all the other Hawaiian warriors. 

 

Brigadier General Irwin Cockett Jr. paid homage to the veterans who have defended America, especially to those who have called Hawaii their home. “Nainoa responded to the call of duty,” Cockett said. “He made the greatest sacrifice for his country.”

 

“This is a fitting day to honor the Hawaiian warriors and all warriors,” said Lt. General John Brown.  “Today is the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.  We should be proud of all the men and women who gave their lives for their country.”

 

CNHA’s CEO & President Robin Danner summed up the luncheon, showing how cultural heritage and patriotism can work together:  “It is not at all a struggle for us to balance love of our country and the kuleana of cultural heritage – it is not an either-or proposition but rather an additional responsibility born from an inherent connection to our homeland.”

 

CNHA is a national, member-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides support services to organizations serving native communities.  CNHA’s primary expertise is in community development, technical assistance and training, public policy initiatives, and the coordination of events and conferences focused on native community development issues.  For more information on CNHA call 521.5011 (800.709.2642 toll free) or visit www.hawaiiancouncil.org. 

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Thursday, September 1, 2005

 

City joins Kamehameha Schools rehearing bid

 

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

 

Honolulu and a national private-schools organization yesterday joined a growing list of government and private entities that support a request by Kamehameha Schools for judges to rehear the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that struck down the school's policy that bars non-Native Hawaiian students.

 

Kamehameha Schools is requesting that a larger panel of the appeals court's judges rehear the case. In a 2-1 ruling Aug. 2, the appeals panel said the school's policy of admitting only students with Hawaiian blood violates civil rights laws.

 

The court has until Sept. 13 to vote on the motion or to request an opinion from the original three judges on whether to rehear the case, according to a Kamehameha Schools spokesman.

 

On Tuesday, Hawai'i's congressional delegation filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the school's request. Sens. Dan Inouye and Daniel Akaka, along with Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Ed Case, all Democrats, wrote that Congress recognizes Kamehameha's policy because it remedies "educational imbalances faced by Native Hawaiian children."

 

Earlier, similar briefs were filed by the state attorney general, the Japanese American Citizens League-Hawai'i Chapter, Native Hawaiian Legal Corp., Native Hawaiian Bar Association, Na 'A'ahuhiwa, 'Ilio'ulaokalani Coalition and three Mainland civil-rights groups.

 

Yesterday, Mayor Mufi Hannemann said Honolulu also filed a friend-of-the-court brief because "I wanted to demonstrate my deep belief that the court ignored the expressed will of Princess Pauahi, and ... overlooked the reality of today's Hawai'i."

 

The school also announced yesterday that a brief was filed by the National Association of Independent Schools, which represents more than 1,200 private schools.

 

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

Native Groups Show Support for Akaka Bill and Kamehameha Schools

 

Honolulu – The Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) and the National Indian Education Association announced that they have filed “amicus briefs” (friend of the court briefs) in support of the Kamehameha Schools petition for a full panel review by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court.

 

“This is a huge step for Native Hawaiians everywhere,” said Ray Soon, past CNHA board chairman.  “You cannot walk through the halls of Congress without noticing the tribal support Hawaiians have received.”

 

More than 125 Indian and Alaska  natives have joined the conference this week to show support for Native Hawaiian issues.  At today’s press conference, Alaska state senator and AFN co-chair Albert Kookesh said, “This is just the latest example of the longstanding collaboration between native peoples and our shared belief in the right of self-determination for each distinct native community in America.”

 

Kamehameha Schools’ CEO Dee Jay Mailer showed her appreciation for the support.  “We are grateful for this support.  It’s comforting to have a group who’s faced and overcome similar challenges in the past join us in this battle.”

 

Other highlighted events from today’s conference included the Hawaiian Way Fund Luncheon where $50,000 raised by the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) was distributed to various small, grass-roots, Hawaiian nonprofit organizations that work in the areas of education, health, housing, economic and community development, cultural preservation, etc. Governor Linda Lingle provided a moving keynote address and announced to the 600 luncheon attendees she intends to head back to Washington, D.C., on Sunday with Micah Kane, chairman of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, to support the Akaka Bill.  Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, David Cole, Maui Land & Pine, and Clyde Nāmu‘o, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, also participated in today’s conference as guest speakers.

 

Today’s conference will wrap up with the Native Hawaiian GRAMMY® Awards Banquet.  The banquet will celebrate the establishment of the Native Hawaiian music category and honor its first-ever nominees.  In attendance will be Charles Brotman and various artists from the GRAMMY®-winning CD “Slack Key Guitar, Volume 2,” Amy Hanaiali‘i & Willie K., Keali‘i Reichel, and other nominees.  Senator Daniel K. Akaka will make a special keynote address.

 

The theme for this year’s conference is “Na Wai Ke Kuleana? Na Kakou! – Who is Responsible?  We All Are!”  The conference continues tomorrow at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel and wraps up on

September 2.

 

CNHA is a national, member-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides support services to organizations serving native communities.  CNHA’s primary expertise is in community development, technical assistance and training, public policy initiatives, and the coordination of events and conferences focused on native community development issues.  For more information on CNHA call 521.5011 (800.709.2642 toll free) or visit www.hawaiiancouncil.org. 

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Wednesday, September 7, 2005

 

State officials still hope for Akaka bill debate

 

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Staff Writer

 

Gov. Linda Lingle, officials with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Hawai'i's congressional delegation continue to be optimistic that the Akaka bill will be heard this session, despite the recent shift in attention on Capitol Hill to helping Gulf Coast residents affected by Hurricane Katrina.

 

Senators had been scheduled to hear a cloture vote yesterday that would have forced a vote on the Akaka bill on the floor of the Senate, but Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., postponed the vote to allow lawmakers to concentrate on legislation to help disaster victims, address rising gasoline prices, Supreme Court justice nominees and other recent developments.

 

Lingle, who flew to Washington for the vote accompanied by Hawaiian Home Lands Chairman Micah Kane, said in a phone interview yesterday that she believes there is an "at least 50-50" chance that the cloture vote will be held before Congress adjourns later this fall.

 

The Akaka bill, also known as the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005, creates a process that would eventually lead to the establishment of a Native Hawaiian government that would be recognized by the U.S. government, similar to the political status given to Native Americans and Alaska natives.

 

"My guess, and it's only a guess, would be two to three weeks," Lingle said. "I feel as if we've explained what there is to know about it, we've worked through all of the issues that the Justice Department and the White House had. There's just no reason for further delay at this time."

 

Lingle said she spoke to about 10 Republican senators on the Senate floor yesterday, among them Frist and Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Arizona, a major opponent of the bill.

 

Donalyn Dela Cruz, spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka, D-Hawai'i, the namesake for the bill, said her boss was doing what he could to ensure the bill would be heard this session.

 

"It's too early to say it's not going to happen," Dela Cruz said. "The senator is going to continue to push for this bill to be heard, at least get the cloture motion back on the floor."

 

She added: "The senator has spent the past six years just trying to get it to this point, and the fact that it's come this far speaks volumes. But he will continue to press the majority leader to get a date before adjournment."

 

The Senate initially was to adjourn in early October, but its Web page now says the target adjournment date is "to be announced."

 

OHA administrator Clyde Namu'o also had traveled to Washington, along with seven of the nine OHA trustees, in anticipation of a cloture vote.

 

Namu'o said the trustees were expected to stay through today when they will meet with Lingle, representatives of OHA-hired law firm Patton Boggs, and the congressional delegation to discuss strategy.

 

"I think after that discussion, we'll have a better sense of what's going on and what the time schedule might look like," Namu'o said.

 

Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawai'i, also is pushing for a vote, according to Mike Yuen, Inouye's spokesman.

 

"The senator is working with other members of the delegation to try an ensure the bill comes up for a cloture vote as soon as possible given the circumstances we find ourselves in right now," Yuen said.

 

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

CNHA Reacts to 9th Circuit Court Ruling in Arakaki v. Lingle

 

Honolulu – The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in the Arakaki v. Lingle case.  “Although we haven’t read the decision closely, we are enthused that the court affirmed the dismissal of all claims related to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and OHA’s administration of the 5(f) revenues,” said Robin Danner, president and CEO of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.  “This case highlights the absolute need for passage of the Akaka Bill this year.  Congress must clarify that our relationship with this great nation is a political one.”

