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.

 

CNHA is a national association of Native Hawaiian organizations. Operating an active Public Policy Center, Grants Training Institute, Community Development Consulting Services, and the Hawaiian Way Fund, we unify our members around solutions that embrace the strength of Native culture and knowledge in meeting community challenges. CNHA coordinates the Annual Native Hawaiian Convention in Honolulu every year to bring practitioners, community and policy makers together around issues important to Hawaiians.

 

 

 

 

 

May 31, 2006

 

 

 

CNHA Message – Objectivity of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Questioned

 

The U.S. Government Accountability Office just released a report on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights captioned, “The Commission Should Strengthen Its Quality Assurance Policies and Make Better Use of Its State Advisory Committees.”  The GAO found that while the Commission has some policies for ensuring the quality of its national office reports, briefings and hearings, it lacks policies for ensuring that these products are objective and that the Commission is sufficiently accountable for the decisions made on these products.  Among its specific findings, the GAO found that the Commission’s policies do not require that Commission reports, briefings, or hearings incorporate balanced, varied and contrasting perspectives in order to ensure objectivity.  To download a copy of the GAO report, visit http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-343.

 

The report echoes the concerns expressed by members of the Hawaii State Advisory Committee in response to the Commission’s actions regarding S. 147, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005, also known as the Akaka Bill.  Hawaii State Advisory Committee Chairman David Forman, former chair and longtime member Charles Maxwell, and members Oswald Stender, Alan Murakami and Robin Danner submitted letters of protest and opposition in response.  The Commission’s Briefing Report may be downloaded from the Commission’s website at http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/060531NatHawBriefReport.pdf. It includes the dissents of Commissioners Yaki and Melendez. 

 

CNHA President & CEO Robin Puanani Danner’s letter to the Chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is reproduced below.

 

May 22, 2006

 

Gerald A. Reynolds, Chairman

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

624 Ninth Street, NW

Washington, DC 20425

 

Re: Federal Recognition of Native Hawaiians

 

Aloha Mr. Reynolds:

 

As a member of the Hawaii State Advisory Committee (HISAC), I am compelled to communicate my outrage and opposition to the action of five Commissioners of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) taken on May 5, 2006. The behavior of the USCCR and its handling of the issue of federal recognition of the political status of Native Hawaiians is an affront to the origins of the civil rights movement, and an outright attack on millions of Native Americans.

 

It is stunning that members of the Commission, and the Commission itself, would behave in an “ambush” fashion by scheduling its February meeting without adequate notice to the HISAC, indeed without any inclusion or consultation with its own advisory committee. The Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, also known as the Akaka Bill, is not new policy for indigenous peoples of the United States. The basis of recognition of Native self-governance is as old as the United States Constitution itself.

 

Ignorance of the status and history of indigenous peoples is no excuse, and, in fact, should be a case study for the USCCR on one of the greatest violations of civil rights to be perpetrated against entire populations of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. We are the first peoples, the first nations, and our right to live and perpetuate our traditions, cultures and lifeways is the most basic right of all peoples, and one that need not be trampled by the formation of the United States. The federal policy of self-governance and recognition of Native peoples acknowledges this truth. We are a great country because of our ability to embrace truth, to embrace our history and to never ignore either for convenience. The USCCR acted unilaterally and designed a process to disenfranchise its own advisory committee.

 

Please register my opposition to the action taken by the USCCR on May 5, 2006.  I respectfully request that the Commission reverse its recommendation and give the issue of federal recognition, at a minimum, the same dedication to discovery and input afforded the issue by the HISAC.

 

Sincerely,

Robin Puanani Danner,

Member, Hawaii State Advisory Committee

 

 

 

 

May 25, 2006

 

OHA Sponsors “Akaka Bill” Forum which will be rebroadcast on Monday, June 5, 2006 on KGMB at 7pm

 

HONOLULU – The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) is sponsoring “Akaka Bill: The Time Is Now,” a live television forum this Sunday at 7 pm on KGMB 9 to discuss issues related to the current federal legislation to recognize Native Hawaiians as indigenous. The roundtable format will feature panelists Haunani Apoliona, OHA chairperson and OHA trustee at-large; Patricia Zell, attorney and former staffer of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs; and Hawai‘i State Attorney General Mark Bennett. Moderating the panel will be Robert "Robbie" Alm, senior vice president of public affairs for the Hawaiian Electric Company.

 

The OHA Board of Trustees has vigorously supported the passage of various versions of the Akaka Bill since its introduction to Congress in 2000. The current measure before Congress, S.147, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, seeks federal recognition for Native Hawaiians as indigenous peoples of the United States.  That recognition is already afforded to more than 560 Native Alaskan and American Indian groups.

 

The forum will provide clarity to the legal ramifications of the Akaka Bill, underscoring the urgency of the measure that will likely be considered by the U.S. Senate as early as June 6.

 

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs believes that federal recognition of Native Hawaiians is necessary to preserve millions of dollars in federal support of Hawaiians in such areas as housing, education, health, human services and more.

 

Kamehameha Schools is a contributing sponsor of the hour-long program, and is among dozens of local and national entities supporting federal recognition of Native Hawaiians.

 

Tune in this Memorial Day weekend on Sunday, May 28, 7 pm on KGMB 9 for “Akaka Bill: The Time is Now.”

 

NOTE:  “Akaka Bill:  The Time is Now” will be rebroadcast on Monday, June 5, 2006 at 7pm on KGMB 9.

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Sunday, May 28, 2006

 

COMMENTARY

Fear not: Akaka bill can be beneficial to all

 

By George Ariyoshi

 

The U.S. Senate will soon vote on a bill providing federal recognition to Native Hawaiians. The Akaka bill has generated emotional and sometimes bitter debate, with much of the rhetoric coming from the extremes of the political spectrum.

 

This is what happens in a democratic society. But in the end, what results should be good public policy that benefits a greater community.

 

The question we should ask is: What will federal recognition do to Hawai'i and all its citizens?

 

If we broaden our thinking to look into the Hawai'i of our grandchildren, we can avoid the political labels that divide us into intransigent positions. This is not easy, but we need to build from diversity, because that is the uniqueness of Hawai'i.

 

To keep our community united in its diversity, every cultural group in Hawai'i has a responsibility to retain and nurture its own culture.

 

As a Japanese-American, I proudly trace my roots back to a country with ancient traditions that we practice even today — generations removed and thousands of miles from our homeland.

 

Since the days of my grandparents, the Japanese have shared their practices with all who arrived in Hawai'i, so today, we all take omiyage to visit friends, we take off our shoes when we enter homes, we pound mochi every year to strengthen family and neighborhood bonds.

 

Every ethnic group celebrates its traditions, and by sharing its history with others, enriches the entire community.

 

Native Hawaiians are the host culture of our Island community. They welcomed all the immigrants and treated the newcomers with respect and fairness. But their own cultural practices were almost lost with the overthrow of the kingdom in 1893, and a century of assimilation imposed by those who neither understood nor respected the ways of the kanaka maoli.

 

Native Hawaiians are asking Congress for federal recognition to begin the process of reviving their unique and sovereign heritage. It is no different from the rights given to the other indigenous peoples of the United States — the American Indians and Alaska Natives.

 

With federal recognition, the Native Hawaiians can begin a process that will involve all of us. The Akaka bill calls for a Native Hawaiian governing entity to work with the state and federal governments to identify the resources that will be dedicated to Native Hawaiians.

 

This is an inclusive approach that allows diverse groups to share their ideas of a special place. No one loses and everyone gains in a community that respects and preserves the Native Hawaiian culture. No private land, home or property will be taken away unjustly, no group will lose the benefits of citizenship, no government will harm our environment or community values.

 

Instead, we become a stronger and more vibrant community that celebrates the diversity that makes Hawai'i special.

 

Federal recognition for Native Hawaiians is not to be feared. It can be our future.

 

George R. Ariyoshi, chairman and co-founder of Convergence CT and Cellular Bioengineering, is the former president of Prince Resorts Hawaii Inc. An attorney by profession, Ariyoshi was governor of Hawai‘i from 1973 to 1986 and was the first Japanese-American to be elected a governor in the United States. He wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.

 

 

 

 

May 31, 2006

 

Voter Registration Campaign On A Roll!

 

Honolulu, Hawaii -- CNHA’s Public Policy Center is actively engaged in collaborations across the state to advance voter registration and engage the Hawaiian community in the September Primary Election and the November General Election.  To date, and in partnership with the State Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations, Partners In Development Foundation, and other community-based organizations, CNHA voter education teams have attended 7 community events with Voter Registration and Voter Education tables. Other Hawaiian organizations, including Hawaiian Civic Clubs and Ilioulaokalani Coalition, an island-wide grassroots organization comprised of kumu (master teachers) and loea (cultural experts), are active in voter education and registration as well.

 

“In one day, 13 kupuna were registered as voters, and 21 filed to receive absentee ballots at the Lunalilo Home,” said Lisa C. Oshiro, CNHA Senior Policy Analyst.  “We want all in our community to have access to the most basic right of citizenship.  That’s what the 2006 Native Votes Count Campaign is all about.”

 

Native Votes 2006 is a non-partisan effort to reach out into communities and distribute information statewide.  CNHA is equipped with Event/Product Order Forms, 2006 Elections Briefs, Voter Registration forms, t-shirts, bumper stickers, banners and signs for organizations to use and distribute at various events.  CNHA also has 8 Deputy Voter Registrars for the City & County of Honolulu, 1 for Hawaii County, and is working with partners from Kauai and Maui Counties to make Deputy Voter Registrars available on all islands. Partners in Development Foundation sent 5 people to the most recent Deputy Voter Registrar training in Honolulu, and other organizations continue to sign up for upcoming classes.

 

“CNHA continues to partner with community groups such as the Waimanalo Hawaiian Homes Association (WHHA) to educate and mobilize communities statewide,” said Roxanne Hanawahine, WHHA Vice President and a Deputy Voter Registrar herself.  “We participated in the [2004] campaign to let people know that it is all of our responsibility to vote -- Na Kakou ke Kuleana,” Roxanne continued.

 

For more information on CNHA’s 2006 Native Votes Count Campaign or to order materials, request the services of a Deputy Voter Registrar or learn about upcoming Deputy Voter Registrar classes, please contact CNHA’s Public Policy Center via e-mail at mailto:nativevotes@hawaiiancouncil.orgor contact Rosalee Puaoi or Lisa C. Oshiro at 808.521.5011 or toll-free at 800.709.2642.  You may also visit the Public Policy Center through our website at www.hawaiiancouncil.org.

 

 

 

 

May 31, 2006

 

Hawaiian Homestead Associations Call on Hawaii to Return Senator Akaka to the U.S. Senate

 

Waimanalo, Hawaii. – The State Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations (SCHHA) announced today its strong endorsement of Senator Daniel K. Akaka in this November’s U.S. Senate campaign in Hawaii, describing the Democrat as a tested and experienced leader who is a reflection of Hawaii and the integrity of its people.

 

“This year, community associations from all across the state of Hawaii will engage in an important race and take to the election booth to choose a Senator to represent all of Hawaii and our unique island life,” said SCHHA Chairman Tony Sang of Waimanalo, Oahu.  “Electing Senator Akaka and sending him back to Washington, D.C., is clearly in the best interest of our communities, our families and our businesses.  Senator Akaka is Hawaii.”

 

The SCHHA is focused on the development of more than 30 Hawaiian homestead communities located on federal trust lands established through the work of Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole in 1920.  With more than 25,000 residents living on Hawaiian Home Lands, SCHHA community associations are active on every island.

