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.

 

 

 

 

June 28, 2006

 

 

Advocate for Hawaii sovereignty dies, 86

 

Genesis Namakaokalani Lee Loy / 1919-2006

 

By Rod Thompson
rthompson@starbulletin.com

 

Genesis Namakaokalani Lee Loy, a retired Hawaiian Telephone Co. supervisor and a founder of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement on the Big Island, died yesterday at his home in the Panaewa Hawaiian Homes area of Hilo. He was 86.

 

"He was the founder and advocate for restoring the Hawaiian nation," said Patrick Kahawaiolaa, a longtime protester of the policies of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

 

Retired Catholic priest George De Costa remembered a day in 1987 when Lee Loy came to him. "We have to make people aware and work towards sovereignty," Lee Loy told De Costa. "That word was not even used at that time," De Costa said.

 

Lee Loy and others wanted to restore Ka Lahui Hawaii, the Hawaiian Nation, but they could find no place to meet to write a constitution. "I told them to use our church hall," said De Costa, who was the priest at Malia Puka O Kalani Catholic Church. Ka Lahui eventually grew to a membership of 12,000.

 

Mililani Trask, the longtime, former head of Ka Lahui, issued a statement from the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Switzerland.

 

"I am here in Geneva doing what he educated me to do," she said. "I really wouldn't be who I am without his guidance. He prepared me to do this work. He was my dear friend," she said.

 

In the 1970s, Lee Loy joined one lawsuit and persuaded his son Lambert to file another, both against the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, said Lee Loy's oldest son, Gerard. The outcome was the opening of Hawaiian Homes farm lots at Panaewa, which the department had been unwilling to do until that time.

 

In recent years, as a member of the Royal Order of Kamehameha, Lee Loy had opposed NASA's plan to build "Outrigger" telescopes around the two giant Keck telescopes on Mauna Kea, feeling that telescopes show disrespect for the sacredness of the mountain.

 

Although legal challenges by the Royal Order and others could not directly block the Outriggers, they slowed the approval process until a time early this year when funding for the telescopes was no longer available.

 

Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Thursday at Malia Puka O Kalani Catholic Church. Burial to follow at Homelani Memorial Park. Friends may call from 8 a.m.

 

Lee Loy is survived by wife Elizabeth; sons Gerard, Blase, Lambert, Sean, Emmett, Hilary, and Ian; daughters Bridgit Bales, Maureen Namaka Rawlins, Hedwig Nakoolani Warrington, Elizabethanne Masaoka and Monica Morris; brothers Hartwell and Elijah; sister Lehua Weatherwax; 27 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.

 

 

 

 

June 28, 2006

 

Growth of Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific Islander- Owned Businesses Over Three Times the National Average

 

U.S. Newswire

 

Contact: Mike Bergman of U.S. Census Bureau Public Information Office, 301-763-3030 or 301-457-1037 (TDD), or pio@census.gov

 

WASHINGTON, June 28 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The number of Native Hawaiian- and other Pacific Islander-owned businesses grew 49.4 percent between 1997 and 2002, over three times the national average of 10.3 percent for all businesses. The 28,948 businesses generated about $4.3 billion in revenues, up 3.4 percent from 1997. This is according to a new report, "Survey of Business Owners: Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific Islander-Owned Firms: 2002 (PDF)," released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

 

More than half (58 percent) of all Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander firms were Native Hawaiian-owned (16,776). Guamanian- or Chamorran-owned firms accounted for 13.1 percent (3,797) and Samoan-owned firms comprised 7.6 percent (2,204). Other Pacific Islander-owned firms, which are not Native Hawaiian-, Guamanian- or Chamorran-, or Samoan-owned, accounted for 21.8 percent of the total firms (6,324).

 

Nearly 13 percent of all Native Hawaiian- and other Pacific Islander-owned firms had paid employees in 2002. These 3,693 businesses employed more than 29,000 people and generated revenues of $3.5 billion. The average receipts for these firms were $948,323.

 

Other highlights:

 

-- In 2002, nearly 21,000 Native Hawaiian- and other Pacific Islander-owned firms operated in health care and social assistance; other services (such as personal services, and repair and maintenance); retail trade; administrative and support and waste management and remediation services; professional, scientific and technical services; and construction.

 

-- Construction accounted for 21.2 percent of all Native Hawaiian- and other Pacific Islander-owned business revenue.

 

-- There were 727 Native Hawaiian- and other Pacific Islander- owned firms with receipts of $1 million or more. These firms accounted for 2.5 percent of the total number of Native Hawaiian- and other Pacific Islander-owned firms and 66.8 percent of their total receipts.

 

-- There were 28 Native Hawaiian- and other Pacific Islander- owned firms with 100 employees or more, generating more than $698 million in gross receipts (19.9 percent of the total revenue for Native Hawaiian- and other Pacific Islander-owned employer firms).

 

-- Two states -- Hawaii and California -- accounted for 62.3 percent ($2.7 billion) of all Native Hawaiian- and other Pacific Islander-owned business revenue.

 

-- States accounting for the highest number of Native Hawaiian- and other Pacific Islander-owned firms included Hawaii, California, New York, Florida and Texas.