 

“The Akaka Bill is vital to the survival of the Native Hawaiian people, and the perpetuation of the culture of Hawaii,” said Jade Danner, vice president, information and government affairs.  “It represents an important measure of justice for Native Hawaiians – justice which is a critical component to the aloha spirit that prevails in this state.”

 

“As homesteaders, today’s decision is a victory and reaffirms in our mind this nation’s commitment to recognize that Native Hawaiians are indigenous to these islands,” said Tony Sang, chairman of the State Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations (SCHHA), representing 25 Hawaiian Home Land communities throughout the state.  “More than ever, this case demonstrates the need for Congress to pass S. 147 to provide clarity for everyone about America’s policy on its first peoples.”

 

“We must not waver in our support of the Akaka Bill.  The bill’s opposition is always trying to paint its outcomes as the most extreme picture.  The truth is, most Native Hawaiians want a process to work with their non-Hawaiian neighbors to find what is just and right, and that’s the future the Akaka Bill provides,” said Blossom Feiteira, President, Hui Kako‘o ‘Aina Ho‘opulapula. “There is much more work to be done.” 

 

SCHHA, Hui Kako‘o ‘Aina Ho‘opulapula and the I Mua Group make up CNHA’s Public Policy Advisory Committee. 

 

CNHA is a national, member-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides support services to organizations serving native communities.  CNHA’s primary expertise is in community development technical assistance and training, public policy initiatives, and the coordination of events and conferences focused on native community development issues.  For more information on CNHA call 521.5011 (800.709.2642 toll free) or visit www.hawaiiancouncil.org. 

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Thursday, August 25, 2005

 

New amendments address gambling, military interference

 

By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

 

Hawai'i's senators and the Lingle administration have agreed to several amendments to a Native Hawaiian federal recognition bill in the hopes of making it more palatable to the Bush administration and Republicans who have blocked the bill from moving in the U.S. Congress.

 

The revisions are an attempt to satisfy issues raised by the U.S. Department of Justice in July, and would clarify that the bill would not sanction gambling, interfere with the military, create any new claims against the United States or exempt Native Hawaiians from criminal or other laws.

 

Gov. Linda Lingle and a spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, the bill's main sponsor, said yesterday the Bush administration has supported the amendments. The Republican governor also said she doubted the administration, which has not taken a position on the bill, would now oppose the bill after it worked with the state and Hawai'i senators on the changes.

 

"They did raise issues that they thought were a concern and I think we've worked hard to address them," Lingle said yesterday at a luncheon honoring veterans at Washington Place.

 

The bill, which has been held for five years because of Republican opposition, could come up for a critical vote in the U.S. Senate in early September. Akaka needs the votes of 60 of the chamber's 100 senators to end procedural delays and bring the bill to the floor for debate.

 

The bill would recognize Native Hawaiians as an indigenous people and create a process for Hawaiians to form their own government. The amendments respond to some of the misgivings by Republican senators that led to holds on the bill in July, when a vote had been expected, but they do not change what has been at the core of Republican criticism.

 

Conservatives believe the bill would give preferences to Native Hawaiians based solely on their race and is unconstitutional. Bruce Fein, a constitutional lawyer who has been working with the Grassroot Institute of Hawai'i against the bill, said he doubts the amendments will be persuasive.

 

"That really wasn't the basis for objection. These are really marginal elements," Fein said. "It speaks to a different universe."

 

Supporters have concentrated on getting the bill through the Senate, but opposition has also started to surface in the U.S. House of Representatives, where the Republican majority often enforces much stricter discipline on its members. "If (Majority Leader) Tom DeLay does not want it to go to the floor, it's not going to the floor," Fein said.

 

The exact language for the amendments has not been released, but Lingle assured Republican senators in a letter Tuesday that all parties had agreed to the changes. On gambling, an issue raised by senators in July, Lingle wrote that the language would be "definitive, plain and unambiguous."

 

Lingle also wrote that the bill's opponents have challenged the integrity and honesty of Hawai'i senators and her administration, and have made "very wild arguments," including that it would lead to secession. She wrote that the bill would specifically clarify that recognition for Native Hawaiians would not go beyond what is already available to American Indians or Alaska Natives.

 

"One of my primary reasons for supporting the bill is that Hawai'i's indigenous people are the only indigenous people of the United States not afforded recognition, and that this is both unfair and unjust," wrote Lingle, who plans to be in Washington, D.C., for the September vote.

 

Donalyn Dela Cruz, a spokeswoman for Akaka, said the amendments do not change the foundation of the bill but could help ease the concerns of some senators. "The agreement maintains the intent and purpose in extending the federal policy of self-governance and self-determination to Hawai'i's indigenous people," she said.

 

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

Sunday, August 28, 2005

 

Schools get funds for Native Hawaiian Education Program

Maui News

 

WASHINGTON – Three Molokai schools will receive grants for educational programs that serve Native Hawaiian students, as part of the Native Hawaiian Education Program, Rep. Ed Case has announced.

 

Case, D-Hawaii, said he recommended that the U.S. Department of Education conduct an outreach effort for communities with large populations of Native Hawaiians, after he learned that there were few applications to the funding program set up by Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii.

 

“The purpose of the Native Hawaiian Education Program is to support innovative projects that enhance educational services to Native Hawaiian children and adults,” he said.

 

Noting that his 2nd Congressional District includes a large Hawaiian population, Case said he asked for workshops to assist constituencies on each of the islands in preparing applications for programs to benefit Hawaiian students.

 

Grants were awarded to 11 projects on four islands, including the three awarded to Molokai schools. According to Case, the Molokai projects are:

 

·        Kaunakakai Elementary School, $281,187 for a project to support after-school and out-of-school educational activities, including monthly workshops for parents to get information about their children’s enrichment educational experiences.

·        Kualapuu School, $197,782 for Project Olelo, to expand access to culturally sensitive materials and to provide assistance for students to achieve proficiency in reading, math and other academic areas.

·        Ho’omana Hou High School, $190,782 awarded through the Molokai Community Service Council to train two Native Hawaiian teachers in a culturally sensitive instructional system aimed at improving student learning in reading, math and science.

 

The training program will seek to incorporate the island’s cultural resources such as Hawaiian fishponds in the curriculum.

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Tuesday, September 6, 2005

 

Kane'ohe preschool opening in mall lot

 

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer

 

KANE'OHE — Kamehameha Schools aims to open a $1.2 million preschool this month in the back parking lot of the Windward Mall.

 

The 72 seats for 3- and 4-year-olds are full this year, and anyone interested in enrolling their child for next year must sign up beginning this month.

 

The Kamehameha Pre-schools Kane'ohe site, serving children from Kane'ohe to Kahuku, is temporary, but the school is looking for a permanent home on the Windward side, said Kekoa Paulsen, estate spokesman. The temporary arrangement is an effort to make up for lost preschool classes in Hau'ula and La'ie.

 

Like the main campus in Honolulu, the preschool gives preference to children of Hawaiian ancestry, and if any spaces are open, other applicants will be enrolled, Paulsen said. No testing is required and children are selected by lottery, with an even number of boys and girls being enrolled.

 

Kamehameha Schools had operated preschools at Hau'ula and La'ie elementary schools for about a decade but decided to close those sites to open the spaces for public school operations and to protect the Kamehameha Schools admission policy, he said.

 

The decision was made after extensive discussion, Paulsen said.

 

"They're always pressed for facilities, and as part of our defense of our admission policy, we want to be clear of any public facilities so there's no question as to whether we can offer preference in admission," he said.

 

While operating on the state Department of Education sites, the Kamehameha Schools preschool did not adhere to its Hawaiians-first policy, Paulsen said, but the move had nothing to do with controlling who attended the preschools.

 

Kamehameha wants to work with the DOE and public schools to have Kamehameha on their campuses, he said.