 

“At this time for Hawaii, we need the statesmanship of someone like Senator Akaka,” Sang continued.  “As our entire country faces immigration reform, the war in Iraq, and we here at home must work to address the issues of homelessness and caring for our veterans – Senator Akaka’s steady hand and approach to challenges has been effective.  Hawaii needs his cooler head and strategic policy making approaches.”

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Saturday, May 27, 2006

 

ELECTION 2006

Votes over Arctic oil crucial to Senate race

 

By Derrick DePledge

Advertiser Government Writer

 

U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka recalls hovering over the remote coastal plain of northeastern Alaska in a helicopter, looking down for the tiny island village of Kaktovik but seeing nothing but ice.

 

The 1995 trip to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was memorable for the senator because it was when he promised the Inupiat, the Alaska Natives who live in the village, that he would support oil and natural gas exploration that might help them economically. Photo courtesy of the Honolulu Advertiser.

 

Oil companies have wanted to harvest the potentially rich oil fields in portions of the Arctic refuge for more than two decades, but have been stopped by environmentalists who want to preserve the land, saying it is an ecological treasure. The exploration cannot proceed without the approval of Congress, and while lawmakers have come close several times, most Democrats have voted against drilling and blocked it each time.

 

Akaka, who is of Hawaiian and Chinese ancestry, has sought federal recognition for Hawaiians so they may form their own government and he speaks of the Inupiat in a similar vein.

 

"It came down to self-determination," the senator explained. "My vote was for the indigenous people of Kaktovik, and not for the oil companies. It's for the people and for a better life for them."

 

CROSSING THE MAJORITY

 

Akaka's support for Arctic drilling, by his own admission, is one of the few times he has crossed the majority in his party. His opponent in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, U.S. Rep. Ed Case, is strongly against Arctic drilling and has been given much better marks by environmentalists.

 

Indigenous rights and environmental protection are fundamental to Hawai'i politics, so the differences between Akaka and Case on Arctic drilling may be among the most important for primary voters. It also cuts against the image of Akaka the liberal and Case the moderate, a reminder that political labels, while sometimes useful, are not absolute. Photo courtesy of the Honolulu Advertiser.

 

Case, who grew up on the Big Island, said Arctic drilling should not be about indigenous rights. He asked what would happen if some valuable commodity were found under Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park or in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

 

"I simply believe there should be some places in this world that should be off limits," he said.

 

The Arctic refuge spans 19 million acres and has been described by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as unique because ecology and evolution can play out largely free of human manipulation. The refuge links both arctic and sub-arctic ecosystems and is home to caribou, bear and other wildlife.

 

The federal government has identified about 1.5 million acres along the coastal plain of the refuge for potential oil and natural gas exploration. According to the Congressional Research Service, the government estimates that as much as 11 billion barrels of oil might be available and that production would peak in about 15 to 20 years.

 

The United States consumes about 7.5 billion barrels of oil a year, but the Bush administration has said that Arctic drilling could help reduce the nation's reliance on foreign oil. The Congressional Budget Office has also estimated that the federal government and Alaska could share more than $5 billion in revenue from auctioning the leases for oil and gas development, annual rental payments and royalties.

 

INDIAN OPPOSITION

 

The Alaska Federation of Natives, like the Inupiat, supports oil and gas exploration on the refuge and believes it can be managed without damaging the environment. But the Gwich'in Indians, who live along the migratory route of the Porcupine caribou in Alaska and Canada, have opposed exploration as a threat to their indigenous rights. Many Gwich'in depend on caribou for survival and argue that Arctic drilling might disturb the caribou's calving grounds.

 

The dispute between the Inupiat and Gwich'in has been noticed by many Hawaiian activists, who see parallels to the splintered debate in the Islands over federal recognition.

 

Some Hawaiian activists who want independence from the United States have said that federal recognition is more about saving federal money for Hawaiian programs than sovereignty. They view Akaka's support for the Inupiat more in the context of oil and the environment than indigenous rights.

 

"It's a touchy issue. It's one where we're very disappointed in both of our senators because it's just totally inappropriate and it's really not in keeping with many of the environmental considerations they've made previously," said Kai'opua Fyfe, who lives on Kaua'i and is a director of the Koani Foundation, a Hawaiian independence group.

 

The Gwich'in have been criticized by some Inupiat for hypocrisy because the Gwich'in in Alaska had leased out 1.8 million acres of land for unsuccessful oil and gas exploration in the 1980s. The Gwich'in in Canada have also partnered with oil companies on a new multibillion dollar natural gas pipeline in the Northwest Territories.

 

BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE

 

Jade Danner, the vice president of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, lived among the Inupiat for 25 years and believes oil exploration would improve their quality of life. Danner had a brief financial contract with Arctic Power, an Alaska group that advocates drilling, to provide information about drilling to Hawaiians and to defend Akaka from criticism in the Islands.

 

Danner said she understands the environmental concerns about Arctic drilling but believes the Inupiat should help decide what happens on the refuge.

 

"In my mind, the ANWR issue is an issue of self-determination," she said.

 

Akaka's stance has cost him among many environmentalists. The League of Conservation Voters, in a scorecard on environmental votes last year, gave Akaka a 75 percent score, compared with 89 percent for Case. The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund gave Akaka a 50 percent rating, compared with 100 percent for Case.

 

Jeff Mikulina, the director of the Sierra Club's Hawai'i chapter, said Arctic drilling has become a "line in the snow" for many environmentalists who fear that if exploration is allowed on the refuge it might be easier to rationalize drilling in other unspoiled areas. "Most folks worry that if that goes, nothing is sacred," he said.

 

On Capitol Hill, Republicans have majorities in the House and Senate to approve Arctic drilling but do not have the 60 votes necessary to break Senate filibusters.

 

Republicans tried to attach drilling rights to budget, energy and defense bills last year, and were finally blocked by a filibuster by Senate Democrats. Republicans are trying to get Arctic drilling into the budget bill again this year, where it is harder to block because the budget is not subject to filibuster.

 

"It's one of those issues where it's easy for people to get blinded by short-term gain over long-term destruction," said Case, who added that he resents what he called the strong-arm tactics of energy interests and their allies. "I don't want to make the same mistakes of the past 50 years."

 

HAWAI'I-ALASKA TIES

 

Alaska and Hawai'i, the last two states admitted into the union, have often been intertwined in Congress. U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai'i, are close friends who have leveraged their seniority and influence to help bring federal money and projects back to their home states. Akaka was close to Alaska's Republican governor, Frank Murkowski, when Murkowski served in the Senate.

 

In a kind of informal, non-contiguous state caucus, the senators have often looked out for each other's interests. Inouye and Akaka were among four Democrats who tried to help Stevens break the filibuster on Arctic drilling in December — a day Stevens called "the saddest day of my life."

 

Stevens and U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, the Alaska governor's daughter, are co-sponsors of Akaka's federal recognition bill and will likely be counted on to help fight Republican holds on the bill in a vote expected in June.

 

But Akaka had supported Arctic drilling long before the federal recognition bill was first introduced in 2000. He said his support will continue because of his commitment to the Inupiat, not because of his relationship with Stevens or Murkowski.

 

"They said they wanted to have the drilling go forth in that area so that they could have resources that can change their quality of life," the senator said. "That was my promise to them."

 

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

Thursday, May 25, 2006

 

Kerry, Johnson Push for Expanded Native American Small Business Development

 

WASHINGTON –Senators Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) are seeking to expand small business opportunities for Native Americans as the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship enters the reauthorization process for Small Business Administration (SBA) programs this year.

 

Johnson sponsored the bipartisan Native American Small Business Development Act (S. 1907), along with Kerry and Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), which would create an Office of Native American Affairs within the SBA and establish three assistance programs, including two pilot programs.

 

“Fostering small business growth is an important step toward increasing employment prospects and improving local economies in Indian Country,” said Johnson, the author of the legislation and a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. “The unfortunate reality is that jobs and business opportunities are unacceptably scarce in native communities. This legislation would help provide the proper resources so that more people in Indian Country will have the assistance they need to launch new, self-sustaining businesses.”

 

According to the SBA’s Office of Advocacy, the American Indian and Alaska Native community is one of the fastest growing business groups in the country. Yet, nearly 25 percent of the country’s American Indian and Alaska Native populations live in poverty.

 

“There are huge small business opportunities just waiting to be tapped into. We should be building on the energy and excitement among Native American entrepreneurs with more contracting opportunities and more access to capital, and that's exactly what we intend to do,” said Kerry, top Democrat on the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

 

In addition to creating the Office of Native American Affairs, the legislation specifically:

 

 

Today Johnson and Kerry sent a letter to Sen. Olympia Snowe, Chair of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, encouraging her to address the needs of the Native American community in reauthorization legislation.

 

Additional cosponsors include Sens. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), and Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Tuesday, May 30, 2006

 

OHA, Lingle will lobby for Akaka bill

 

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Staff Writer

 

At least five of the nine members of the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs board of directors will head to Washington, D.C., early next month to lobby and gather support for the Akaka bill.

 

Joining Chairwoman Haunani Apoliona will be members Rowena Akana, Dante Carpenter, Boyd Mossman and Os Stender, according to Office of Hawaiian Affairs Administrator Clyde Namu'o, who also will make the trip.

 

The trustees will leave June 6, the day a petition for cloture on the legislation is filed. Namu'o said he expects a cloture vote on June 8.

 

The cloture will determine if the Senate will get a full airing on the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005 — dubbed the Akaka bill for its lead sponsor, Sen. Daniel Akaka. It proposes initiating a process that could lead to establishment of a federally recognized Native Hawaiian entity.

 

To be successful, supporters of cloture must get at least 60 of 100 senators to agree. If approved, it would open the way for up to 30 hours of Senate debate, essentially halting other business. Supporters see the cloture as necessary because six Republican senators have blocked the bill from coming up for debate on the floor.

 

Gov. Linda Lingle said last week that in response to requests by Apoliona and Akaka, she also will travel to Washington, primarily to talk to Republican senators.

 

This month, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights issued a report recommending that Congress reject the bill, claiming it discriminates based on race or national origin.

 

Akaka and other supporters of the bill have fought for six years to get the measure passed.

 

Supporters maintain that besides being the right thing for the U.S. government to do, the Akaka bill is needed to stave off the legal challenges against programs that give preference to Hawaiians.

 

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

 

 

 

 

May 25, 2006

 

Senator Dan Akaka Will Address the Nation Memorial Day Weekend

 

The Democratic National Committee has selected Senator Akaka to honor our nation’s veterans

 

Washington – The Democratic Leadership in Congress has chosen Senator Dan Akaka to address the nation in honor of our country’s veterans Memorial Day weekend during the Democratic Radio Address on Saturday, May 27, 2006. 

 

“Memorial Day should be a time to consider the meaning of service and sacrifice, and to honor the memory of those we’ve lost as well as our obligation to veterans still with us today,” said Senator John Kerry. “That’s why the Democratic Leadership in Congress chose Daniel Akaka to address our nation in Saturday’s Democratic Radio Address.

 

“When it’s time to stand up and be counted, you can count on Daniel Akaka to be on the floor of the Senate fighting for America's veterans. He doesn’t stop, he doesn’t quit, he doesn’t take no for an answer. I ‘m honored to work side-by-side with such a strong leader.