 

-- Hawaii and California accounted for 64.9 percent (10,887) of all Native Hawaiian-owned firms.

 

-- California accounted for 46.1 percent (1,752) of all Guamanian- or Chamorran-owned firms.

 

-- Honolulu County, Hawaii, had the largest number of Native Hawaiian- and other Pacific Islander-owned firms in 2002 with 5,052. These businesses accounted for 17.5 percent of all Native Hawaiian- and other Pacific Islander-owned businesses and generated $1 billion in receipts.

 

--For cities, Honolulu led the nation with 2,415 Native Hawaiian- and other Pacific Islander-owned firms with revenues of $615 million. New York was second in number of firms (2,341) with business revenue of $68 million.

 

States With the Largest Number of Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific Islander-Owned Firms: 2002

 

-- State: Hawaii; Firms (number): 8,359; Percent of total: 28.9; Receipts (million dollars): 1,436; Percent of total: 33.6

 

-- State: California; Firms (number): 7,074; Percent of total: 24.4; Receipts (million dollars): 1,230; Percent of total: 28.8

 

-- State: New York; Firms (number): 3,005; Percent of total: 10.4; Receipts (million dollars): 123; Percent of total: 2.9

 

-- State: Florida; Firms (number): 1,480; Percent of total: 5.1; Receipts (million dollars): 72; Percent of total: 1.7

 

-- State: Texas; Firms (number): 1,391; Percent of total: 4.8; Receipts (million dollars): 78; Percent of total: 1.8

 

County With the Largest Number of Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific Islander-Owned Firms: 2002

 

-- County: Honolulu County, Hawaii; Firms (number): 5,052; Receipts (million dollars): 1,023

 

Cities With the Largest Number of Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific Islander-Owned Firms: 2002

 

-- City: Honolulu, Hawaii; Firms (number): 2,415; Receipts (million dollars): 615

 

-- City: New York, N.Y.; Firms (number): 2,341; Receipts (million dollars): 68

 

Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific Islander-Ownership of Firms by Detailed Group: 2002

 

-- Group: Native Hawaiian- and other Pacific Islander-owned firms; Firms (number): 28,948; Percent of total: (X); Receipts (million dollars): 4,280; Percent of total: (X)

 

-- Group: Native Hawaiian; Firms (number): 16,776; Percent of total: 58.0; Receipts (million dollars): 2,844; Percent of total: 66.5

 

-- Group: Other Pacific Islander; Firms (number): 6,324; Percent of total: 21.8; Receipts (million dollars): 410; Percent of total: 9.6

 

-- Group: Guamanian or Chamorran; Firms (number): 3,797; Percent of total: 13.1; Receipts (million dollars): 676; Percent of total: 15.8

 

-- Group: Samoan; Firms (number): 2,204; Percent of total: 7.6; Receipts (million dollars): 299; Percent of total: 7.0

 

The 2002 Survey of Business Owners (SBO) defines Native Hawaiian- and other Pacific Islander-owned businesses as firms in which Native Hawaiians; Samoans; Guamanians or Chamorrans; and other Pacific Islanders (who are not Native Hawaiians; Guamanians or Chamorrans; or Samoans) own 51 percent or more of the stock or equity of the business. Data by gender of ownership by all race groups and people of Hispanic or Latino origin will be issued in August.

 

Later this year, information on the characteristics of businesses and their owners will be released for the first time in more than a decade. Information will be provided on home- based, family-owned and franchised businesses as well as information about sources of capital. Information also will be provided about age, hours worked, educational attainment and veteran status of business owners.

 

The SBO is part of the 2002 Economic Census and combines survey data from a sample of more than 2.4 million businesses with administrative data.

 

Data for 2002 are not directly comparable to previous survey years because of several significant changes to the survey methodology. See "Comparability of 2002 and 1997 SBO Data" at http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/text/sbo/

 

The data collected in a sample survey are subject to sampling variability as well as nonsampling errors. Sources of nonsampling errors include errors of response, nonreporting and coverage.

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: The data can be accessed at http://www.census.gov/prod/ec02/sb0200csnhpi.pdf.

 

http://www.usnewswire.com/Bottom of Form

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Thursday, June 22, 2006

 

Pacific tide energizes commerce

 

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Staff Writer

 

Mary Lou Kekuewa and daughter Paulette Kahelepuna have been preserving the art of feather-lei making at their Kapahulu Avenue shop for years. Photo courtesy of the Honolulu Advertiser: Rebecca Breyer

 

The two are the only employees of Aunty Mary Lou's Na Lima Mili Hulu No'eau, an operation that runs 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends. They pride themselves on being available for their customers whenever they are needed.

 

"You have people that have to come after work, and people who come in the mornings," Kahelepuna said. "This way we're filling somebody's needs through the day and week."

 

The number of businesses owned by Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders remains small. But their ranks are growing significantly, according to figures provided by the U.S. Census.

 

The bureau reported last year that there were 32,299 Native Hawaiian- and Pacific Islander-owned businesses across the U.S. in 2002 — up a whopping 67 percent from five years ago.