 

"We just can't be so closely aligned that it appears we're fulfilling the function of a public provider," Paulsen said. "When you look at the laws that govern these things, we want to make sure we're just as clear as possible in both fact and perception."

 

On Aug. 2 the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the school's century-old policy of giving admissions preference to students of Hawaiian ancestry. The school was established under the 1883 will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, which created a trust now worth $6.2 billion that funds the school's campuses on O'ahu, Maui and the Big Island, educating 5,000 students each year in K-12 without federal funding.

 

The school has asked the 9th Circuit to reconsider its decision.

 

Raquel Pires, 24, said she felt fortunate that her son Zanen will attend the 4-year-old class at the Kane'ohe preschool because she recognizes the value of preschool, and Kamehameha has a good reputation.

 

"I think (Kamehameha) has a really good program," she said. "They showed us what is going to happen in school, and from what I see for far, I think it's going to be a good experience for him."

 

Pires said she was looking at another preschool that charges $500 a month compared with Kamehameha's $1,268 tuition for the whole year, but it had a waiting list.

 

Kamehameha Schools, which owns the Windward Mall, is also opening a new site on Keanu Street in Wai'alae, and both campuses, which are waiting final state approval, are expected to be open this month, said Charlene Hoe, interim dean of preschools at Kamehameha Schools. The new campuses are part of a 2001 decision to expand and serve 10,000 preschoolers by 2006.

 

"In both of these communities, Windward and Honolulu, we have a significant wait-list population," Hoe said, adding that there are nearly 1,000 on the wait list statewide, including 64 in Kane'ohe. "So we're trying to create additional spaces, but as you probably know, statewide ... there's not enough spaces for all children."

 

On average in the Islands, there is one preschool seat for every two children, Hoe said, adding that more and more educators and researchers are realizing that developing children's skills at an early age leads to lifelong learning abilities.

 

Some 50 percent to 80 percent of the brain synapses, connections between cells that lead to learning and development, are formed before a child reaches 5 years old, she said. Brain growth before that age influences the development of a child's cognitive, social, emotional, physical and individual abilities, Hoe said.

 

"What it doesn't mean is therefore you should be studying ABCs," she said. "What that does mean is you need to have a rich multisensory learning environment that helps supports the child's development."

 

The preschools focus on language development, literary skills and cultural practices, Hoe said, adding that parents can also provide these things to their children.

 

The program, which has 31 sites throughout the state, educates more that 1,500 students in 82 classrooms, she said. Tuition for the school is $1,268. One school charges more, $1,596, because it serves lunch. Scholarships are available to the students who attend the Kamehameha program or any other private preschool.

 

Although preschoolers are in the Kamehameha system, their placement doesn't guarantee they will be accepted at any of the campuses for kindergarten because there are only 160 slots for kindergartners, Hoe said.

 

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

EXCLUSIVE REPORTS

From the August 26, 2005 print edition

 

OHA big money on media

 

Kristen Consillio

Pacific Business News

 

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has tripled the amount of money it is spending to promote Native Hawaiian issues, launching an ambitious campaign that includes everything from T-shirts to TV shows.

 

OHA spent $1.3 million in the fiscal year that just ended and plans to spend $1.36 million in the coming year. That is up from $439,000 in fiscal 2004.

 

The OHA initiative has provided an unexpected windfall to local media used to seeing big money for issue campaigns only in election years.

 

In recent months, OHA has sponsored events like the Na Hoku Hanohano music awards, aired radio and TV commercials promoting its newspaper and Hawaiian registry, booked newspaper ads supporting passage of the Akaka Bill and produced a 30-minute TV special. It also is handing out bumper stickers, pens and T-shirts.

 

In addition, OHA gave PBS Hawaii a $121,250 grant last month to produce a television documentary on Hawaii's alii trusts.

 

The spending comes at a time when trustees say OHA needs to bring its constituents together on critical issues such as the Akaka Bill, which aims to give federal recognition to Native Hawaiians.

 

"In OHA's history we've never spent this kind of money," said trustee Oswald Stender of Honolulu. "One reason is because we didn't have the money at that time, and two there's never been an issue more urgent than the Akaka Bill."

 

OHA last month took out a two-page ad for about $26,000 in the Sunday edition of The Honolulu Advertiser, detailing its support of the Akaka Bill.

 

In the past year, OHA partially subsidized a documentary on Native Hawaiians produced by Edgy Lee and related media productions totaling $262,000. It also has spent thousands on sponsorships of Hawaiian programs and events.

 

It hired a public information specialist, Keaumiki Akui, specifically for governance issues.

 

"It was an unusually large chunk of money to do that," said Manu Boyd, OHA's director of public information, referring to the newspaper ad. "The Edgy Lee film -- that was unprecedented -- and the two-page Sunday ad is something not typical of what we would do."

 

Haunani Apoliona, chairwoman of the trustees, did not return calls from PBN.

 

While trustees approve OHA's overall budget, they typically don't get involved in individual expenditures, leaving those decisions to administrator Clyde Namuo.

 

"For us, the legal challenges are the reasons our communications strategy has changed and why our expenditures are so much greater than in past years," Namuo said. "The purpose for increasing our communication is to get the community ready for self-determination."

 

Over the last year, the agency has put out significantly more periodicals, as well as advertisements promoting the Kau Inoa Native Hawaiian registry, the Native Hawaiian Coalition, the Akaka Bill, the OHA newspaper and other outreach programs.

 

Several OHA trustees said that while they knew the agency was spending more on its communications strategy, they didn't know how much was being spent.

 

"They don't break it up into subaccounts and that's why the problem," said Trustee Donald Cataluna of Kauai. "It's put under big subjects. We do have a budget approved for the fiscal year but in that budget it's not specific enough."

 

Until recently, OHA operated on an annual budget of about $17 million. OHA receives about $2.5 million from the state and the balance of its budget from its trust fund from ceded land revenue.

 

OHA trustees voted to increase their budget this year by about $10 million, with more money devoted to expand education and grant programs.

 

In the last month, OHA spent $19,000 to air on KHON during prime time three broadcasts of a 30-minute special called "The Hawaiian Connection." Boyd said it cost about $5,000 to send three staff members to the Mainland to tape the show but that all of the production was done in-house.

 

The show featured interviews with Native Hawaiians living in the Washington, D.C.-area, focusing on their enjoyment of Hawaiian food, culture and activities like hula and canoe-paddling far from home.

 

The show, hosted by Boyd, closed with a "blooper reel" of outtakes from the interviews.

 

"I found out about that show 24 hours before I saw it on TV," Cataluna said. "I don't know what the point was because I didn't really like that show, and I especially didn't like the end showing all the bloopers -- it was kind of childish.

 

"Most people don't realize Hawaiians are the only ones that don't have a country to go to. So we want to let people know about this. That to me should've been the main issue for these television programs, not to see what they eat in Washington, D.C. -- that turned me off."

 

Cataluna said he doesn't have an issue with the amount of money the agency is spending to promote issues such as the passage of the Akaka Bill but said the trustees don't know whether the money is being spent haphazardly and with no way to measure its impact.

 

Trustee Boyd Mossman of Maui said he supports the expenditures because of what is at stake with federal recognition.

 

"Are these expenditures hitting the mark? As far as I'm concerned on federal recognition they're being used with the objective in mind; however, all of us have ideas on how we could better spend the money on any particular objective," Mossman said. "I would've spent more on federal recognition. I would've had more ads on TV on why we need federal recognition. [But] the more reasonable of us realize that we cannot be micromanaging this organization."

 

Namuo said the multifaceted outreach plan is getting results.

 

"Considering that we had probably 2,000 or 3,000 Kau Inoa registrations a year ago and we're up to almost 28,000 now, I would suggest we're hitting our market," Namuo said. "It may not all be related to promoting the Akaka Bill, but it's all related to organizing the community."

 

kconsillio@bizjournals.com | 955-8036

 

 

 

 

August 21, 2005

 

Indian clinic celebrates healthy living

 

By Ken Raymond

The Oklahoman

Rudolph Coody was a competitor long before he became an amputee.