 

“Just this month I was proud to join Danny in offering legislation that increases funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by $430 million. This funding is vital to meet the needs of America's veterans, including those recently returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Because Danny reached across the aisle and did the hard work of building consensus, we won the support of 84 of our colleagues, and our amendment passed overwhelmingly. That’s leadership for America’s veterans, and that tells you everything you need to know about Danny Akaka.”

 

Senator Akaka is the ranking Democratic member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.  Having served on the committee since joining the Senate in 1990, Senator Akaka has continued to be a strong and vocal advocate in safeguarding and improving services for the nation’s 25 million veterans.

 

The Democratic National Committee will distribute a media advisory and audio file of the Democratic Radio Address to radio stations nationwide on Friday, May 26.  For more information, please contact the campaign at (808) 533-2006.

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Monday, May 29, 2006

 

Democrats urged to 'get back to our values'

 

By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Government Writer

 

U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie made a fiery plea yesterday for Democrats to unite and recapture the values of equality and compassion that have kept the party in power in the Islands for more than a generation.

 

In his closing speech to the party's state convention at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki, Abercrombie also took aim at moderates and others who insist that Democrats must change to compete politically with Republicans like Gov. Linda Lingle and President Bush. The congressman did not say so directly but he has been critical of U.S. Rep. Ed Case, a moderate who has shaken the party with his challenge to the more liberal U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka in the Senate primary.

 

"We've got one problem and one problem only. Some people have forgotten what it is to be a Democrat," Abercrombie said. "Some people of this party and some people across the country are trying to say to us that we have to change our values in order to appeal to the people of this country. And what I say is, 'No, we have to get back to our values to bring the people back in this country and where they want to be.' "

 

Abercrombie, like other convention speakers over the past few days, also used the unpopular war in Iraq and what some see as surveillance excesses symbolized by the USA Patriot Act as contrasts between Democrats and Republicans and, more indirectly, between Akaka and Case. Democrats are attempting to channel the public's anger with the direction of the war as an issue against Republicans across the country.

 

But the debates nationally on the war and the Patriot Act have not always been neatly partisan. While Abercrombie, Akaka and U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye voted against giving Bush the authority to go to war with Iraq, many Democrats — including a majority in the Senate — favored giving the president the option, as Case likely would have if he had been in Congress at the time.

 

Abercrombie and Akaka voted against extending the Patriot Act when it came up for reauthorization, but most Democrats in the Senate, like Case in the House, voted for the extension after the law was amended to better protect civil liberties.

 

State Democrats are trying to connect Lingle to Bush, given the president's disappointing job approval ratings. Lingle, in her speech on Saturday to Republicans at their state convention at the Sheraton Waikiki, said she was loyal to the GOP but would never put the party's interests over the public's interest.

 

Democrats are somewhat limited in attacking Lingle for a lack of action on state issues, since Democrats have control over the state Legislature and can set the policy agenda. But the two Democrats running in the primary for governor, former state Sen. Randall Iwase and Wai'anae harbormaster William Aila Jr., both suggested in speeches yesterday that the popular Lingle has put public relations over policy.

 

Aila, in humble remarks that were warmly received by delegates, apologized for appearing in a Lingle campaign advertisement as a disillusioned Democrat four years ago. "What I found out was there is no 'New Beginning,' " he said of the governor's 2002 campaign theme.

 

Iwase reminded delegates that Lingle appeared for Bush on the Mainland during his 2004 re-election campaign. "Let us not forget — ever — that she is a Bush Republican," he said.

 

Delegates elected Hawai'i PBS executive Mike McCartney party chairman yesterday over former O'ahu party leader Jimmy Toyama. McCartney, who replaces Brickwood Galuteria, will have to hold the party together during the Senate primary and a wide-open 2nd Congressional District contest where several top Democrats are vying for the seat Case is vacating.

 

The convention showed the party's establishment is behind Akaka. But many Democrats also sense that the primary is much closer than the outpouring of support for Akaka this weekend might suggest.

 

Some Democrats who are close to Akaka's camp are concerned that the senator's Native Hawaiian federal recognition bill, which could come up for a Senate vote in early June, might present some political problems. A Senate vote against the bill could weaken Akaka's argument that his seniority and experience translates into effectiveness, while a vote for the bill might worry some older Japanese-Americans in the Islands who have been suspicious about federal recognition.

 

The bill, which has been stalled in the Senate since 2000, would create a process for Hawaiians to form their own sovereign government similar to Indian tribes and Native Alaskans.

 

Akaka's allies, knowing how critical Japanese-American voters are in state campaigns, have tried to reassure them. Inouye, in his speech on Saturday, addressed people who are concerned the bill might give Hawaiians greater rights over land use. "May I simply tell you that we would never do anything that would take away anything from any one of you," he said. "All we want is justice for the Hawaiians."

 

Roger Takabayashi, the president of the Hawai'i State Teachers Association, which has endorsed Akaka, said he believes the senator can hold on to Japanese-American voters. "I haven't sensed that at all. Zero," he said of any specific concerns about the bill. "I think Akaka has their strong support."

 

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 15, 2006

 

Na Mamo Presents June Workshop

 

Long Beach, CA – Na Mamo Inc., the nonprofit Hawaiian organization will offer a cultural enriching and informative community workshop Saturday, June 10th, 2006 at the beautiful Westin Hotel in Long Beach from 9a.m. - 12:30p.m. 

 

Over fifteen years, Na Mamo, Inc. has created opportunities for the Hawaiian community to share its Hawaiian heritage with the community by offering workshops to educate others on the exquisite arts of Hawaii and share the knowledge of Hawaii’s resources.  They are also the host of the annual E Hula Mau, Southern California’s only Hula & Chant Competition held Labor Day weekend, September 1st -3rd, 2006.

 

The first workshop will feature Mike and Carol Wong of Makani Designs who will teach traditional arts and crafts that will include Ipu Hokiokio (nose flute), Oeoe (bull roarer),  and Lei Hula (feather flower and miniature kahili).  Makani Designs has been sharing their knowledge of Hawaiian crafts for decades in the Southern California region.  They participate in the largest community events that include E Hula Mau, na Ho’olaulea (Alondra Park, Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada) and the Long Beach Sea Festival.

 

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) will conduct the second workshop which will highlight the abundance of information that CNHA provides to the Hawaiian community and will share the vast resources available to the nonprofits.  CNHA will also update the community on the current challenges and concerns that are relative to the Hawaiian community. 

 

Na Mamo President, Nalani Wong added, “We are excited to host this educational event to encourage the Hawaiian community to learn of their traditional art and crafts as well as inspire the community at large to appreciate the beauty of our indigenous culture.  Learning more about CNHA and its resources to our nonprofits will help our community to continue to serve our people and those that enjoy our culture.”

 

CNHA is a national, member-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting community development for Native Hawaiians.  For more information about CNHA, contact CNHA via telephone at 808.521.5011 or toll free at 800.709.2642, via email at info@hawaiiancouncil.org or visit the website at www.hawaiiancouncil.org.

 

Na Mamo, Inc. is a nonprofit Hawaiian organization whose goals are to perpetuate the Hawaiian culture through education.  Contact us for more information at www.namamo.org/ehm or via telephone at 909.930.3994.

 

 

 

 

May 28, 2006

 

Tribal events, sites contribute to NM's tourist traffic

 

By Harlan McKosato

New Mexico Business Weekly

 

As the value of tourism in New Mexico approaches $5 billion annually, the state's pueblos and tribes are taking on greater roles, with new tours, museums and inter-tribal partnerships.

 

"Native American culture is a big draw," says Travis Suazo, director of tourism development for the New Mexico Tourism Department and a member of the Pueblo of Laguna, as well as Acoma and Taos pueblos. "It's one of the major reasons, along with the scenic beauty and landscapes, why people visit New Mexico."

 

Events such as the annual Indian Market in Santa Fe and the Gathering of the Nations Pow Wow in Albuquerque draw thousands of visitors to the state each year.

 

The newest tourist attraction on tribal lands is the Sky City Cultural Center and Haak'u Museum at Acoma Pueblo, 45 miles west of Albuquerque, opening May 27. The $15 million, 40,000-square-foot building evokes the Acoma ancestral architecture at Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon.

 

There will be interactive components in the museum, such as a chance to bake bread in an outdoor oven, or horno. Tours will take visitors atop the 370-foot sandstone mesa, home of the Acoma people for 2,000 years.

 

"Acoma has been involved in the tourism industry since the 1940s," says Brian Vallo, director of the new cultural center and museum and an Acoma member.

 

In the 1970s, Acoma built a tourist center at the base of the mesa. This housed a museum, gift shop and food service. In May of 2000, the tourist center burned down and the tribal council approved a plan to rebuild. But first they decided to take a closer look at the tourism industry in New Mexico and funded a market study. As a result, the council decided to build the cultural center and museum.

 

"Meeting community needs was a big part of the decision to build this type of facility," Vallo says. "One of the priorities was to enhance cultural preservation, so there is space provided in the facility for classes and lectures so that the general history of Acoma Pueblo could be shared. And there was a need to establish a permanent collection of our artifacts, documentation and historic photographs. So part of the facility serves as an archive."

 

Suazo works with tribes like Acoma to create tourism plans that put them in control of how they showcase their culture.

 

"My job is to, basically, work with the 22 tribes, collectively and individually, to find out how they'd like to be promoted," says Suazo, who also manages the state's Indian Tourism Program. "The goal is to develop 'managed business tourism' where tribes are making the decisions, developing the vision and the overarching focus of their tourism project."

 

No economic impact study has ever been done on the impact of Indian Country on the state's tourism industry. Suazo plans to have a study of this kind underway by the end of the year. The state's tourism department Web site outlines the tourism and recreational opportunities at the pueblos. Many of the pueblos have Web links through the site as well.

 

Tribes, especially gaming tribes, are looking to diversify their economies, Suazo says. Gaming revenue has allowed tribes to offer more attractions for tourists such as golf, spas and the music and entertainment.

 

Recent legislation will allow his department to build three new off-highway trails for the Off-Highway Vehicle Program, and Suazo says he would like to look at tribal lands for developing an OHV trail.

 

"We promote New Mexico as a visitor destination to the world. And the non-Indian and Indian communities see it more as a partnership to keep visitors in the state as long as possible," says Suazo, who headed up special projects for the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque before taking his current post with the state.

 

"From our office to economic development to Indian Affairs, from Gov. Richardson to [Indian Affairs] Cabinet Secretary [Bennie] Shendo to our [Tourism] Cabinet Secretary [Michael] Cerletti, the state has been instrumental in opening communications," he adds. "I think it could be called a new era for tribal tourism."

 

The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, which is jointly owned by the 19 pueblos of New Mexico, is one of the biggest tribal tourism hotspots, attracting more than 200,000 visitors annually. Its biggest draws are the weekend American Indian dance performances. The center has partnered with the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau to ensure that tourists fresh into town are guided toward the attractions that IPCC offers.

 

The center was founded as an educational institution, says Tazbah McCullough, marketing director for the center and a member of the Navajo Nation.

 

"Pueblo leaders wanted visitors to be educated about their particular pueblo before they visited. So our mission is to serve as a gateway to the 19 pueblos of New Mexico and to educate," McCullough says.

 

Not all tribal attractions are centrally located, however. Remote pueblos find it more difficult to lure tourists, even with casinos. But Monique Fragua says the Pueblo of Jemez is benefiting from being on the Jemez Mountain Trail National Scenic Byway.

 

"A lot of tourists come here for the scenic beauty and they discover the cultural heritage," says Fragua, the office manager for the Walatowa Visitors Center on Highway 4. "And then they meet friendly people."