 

The overall number of U.S. businesses increased by 10 percent during that same period. While all non-white ethnic categories saw increases higher than the national average, the jump was most dramatic among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

 

The Census Bureau is set to announce more detailed data on the topic next week, including the industries where Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are seeing the largest increases in new businesses.

Photo courtesy of the Honolulu Advertiser: Jeff Widener

Ka'imi Pelekai, general manager for Real Hawai'i Tours, said his family opened the catamaran cruise business along the Wai'anae Coast two years ago.

 

"To be a Native Hawaiian and to own a business, my personal feeling is that if we want to regain our own self-determination, we have to have people who know how to run a business," said Pelekai, 28.

 

The tours are sensitive to the cultural uniqueness of Hawai'i, he said, and each visitor learns a hula on the beach from a Wai'anae kumu hula before returning to the hotel.

 

The Pelekais' business was started with the help of a loan by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

 

Warren Asing, president of the Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce, said efforts by groups such as OHA, Alu Like and his own organization to encourage Native Hawaiians to enter the ranks of entrepreneurship have helped bring about the increase in Native Hawaiian businesses.

 

OHA provides loans through a revolving fund, Alu Like offers training, and the chamber distributes scholarships, said Asing, chief operating officer for Fun Factory Inc., a subsidiary of Fernandez Entertainment, another business owned by a part-Hawaiian family.

 

Asing said the chamber also has a mentoring program so that veteran business leaders can help new business owners.

 

What's as important as increasing the number of Native Hawaiian business owners, if not more so, is ensuring that those in that position "understand the value of themselves," Asing said. "They need to express their culture and tradition."

 

Native Hawaiian attorney Beadie Kanahele Dawson and her family started the Dawson Group, which works primarily in the environmental remediation and construction fields, in 1994.

 

Dawson credits the leadership of the company president, son Christopher, with the success of the business.

 

The company also gets special consideration for government contracts through a program administered by the Small Business Administration designed to help businesses owned by ethnic minorities and women, Beadie Dawson said.

 

"We know that we have a long history of being behind," Dawson said, noting that statistics often show Native Hawaiians in the lower rung of many socioeconomic statistical comparisons.

 

"And so we have to work harder, we have to try harder, because we are building and proving ourselves."

 

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

 

 

 

 

Hawai‘i Veterans Pu‘uhonua Project

 

WHAT: Meeting to form the NATIVE HAWAIIAN VETERANS COUNCIL

 

WHO: All Hawaiian military veterans

 

WHERE: Papa Ola Lokahi, 894 Queen St., Honolulu

 

WHEN: Tuesday, 11 July 2006, Noon to 2PM

 

The Hawai‘i Veterans Pu‘uhonua Project is a cooperative effort of Ka Maluhia Learning Center and Papa Ola Lokahi.  The purpose of the project is to determine ways that culture can be used to assist Hawaiian veterans to resolve the trauma of their time in the military.  As a part of this effort Hawaiian veterans are gathering to discuss formation of the Native Hawaiian Veterans Council, a veteran’s services organization which will address the specific needs of our community.  All veterans of Hawaiian descent, from all branches of US military service are invited to attend this foundational meeting. 

 

For more information:  Please contact Bud Cook at: 808.935.9179 mailto:kamaluhia@hawaiiantel.net

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Tuesday, June 27, 2006

 

Help on way for Leeward parks

 

By Robert Shikina
Advertiser Staff Writer

 

Leeward residents will soon see $1.35 million in improvements to the area's heavily used public parks, beginning with Wai'anae District Park and following with other beach parks, including Ma'ili, Nanakuli and Kea'au.

 

The "major facelift" announced yesterday by Mayor Mufi Hannemann is part of a benefits package he promised months ago to the area to offset having to house the island's only municipal landfill. Another $1 million will go to help nonprofit organizations finance programs and activities for Leeward residents. Photo courtesy of the Honolulu Advertiser: Bruce Asato

 

But in an area with a significant homeless population on its beaches and in its parks and a strong belief that the area has often gotten the short end of the stick from the city and state, some residents said the money is not enough or suggested there are better ways to spend it.

 

"Start with the homeless," said Gabe Belen of Makaha, who was camping with his wife and three kids. He said he had a camping permit for Kea'au, but was staying at Ma'ili because Kea'au was "nothing but homeless."

 

Even those who are part of the mayor's effort acknowledged that the benefits package is not enough for a major impact.

 

Pearl Lewis of Nanakuli serves on one of two oversight committees that will help Hannemann decide how best to help the Leeward Coast.

 

"It's something to start with. There's a lot of needs out there," Lewis said.

 

STILL TIME TO TALK

 

Hannemann acknowledged the area's homelessness problem, but said the parks improvements are not targeted at the homeless.

 

An estimated 200 people were displaced from Ala Moana Beach Park in March when the city began closing the park overnight to prepare for extensive renovations. Photo courtesy of the Honolulu Advertiser: Bruce Asato

 

That park has since been closed permanently at night.

 

"What we're talking about is cleaning up our parks," Hannemann said yesterday.