 

"I've never lost that competitive desire, you know," said Coody, 65, who lost his right leg to diabetes seven years ago. "Even when I sit down and play checkers, I try to beat my wife. She always beats me, you know, but I give her the best round I can."

 

Coody's zest for living is why he got up early Saturday to participate in the seventh annual "Walk for Wellness" at State Fair Park -- a mile-long stroll to encourage healthy living and physical activity.

 

The event was part of the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic's 30-year anniversary celebration, which included a powwow.

 

"It's special for us because this is the first powwow we've ever sponsored," said Robyn Sunday-Allen, the clinic's chief operating officer. "We wanted to do something to honor the patients, and we thought this would be a great way to do that."

 

Organizers expected at least 500 people to attend.

 

"We have 40 health promotion and educational booths set up," said Michelle Jesse, a registered nurse. "If they go to each of the 40 booths, they ... are registered to win exercise bikes."

 

Participants were also treated to a free lunch: smoked turkey, cole slaw, baked beans and sugar-free lemonade, Jesse said.

 

"We're feeding them a healthy lunch," she said. "Tonight, they're going to serve a traditional Indian dinner, so we'll have corn soup, meat gravy and fry bread and things like that, as well as Indian tacos."

 

The health walk consumed much of the morning, with groups leaving on walks about every 15 minutes. For some, it was little more than a warm-up. For others, the trek was difficult.

 

"I go to the Indian clinic," said Margaret Carney, 64, of Oklahoma City. "I'm a patient there. They announced that there was going to be a walk, and I haven't been exercising, so I thought, 'OK, I can walk a mile.'"

 

She paused, looking rueful. "We walked two miles."

 

The morning's offerings included talks by distinguished speakers, including Sue Hale and Mary Daniel of Central Oklahoma Turning Point; Dr. Gordon H. Deckert, chairman of the policy committee of the Oklahoma Board of Health; and Bonnie Fowler and Jackie Landler of A Chance to Change.

 

Change is a big part of why Fred Tsoodle attended the event. Two years ago, he was diagnosed with diabetes.

 

"I came out here to get some more information about diabetes, about shoes and medication," said Tsoodle, 52, of Oklahoma City. "You know, just to keep up."

 

But he and Coody also came for the companionship.

 

"I wanted to see what was going on around here and see the people," Tsoodle said. "I've already seen one of my relatives out here that I haven't seen in quite a while, so that was nice."

 

Added Coody: "It's good to be out and see people ... talking and sharing and having good times instead of talking about your troubles and the gas prices and the war. I'm telling you, it takes a lot of pressure off."

 

What could be healthier?

 

 

 

 

September 6, 2005

 

Mainlanders pinch housing

 

A survey says that one-fifth of Maui and Kauai owners are mainland residents

 

Associated Press

 

WAILUKU » A new survey shows mainland residents own about 20 percent of the homes in Kauai and Maui counties.

 

SMS Consulting examined property tax records across the state to determine how many units had owners with mainland addresses.

 

Mainlanders owned 8 percent of the dwellings on the Big Island. Honolulu had the lowest ratio of the state's four counties at 4 percent.

 

Many of the houses and apartments owned by people who live outside the state are believed to be vacation homes the owners stay in for less than a month each year. They often rent them out to short-term vacationers when they are not staying in them.

 

Maui leaders expressed alarm at the numbers, saying they underscored the need for affordable housing for people who live on their islands.

 

"Whole communities on Maui are getting lost," says Maui County Council member Bob Carroll. "We have entire streets in Haiku where there are only two or three Maui residents left."

 

Overall, SMS found that mainlanders owned 13,000 condos and single-family homes in Maui.

 

SMS disclosed only the survey's general findings because it hopes to sell the complete results to government agencies and other organizations.

 

"For Maui this is shocking," said Faith Rex, president of SMS Consulting. "It's so extreme, it's so huge and it's recent, too. As a community, you're undergoing huge changes quickly, and that can be very unsettling."

 

Danny Mateo, chairman of the Housing and Human Services Committee on the Maui County Council, is fearful that the influx of rich mainland investors is creating a society of "haves and have-nots."

 

He said now that his committee has finished deliberations on the Hale Mua subdivision, it will begin crafting a long-overdue affordable-housing policy to get developers to provide more homes for the working class.

 

"Certain segments we need to take action on right now," said Mateo. "We need to change the numbers now."

 

Mateo also wants to look at restructuring property taxes on different types of agricultural land. Currently, agricultural lots used as "gentlemen estates" might pay the same rate as working farmers.

 

Hawaii has some of the most expensive housing prices in the nation while wages are below the national average.

 

The median price of home in Maui County was $679,000 in July, while on Kauai it hit a record of $700,000.

 

Pay in the state is low, in part because the state is dependent on low-wage service-sector jobs in the tourism industry. Hawaii's overall average wage stood at $36,300 in 2004, below the national average of $37,020.

 

The gap is straining workers and families.

 

"An ordinary person making minimum wages has got to work two jobs just to survive," said Jo-Ann Ridao, executive director of Lokahi Pacific, an independent, private nonprofit housing and community development organization.

 

"You're always so tired. How can you find a balance? How can you find the time to volunteer and make a difference in your community?"

 

Jon Matsuoka, dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Hawaii, said "the social divisions are becoming more and more clear" as wealthy mainland owners snap up more homes at breathtaking prices and property taxes rise for old-timers.

 

"Ultimately, people forced out of the housing market and into substandard housing have more stress factors with the rising cost of living," he said. "If they're only able to secure service positions that usually don't pay well, they'll have to work multiple jobs and deal with stress that often leads to things like substance abuse and domestic violence."

 

The tensions are also cropping up elsewhere, he added.

 

"There are race and class issues associated with this," continued Matsuoka. "You don't have rich Hawaiians living on the mainland buying these homes. Racial tensions are escalating around the Akaka Bill and the sacrosanct Hawaiian (entitlements) being challenged by people who don't think they're deserving. You have to look at the social ecology of this."

 

Maui Council member Carroll has introduced a bill to control vacation rentals.

 

Carroll said the bill would allow current operators of vacation rentals to obtain special use permits, but the permits would not transfer if the property were sold.

 

He hopes law would prompt the units to be owner-occupied or available for long-term rental once they are sold.

 

 

 

 

U.S. Housing Director Pledges Millions to Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

 

HONOLULU – More than 700 people gathered for the third day of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement’s (CNHA) annual conference.  Today’s conference continued to perpetuate Hawaiian culture with a special focus on Hawaiian Home Lands.

 

In a stunning announcement, Deputy Assistant Secretary Rodger Boyd of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development pledged millions of dollars to Hawaiian Home Lands.  “We’re happy to announce that Hawai‘i will receive more than $8 million in housing grants,” announced Boyd.  “It’s part of our goal to make homeownership a possibility for native people.”  Boyd also announced a grant that will make possible $1.5 million dollars in loans benefiting 11 families on Maui.

 

Today’s conference will wrap up with a banquet honoring King William Charles Lunalilo.  This is a program that shouldn’t be missed.  Thanks to a partnership with the Bishop Museum, there will be a special exhibit available for viewing which will include rare artifacts of the king.  The program will celebrate the life and times of King Lunalilo and his legacy of serving the elderly.

 

The theme for this year’s conference is “Na Wai Ke Kuleana? Na Kakou! – Who Is Responsible?  We All Are!”  The conference wraps up tomorrow at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel.

 

CNHA is a national, member-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides support services to organizations serving native communities.  CNHA’s primary expertise is in community development, technical assistance and training, public policy initiatives, and the coordination of events and conferences focused on native community development issues.  For more information on CNHA call 521.5011 (800.709.2642 toll free) or visit www.hawaiiancouncil.org. 

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Monday, September 5, 2005

 

Hawaiians protest Stryker plan

 

By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer

 

WAHIAWA — More than 200 Native Hawaiian activists and others rallied yesterday against the military's plans to station a Stryker brigade in Hawai'i.

 

The protesters, many of them dressed in red and hoisting upside down Hawaiian flags, demonstrated at a park near Whitmore Village, then marched to Kukaniloko, near Wahiawa, the site of sacred birthing stones.