 

Fragua says that the tribe is continuously developing its Adventure Tours Program. This involves information specialists from the pueblo educating visitors about tribal history, culture and contemporary living.

 

"Visitors can walk through our nature garden and get a tribal interpretation of the land and the animals of the area. They can go through our museum and get interpretations of photographs and the art display we have on exhibit. And they can watch a bread-baking exhibition and pottery demonstration," she says.

 

The Jemez Pueblo has partnered with the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa to bring bus groups from the Santa Ana Pueblo-owned resort to experience the Walatowa.

 

Suazo says he wants to assist tribes with their tourism projects. And he says he enjoys bringing in tribal leaders to get their perspectives on tourism.

 

 

 

 

May 25, 2006

 

Area tribe recognized for effort to save threatened fish

 

Grant allows Peorias to continue restoration

 

Sam Lewin

Native American Times

http://www.nativetimes.com

 

The reputation Native Americans have as responsible stewards of the land has led to a handful of tribes being awarded almost two million dollars to manage, conserve and protect fish and wildlife resources in their backyards.

 

One of the tribes receiving a portion of the grant is the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma.

 

The money comes from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and altogether totals $1,752,952.

 

“Native Americans have a great knowledge of, and intimate connection with, the land and its wildlife,” said Benjamin Tuggle, the director of the Southwest Region, which comprises Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. “Cooperative programs…represent the Fish and Wildlife Service’s recognition that best conservation and environmental protections result when tribes, landowners, hunters and anglers, local organizations and communities work together.”

 

The Peorias are being awarded $249,997 to develop the culturing capability of the Neosho Madtom, a fish that has been on the threatened species list since 1990. Wildlife biologists report that the Neosho Madtom have features characteristic of all North American catfish, including scale less skin and a relatively large head. The decline of the species has been blamed on dams, dredging and water use.

 

The tribe is also working to reintroduce the Neosho Mucket- a freshwater bivalve- into the Spring and Neosho Rivers, located along the Kansas-Oklahoma state line.

 

The Peorias are based in Miami, Oklahoma.

 

The money for the tribes involved in the environmental projects originates from the Tribal Landowner Incentive program and the Tribal Wildlife Grant program.

 

In addition to the Peorias, here are the other tribes involved in the grants and the projects they are working on:

 

-The Navajo Nation receives $150,000 for distributional analysis of Gunnison's Prairie Dog on lands owned by the Navajos and Hopis.

 

-The Pueblo of Santo Domingo in New Mexico gets $148,348 for the Rio Galisteo restoration project.

 

-The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas has been awarded $209,277 for a Fish and Wildlife inventory and habitat preservation project.

 

-The Pueblo of Laguna in New Mexico receives $246,100 for baseline characterization of resources and riparian habitat restoration.

 

-The Pueblo of Santa Clara in New Mexico is awarded $249,411 for riparian and wetland habitat Re-Creation at Santa Clara Pueblo.

 

-The San Juan Pueblo in New Mexico’s portion of the grant is $249,990 for wetland restoration at Ohkay Owingeh fishpond.

 

-The Pueblo of Taos in New Mexico gets $249,829 to restore the Bighorn Sheep population living along the Northern Rio Grande.

 

Fish and Wildlife officials say the 565 federally recognized Indian tribes have a controlling interest in more than 52-million acres of tribal trust lands, along with an another 40-million acres held by Alaska Native corporations. They add that a majority of this land is relatively undisturbed, providing a significant amount of rare and important fish and wildlife habitat.

 

 

 

 

May 28, 2006

 

Kanoho family dedicated to public service

 

By Tom Finnegan
tfinnegan@starbulletin.com

 

Retiring state Rep. Ezra Kanoho says it's not the money or the accolades his four sons have earned that causes him to smile. Courtesy Photo.

 

It's the men themselves -- hard-working and dedicated public servants that he and his wife of 55 years, Pauline, raised.

 

And while the four are grown and in various phases of distinguished civil service careers, it's apparently passed on to the younger generation, Kanoho's eight grandchildren, as well.

 

Kanoho likes to tell a story about Solomon, his third eldest son, who had a promising career as a banker before joining the Kauai Fire Department.

 

Solomon's work has been in the news quite a bit lately, because, as part of the Fire Department Search and Rescue Team, he spent weeks looking for the victims in the Ka Loko Dam tragedy as well as the mother and son that drowned in Anahola Bay.

 

But Kanoho mentions another time that truly shows the character of his kids.

 

One day, the elder Kanoho was driving along one of Kauai's highways when they came upon two men on the side of the road, next to what appeared to be a broken-down vehicle. Solomon, Rep. Kanoho said, forced his dad to pull around to make sure they were all right and to offer a hand if needed.

 

"I said, 'I'm so proud of you,'" Rep. Kanoho (D, Lihue) said. "Most people don't want to get involved; they're afraid to get involved."

 

But getting involved in difficult situations is what the four brothers do. Besides Kauai firefighter Solomon, the sons are Ruben, the eldest, a retired Honolulu firefighter; and Paul, the second oldest, and Ezra, the youngest, a lieutenant and sergeant, respectively, in the Kauai Police Department.

 

The four boys, like their dad, are Kamehameha Schools graduates, and they learned safety and civic responsibility at an early age.

 

Solomon said he always remembers his dad at their mother's large Sunday dinners, teaching the children and their cousins first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. He also remembers his dad saying hello to everyone in their neighborhood in Kaimuki, where they spent much of their childhood.

 

Rep. Kanoho, who was a safety officer with Hawaiian Telephone before moving into upper management, impressed upon his kids compassion and humility, and he led by example.

 

"One thing that struck me, that I still remember: We were helping someone, and I asked him why," Solomon Kanoho said. "He said, 'Hopefully, if it was me or you or your mother, someone would do the same.'"

 

Rep. Kanoho, who will be 79 in September, was quick to say that his wife was the one that spent most of the time with the kids and is as big an impact on them as he is.

 

As for his civic duty, Kanoho credits his uncle, the pastor of the Hawaiian church in Hanalei and "a very unusual minister" who liked to paint and play pool but helped give him a solid spiritual foundation.

 

While all four kids are involved in their respective communities thanks to their father, Rep. Kanoho said he doesn't expect any of them to follow his lead into politics, at least not in the near future.

 

"Right now, I don't think they can afford it," he said. "They have families, responsibilities to take care of."

 

The elder Kanoho said he likely would not have entered the House himself had he not been appointed. And shortly after, he retired from the phone company after almost 40 years of service, giving him the opportunity to dedicate himself full-time to the job.

 

Now, after another 20 years in the House, it's time for him to really retire. Still, he'll continue his service with his church, the Rotary Club, where he's been a member for several decades, and other civic organizations, and maybe work on Hawaiian issues, as well.

 

"A big part in life is to make a meaningful contribution. Exactly what, I'm not sure," Rep. Kanoho said. "I want to be careful (not to) overextend myself and defeat the purpose of retirement."

 

Meanwhile, he gets to start spending time with his grandchildren, who are reaching milestones of their own. Rep. Kanoho said he planned to attend the graduation of Paul Kanoho's son, Kai, from Kapaa High School on Friday. It's his fourth grandchild to graduate from high school, he added.

 

Solomon Kanoho said he's already seen signs of the younger generation taking after their grandfather.

 

"It's rubbing off on our son," Solomon Kanoho said of his son Justin, 15, who's a junior at Kamehameha. "He's got that same way, that same humility.

 

"We can blame my father."

 

 

 

 

May 30, 2006

 

“A Walk in Our Shoes” – A Success!

 

by Tina Mata'afa

Samoa News Staff Reporter

Viewers were lauding "A Walk in Our Shoes," the debut from the Crossroads Theater for Youth's (CTY) Junior Company, as a success following their first show that was held Saturday at the Convention Center in Utulei.

 

"These kids have big potential," said NOAA/Fagatele Bay NMS education specialist Allamanda Amituanai after the show. "I thought it was a great show."

 

The twelve youngsters who make up the CTY Junior Company are Lupelele Elementary sixth grader Aigofie Aigofie, Jr., Manulele Tausala seventh-grader Vani Matthew Atafua, Tafuna High junior Conan Iaulualo, Lupelele seventh grader Roman Fetuao, Kanana Fou eighth grader Daniel Saifoloi, Tafuna high senior Ruth Soli, Manulele Tausala first-grader Doreen Amy Sera Tome, Manulele Tausala third-grader Eveline Justine Atlantis Tome, Leone High junior Kuuipo Leiani Trepanier, Salina Carol Vai, a senior at Tafuna High, Yvette Bocskor, a sophomore at the South Pacific Academy an Sheldon Tupua a Manumalo Baptist junior.

 

"Though A Walk in Our Shoes is a fictional story, it is based on events that occurred in the lives of the performers and their peers," said CTY Executive Director Moelili'a Seui. The piece is an original created entirely by the performers.

 

Seui said the play "goes straight to the heart of some of the toughest and most personal issues that these students face." She said it was the cast's "openness, leadership, and willingness to take risks" that made the process a "celebration of the strong family ties, friendships and relationships that bind our community."

 

The issues faced by these children, as told through the play range from teen pregnancy to peer pressure to relationships and opportunities.

 

Following the play, the audience was given the chance to ask the cast questions about their characters. One woman asked them to rate on a scale of one to ten, "how true" the stories were. Tupua, who played Chris, gave it a 10 and said "this is what's happening" and that parents need to address these things with their children.

 

"We make these kinds of choices everyday," he said.

 

Soli, who played Tatiana and also gave it a 10 rating, said this is "really what happens in real life."

 

The performance gave teens the power to speak out and scenes were set in the present day, a high school senior class on the verge of graduation.

 

Pacific Products Keith Dahl, a photographer who frequents many local events said "the show was really good."

 

"This is a great way for the kids to showcase their talent," said Dahl. "I really enjoyed the show."

 

CTY’s Junior Company is an offspring of CTY and created especially for teen actors. CTY is a project of Intersections, Inc., a not-for-profit organization created in 2002 with a mission to make lasting positive differences in the lives of children and families by breaking the mindset of poverty through technology and the arts.

 

In 2004, the U. S. Administration for Native Americans awarded Intersections, Inc. with a 3-year funding to create and establish CTY to educate and heighten awareness of youth and social issues in American Samoa through the performance of original theatre pieces.

 

You may visit the website at www.ctyweb.org, call 684-699-5313, or email lia@ctyweb.org for more information.

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Monday, May 29, 2006

 

NINTH GRADE — CROSSROADS IN THE CLASSROOM

Schools reach out to kids who 'can't fit'

 

By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer

 

As they walk through the door Paul Onishi hands each of his studentsa sharp, long-bladed knife.

 

"This is a deadly weapon," he tells them.

 

"Or you can use it to make $35,000 a year."

 

It's the first day of Onishi's off-campus alternative cooking class for Farrington High students at risk of dropping out.

Photo courtesy of the Honolulu Advertiser: Bruce Asato

By the end of the day he has taught each of the kids how to wield a chef's knife and how to make chicken katsu. It's a path to the future for many of these young people, and the first day of what may become a success story.

 

"This program changed me a lot," says Ese Emosi, a 17-year-old sophomore who was majoring in cutting class before being arrested for truancy in a recent police sweep of beaches.

 

"It made me like to wake up and come to school."

 

As Hawai'i's public high schools see their latest crop of graduates proudly pick up diplomas this week, the state Department of Education is increasingly focusing on how to stem the tide of dropouts.