 

Except for Wai'anae District Park, the work won't begin until September, allowing for plenty of dialogue and discussion, he said.

 

"If we need more time to develop a more detailed plan, we can wait," he said.

 

However, Wai'anae District Park doesn't have the types of problems that some of the other beach parks have and work can begin sooner, he said.

 

"We have the money, the community wants us to fix that park and we want to do it as soon as we can," he said.

 

Some residents have asked why something can't be done about the homeless on the beaches and in the parks, and Gov. Linda Lingle has convened a homeless solutions meeting tonight in Wai'anae.

 

PARKS ARE RUN DOWN

 

In August, $350,000 will be spent to renovate Wai'anae District Park with much-needed in-house maintenance, painting and minor construction repairs to the gymnasium and outdoor courts.

 

Jackie Spencer, a supervisor with the city's Department of Parks and Recreation, said starting at Wai'anae District Park was a good choice.

 

"On this coast, this is the only type of facility that's available for large meetings. There's five parks on this coast and this is the one with the heaviest usage, so this was the best place to start," Spencer said.

 

Treena Pieper, from Makakilo, said the needs at Wai'anae District Park are major.

 

She was picking up her son yesterday from the Summer Fun program at the park.

 

"It's really run-down. It has aged tremendously," Pieper said. "It's so unfortunate that just because these kids are from Wai'anae they have the (bad) end of the deal."

 

The remaining $1 million will be used to repair beach parks along the Leeward Coast, under the direction of a committee of community members.

 

Also as part of the mayor's benefits package, an additional $1 million will fund the Department of Community Services to help nonprofit organizations with programs and activities for Leeward residents.

 

What about homeless?

 

A Community Benefits Advisory Committee will oversee the spending of both $1 million packages, while an Oversight Advisory Committee will address complaints and concerns about the Waimanalo Gulch landfill.

 

Hannemann said it is important that the decisions on how to improve the Leeward side be community driven.

 

"We want to have 60-plus days to thoroughly figure it out and work with the community," he said. "In September, from Nanakuli to Makaha, these things are going to be done in segments. It's going to be based on what they say."

 

Work on the beach parks will include painting and repairing comfort stations, picnic tables and buildings, repairing and restriping parking lots, landscaping and repairing lifeguard towers and sprinklers.

 

City Councilman Nestor Garcia said community members on the committee should know how to handle the issue since many of the homeless are from those communities.

 

"You have to obviously answer that question: What are we going to do with the homeless?" Garcia said.

 

"We're going to have to decide together how we're going to handle those issues."

 

And they need to be dealt with, said Belen, the Makaha resident.

 

"You live down this side, you cannot tell your kids, 'No, you cannot go beach,' " he said. "The kids are going to come to the beach and that's where all the druggies stay. Almost every time it happens, every time we go to the beach, they have their dramas when they run out of their (drugs) for smoke, and my kids have to watch that."

 

Belen, 23, was skeptical about the mayor's package, saying the repairs to Wai'anae District Park are just for show.

 

"How long they never help us already," he said. "If it was Hawai'i Kai, you think the beaches would look like this?"

 

Hannemann said the city is doing its part to help address homelessness.

 

"Whether it's Wai'anae, whether it's Ala Moana, whether it's A'ala Park, it's a problem that's endemic throughout O'ahu, and statewide if you will. And the state's in the best position to lead in that regard," Hannemann said.

 

"We want to do our part. So we have ongoing efforts in which we are continuing to help with homeless problems."

 

Reach Robert Shikina at rshikina@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

June 22, 2006

 

Senate Approves Akaka-Collins Bill to Protect Whistleblowers

 

Washington, D.C. - The United States Senate today passed legislation to strengthen protections for federal employees who disclose government waste, fraud, abuse, or threats to public safety.

 

An amendment based on S. 494, the Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act, was accepted under unanimous consent to the fiscal year 2007 National Defense Authorization Act.  Senators Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) and Susan M. Collins (R-ME) offered the amendment.  Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Carl Levin (D-MI), and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) were consponsors.

 

“Today the Senate recognizes both the importance of encouraging federal workers to come forward to disclose government wrongdoing and lapses in our national security.  These men and women, who put their country before personal well-being, should not be restrained because of fear of retaliation for doing what’s right,” said Senator Akaka.  “The need to act now was heightened because of last month’s Supreme Court decision that limits whistleblower protection under the First Amendment.  It’s unacceptable for the courts to add another deterrence to federal whistleblowing.”

 

The Akaka-Collins bill will:

 

 

Senator Akaka said, “I extend my sincere appreciation to Chairman Collins whose support was instrumental in moving this amendment.  She helped forge the consensus needed to pass this bill.”

 

Senator Collins is the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on which Senator Akaka serves as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on the Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia.

 

“This amendment reverses the steady erosion of whistleblower protections caused by employment practices that circumvent current protections and adverse court decisions,” said Senator Collins. “We must ensure that federal employees can continue to come forward and disclose instances of official or department misconduct without fear for their personal safety or the loss of their job. Absent these needed protections, cases of fraud and abuse will continue to go unnoticed as would-be informants remain quiet out of fear.”