 

Ikaika Hussey, a member of DMZ Hawai'i Aloha 'Aina, said his group views the scheduled arrival of the roughly 300-vehicle Stryker brigade as another military land grab.

 

"We have a tradition of resistance. We know that we can outlast the U.S. military because we want to live here. We want to be in Hawai'i nei. This is our homeland," he said yesterday. "For a thousand generations we have lived here and we will continue to live here."

 

The groups oppose the plan, which would occupy up to 28,000 acres on the Big Island and O'ahu. They fear the brigade and the live-fire exercises that are a staple of their training will lead to the destruction of cultural sites, natural resources and the contamination of the environment.

 

"The only way we're going to win this battle is by constant pressure applied constantly," said William Aila, a member of Hui Malama 'O Makua, a group dedicated to protecting and preserving Makua Valley. "And it will continue to be applied until what is pono occurs."

 

Kuulei Badua, a Wahiawa resident, said: "How many years now they just bombing all the time. We can't just let them come in and take our beautiful land."

 

The 2nd Brigade at Schofield Barracks is being equipped with about 300 eight-wheeled armored vehicles, the first of which is expected to arrive next spring.

 

Army officials expect 1,000 more troops in Hawai'i to run the $1.5 billion Stryker Brigade.

 

Army plans include $693 million in construction, the acquisition of 1,400 acres on O'ahu and 23,000 acres on the Big Island and networks of private trails for the 20-ton Strykers.

 

The Army's environmental review states that there would be significant effects on cultural and biological resources, but that mitigation efforts could reduce them.

 

Amid hot and humid temperatures, the group marched yesterday along muddy roads in from Kahi Kani Park to Kukaniloko, the piko of O'ahu, to demonstrate their opposition. Police flanked the protesters as they marched, controlling traffic.

 

Representatives of three Native Hawaiian and environmental groups who filed a lawsuit last year challenging the Army's plans to establish the Stryker brigade were among the demonstrators.

 

'Ilio'ulaokalani Coalition, Na 'Imi Pono and Kipuka said in the lawsuit that the project would damage Native Hawaiian cultural sites and harm endangered species and habitats.

 

But Chief U.S. District Judge David Ezra has twice ruled against them. In November, the judge refused to issue an injunction halting the project. He said any delay would hamper the global war on terrorism.

 

In April, Ezra dismissed the lawsuit, saying the groups raised their objections too late. He said the Army had properly notified the public and had adequately considered what environmental impacts the project might have.

 

The three groups plan to appeal.

 

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

GAO Report Unveils Problems in Recovery of Radiological Sources in Iraq

 

Washington, D.C.    A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report reveals problems in the recovery of radiological sources in Iraq that could be used in the production by terrorists of explosive devices.  The report, DoD Should Evaluate Its Source Recovery Effort and Apply Lessons Learned to Future Recovery Missions  (GAO-05-672)(www.gao.gov) , was issued in response to concerns raised by U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) in hearings and correspondence with the Department of Defense (DoD) in 2003 that DoD was not proceeding swiftly to secure and recover radioactive sources in Iraq that could be used by terrorists to produce radioactive dispersal devices (RDD), also known as dirty bombs.  The report follows up on a series of reports requested by Senator Akaka on problems related to the securing of radioactive material both in the United States and abroad.

 

The report found that DoD did not plan adequately for the collection and storage of radiological material in the post-war environment in Iraq. In one instance a resourceful military commander was forced to use an ice cooler lined with lead bricks to transport sources. Contractors employed by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) had to buy helmets and body armor from international sources to protect their workers because acquisition from the U.S. was delayed by export restrictions.  GAO found that while DoDs prewar plans to eliminate weapons of mass destruction did include the recovery of radiological sources, DoD was not fully prepared to identify sources, transport them, or provide a location for their security until six months after the war began in March 2003. Recovery operations began in September 2004 and were completed i t the lack of preparedness is that DoD identified in its  prewar planning that securing radioactive sources would be one of its missions. As a result, sites were looted before they could be secured, noted Senator Akaka.

 

DoD and DTRA collected 1400 radiological sources.  They removed about 1000 sources for a total of almost 2,00 curies.  An additional 400 sources remain secured in Iraq and an additional 700 have been identified and remain in use for industrial and medical purposes in Iraq. Since the completion of the mission, GAO found that additional sources have been found and the Department of State has reported radioactive materials crossing the Iraqi border.

 

Most disturbing are the conclusions that DoD did not scour systematically the whole country and that, according to GAO, an unknown number of radiological sources remain unsecured in Iraq. I urge the Secretary of Defense, as I did in July 2003, to ensure a full accounting of radioactive material in Iraq, said Senator Akaka.  I have been very concerned about the possibility of a dirty bomb attack on the United   States, our allies, and our troops in the field.  Our nation needs to be reassured that there is not a dirty bomb threat in the making in Iraq.

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

 

Study of Alaska Natives may shape public policy

- by Angela Unruh

 

http://www.ktuu.com/

 

Anchorage, Alaska - It's been seven months since a report was released studying Alaska Natives. Now, the First Alaskans Institute is taking that data up the ranks.

The “Our Choices, Our Future” report was released in January, presenting data on the Alaska Native population, health, economic condition and education. For example, it found that Native life expectancy increased nearly 25 years and that 30 percent of Natives are considered obese. Now, the First Alaskans Institute is using that data to possibly shape public policy.

 

“The whole area of energy costs which are astronomical in Anchorage right now, but they have been, and are almost exponentially higher out in rural Alaska. And understanding what that means to the life and economy and the society in rural Alaska, as well as all of Alaska, is very important,” said Byron Mallott, CEO of the First Alaskans Institute.

 

During a presentation to Commonwealth North, data was released showing the Alaska Native high school dropout rate is almost twice as high as all other students for the 2003-2004 school year.

 

“Alaska Natives highly value education but they're concerned about the performance of our schools,” said Greta Goto, director of the Native Policy Center.

 

The study found the number of Natives who have gone on to get four-year college degrees more than tripled between 1980 and 2000.

 

“On a percentage basis and in sheer numbers, we have among the largest population of children under 18 in Alaska. That demographic is powerful when you look at education, when you look at health, when you look at the need for job creation,” said Mallott (above right).

 

The report is just the beginning, indicating where help is needed. The First Alaskans Institute plans to dissect the data to help make positive changes. Read the First Alaskans Institute's "Our Choices, Our Future" report (PDF).

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Saturday, August 27, 2005

 

Steps taken to improve handling of burial sites

 

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Staff Writer

 

A booming real estate and construction industry means that ancient burials and Hawaiian artifacts are coming up more frequently in backhoe buckets, leading to tension in the Hawaiian cultural community and a new determination by the state to address those issues.

 

State preservation officials and Hawaiian cultural experts are hoping that a new state law will increase awareness and halt possible abuse of native burial sites by imposing stiffer fines.

 

In addition, Melanie Chinen, administrator of the state Historic Preservation Division, said her office is proposing a series of other measures to promote compliance with the law, from charting regions where burials are likely to be found to fully staffing the state Burial Sites Program so construction delays are minimized.

 

"We're very pro-enforcement," Chinen said. "The rules do require developers to report, and we have said that we will revoke archaeologists' permits if we find evidence that they haven't." A revoked permit means an archaeological firm would be unable to conduct any work that requires state review.

 

The new state law imposes a daily fine of $25,000 for knowingly damaging burial sites or discovering remains and then failing to stop work and report their findings. Previously, the daily fine was set at $10,000.

 

Chinen said she is aware of cases where homeowners have found iwi, or bones, on their properties without reporting them, mainly because of a lack of understanding of the law. But she said her office hears of more serious violations.

 

Some fear that developers just don't care.

 

"We know for sure among some developers there's a don't-care attitude. If nobody knows, we can get rid of it. Don't know, don't show," said Ku Kahakalau, a member of the Hawai'i Island Burial Council.

 

Industry officials counter that licensed professional builders maintain high standards, although they concede there may be newcomer developers and homeowners who may not understand the cultural sensitivities involved.