 

Nearly 15 percent of students statewide have been lost from every four-year high school class beginning with the Class of 2002. That's as many as 8,700 kids lost from the past five graduating classes if the rate holds this year.

 

In looking for answers, educators are paying particular attention to ninth grade. This is considered the most difficult transition year in the public education system, where problems emerge for many kids as they move to large, impersonal campuses.

 

In Hawai'i the number of ninth-graders failing their first year continues to climb, with more than three of every 10 freshmen failing at some schools. And that puts them at high risk of ever graduating, research shows.

 

From redesigning high schools to offering alternative classes and adult education programs, to working with community colleges to enroll at-risk students in job training programs, educators are struggling to find ways to keep students in school or bring them back.

 

Additionally, social service agencies such as Adult Friends for Youth, Parents and Children Together and the Samoan Service Providers Association are scooping up those who may have been out of school for several years, and giving them a renewed sense of hope that they can earn diplomas.

 

TAPPING KIDS' PASSIONS

 

"The conventional schooling system isn't for everyone," says Leusogafofoma'aitulagi "Bill" Emmsley, executive director of the Samoan Service Providers Association, which is also running competency-based diploma classes for dropouts. The program offers certificates based partially on life experience along with book learning.

 

"Those that have come to us have shared their sentiments that they'll never go back because they can't fit," Emmsley says. "We've got to make it creative and find that nerve that schools can't seem to touch. Otherwise we can write these kids off and someday they'll pop up at OCCC."

 

Princess Noa Palafu, 19, isn't going to let herself be written off. In training at the Samoan Service Providers Association office as a clerk/receptionist, she's also part of the way through the association's competency-based high school diploma classes. She expects to receive her diploma by the end of the year, and has taken it upon herself to pay off her parents' $5,000 debt to the private school she used to attend before she was suspended for nonpayment of the tuition.

 

"It was just so much pressure," she says of the money issue that contributed to her dropping out. "I felt that was my bill and I wanted to help pay. My parents can't work because of disabilities and limited English."

 

After the suspension, she transferred to Farrington High and fell back in with friends who were disenchanted with school. Skipping class became a habit. By spring of her senior year she left school for good to look for a job.

 

As Palafu works to pay off the debt a little at a time each month from her wages of $6.75 an hour, she's also proving she can handle a job. When she graduates, Emmsley hopes to offer her a full-time position.

 

"The diploma will give me pride and joy," she says. "It proves to other people if you're down and out there's a way to get back on your feet." Photo courtesy of the Honolulu Advertiser: Bruce Asato

 

The urgency to find ways to stem the dropout problem is coming from the state's high school principals, who are attempting wholesale makeovers of their schools to make them especially relevant to ninth-graders. Already a dozen Hawai'i high schools have federal grants to create Small Learning Communities within their schools, defined as more intimate groupings of students with their own teams of teachers to counteract the anonymity of large high schools.

 

"I know of no place that has all the answers," says national consultant Jim Parsley, who is assisting the schools. "It's the sum of the opportunities. The more opportunities, the more chance the kid has. And we're there to ignite the opportunities and unlock the passion in every kid."

 

What small learning communities are already seeing is success in reducing failure rates in ninth grade, along with an increase in assessment scores. But several more years will be needed to determine whether these changes will make a long-lasting difference.

 

"The first year of the grant we only focused on ninth-graders because that's such a critical year," says DOE grant coordinator Aileen Ah Yat. "In the first year there was improvement in the retention (failure) rate, and we even saw improvement in student grades."

 

BUILDING 'OHANA

 

At one of those schools, Kalaheo High in Kailua, principal James Schlosser is seeing dropout rates fall. Kalaheo's rates have gone from 25.4 percent in 2001 to 15.2 percent last year and Schlosser attributes some of that to closer tracking of at-risk students, more outreach to families and more options to make up credits.

 

This coming year his ninth-graders will be in a freshman "house" and teachers are getting ready for intensive summer training to make that happen. Schlosser hopes it will create an even more personalized learning community for his kids, and a better sense of identity.

 

"We do our best to create options so they can stay in school," he says. "Through the counselors we're working with families to help kids stay on track if they're wavering. Those efforts pay off."

 

At Campbell High in 'Ewa Beach, principal Gale Awakuni is seeing huge successes as a result of the more nurturing ninth-grade "house." From a ninth-grade failure rate five years ago of almost 50 percent, the school has seen it drop to less than 10 percent. As well, the school's dropout rates have declined significantly, from 14.7 percent for the Class of 2002 to 10.6 percent for the Class of 2005. Photo courtesy of the Honolulu Advertiser: Bruce Asato

 

"I was shocked," Awakuni says. "I congratulated all our teachers. They've been working so hard."

 

SHOWING SOME CARE

 

At Farrington, the state's largest high school and one that logs some of the largest numbers of dropouts, that same personal intervention is the reason outreach counselor Jill Yoshimoto is knocking on the doors of Kalihi homes many times a month. She doesn't wait for students to disappear; she tracks them down.

 

Yoshimoto's job involves following about 110 kids on the cusp. They've failed a few classes and are increasingly on the verge of leaving for good.

 

"For some students we've been to the house two or three times a month," Yoshimoto says. "We talk to the parent, the student, talk about alternatives. We bring their current credits and sit down and say, 'This is what it's looking like as far as graduating.' "

 

With half a dozen alternative programs available through the school, kids can get a second chance. Paul Onishi's program, the "Spirit of Aloha Culinary Academy," partially financed by New Hope Christian Fellowship, is one of the newest alternatives but already has a waiting list.

 

A certified teacher and a chef, Onishi says schools must teach in a way that feels relevant to students addicted to a cell phone, iPod and Internet culture, who are posting fights online, cocking their baseball caps to the side with attitude and maybe flirting with gang membership.

 

"Usually these kids are looking for something to connect to," says Onishi, who builds self-esteem into the stir-fry. "And the interesting thing is the class bonds and becomes a family.

 

"There are different races, different age groups, different backgrounds, boys and girls, and they function as a group of people who enjoy each other's company. After awhile they kind of monitor each other. If one starts cutting and not coming, they say 'You better come because you'll get cut.' "

 

Onishi's class was the kind of welcoming space 17-year-old Taua "T.J." Olomua Jr. needed after his mother died this year and he lost interest in school, skipping so many classes he was about to be kicked out.

 

His mother had been the one waiting for him to walk through the door to hear about his day. If he didn't go to school, she told him, she'd send him to the Mainland. No one else could control him, he says.

 

But when Farrington suggested Onishi's cooking program, it caught his interest. "I'll graduate 2007," Olomua says. "I'm gonna come back."

 

Oriana Faasavalu, 18, is another of Onishi's success stories. Pregnant at 15, she gave up her child for adoption and moved to the Mainland, then returned to Hawai'i and tried to pick up her life again. Saying she's "not the school type," she nonetheless was a good student through eighth grade at UH Lab school.

 

In moving to Farrington for ninth grade, she figured she was so far ahead because of the private school that she could easily skip class and go to the mall.

 

"I thought it was a breeze. So when I went to class I was lost."

 

She was soon so far behind it was easier just to hit the mall and forget school altogether.

 

"People said I wouldn't make it because I got pregnant, but I wanted to show my mom and dad I could," she says. "They never gave up on me and always encouraged me that it was never too late."

 

HELPING KIDS CHANGE

 

Students want to change, says Deborah Spencer, who teaches competency-based diploma classes for the social service agency Adult Friends For Youth.

 

They also want more from life, she says.

 

"They just don't know how to go about getting it, so we provide that opportunity."

 

The agency works with groups of friends who are having problems, and finds that bringing them to class together is a powerful tool for change. "Because we work with everybody, they're all helping each other," Spencer says.

 

More than one student has found the strength to begin again because of the agency.

 

Seventeen-year-old Kathleen Dela Cruz, who got pregnant at 15 and dropped out of school, now has a good secretarial job and a stable family life because of the agency and their diploma classes.

 

"We struggled together," she says of the classes she and her boyfriend took to earn their diplomas. "I thought what will happen if my son grows up and I don't have the education to help him."

 

Student Lenelle Dungo, 19, said it was the help of counselor Terry Fisher at Adult Friends that made the difference.

 

"She just made me feel like she cared. Before, nobody cared for me, so I didn't care," Dungo says. "Terry kept telling me once I get my diploma that I'm capable of so much more."

 

DOSE OF NEW HOPE

 

Alternative programs have been the glue holding together many struggling teens' lives.

 

Renowned sociologist Emmy Werner, who has written books on at-risk students based on work done on Kaua'i, says alternatives are critical, and suggests American high schools might want to look at the European model.

 

"I just have this sense it must be a vacuum for so many, just sitting there, unless you're very self-motivated and have a good teacher," Werner says. "In that respect, the European system makes a lot of sense. They invest a lot in preschool, then they have these two tracks. If you want to go into the trades you can legitimately leave school at 14 and go into a trade school. Not everyone has to go through high school.

 

"That's the problem here. We don't have an alternative way of educating them if they drop out in the ninth grade, unless they go back later on and get a GED. So high schools need much more flexibility."

 

Werner also said there's hope for children from troubled homes.

 

"What we found (from research) on Kaua'i from kids who dropped out was once they got away from their dysfunctional family, they would eventually go back and it was usually to a community college or into the Army," she says. "You still get skills that are marketable but they won't have to sit through boring stuff they can't understand because they didn't learn to read."

 

Farrington High School principal Catherine Payne agrees that schools must offer alternatives. In addition to the programs her counselors offer, she's trying to work out a way to stagger the school day so students can choose to take classes until 6 p.m. to better accommodate their interests, or maybe even part-time jobs.

 

"How do you deal with 16- and 17-year-olds who have lost hope of graduating if you don't give them something that makes sense to them?" Payne says. "That's what we're trying to come up with.

 

"Society can't ignore these young people and say, 'If you can't fit in you're going to flunk out, and too bad for you.' "

 

 

 

 

May 31, 2006

 

Barefoot Bash

 

Celebrate King Kamehameha Day with the “Natives.”

 

Sky Barnhart

 

A full moon on Kamehameha Day—what better time to launch a new adventure, a musical journey and a celebration of the Hawaiian people?

 

On Sunday, June 11, all these things will come together at the First Annual Barefoot Bash at the Lahaina Civic Center Amphitheater. The event is the first large-scale public performance of the Barefoot Natives, Willie K and Eric Gilliom, following the May 23 release of their first CD, Barefoot Natives. The island has been buzzing with news of the well-known Mauians’ debut album.

 

But the Barefoot Bash is not your typical CD release party. The event is larger in scope and purpose than that. Add the musical depth of award-winning duo Hapa; the legendary Makaha Sons in their 30th year of making music together; Henry Kapono with his new project, The Wild Hawaiian; and versatile musical standout Gypsy Pacific—and the “bash” becomes a blockbuster of local talent.

 

“This concert is not about us becoming big stars—it’s about us connecting to the soul of the Hawaiian people,” Gilliom said. “This is about Maui people; it’s about our hope and spirit. That’s why we’ve made ticket prices as low as possible and invited these other amazing musicians to come play with us. We want to take the energy from this concert and share it with a broader audience as we go into the tour.”

 

From Maui, the Natives will head out to the Big Island, O‘ahu and Kau‘ai; and then to California for shows in San Diego, Santa Monica and Santa Barbara; up the coast to beautiful Eugene and Portland, Oregon; then back down to Saratoga, Newcastle and Nicasio, Calif.