 

Senator Akaka praised the bipartisan coalition who cosponsored his amendment as well as his bill.  He also thanked Senator Levin and Senator Grassley who sponsored the 1989 law and 1994 amendments, for their steadfast commitment to federal whistleblowers.

 

The Akaka-Collins bill was reported out of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on May 25, 2005 and is cosponsored by the amendment cosponsors as well as Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), George Voinovich (R-OH), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Mark Dayton (D-MN), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Thomas Carper (D-DE), and Lincoln Chafee (R-RI).

 

 

 

 

Posted: June 27, 2006

 

New statistics show effect of enterprises

 

by: Sarah Moses / Today staff

 

CANASTOTA, N.Y. - New statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minority Business Development Agency on June 20 showed that American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned firms generated nearly $27 billion in revenue and employed 191,270 people in 2002.

 

''Today's news from the Census provides us with a snapshot of how American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned businesses are faring, and the news is encouraging,'' said Ronald Langston, national director of the Minority Business Development Agency, during a telephone press conference. ''Firms owned by American Indian and Alaska Natives represented almost 1 percent of all U.S. firms, which was close to their 2002 population percentage of 1.4 percent.''

 

The Survey of Business Owners, formerly known as the Surveys of Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises, provided the statistics, which describe the composition of U.S. businesses by gender, Hispanic or Latino origin, and race.

 

The report's statistics exclude businesses owned by American Indian tribal entities, which are considered to be government-owned entities. An American Indian-owned business is defined as a firm in which American Indians own 51 percent or more of the stock, equity or interest of the business, said Valerie Strang, Census Bureau survey statistician.

 

As tribally owned businesses were included in the 1997 survey, prior data cannot be compared to the newly released statistics. The 2002 survey results will serve as a benchmark for any future surveys.

 

For 2002, the Census reported that there were 3,631 American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned firms with receipts of $1 million or more. California accounted for 19 percent of total American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned firms, followed by Oklahoma with 8.5 percent and Texas with 8 percent.

 

Peter Homer, president and CEO of the National Indian Business Association, said he was satisfied with the statistics and credited the success of businesses on the success of gaming within some tribes.

 

''Gaming has played a big infusion in creating new businesses because tribes are using gaming profits to put ... their tribal members in businesses that have the capacity to go into business,'' Homer said. ''In that way they feel, that only in that way, a total economic base will be created on those Indian reservations by their own people creating convenience stores and cleaners and Laundromats and those kinds of businesses.''

 

Homer said the total number of businesses is increasing very slowly on Indian reservations. He said tribes are helping to speed up the process by putting profits that they make in their other businesses, such as gaming, into new business ventures.

 

''It is very important to the increase those tribal reservation businesses because they need the jobs,'' he said.

 

Homer said that many gaming tribes are trying to build sustainable business environments because they feel that gaming is not going to last forever.

 

''There is going to be an infusion or even state governments will get involved in gaming later on, they [the tribes] feel, so they're putting a lot of the profits in small manufacturing development on their reservations,'' he said.

 

Strang said the construction industry accounted for the largest number of firms.

 

''Nearly three in 10 of all American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned firms in 2002 operated in construction and other services, such as personal services and repair and maintenance,'' she said. ''Specifically, the number of construction firms was 32,253 and other services, 26,651. The construction and retail trade industries generated the most revenue, over $11 billion, accounting for 41 percent of all American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned business revenue.''

 

Homer said the National Indian Business Association wants to work with tribes to continue to increase businesses.

 

''We look at this report and we've studied it, and over the past four years it's been sort of status quo,'' he said. ''We haven't really jumped out since the last report, so we're looking at getting the word out to help the businesses through not only providing the training and technical assistance, but also to create software ... that will be able to help Indian businesses receive contracts and subcontracts.''

 

For the full report, visit www.census.gov.

 

 

 

 

June 27, 2006

 

Federal Workers' Rights Cannot Be Ignored, Akaka Says

 

Washington, D.C. - In response to today's ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on the personnel system at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), stated:

 

"Today's ruling once more demonstrates the shortsightedness of this Administration in developing personnel systems that ignore the rights of federal workers - especially collective bargaining rights.  Employee protections are not something that can be waived on the whim of a political appointee.

 

"Now is the time for the Department to sit down with the federal employee unions to work out a personnel system that is fair, contemporary, flexible, and has the support of employees and the Department's leadership."

 

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit agreed with last year's District Court ruling that the final regulations issued by DHS for its personnel system fail to ensure collective bargaining by allowing the Department to unilaterally revoke collective bargaining agreements.  The Appeals Court went further than the District Court by ruling that DHS had improperly restricted the scope of bargaining to matters concerning employee-specific grievances only.  As such, the Appeals Court reaffirms union input on important workplace issues such as procedures for assigning overtime and work arrangements.  The decision also found that the Department exceeded its authority in changing the role and responsibilities of the Federal Labor Relations Board, which resolves issues between federal agencies and federal unions.

 

Senator Akaka was one of nine Senators to vote against the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, in part because of his concern over DHS developing a personnel system that erodes employee rights and protections.