 

Fred Moore, president of the Building Industry Association of Hawai'i, the local affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders, said in addition to maintaining high industry standards, his colleagues are sensitive to concerns surrounding burial sites.

 

"I believe that my contractor and development friends have great respect for the huna — the spiritual way of Hawaiian society," Moore said.

 

Under existing state policy, found burials are typically dealt with more quickly and less expensively when they are "inadvertent" finds rather than those that are unearthed by a pre-construction archaeological survey, or whose existence is predicted by such a survey. The survey can lead to requirements for design changes to allow burials to remain undisturbed instead of, for instance, being moved to a convenient corner of the property.

 

Chinen said her office hopes to provide county planners with maps of regions where human remains are likely to be found—so that counties are able to mandate pre-construction surveys to determine whether special efforts may be needed to protect burials.

 

Halealoha Ayau, who was the state's first Burial Sites Program manager, said that the Ke'eau-moku Street Wal-Mart project on O'ahu illustrates how things can go awry. Because the site had been previously developed, he said, there was an assumption that a survey was not necessary, and one was not done. Subsequently, though, some 60 sets of iwi were dug up during construction.

 

"After all the bad publicity they got about that, from a developer's standpoint, wouldn't you have wanted to know?" said Ayau, who is also a member of Hui Malama I Na Kupuna O Hawai'i Nei, an organization that has been active in the repatriation of Hawaiian bones held in far-away museums, and in the reburial of funerary cultural objects.

 

Chinen hopes that the handling of burial sites will be further improved when the state Burial Sites Program catches up on its workload with a full staff. The program is part of the state Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

 

"Staffing has been a long-standing issue," said Chinen, who noted that because of staff shortages she has been forced to personally respond to some calls about found bones, even though she has no archaeological, cultural or history training.

 

The state Burial Sites program, on its Web site, says it responds to two to three burial reports weekly, up to 250 a year, and some 3,000 in the past 15 years.

 

The Burial Sites Program currently has no archaeologist for O'ahu. The Kaua'i archaeologist also covers Moloka'i. Clerical shortages mean there are multi-year backlogs in writing up the minutes of some island burial council meetings, which provide the public with updates on how burials are being processed. Some complain that it has taken months to process family members' claims to burial remains, or to decide how to deal with specific burials.

 

But Chinen said active job recruiting is under way, that all positions in the division will be filled by the end of the year, and several positions will be added.

 

To call attention to the handling of Hawaiian burials, hula teacher Kehaulani Kekua last week helped lead a 24-hour cultural vigil on Kaua'i. She said it's important for developers to understand that many Hawaiians consider it an unpardonable sin not to process unearthed human remains in a culturally appropriate way.

 

"There are ways to sensitively deal with it, but we want people to have respect and honor what is primal and archaic to the land. We want people to be cautious and responsible," Kekua said. "It's just another construction site to some of these people. To some, it's like, 'What's the big deal?' It is a big deal. It is a big deal."

 

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Monday, August 29, 2005

 

All invited to queen's birthday

 

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Staff Writer

 

Queen Lili'uokalani's 167th birthday on Friday will be commemorated with a party at Washington Place that organizers hope will be similar to the celebrations held for Hawai'i's last monarch during her lifetime.

 

The Washington Place Foundation, the nonprofit set up by former Hawai'i first lady Vicky Cayetano to preserve the queen's home, will open the historic two-story building to the public that day for the Queen Lili'uokalani Birthday Serenade, from 4 to 7 p.m.

 

The queen was a music afficionado whose most famous composition was the haunting "Aloha 'Oe." So it's no surprise that Friday's activities will be dominated by music.

 

Washington Place curator Corinne Chun Fujimoto said that when Lili'uokalani was a princess, and later queen, mele, or songs, were chanted by her retainers the evening before her birthday.

 

"Traditionally, her birthday was commemorated with music," Chun Fujimoto said. "The Royal Hawaiian Band would come here and play, and she would make her entrance."

 

In keeping with that tradition, Hawaiian music will be provided throughout Friday evening by the Diamond Serenaders. The Royal Hawaiian Band will also entertain, with singer Nalani Olds, from 5 to 6 p.m.

 

Docents will be present to share the history of Washington Place with visitors.

 

Lei and flowers will be welcome as ho'okupu, or offerings, to commemorate the birthday, as was traditional during her lifetime.

 

"What we want to do is bring that tradition back," said Chun Fujimoto as she described Washington Place as "the best-kept secret in town."

 

The house, which has been home to Hawai'i's governors through much of the past century, is now a museum and is open for tours weekday mornings.

 

Those interested should call 586-0240 in advance to make arrangements. The tour lasts between 30 and 45 minutes. While no fee is collected, donations are accepted and are given to the foundation to help support the facility.

 

Washington Place receives some funding from the state for staffing, as well as general maintenance and repairs.

 

The foundation has been charged with improvements at the site. Among the plans is an extensive restoration that will include developing the second story into gallery space, Chun Fujimoto said.

 

"We want the people to come back to Washington Place," she said. "It was a gathering place when the queen lived here. It continued to be a high-profile social and political center of Hawai'i (when governors lived there), and we'd like it continue to be that now."

 

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

Posted: August 19, 2005

 

Native American Rights Fund celebrates 35 years

 

by: Jean Johnson / Indian Country Today

 

Preserving tribal existence and protecting natural resources

Part two

BOULDER, Col. - The American West is dry as a bone - and guess which senior water rights holders have often been last in line?

According to NARF's executive director, John Echohawk, J.D., ''we recognized early on that this was a real critical issue for tribes, and we've been working 35 years on it. Water in the West is really valuable, and just like we thought, it's getting more and more important every day.''

Not to say that water is the only issue NARF tackles in its work to preserve tribal existence and protect the natural resources Indian country depends on. In the area of tribal existence alone, NARF's leadership has focused on the recognition and restoration of status to tribes that were terminated, tribal jurisdiction and taxation issues, and the Indian Economic Development Law Project through which NARF provides legal guidance to tribes and Indian communities.

Of the many hundreds of tribes in the United States, 562 are federally recognized including the once-terminated Menominee and Siletz tribes, both of which NARF helped during its first decade of existence in the 1970s. Similarly in 1983, NARF assisted the newly recognized yet landless Kickapoo Indians in gaining a 100-acre land base along with federal health care, housing, and education services. The list goes on. Among others, including the 226 Native villages in Alaska, NARF helped the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona, Louisiana's Tunica-Biloxi Tribe, the Poarch Creek Tribe of Alabama and the Narragansetts of Rhode Island achieve federal restoration or recognition.

As far as sovereignty goes, NARF doesn't miss a single resounding drum beat. NARF's publications state that ''NARF has handled several major cases with far-reaching implications affecting the sovereign powers of the tribes. These cases have involved the issues of jurisdiction and taxation in several states.''

For starters, NARF took South Dakota to task and said it couldn't charge Indians living on checkerboarded land with crimes. As NARF's editor Ray Ramirez explained, ''Former NARF Attorney Arlinda Locklear - the first Indian woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court - won a unanimous decision. The court rejected state jurisdiction, on 1.6 million acres of land that were opened to non-Indian settlement in 1908, in favor of federal and tribal control.''

The same thing happened with the Winnebagos and Nevada's Ely Colony Shoshones, with NARF helping both tribes to oust first Nebraska's and then Nevada's criminal jurisdiction over Indian people living on the reservation. Still, while jurisdiction is one side of the coin, taxation is the other, and NARF's been vigilant on that front as well trying to keep states' long fingers out of tribal pockets.

The White Mountain Apache tribe was one group that benefited. In 1980 NARF assisted lead counsel that argued and won a case stating that states cannot apply license fees or taxes to on-reservation operations and transactions. NARF also extended its hand northward in 1985 and represented the Kluti Kaah Native Village of Copper Center in its effort to collect tribal taxes from oil companies.

Of course, the oil companies have tried to get around the payments by arguing that the Kluti Kaah is not a federally recognized tribe and thus doesn't have the power to tax. In 1993, though, a federal district court ruled that the village might have the status to tax the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System that runs through their territory, so the case continues to make its way through the legal process with NARF's backing.