 

“I’m excited about the tour, but it all begins right here at home,” Gilliom said. “Maui is where it all happens, and we can’t wait to share our new music—especially on such an auspicious occasion as Kamehameha Day in Lahaina under a full moon!”

 

Last month, the Barefoot Natives kicked off the album’s release in their typical “a-typical” style, with a Venetian getaway to celebrate the 60th birthday of famed concert promoter Marek Lieberberg. From Venice, Italy, they returned to Maui for local appearances including a live radio show on Mana‘o Radio, 91.5 FM. Together with longtime Maui radio personality Kathy Collins, Gilliom and Willie K guided listeners through a song-by-song review of Barefoot Natives and talked story about the making of the album. As talented as they are making music together, the two are equally as funny quibbling with each other. (For a taste of their Native banter, visit www.barefootnatives.com and click on “Us Guys.”)

 

Giving back to the island is as much a part of the duo as their electric musical harmonies. This Sunday, June 4, the Barefoot Natives will set sail on Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest U.S.-flagged ship, Pride of Hawai‘i, to raise money for four charitable organizations. Proceeds from their on-board CD release party will benefit the ‘Aha Punana Leo, Child and Family Service, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, and the Hawai‘i Maritime Center. 

 

A portion of the proceeds from the Barefoot Bash will go to benefit the Hui O Wa‘a Kaulua, a Lahaina-based group that strives to perpetuate Hawaiian culture through the re-discovered traditions of Polynesian ocean voyaging. The Hui built Mo‘olele, a 42-foot-long double-hulled sailing canoe, in 1975, and is currently building a 63-foot-long double-hulled canoe, Mo‘okiha, at Kamehameha Iki Park.

 

Purchase tickets for the Barefoot Bash online at www.barefootbash.com; or at Pa‘ia Wine Corner, Groove 2 Music Pa‘ia, Makawao Rodeo General Store, Café 808, Bounty Music, Requests Records, Kihei Beach Road Records, Hawaiian Village Coffee, Borders Books and Music Kahului, or Livewire Café Lahaina; plus all five Maui Tacos locations. The Barefoot Bash is presented by Expedia, Maui Tribe and Malama Pono Productions.

 

What:              First Annual Barefoot Bash

 

Who:               Barefoot Natives (Willie K and Eric Gilliom), Henry Kapono Band, Makaha Sons, HAPA, and Gypsy Pacific; with Emcee Alaka’i Paleka

 

When:             Sunday, June 11, 4 – 10 p.m.

 

Where:            Lahaina Civic Center Amphitheater

 

Cost:               $30 in advance, $35 day of show

 

Parking:          Onsite, $5 per vehicle

 

Contact:          www.barefootbash.com, www.barefootnatives.com

 

 

 

 

May 28, 2006

 

Kaumakapili Church 35th Annual Luau – Saturday, July 15th, 2006

 

The luau theme, Ka Mea Pauole Kealoha (Love Never Ends) expressed the overflowing spirit of aloha that guides the work and enjoyment that creates the best Hawaiian Feast in Honolulu.  Painstaking preparations by long-experienced church members make the food quality unbeatable.  Take-Out box meals are available from 11 am to 5pm for $15 and are available for pick up on Kanoa Street – 1 block mauka of North King Street, off Palama Street.  The 5:30pm Luau Sitting features authentic Hawaiian entertainment and feast for $25. Traditional luau fare is found in both the take-out boxes and the all-you-can eat sitting.  This year, squid luau is added to the Sitting offerings.  The homemade Hawaiian dishes include kalua pig, chicken long rice, poi, lomi salmon, raw fish & opihi, pineapple, sweet potato, desert cake, and haupia. 

 

For more information or to purchase tickets, call the church office at 845-0908.  For information regarding a feature on this event, contact the church office at the above number or the luau publicity chairperson Kaleinani Schoenstein at 395-3456. 

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Saturday, May 27, 2006

 

Man pleads guilty in theft of artifacts

 

By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer

 

The second of two men charged with taking native Hawaiian artifacts from a South Kohala burial cave to sell for profit pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in U.S. District Court yesterday.

 

James Carta, 45, avoided trial by pleading guilty to conspiring to enter the cave and to actually entering the cave and removing objects in violation of the federal Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act, which protects the artifacts and burial sites.

 

He faces up to one year in prison, a $100,000 fine, one year of probation and a $25 special assessment.

 

Carta is to be sentenced Sept. 8 at 10 a.m. by U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren.

 

Dressed in a white with blue-and-green print aloha shirt, Carta stared straight ahead and answered, "yes sir" as U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Chang asked questions.

 

"I'm guilty," said Carta, after he was asked to enter a plea. "I took an individual, showed him where a cave was and we removed the items."

 

Carta's attorney, Rustam Barbee, said outside of court that Carta cooperated with authorities at all times during the investigation.

 

"He knew he was doing something he shouldn't be and he feels very remorseful about it," he said.

 

Carta's cohort in the crime, Daniel W. Taylor, 39, was the first person to be convicted here under the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act.

 

He pleaded guilty March 24 to conspiring with Carta to take the artifacts from the Kanupa Cave in June 2004.

 

According to documents filed at the time of Taylor's plea, the pair agreed on June 16, 2004, to look for the cave with the understanding that they would sell any artifacts for a profit.

 

They got directions from an individual identified only as M.F. the next day and found Kanupa Cave, the document said. They pushed aside a rock at the cave's entrance and discovered items wrapped in woven lauhala and black cloth, according to the document.

 

They unwrapped the items, which they determined to be artifacts that included wooden bowls, a gourd, a holua sled runner, a spear, kapa and cordage, Taylor said. Some artifacts had labels indicating they belonged to the J.S. Emerson Collection.

 

The artifacts known as the Emerson Collection were taken from the cave in the late 1800s and sold to museums, including the Bishop Museum. They were reburied in the cave in 2003.

 

Barbee said Carta received $200 and an old car.

 

Taylor admitted that on the day after the break-in, he tried to sell a palaoa, or whale-tooth pendant, for $40,000. He said they sold a piece of kapa to a tourist for $150 later that month. The following month, they sold a fisherman's bowl and its cover to a collector for $2,083, he said.

 

Federal authorities said 157 items were recovered. The only one missing is the piece of kapa — bark cloth, also known as tapa.

 

The artifacts will be returned and it will be up to the Native Hawaiian community to determine what should be done with them.

 

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

Posted: May 26, 2006

 

House committee explores delivery of emerging medical technologies to Indian country

 

by: Jerry Reynolds / Indian Country Today

 

WASHINGTON - The health and technology professionals who convened at the Gardner Carton & Douglas law offices in Washington May 18 couldn't have picked a better time to come together. Though probably not all of them knew it, the House of Representatives that very day passed an Interior Department budget that more than restored the Bush administration's proposed funding rollbacks for the IHS.

 

The House Appropriations Committee's narrative report made the case for ''telehealth'' and related emerging medical technologies. In recommending a boost in spending on health facilities in Indian country, the committee filed the following observations in reference to the IHS waiting list for tribal hospitals: ''At the level of funding requested in 2007, it would take 48 years to complete the facilities on the current priority list. There are many facilities that should be added to the list now and, in 48 years, all of the IHS facilities will need to be replaced or require major renovation.''

 

The committee also addressed the maintenance problem at IHS facilities, including hospitals: ''The current IHS maintenance budget is less than half of what is required, if you apply commercial sector health care standards. Without progress on new and renovated facilities, the maintenance backlog will grow at a rapid pace from the current backlog level of nearly half a billion dollars.''

 

That is the lead argument for bringing telehealth to Indian country. A variety of big-picture considerations, too lengthy to revisit here, suggest the federal government will never be able to fully meet the demand for health care in Indian country. Funding saved on health facilities would find a host of other Native-specific uses. Computer and telecommunications technologies now permit physicians to provide genuine health care, often quite advanced, at any distance from the patient and at a tiny fraction of the cost of construction and maintenance for conventional ''brick and mortar'' facilities. Patients also save the cost of travel, a real consideration in the long-distance locales that characterize much of Indian country.

 

As demonstrated at the May 18 proceedings by Don Kashevarov, president and chairman of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, a powerful model of Native-specific high-tech health care from a distance has already been established.

 

In Alaska's vast geography, with 75 percent of its communities unconnected by roads to a hospital and a doctor-to-resident ratio among the lowest in the nation, federal agencies have collaborated to improve health care through a ''telehealth'' approach. ANTHC, the IHS contribution to the project formally known as the Alaska Federal Health Care Partnership, has served patients in 41,536 cases during seven years of operation. It has deployed some 300 telehealth ''carts'' to more than 200 locations in the state. Medical departments accepting telehealth cases in Alaska now include cardiology, urology, pediatrics, family medicine and trauma follow-up, among numerous others.

 

But another theme of the May 18 meeting was that telehealth implementation must be handled with care in Indian country. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, spoke by video to remind attendees that telehealth must not come at the expense of budgeting for brick-and-mortar facilities.

 

Dr. Adam Darkins, chief consultant for care coordination at Veterans Affairs, where telehealth has a significant presence, offered cogent advice on the challenges of implementing telehealth systems once the visionary plans have been laid and the detailed hard work has to begin. The challenges include attracting and retaining technological personnel with the right blend of talent and dedication to follow-through.

 

Notwithstanding all that, the time seems ripe for progress on telehealth for Indian country. A number of laws have passed Congress that relies on high-tech applications in health care, and a number of others are afoot. The IHS has excelled in its telehealth programs, the Bush administration is heavily promoting electronic health records, Gardner Carton & Douglas houses a telemedicine law center, and the private sector is on the prowl for telehealth projects to invest in.

 

Paul Moorehead, a partner in the Indian Tribal Governments Practice Group at Gardner Carton & Douglas, said he hopes the May 18 session will result in a loose coalition of some or all the 30 or so attendees. The coalition's purpose would be to build momentum for Indian telehealth issues through the remainder of the 2006 congressional session, in the process positioning itself to have an impact on policy and appropriations beginning in 2007.

 

 

 

 

May 28, 2006

 

Women break meth's grip

 

By Katie McDevitt

 

Tribune

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com

 

The women in the Matrix Model drug treatment program know about meth on the reservation. The drug took away their children, brought crime and death into their homes and threatened to take over their lives. But the Gila River Indian Community residents are working to regain control and to reach out to others. On Wednesday, they volunteered at the Gila River Behavioral Health Authority's first methamphetamine conference. And they are speaking out.

 

Delma Morago has a tattoo on the top of her right wrist - a red rose meaning beauty above her name and a feather symbolizing strength.

 

The 27-year-old embodies both qualities.

 

Her long hair - the color of coffee beans - falls well past her waist. Her deep brown eyes are framed by neatly plucked eyebrows, and her new white shirt contrasts with her sun-kissed skin. When Morago walks into the room for "group," her peers smile a little more than usual.

 

Maybe it's because she has been in the program longer than anyone and they look up to her.

 

Or maybe it's her strength, which comes from surviving physical and sexual abuse, the deaths of children and an addiction to meth, the only thing that she said took the pain away.

 

Morago joined the Matrix Model program in February, but she won't say how long she has been clean.

 

"I don't like to count my days because it feels like when I count them and have a slip, I can't handle that," Morago said.

 

She said that when she first entered the program, she had low self-esteem and was "angry and stuck."

 

"Then I thought, 'Wait a minute, I can't always depend on other people. I have to help myself.' "

 

The decision came 15 years after her first experience with meth at age 12 - the same year she had her first child.