 

Senator Akaka is Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia.

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Saturday, June 24, 2006

 

OHA now working toward nationhood

 

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Staff Writer

 

Rebuffed by Congress in its attempt to get the Akaka bill passed, trustees with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs are now seeking to move forward with a Native Hawaiian governing entity without the endorsement of officials in Washington.

 

A draft "nation-building" model approved unanimously by trustees on Thursday could lead to creation of what essentially would be a Hawaiians-only government that would negotiate for control of land, money and other assets lost when the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown in 1893 by individuals backed by U.S. military forces.

 

Control of those assets, believed to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, would need to be negotiated by the new "nation" with the state and the federal governments.

 

If successful, the draft OHA plan would lead to elections for representatives to a new government entity as soon as early 2008.

 

The plan is preliminary and OHA officials intend to meet with different groups for their suggestions and input, said Clyde Namu'o, OHA administrator.

 

"This process gets us to the creating of a governing entity," he said.

 

The proposal is being introduced now because the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, the so-called Akaka bill, is stalled in Congress.

 

"The bill didn't pass. There's no reason for us to wait any longer," Namu'o said. "The notion of creating a governing entity is something that's been talked about for years."

 

SIMILAR TO AKAKA BILL

 

If the Akaka bill had passed, "you would have had the power of the legislation that would encourage people to participate. People would naturally want to participate if the bill were to pass," he said. "Now, with this process, we're going to have to spend a lot more time educating folks in terms of how the process works and what it will ultimately end up with."

 

Otherwise, he said, the process for establishing the government entity is very similar to that outlined in the Akaka bill. The other key difference is that the Akaka bill requires Hawaiians to trace their lineage back to either the 1893 overthrow or the 1921 enactment of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, he said. The OHA proposal simply calls for a potential voter to verify that he or she is Hawaiian, he said.

 

RICE V. CAYETANO

 

In the 2000 U.S. Supreme Court Rice v. Cayetano, the court ruled that the election of OHA trustees must be open to all Hawai'i voters, not just Hawaiians.

 

OHA does not believe the process for deciding on the new government runs counter to that ruling, Namu'o said.

 

"Our position is that Hawaiians are aboriginal, indigenous people and the federal policy is that aboriginal indigenous people of the United States enjoy the inherent right to sovereignty," Namu'o said. "There are Indian tribes who have organized their government and have never tried to be federally recognized, nor are they even state-recognized."

 

H. William Burgess, a member of the group Aloha For All, said the plan cannot pass the legal hurdle thrown up by the Rice case.

 

"It won't work," he said, because establishment of a government that excludes others based on race was forbidden by the Rice case.

 

"What is the problem with just having a melting pot in Hawai'i?" he said. "Why is that so offensive to anybody? It seems to be that those who are championing (an independent Hawaiian government) are those who have some vested interest in keeping Hawaiians in a state of dependency."

 

BROAD SUPPORT NEEDED

 

Jon Osorio, chairman of the Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawai'i, said OHA will need to enlist the support of activist groups that have opposed the Akaka bill for the new process to be successful.

 

"Instead of hoping that (the Akaka bill) gets passed in the Senate, they're taking this state agency and putting their mana behind the making of a government ... and basically forcing the Senate's hand," Osorio said. "'What we're going to do is make this government, we're going to put it in your face, and we're going to make you say no.'"

 

He added: "If (OHA) does not involve the wider activist community, if they don't get them on their side, it will fail. Because what will happen is the independence people and the non-federal recognition people will criticize it to death."

 

Namu'o said a strong registry of voters on the Kau Inoa list and a strong showing during the elections will establish legitimacy for the new government.

 

Currently, there are 50,000 registered. OHA's goal is 118,000, which is about two-thirds the total number of Hawaiians and part-Hawaiians in the state, Namu'o said.

 

"You begin to build some credibility, because the question that will come is whether or not this Native Hawaiian governing entity truly represents the Native Hawaiian people."

 

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

 

 

OHA'S PLAN CALLS FOR:

 

 

 

 

Posted: June 21, 2006

 

Cultural sensitivity training is crucial for health care providers

 

by: Staff Reports / Indian Country Today

 

LOS ANGELES - If tribes would teach their culture and history to their health care providers, everyone would benefit, said Pamela Iron, Laguna and Cherokee, director of the national project, ''Training Our Providers in Cultural Sensitivity.''

 

Less than a third of tribes are teaching their health care providers about their history and culture, according to a national survey conducted in 2004. Many Indian health programs surveyed wanted to provide this kind of training but they said they didn't have enough time, enough money or enough know-how.

 

''We tried to find model programs and learn how they overcame these obstacles,'' Iron said. ''Our advisory committee helped us identify six model programs that were willing to share their stories with others.''

 

''Tribes sharing with tribes'' is the approach the TOPICS project has used. The six model programs are featured in a book, a video, a Web site and a national conference.

 

''Creating Space for Culture and History in Indian Health Care'' is a conference that will be held on July 26 in Los Angeles. Leaders of the model programs will share how they developed their programs and answer questions.