Rounding out the work it does to promote and protect tribal existence is its Indian Economic Development Law Project, through which NARF provides legal guidance to tribes and Indian communities working to come into their own. Prior to the gaming industry taking off, extractive industries like mining and timber harvest were the mainstays of tribal economies. So, as would be expected of an organization of NARF's stature, the modern-day warriors stationed in Boulder have been instrumental in enabling tribes to take greater control over economic activity that affects their homelands.

With the welfare of generations yet to come in mind, NARF has helped tribes assess the effects of business undertakings on their lands as well as work with the National Tribal Environmental Council and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to provide the tribes with the tools to regulate economic development on their lands and access funding for tribal environmental programs.

Regulation, criminal jurisdiction, taxation, sovereignty, restoration, recognition. The trained minds at NARF connect the dots between these rather abstract concepts and the rhetoric, boiling them down in terms of everyday life for people in Indian country.

Echohawk added that there's still plenty of work ahead; and that as a nonprofit, NARF continues to seek out grants and contributions necessary to provide financial support for its work. ''We are also able to accept fees for our services, and some of the work we do is actually paid for in whole or part by the Native American clients. Our fee income has increased in recent years as more tribes are able to afford legal counseling. At the same time, many tribes also have increased ability to make contributions, something that offsets our work with clients that can't afford to pay all or part of the costs.''


 

 

 

Published: August 22, 2005

 

Grant puts Bush communities closer to Internet

 

WEB ACCESS: Federal money could wire Kodiak Island villages.

 

The Associated Press



KODIAK -- Easy access to the Internet is taken for granted in most American cities but considered a pipe dream in many Alaska communities such as Akhiok. A federal grant could change that.

 

The remote fishing village of 51 people on the south end of Kodiak Island could be wired -- or wireless -- by next summer.

 

A grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural and Community Development agency is giving money to small Alaska communities without access to funding for broadband Internet, connecting even rural villages to the World Wide Web.

 

Ouzinkie and Old Harbor on Kodiak also were targeted as potential sites for funding.

 

The Alaska Regulatory Commission has wired about 20 rural communities in Alaska and is looking to connect about 20 more, said Rich Gazaway, who administers the grant program for the commission.

 

"We're trying to give access to communities that normally wouldn't be able to get the Internet," Gazaway said.

 

All three villages have phone lines, but the high cost of dial-up access limits use.

 

Debbie Garner of Ouzinkie said she used to connect to the Internet through her phone line with a toll charge.

 

"Here it's mostly at businesses. Most residents don't have the Internet," Garner said. "Like I said, you couldn't afford it because there is no local provider."

 

Garner said she thinks broadband Internet in Ouzinkie would be wildly popular.

 

"I think everybody would go out and buy a computer," Garner said.

 

Linda Amodo, secretary for the Akhiok Tribal Council, said Internet access isn't feasible to most of her village.

 

"I want to get the Internet, and I've been trying to weigh the pros and cons, but it's just too expensive," Amodo said.

 

She said many residents of Akhiok are unemployed and rely on Native lifestyles to survive.

 

"It's a lot of money, and unless you have a steady job -- and not everybody has the opportunity here -- you can't afford it," she said.

 

Under the grant program, the Department of Agriculture is willing to pay for about 75 percent of the costs to the village, with the village covering the rest. Typically, a satellite would be installed in the village, and that would connect wirelessly to households.

 

"Residents would still have to pay installation charges for their homes, but it would be significantly less expensive than normal," Gazaway said.

 

Amodo said the only place in the village where Internet is available is at the school.

 

"The kids just love it," she said.

 

Funding for the grant opened up recently, and the Regulatory Commission is collecting feedback from communities. Government employees at the three villages in the Kodiak Island Borough said they had not received word on the grant.

 

Amodo said she remains cautious about wiring the village. Television and the Internet can be a distraction to villagers who rely on subsistence living, she said.

 

"Unfortunately, most of us have satellite TV," Amodo said. "You just have to keep a balance and continue the Native way of life."

 

 

 

 

Article Last Updated: 8/30/2005 12:38 AM

 

American Indians urged to increase their conservation efforts

 

By Joe Baird

The Salt Lake Tribune

 

As the owners and managers of 95 million acres across the United States, much of it undeveloped, Americans Indians could play a unique and potentially pivotal role in the effort to preserve the nation's endangered and threatened animal and plant species.

 

On Monday at the University of Utah, a South Dakota ecology professor urged them to seize the opportunity and reclaim their legacy as North America's original environmental stewards.

 

"Native people are the right people in the right place at the right time," said Jim Garrett, who specializes in bison preservation studies at Si Tanka College and is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

 

"The current political climate doesn't put much value on these kinds of things, or the environment as a whole. So how can native people not step up to the plate?"

 

Garrett, along with tribal biologists and conservationists, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials gathered at the U.'s Research Park for the inaugural Tribal Endangered Species Conference. The two-day event, sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation, was convened to solidify what has been a scattered approach to conservation on the nation's tribal lands.

 

"We've been wanting to do this for a long time," said Steve Torbit, director of the National Wildlife Federation's Tribal Lands Program. "There are so many tribes across the country doing good work, but we needed a way to facilitate this work so everybody can learn from each other."

 

Garrett and others pointed out the vital roles American Indians already have played in reviving the nation's most endangered species. Native people had a vital hand in reviving the bison herds after they were hunted and massacred to the brink of extinction by American hunters, settlers and soldiers. And in this decade, the Nez Perce tribe has been an important cog in the reintroduction of the wolf to central Idaho.

 

John Antonio, American Indian liaison for the Fish and Wildlife Service's southwest region, says there are numerous reasons why tribal lands are well-suited for recovering endangered species and habitat.

 

"The majority of tribal lands are undeveloped and can provide safe haven," said Antonio, a member of the Laguna tribe. "In New Mexico and Arizona alone there are 5 million acres of pristine, almost wilderness-type land. And access to those lands is controlled, limiting human activity. So it's a great opportunity."

 

But there also are challenges. Torbit notes that funding is a perpetual problem because there is no mechanism for the federal government to appropriate dedicated Endangered Species Act funds to the tribes, as it does to the states. Any federal funding for tribal conservation projects must come via line-item appropriations.

 

"And when funds do become available," he said, "it's not enough."

 

But Torbit also believes that a little creativity could at least partially address the money problem. Endangered Species Act funding could possibly be had, he suggested, by tying it into development projects that are eligible for Bureau of Indian Affairs, or Fish and Wildlife Service stipends.

 

 Whatever the method, Garrett believes the nation's native peoples have a "moral responsibility" to take an active role in conserving the most threatened animal and plant species.

 

"These species helped us survive for thousands of years," he said. "Now it's our turn to help them, by giving of ourselves."

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Wednesday, August 31, 2005

 

Group defends keeping artifacts

 

By Ken Kobayashi
Advertiser Courts Writer

 

A Native Hawaiian group formed to care for Hawaiian burials and funerary objects rightfully obtained 83 priceless lots of Hawaiian artifacts from Bishop Museum and has them in a sealed cave safe from harm, the organization said this week in a response to a lawsuit.

 

Hui Malama I Na Kupuna 'O Hawai'i Nei and the museum were sued last week by two groups, including one headed by Abigail Kawananakoa. The suit asks for an injunction that would order Hui Malama to return the artifacts to the museum so that they can be given to their rightful claimants.

 

In the response submitted to the court Monday, Hui Malama said the two groups don't have the legal standing to ask for the court order and asked that the injunction be denied.

 

But the museum responded that it agrees with the suit and supports the request for the injunction.

 

U.S. District Judge David Ezra will hear the request Friday in what will be the latest development in the continuing dispute over who should get the artifacts known as the Forbes Caves collection. The artifacts include a female figure carved of wood and gourds decorated with human teeth.

 

Kawananakoa, a Campbell Estate heiress and a descendent of Hawaiian royalty, is the president of Na Lei Alii Kawananakoa, which filed the suit along with the Royal Hawaiian Academy of Traditional Arts. The two groups and Hui Malama are among 13 that have claims to the artifacts.