 

Morago still remembers the feeling that came with her first hit of meth - a feeling she never felt again after more than a decade of using.

 

"I was just hot and sweating," Morago said. "And I could feel that adrenaline in my hand."

 

The drug provided Morago with a feeling of power and confidence, all of which she said were taken from her when she was sexually abused at age 6.

 

"I fell in love with that drug," Morago said. "It did a lot of stuff for me, and it's hard when you have house chores and your kids, and that gives you the power to do everything."

 

But the drug also brought more abuse - this time from Morago's boyfriend, who she said beat her for seven years and stabbed her during drug-induced rages.

 

"I started realizing how many times I ended up in the hospital, and I tried to kill myself," Morago said as her eyes filled with tears.

 

She looked down at her arms - one large scar on her right forearm that she said came from her ex-boyfriend, and a cluster of smaller scars on her left wrist that she said were self-inflicted.

 

"I remember a time I was high for days, then just slept," Morago said.

 

But those days are slowly moving further into Morago's past.

 

The mother of six recently earned her GED and took a job with the Bureau of Indian Affairs for seasonal firefighting. She hopes someday to study forensic science and work at a facility helping others overcome addictions.

 

But her biggest accomplishment came Easter Sunday, when she saw her children for the first time since Arizona Child Protective Services took them away. She said she made sure to hug and kiss them - to give them the affection she never had.

 

"I'm looking forward to the rest of the year," Morago said with a shy smile. "And things are slowly happening."

 

Breeding ground for meth

 

Gila River Indian Community police don't keep meth statistics.

 

So no one knows for sure how bad the problem is in the community that stretches nearly from Chandler to Casa Grande.

 

But Gary Edwards, CEO of the National Native American Law Enforcement Association, said the methamphetamine problem is "far bigger than what people realize."

 

One group that does track its meth statistics is the San Carlos Apache tribe in eastern Arizona.

 

In an April speech before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Chairwoman Kathleen Kitcheyan of the San Carlos tribe said one in four patients who participated in routine drug screenings at the San Carlos emergency room in 2005 tested positive for meth.

 

And in 2004, about 25 percent of babies were born addicted to meth and 80 percent of tribal members attempting suicide were using meth.

 

Scottsdale therapist Janet Carpentier has seen the effects of meth firsthand through a new treatment program in the Gila River community.

 

"Meth has shown an increase in domestic violence, child neglect, abuse, criminal activity and an increase of all of the crimes associated with substance abuse," Carpentier said.

 

"It just starts to envelop everything like a sinkhole," she said.

 

Drug enforcement officials say vast frontier lands on reservations make it easier to run clandestine labs. And limited enforcement also creates opportunities for methamphetamine dealers.

 

"Mexican and gang traffickers want to stand out among (Native Americans) and can easily set up operations in the tribal reservations," DEA spokeswoman Ramona Sanchez said.

 

To combat the problem, the DEA joined forces this month with the U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI and the BIA to work with law enforcement on various reservations to gather intelligence and combine resources, Sanchez said.

 

The program started at the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation east of Fountain Hills and will travel throughout the state.

 

But Carpentier and others believe the problem can also be fought through treatment.

 

The right resources

 

Janet Carpentier is a 16-year veteran in the field of substance abuse treatment and a therapist for the Matrix Model, an intensive outpatient meth program for women in the Gila River community.

 

She is an energetic, chatty woman who flits around in stylish, brightly colored outfits, spreading her enthusiasm to everyone who crosses her fast-moving path. The women in the program said they love her and lean on her, but Carpentier resists taking credit for their success.

 

"Methamphetamine is a treatable illness, just like alcohol or other substances," Carpentier said. "But you have to provide the right set of resources."

 

Those resources came to the Gila River Behavioral Health Authority in the form of $50,000 from the Arizona Department of Health Services in February to create an Arizona Methamphetamine Treatment Center of Excellence, according to Christina Dye, division chief for clinical and recovery services at the health department.

 

The funding allows 10 women to participate in the Matrix Model, a program that uses relapse prevention, skills training and cognitive behavioral therapy models - a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes the role of thinking in how people feel and what they do. Research suggests Matrix Model clients are 38 percent more likely to stay in treatment than in other programs and 27 percent more likely to complete treatment.

 

Carpentier said that in the past, many tribal members were treated off the reservation at rehabilitation facilities, then sent home to the same place they started using the drug. The five-day-a-week, four-hour-a-day Matrix Model program is close to the women's homes, meaning they learn to stay off drugs while living in their normal environment.

 

The program also integrates many cultural activities the women have never been taught, such as healing rings, language and spirituality.

 

"The women are thirsty to know who they are generationally and their ways," Carpentier said. "What are the ways of the Creator? What foods were prepared? What language was spoken?"

 

Carpentier said learning these ways is crucial to healing.

 

"It helps me trust people and helps me make decisions," said 28-year- old Rachel Lyons of the program. "I don't see that dark cloud in the way anymore."

 

The fresh-faced Lyons joined the program in mid-March. She laughs, smiles and cries when talking about her painful past and promising future. She is outspoken and optimistic, despite what she described as a childhood of beatings.

 

"I can't wait to get out of this program," Lyons said. "It's sad, though, because the only people who tell me they love me are my boyfriend and Janet."

 

Lyons said she had tried to stop using meth for three years before admitting she had an addiction and getting help.

 

"Somebody called the cops on my brother and me, and my brother went to jail," Lyons said. "I lost my kids, and then I said: 'I've had enough of it.' " But Lyons said the real turning points came when her brother was shot to death in her own home over drugs, and when she miscarried her baby five months into pregnancy.

 

"Now I can stand on my own two feet, and a lot of it has to do with the program," Lyons said. "Without them, I don't think I could've done it."

 

 

 

 

May 25, 2006

 

HTA earmarks millions for environment

 

Pacific Business News (Honolulu)

 

The Hawaii Tourism Authority has chosen 22 projects for $2 million in funding to preserve the state's natural environment in the interests of sustainable tourism.

 

Half of it is targeted for sites frequented by visitors and the other half is for community-based environmental programs, HTA said Wednesday.

 

"The beauty and uniqueness of Hawaii's natural resources makes our islands special for both residents and visitors," HTA President Rex Johnson said. "Funding to protect, maintain and improve public natural resources is essential."

 

The HTA Natural Resources Program began in 2002 in response to a legislative mandate to protect the environment of areas frequented by visitors. The total amount spending for this is actually more than $2 million because the Hawaii Department of Land & Natural Resources also gets $1 million from the transient accommodations tax, more familiarly known as the hotel tax.

 

The 22 projects run the gamut from the "History 'Road to Hana' Clean-Up," which is about the removal of invasive species as much as trash removal, to a Hilo project to construct a multi-use path from the cruise ship terminal on one side of town to the Wailuku River on the other side.

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Saturday, May 27, 2006

 

OHA chips in $2M for museum restoration

 

By Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writer

 

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has approved a $2 million grant for a project to restore Hawaiian Hall, the Bishop Museum's historic Victorian icon built in the late 1890s.

 

Bishop Museum president William Brown said the grant, approved Thursday, represents 10 percent of the $20 million renovation plans for the entire Hawaiian Hall complex — the first major project of its kind in the building's history.

 

Brown said he was excited and pleased by the OHA gift.

 

"These are the oldest, most important buildings, at the museum," said Brown. "They've really never had a major renovation and improvement since they were built."

 

Charles Reed Bishop founded the museum in 1889 as a tribute to his late wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha family. Housed completely within Hawaiian Hall at the time, the museum contained the huge collection of priceless Hawaiian artifacts and royal heirlooms that had belonged to his wife.

 

Today, the institution holds millions of exhibit items, including some of the finest examples of Hawaiian artifacts in the world.

 

Brown said the OHA money, combined with $5 million the museum has already received from the state and private sources, brings the total collected to about $7 million.

 

He said the museum expects to reach the project's financial half-way point by July 10, when Hawaiian Hall will be closed and construction gets started. He said the renovation should be finished by the summer of 2007, and the building opened to the public in 2008.

 

OHA administrator Clyde Namu'o described the grant as "an acknowledgment that our cultural resources that are being maintained by the museum are important to Native Hawaiians."

 

"We also understand that the renovation of Hawaiian Hall will refocus some of their displays on Hawaiian history — which is something that the trustees fully support," he said.

 

Namu'o said OHA trustees decided to approve the grant after the museum presented them with renovation plans that stressed the focus of Hawaiian Hall would be on Native Hawaiian history.

 

Namu'o said OHA doesn't intend to exert any pressure on how the work should be done.

 

"I don't think we're interested in micromanaging the development," Namu'o said. "But we would expect them to live up to their promises. As long as they execute what they indicated, that will be sufficient."

 

In addition to state-of-the-art lighting and displays by noted exhibit designer Ralph Appelbaum, the building will be air-conditioned for the first time and equipped with a public threestory elevator.

 

The finished Hawaiian Hall will have at least five times as many items on display as it currently has, said Brown.

 

"Those display items will include capes and cloaks of old Hawaiian feather work made mostly before contact with the West," he said. "Hawaiian Hall will be entirely devoted to Hawaiian heritage."

 

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

May 30, 2006

 

Waianae students go behind 'Break' scenes

 

By Katherine Nichols
knichols@starbulletin.com

 

SHAWN FONOTI, an 18-year-old senior in Waianae High School's Searider Productions, doesn't say much. It seems he does most of his communicating through music.

 

"He's magical," said Searider Productions program director Candy Suiso. "You ought to hear him sing." Photo courtesy of the Honolulu Star Bulletin: FL Morris

 

In less than two weeks, Fonoti wrote and produced the sound track for "Behind the Break," a promotional documentary-style video highlighting the new teen drama series "Beyond the Break." The three-voice harmony with a modern hip-hop beat wasn't a problem. He did all of the voices, recording them one at a time. Fonoti also plays drums, bass, guitar and ukulele, and hopes to one day produce his own CD. "I like to rap," he said. "But I think singing is my strong point."

 

Fonoti is a student with Searider Productions, a multimedia education program sophisticated enough to offer services to community businesses. The 12-year-old program has long enjoyed a stellar reputation for its productions, which have the graphic pizzazz and fast pace of any contemporary work on MTV. More and more, however, the students are stepping onto the national scene. They will travel to New York City June 9 to accept a National Student Television Award for Excellence, one of only seven awards issued nationwide. It will be the first trip to New York -- Times Square, no less -- for students Katie Hoppe, James Kapu-Kaaihue, Priscilla Mathewson and Justine Campos.

 

But one honor at time. First they had to walk the sand carpet at Sunset on the Beach Saturday night, where they showcased their slick show trailer, greeted the public and hung out with the stars of the surfing/teen-angst series "Beyond the Break."

 

Shot entirely on the west side, "Beyond the Break" gave students an opportunity to view television production on a large scale, and to work as production assistants and extras. "It makes what they just learned relevant," said Suiso.

 

As one might expect, "Behind the Break" looks behind the scenes at the production, and incorporates interviews from students and advisers on the set, most of whom talked about why Waianae was the perfect location for this series. About 15 students from Searider Productions classes earned spots as extras in Waianae High School and Makaha Beach scenes.

 

Jasmine Jeremiah, 18, served as a production assistant. She went over scripts, met the actors, learned about make up, art and costumes, forged a friendship with the director and exercised her legs as an extra. Now she's sure she wants to be a producer. "I got a taste of the work they do, and I know I can do that," she said. "I like how they have a say in everything." Acting, on the other hand, left her less enthralled. Doing scenes repeatedly as an actor "becomes immensely dry and boring."