 

''We especially want to encourage tribal leaders and tribal council members to attend this conference,'' Iron said. ''They will get valuable ideas and it will inspire them to take action when they return home to their tribes.''

 

The six model programs have very different approaches, she said.

 

Before he was elected principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, Chad Smith spent 10 years researching the history of the Cherokee Nation and developing a course to convey the information. Today, the tribe's 2,000 employees are required to take the 40-hour Cherokee Nation History course.

 

United Indian Health Services in Arcata created an environment for health care that reflects the local culture through arts and crafts and a land reclamation project that has transformed 40 acres into walking trails with indigenous plants and community gardens. UIHS has raised $6 million from foundations and worked for 10 years to create this ''expression of health for American Indians.''

 

The other model programs featured in the TOPICS project are the Arctic Slope Native Association, American Indian Health and Family Services of Southeastern Michigan Inc., the Puyallup Tribal Health Authority and the California Rural Indian Health Board.

 

For more information about the TOPICS project and the conference, visit www.creatingspaceforculture.org.

 

 

 

 

June 26, 2006

 

New director brings culture to Royal Hawaiian center

 

The Kamehameha grad will make sure the renovated complex will be sensitive to native Hawaiian history

 

Star-Bulletin staff
business@starbulletin.com

 

WES KAIWI NUI

 

» New job: Wes Kaiwi Nui has been named director of cultural affairs at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center in Waikiki. He works for the center's manager, the Los Angeles-based Festival Cos.

 

» Job description: The center is undergoing a more than $84 million renovation, to be completed next year, and Kaiwi Nui works with Royal Hawaiian management to make sure the property's new look and marketing is sensitive to its place in native Hawaiian history.

 

» Background: He has practiced architecture for 10 years and is a 1993 graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, which owns the shopping center. He is a student of "lua," or traditional Hawaiian martial arts, strategy and healing.

 

» Age: 30.

 

 

Question: What is the cultural aspect of the center?

 

Answer: It's land, first, and what I think we all have to realize is this land is tied to a legacy. It's no mystery that Kamehameha Schools owns the land. But there's a legacy here, a descendancy from the chiefs all the way down to the native Hawaiian children of today. We want to keep this place pono and enhance that. We have to respect what was here before. Everything is designed around the Royal Grove (a new cultural gathering place at the center.)

 

I can go to Los Angeles or New York, but what is it about it that makes this place special, and that is its culture. It's what distinguishes us from the world. Photo courtesy of the Honolulu Star Bulletin: Jamm Aquino

 

Q: What's an example of what you do in the project?

 

A: I work with the marketing director as well as the operations manager as well as Kamehameha Schools. I'm in the middle of all of it. Let's say something as simple as: We do want to have the statue of Princess Pauahi in the grove. Operations needs to know what is the maintenance of this, what are our costs. Marketing wants to know how do we respectfully and with dignity market this for the schools. We never walk behind our ali'i. If our ali'i is seated, then we can sit. There is a cultural protocol for how we can do this and where. You just have to have patience and know how to do it.

 

Q: How do you decide what is right?

 

A: First and foremost, no one man answers for Hawaiian culture. I'm just a grain of sand on the beach. Native Hawaiian 'aumakua always give great guidance. In my case, that manifestation is through lua and the 'olohe who are masters of lua. In my case, the 'olohe is Mitchell Eli. Hawaiian people are very spiritual. What is really right? If our intention is really pure and there is no malice to our surroundings, then I think we're on the right track.

 

Q: What will be your job when the renovation is done?

 

A: All that means is that development drops off my table and I will still work with marketing and operations and Kamehameha, because one of the things I'd like to do is increase our programs tremendously because there is much more to Hawaiian culture than lei making, quilting and hula. There's navigation. There's kapa making. There's kahili making. There's so much about our culture that has yet to be revealed to our guests. Part of the challenge is not so much coming up with the programs. The challenge would be how do we fund our programs. These programs are free to our guests because our main mission is to teach our guests.

 

Part of my push is to have a docent program with the Kamehameha kids to come back to Helumoa and lead as docents. Who better to share our culture than Hawaiian children. I think it's important that our guests get that and it is the very best we can give.

 

Q: What Oahu building exemplifies good architecture for Hawaii?

 

A: The finest piece of architecture in Hawaii, and it's probably indisputable to everyone, is Hawaii itself. There is no equal to that. My focus is always on land first. After that it's "built environment." Some examples of built environment are the preschool above the Department of Planning and Permitting. It's built on top of the structure. A lot of people don't know that it's there, in the middle of downtown, and that's great.

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Wednesday, June 21, 2006

 

Activists celebrate end of taro patents

 

By Mark Niesse
Associated Press

 

Hawaiian activists destroyed three patents on sacred taro plants yesterday after the University of Hawai'i relinquished its rights to the genetically enhanced breeds.

 

The university gave up ownership of the patents on these crossbreeds of taro after months of protests, including a demonstration in which farmers and students chained the entrance of a school building before a meeting of the Board of Regents.