 

The suit alleges Hui Malama improperly obtained the artifacts from the museum in 2000 in violation of the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which establishes a process for museums to return cultural items to groups, including Native Hawaiian organizations.

 

In its response filed by Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. lawyers, Hui Malama said the museum consulted Hui Malama and three other claimants — the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Hawaii Island Burial Council — before handing over the artifacts. Nine other groups later filed claims.

 

The claimants could not agree on a final disposition of the artifacts, but they "agreed to disagree" on that point, Hui Malama said.

 

Hui Malama said it has refused to return the items to the museum because the group has a claim on the objects and does not have a legal duty to return them.

 

The group said it is not necessary to give the items to the museum for a determination on which claimants should get the artifacts.

 

The artifacts were unlawfully taken from the Kawaihae caves on the Big Island in 1905 and purchased by the museum, Hui Malama said. The injunction would again "disturb" a Native Hawaiian burial site in violation of state laws, the group said.

 

"There is no harm with the items in a sealed cave and no threat of damage with the items lying in their natural state in the burial cave," Hui Malama said.

In its response, Bishop Museum said the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act set up procedures for the return of the artifacts, but a review committee in 2003 found that the process was "flawed and incomplete."

 

The museum said that in 2000 it "unwittingly" lent the items to Hui Malama "without the knowledge or concurrence" of all claimants.

 

Hui Malama later sealed the items in the cave, again without the knowledge of the other claimants, the museum said.

 

The museum disagreed that the rightful claimants could be determined without the return of the artifacts. Until they are returned, the museum cannot complete the consultation process required by federal law, the museum said.

 

Reach Ken Kobayashi at kkobayashi@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Monday, August 29, 2005

 

Coral tests could unravel Nihoa's mysterious past

 

By Jan TenBruggencate

Advertiser Science Writer

 

The remote island of Nihoa has perhaps the most densely situated collection of archaeological structures existing in all the Hawaiian Islands, but it's not clear when it was first inhabited or when its major stone features were built.

 

Two archaeologists who recently spent a week on the island hope to establish a time line by using a new tool for archaeology: dating corals used in the construction of sites or placed on top as offerings.

 

"We hope there will be a whole new core of dates" that will help clear up the issue of when Polynesians were active in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, said Kekuewa Kikiloi, who collected corals for dating from several structures.

 

Chunks of coral found within the walls of structures on uninhabited Nihoa are expected to provide clues as to when they were first built. And pieces on the surface may suggest when the shrines were actively used.

 

The tiny island measures a half-mile from east to west and almost all of it is either steeply sloping or vertical. On its south-facing slopes, Polynesian visitors or residents built dozens of temples, shrines, agricultural terraces, living platforms and other structures.

 

Kehaulani Souza said the site reminded her of a Polynesian Machu Picchu, the stone Incan fortress city in Peru.

 

"It was so much to grasp all at one time, it was overwhelming," Souza said. "My breath was taken away because of all the structures from the bottom of the island all the way to the top."

 

Souza intends to research old documents and talk to elderly Hawaiians to try to identify the original Hawaiian names for Nihoa features that now have English names, such as East Palm Valley and Miller's Peak.

 

In addition to gathering materials for coral dating, Kikiloi measured and mapped archaeological sites. He said some of the more interesting sites had not been mapped, perhaps because of the danger of working around them.

 

Shrines atop Miller's Peak are on steep rocky promontories.

 

"It's pretty intense," Kikiloi said. "You're high up and right on the edge of the cliff."

 

The archaeologists said the island's temple designs are remarkably varied, including simple walled enclosures, stone platforms and structures with pebble paving.

 

The dominant features of many are significant upright stones — often collected from volcanic dikes on the island. Such uprights are reminiscent of some South Pacific island temples, but are occasionally found in the main Hawaiian Islands as well.

 

"There was a wide variation of things going on, and we're trying to figure out what is the timing of some of construction," Kikiloi said.

 

The traditional method for establishing dates of archaeological sites is to test the ratio of radioactive carbon-14 to standard carbon-12 in a sample of once-living material, such as wood. But Nihoa is a dense bird rookery, and the island's soil is quite acidic due to the excrement, known as guano. The acidity breaks down organic matter, so there isn't much wood to date, Kikiloi said.

 

The newer coral dating technique works in a slightly different way. Corals take up uranium from ocean water, and the uranium degrades at a known rate into thorium. The ratio of isotopes of uranium to isotopes of thorium provides a means for determining the age of the coral.

 

"Coral is abundant at most ceremonial sites. And you can get dates accurate to within 10 or 20 years — a lot more accurate than carbon-14 dating," Kikiloi said.

 

He and Souza were on the island for six days earlier this month along with biologists and Kaua'i science teacher David Boynton. The trip was sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve.

 

The group was dropped off and picked up by the NOAA vessel Hi'ialakai, which was conducting an educational tour of Nihoa, Mokumanamana and French Frigate Shoals with 10 Hawai'i educators.

 

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Monday, August 29, 2005

 

Mixed breeding threatens native duck

 

Advertiser Staff

 

An updated draft recovery plan for Hawai'i's endangered waterbirds says that the koloa maoli or Hawaiian duck's greatest threat is from interbreeding with its cousin, the mallard.

 

The koloa and mallard are closely related — close enough to produce hybrid offspring — but the koloa is considerably less flashy in color, with both males and females adorned in mottled browns. There are 2,000 or fewer koloa left in the state, with small populations on Ni'ihau, Kaua'i, O'ahu, Maui and Hawai'i.

 

Loss of wetland habitat is a significant issue for the koloa's population decline as well as that for three other endangered waterbirds addressed by the recovery plan: the Hawaiian coot or 'alae ke'oke'o, Hawaiian moorhen or 'alae 'ula, and the Hawaiian stilt or ae'o. For the coot, moorhen and stilt, however, perhaps the larger threat is from the animals and their nests being attacked by introduced animals, such as mongooses, dogs and cats.

 

The plan proposes a set of wetlands across the state that are managed as habitat for the birds, along with other suggestions designed to increase populations of the birds so they can be removed from the endangered species list.

 

The updated draft recovery plan is available on the Web at pacificislands.fws.gov. Or for a copy, call the Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu office at 792-9400. The agency will accept written comments on the plan through Oct. 24 addressed to Field Supervisor, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, 300 Ala Moana, Room 3-122, Box 50088, Honolulu, HI 96850.

 

 

 

In an effort to increase the usefulness of this service to our subscribers, CNHA is now including a section for Quiet Title Notices at the end of each NewsClips.

 

 

N THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE THIRD CIRCUIT STATE OF HAWAII SUMMONS TO DEFENDANTS KAIAMA (k); HAO (w), also known as HAO KELA; LAUKAIEIE (w), also known as LAUKAIEIE KUIKAHI; SAMUEL K. PAAHAO; MRS. KINI OLEPAU; EMMA GABRIEL HITCHCOCK; Z. PAAKIKI (k); J.N. KANALULU; their respective heirs or assigns; DOE DEFENDANTS 1-20; and ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that Plaintiff, THOMAS K. LALAKEA, has filed a complaint in the Third Circuit Court, State of Hawaii, CIVIL NO. 05-1-0222, to partition and quiet title to the portion of Apana 1 of Land Commission Award 7872 to KAIAMA, situate at Kukuihaele, Hamakua, Hawaii, containing an area of 1.300 acres, more or less, within TMK (3) 4-8-007-010. YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to appear in the courtroom of the Honorable Greg K. Nakamura, Judge of the Third Circuit Court, on September 16, 2005 at 8:00 A.M., or to file an answer or other pleading and serve it before said day upon Plaintiff's attorney, Philip J. Leas, whose address is Cades Schutte LLP, Suite 1200, 1000 Bishop Street, Honolulu, HI 96813. If you fail to do so, judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Com-plaint. DATED: Hilo, Hawai i, July 18, 2005. C. OKAWA CLERK, THIRD CIRCUIT COURT (Hon. Adv.: Aug. 3, 10, 17, 24, 2005) (A-162283) Posted on 8/3/2005

 

 

 

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