 

Sixteen-year-old Jonalyn Arao admitted that she got tired of being an extra, which involved in enormous amount of "walking back and forth" in the sand. "After the fifth time, I was like, 'Oh, my legs are burning!' "

 

Chonte Fujioka said the whole experience was "fun ... just seeing how things are really made. You get to meet new people. The production company did use the community a lot and treated them with respect."

 

Though their class works in much smaller groups than national television productions, Searider Production standards are high.

 

"The way things need to be done is very professional," said Fujioka. Sometimes that means staying at school until 3 a.m. to meet a deadline. This is especially true when they convert their school newspaper into a half-hour video once a month to air on Channel 56. "When you're working on it, it's really hard. ... You want the final product to be good."

 

This is why "Searider Productions has such a good name," said Jeremiah. "A lot of people know about us. It's an awesome feeling."

 

If "Beyond the Break" gets picked up for a second season, video advisor John Allen III said he'd "like to see the kids really take ownership of the show."

 

It's probably only a matter of time.

 

 

 

 

 

2006 Elections Present 101 Seats for Voters to Decide

 

WHAT:  Activating Voter Registration in 2006 to weigh in on 101 seats at the federal, state and county levels is on the minds of many in Hawaii today.  The seats that will come before the electorate in the fall of 2006 include the following:

 

 

 

 

For more information and a complete list of 2006 Contests and Incumbents, visit the Hawaii State Office of Elections Website at:  http://www.hawaii.gov/elections/

 

To register to vote:  http://www.hawaii.gov/elections/voters/registration.htm

 

 

 

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.

 

 

CIVIL NO. 06-1-0123 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE THIRD CIRCUIT STATE OF HAWAII SUMMONS STATE OF HAWAII TO: HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF ANTHONY JOHN KAMA; KAREN KAMA; ROBERT MIKA KAMA, AKONI KEONI KAMA; and the spouses, heirs, assigns, successors, personal representatives, executors, administrators, guardians, and/or trustees of the above-named defendants; and all other persons unknown claiming any right, title, estate, lien, encumbrance or interest in the real property described in the Complaint, and TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that Plaintiffs MICHAEL BEAUDIN, ROBERT ALVIN FINKLE and HEIDI JANE FINKLE claim fee simple legal and equitable ownership of the following parcels of real property: All of those certain parcels of land situate at Keaau, District of Puna, Island and County of Hawaii, State of Hawaii, being Lots 79 and 81, in Block 29, area 12,000 square feet each, more or less, as shown on Map 70 filed in the Office of the Assistant Registrar of the Land Court of the State of Hawaii with Land Court Application No. 1053 (amended) of W. H. Shipman, Limited, and bearing Tax Map Key Nos. (3) 1-6-080:057 and 58. YOU ARE HEREBY FURTHER NOTIFIED that Plaintiffs have filed a Complaint to Quiet Title in the Third Circuit Court, Hilo, Hawaii, requesting that Plaintiffs' title to the above-described real property be determined quieted as to any and all adverse claims not presented and/or adjudicated in this action. YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to apear in the courtroom of the HONORABLE GLENN S. HARA, Judge of the above-entitled Court, State Office Building, Second Floor (Courtroom 2), 75 Aupuni Street, Hilo, Hawaii, on Mon., June 19, 2006, at 8:00 o'clock A.M., or to file an answer or other pleading and serve it before said day upon Plaintiffs' counsel, MICHAEL W. MOORE, of Tsukazaki Yeh & Moore, at mailing address 85 West Lanikaula Street, Hilo, Hawaii 96720-4199, to show cause, if any you have, why the prayer of said Complaint should not be granted. Unless you file and answer before the time aforesaid or appear at the Third Circuit Court, Hilo, County and State of Hawaii, at the time and place aforesaid, your default will be recorded, and said Complaint will be taken as confessed and a judgment by default will be taken against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint. DATED: Hilo, Hawaii, Apr. 21, 2006. C. OKAWA CLERK OF THE ABOVE-ENTITLED COURT Of Counsel: TSUKAZAKI YEH & MOORE MICHAEL W. MOORE 3234 85 W. Lanikaula Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720-4199 ph. (808) 961-0055 Attorneys for Plaintiffs (Hon. Adv.: May 5, 12, 19, 26, 2006) (A-390943) Posted on 5/5/2006

 

 

CIVIL NO. 06-1-0140 (3) IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SECOND CIRCUIT STATE OF HAWAII AMENDED SUMMONS TO: HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF KEKINO (w); HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF KANIKAU (w) aka KANIKAU KAPU (w); HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF KAPU (k); HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF PALA (k) aka LUI PALA (k); HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF KILIKA (w) aka KILIKA PALA (w) aka VICTORIA PALA; HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF WILLIAM AKI; HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF KAKOLU (k); LUCY AKI; KEKOANA AKI; KIALALUHI AKI; HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF KAHAULEPA (k); HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF POHAKU (k); HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF WAWAE (k); UNKNOWN OWNERS and/or INTERESTED PARTIES OF ROADWAY crossing over the southerly portion of Apana 1 of Land Commission Award Number 2554; HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF IWINUI (w), aka KUKAI (w) and KUKAE (w); HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF LAI (w), aka LAIE (w); HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF KALE (k); VIOLET KAIMIKAUA MORI, aka VIOLET K. MORI; SALLY KAIMIKAUA BLAKA, aka SALLY KAIMIKAUA BLAHA and SALLY K. BLAKA; ESTATE OF JAMES KAIMIKAUA, JR., DECEASED; VIOLET JOSEPHINE KAIMIKAUA, now known as VIOLET BLAHA; CHARLOTTE RAPOSAS; HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF KAIWIKAHIKO (w); HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF PEPEE (k); HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF KAUANUI; HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF KAPOHAKU (k), aka KAPOHAKU KAHAULEPA and POHAKU; HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF KAAEA; UNKNOWN OWNERS and/or INTERESTED PARTIES OF WAIHEE DITCH; HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF KAHALE (w); HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF PALAUALELO (w); HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF HELELA (w); HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF KELIINUI (k); HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF KAPULE (k); KALIKA KAPU; HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF ABRAHAM K. MCAULTON; ROSE E. MCAULTON; BARBARA MAMO AQUINO; ARTHUR SANFORD MCAULTON; VERONICA PUANANI REZENTES; SANDRA MAENANI CHONG; ROSEMARIE LANI YEE; MELVIN KAUINAOKALANI MCAULTON; HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF KAPAKU (k); HEIRS OR ASSIGNS OF MAHOE (w); CARL G. K. KAIMIKAUA; HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF PALA (k) aka LUI PALA (k); HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF MAUUMAE (w) aka MAUUMAE KAWAILANA (w) and MAUIMAE KAWAILANA (w); HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF HARRY MAIO; HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF KEKAHUNA (w) aka KEKAHUNA ABISAI (w) and KEKAHUNA APIKAI (w); and persons named above who are deceased, or persons holding under said Heirs, and spouses, assigns, successors, personal representatives, executors, administrators, and trustees of persons named above who are deceased; Does 1 through 100; and all other persons unknown claiming any right, title estate, lien or interest in the real property described and TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that Plaintiff WAHI HO OMALU claims fee simple ownership to all of the following real property: LCA 2461:2 to Kanehailua, 0.45 acre, more or less; LCA 2468:1 & :2 to Keau; LCA 2554:1, 2 & :3 to Wawae, 0.500 acre, more or less; LCA 3275-D Kaholomoana; LCA 3275-I to Kaia, 1-10/100 acres, more or less; LCA 3275-W to Kaaea, 0.490 acre, more or less; LCA 3451 to Kapahi or Napahi, 1-53/100 acres, more or less; LCA 3456:4 to Keliinui, 75/100 acre, more or less; and LCA 11222 to Kapaku, 1-58/100 acres, more or less; all located to Waiehu, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii, portion of Tax Key (2) 3-3-002-001. YOU ARE HEREBY FURTHER NOTIFIED that Plaintiff WAHI HO OMALU, filed a Complaint to Quiet Title in the Second Circuit Court, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii, requesting that title to the above-described real property be determined quieted as to any and all adverse claims not presented and/or adjudicated in this action. YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to appear in the courtroom of the Honorable Joseph E. Cardoza, Judge of the above entitled Court, Hoapili Hale, 2145 Main Street, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii, on July 7, 2006, at 8:30 a.m., or to file an answer or other pleading and serve it before said day upon Plaintiffs' counsel TOM C. LEUTENEKER, Carlsmith Ball LLP, 2200 Main Street, Suite 400, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii 96793, to show cause, if any you have, why the prayer of said Complaint should not be granted. Unless you file an answer before the time aforesaid or appear at the Second Circuit Court, Wailuku, County of Maui, State of Hawaii, at the time and place aforesaid, your default will be recorded, and said Complaint will be taken as confessed and a judgment by default will be taken against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint. DATED: Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii, May 23, 2006. C. CASIL CLERK OF THE ABOVE ENTITLED COURT CARLSMITH BALL LLP TOM C. LEUTENEKER 721-0 2200 Main Street, Suite 400 Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii 96793 Telephone No. 808.242.4535 Fax No. 808-244-4974 Attorney for Plaintiff (Hon. Adv.: May 26; June 2, 9, 16, 2006) (A-422728) Posted on 5/26/2006

 

 

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIRST CIRCUIT STATE OF HAWAII SUMMONS TO: DEFENDANTS HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF KANEKUAPUU (k); HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF KAPULEMANAOLE (w); HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF KEEWAHINE (w); HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF MEEWAHINE (w); JOHN DOES 1-5; JANE DOES 1-5; DOE CORPORATIONS 1-5; DOE PARTNERSHIPS 1-5; DOE ENTITIES 1-5; DOE GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES 1-5; Heirs, Assigns, Successors, Personal Representatives, Executors, Administrators, Guardians, and Trustees of the Above-Named Defendants, and all other persons unknown claiming any right, title, estate, lien or interest in the real property described herein adverse to Plaintiffs' ownership; TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that Plaintiffs ROBERT G. LEWIS, SR. and CHRISTINA K. KAPONO, as Guardian Prochein Ami for JAYNA HAUOLI KAPONO, a minor, have filed a Third Amended Complaint to Quiet Title, Determine Right of Way and For Judicial Partition in the First Circuit Court, State of Hawaii, Civil No. 03-1-2547-12 VSM, to determine all claims adverse to, and to establish Plaintiffs' fee simple title to: All of that certain parcel of land (being a portion of the land(s) described in and covered by Royal Patent Number 4521, Land Commission Award Number 7765 to Kanekuapuu) situate, lying and being at Alewa, Honolulu, City and County of Honolulu, State of Hawaii, TMK (1) 1-7-039-003. YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to appear in the courtroom of the Honorable Victoria S. Marks, Judge of the above-entitled Court, in her courtroom, at 777 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu, on July 11, 2006, at 9:00 o'clock a.m., of said day or to file an answer or other pleading and serve it before said day upon BRUCE B. KIM, attorney for Plaintiffs, whose address is 600 Kapiolani Boulevard, Suite 206, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813. If you fail to do so, judgment by default will be taken against you for the relief demanded in the Third Amended Complaint to Quiet Title, Determine Right of Way and For Judicial Partition. DATED: Honolulu, Hawaii, May 10, 2006 N. ANAYA Clerk of the above-entitled Court (Hon. Adv.: May 26; June 2, 9, 16, 2006) (A-442121) Posted on 5/26/2006

 

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