 

"It's so important because life forms shouldn't be patented," said Christine Kobayashi, a taro farmer from Hanalei on Kaua'i. "Nobody should own any life form. This is a good start."

 

Taro is considered to be a sacred ancestor of the Hawaiian people.

 

The three varieties of taro were created through crossbreeding by University of Hawai'i researchers to help fight a leaf blight in Samoa that killed 97 percent of the plant there in the early 1990s, said Gary Ostrander, vice chancellor for research.

 

University officials filed papers Friday, called terminal disclaimers, which release these breeds of taro into the public for use by anyone, without having to notify or pay royalties to the school, he said. The patents had been in place since 2002.

 

"Neither the University of Hawai'i nor anyone else in the world has a proprietary or any other ownership interest in these three varieties," Ostrander said. "They're now available for anybody in the world to use."

 

During a ceremony yesterday celebrating the end of the patents, three of the protesters tore copies of the taro patents in half amid cheers from about 50 people in the crowd.

 

"For them to do what they did is not any easy thing," said Hawaiian activist Walter Ritte, who started organizing opposition to the patented varieties of taro five months ago. "They actually listened to us."

 

According to Hawaiian legend, the cosmic first couple gave birth to a stillborn, Haloa, from whose gnarled body sprang the broad-leafed plant whose roots are pounded into poi.

 

The Hawaiian people, it is believed, came from a second brother, making the plant part of their common ancestry.

 

The university announced earlier this month that it planned to give the patents to Native Hawaiians, but they refused the offer because they believe taro shouldn't be owned by anyone.

 

"This is a real victory for people who are opposed to the notion that life itself can become the property of others," said Jon Osorio, director of the Center for Hawaiian Studies at the university.

 

Taro has been crossbred by farmers in the Pacific islands for hundreds of years, and the idea that slightly different varieties of the plant could now be patented invigorated the protesters, Ritte said.

 

The taro protection group includes members of several environmental, agricultural and anti-genetic modification organizations.

 

They said they are now seeking a greater voice in future university decisions over intellectual property and biodiversity.

 

 

 

 

June 27, 2006

 

Anchorage's idea man sees solutions, not problems

 

By ROSEMARY SHINOHARA
Anchorage Daily News

 

An 83-year-old businessman with a record of creating reality out of ideas is making new things happen on Fourth Avenue.

 

Jimmy Wong, owner of the Sunshine Plaza and Ship Creek Center -- the old Post Office Mall -- has already livened up his section of downtown and is willing to help the city carry out a bigger transformation of the city center, say downtown boosters.

 

City consultants this spring put the idea of turning the Sunshine Plaza and Ship Creek Center into a year-round public market and cultural center in a draft city plan for downtown. Such a market could attract more pedestrians and stimulate other businesses, the plan says.

 

When city consultants showed the plan to Wong, he said, it turned out to be exactly what he wanted to do too.

 

"Maybe there's something the Almighty is telling us. This is what we should do," Wong said in an interview in a Sunshine Plaza conference room. The room is decorated with prints by well-known Alaska artist Fred Machetanz, a sign of Wong's commitment to the state and its art. Wong is an outgoing entrepreneur whose brain is crowded with ideas after decades of nurturing various businesses. In conversation, his thoughts tumble out.

 

His business involvement in parts of Anchorage outside downtown has involved low-cost housing, a trailer park and condominiums.

 

He lives in Honolulu most of the time and has owned half a dozen shopping centers there. He visited Alaska for the first time more than 40 years ago and got hooked on fishing with his three boys. They kept coming back. He began developing property here. About five years ago, he bought the two downtown buildings, which take up most of two blocks on Fourth Avenue from C to E streets.

 

The Sunshine Plaza, mostly offices, grabs you with its bold color: mustard yellow. (Don't look for a change. Wong says the building is an Anchorage landmark, "and I don't want to change that. I don't care how ugly it looks.")

 

The Ship Creek Center sits staidly alongside it, a muddy brown building but with a welcoming arcade and shops along the front.

 

Wong so far has built on two themes that he believes matter to Anchorage residents and to the visitor industry: local history and Native Alaska culture.

 

To capture both, he invited the Alaska Native Heritage Center, which operates a cultural center in Muldoon, to open a storefront in Ship Creek Center. It appears to be an active business, with shoppers frequently squeezed into aisles, checking out the Native arts and crafts.

 

Inside the building, he has created a marketplace for made-in-Alaska arts and crafts. He rents out small shops tucked into cubbies along the corridor to artists, particularly Alaska Natives, for $200 to $300 per month, he said.

 

On the center's exterior, he displays historical photographs of Anchorage.

 

In contrast to the activity in the streetside shops, there's often little customer traffic on weekdays for the small shops inside the center. But Wong recently persuaded Royal Celebrity Tours to drop large groups at Ship Creek Center on Saturdays for orientation to downtown. Last Saturday, 500 to 600 people came through, Wong said.

 

He expects tourism to grow in Anchorage and says tourists "not only want to visit people, but they also want to learn the culture and the heritage of where they go. They want to be more educated. So that's why I decided to see if I could invest in downtown."

 

Downtown doesn't show much evidence of history, but it does have Fourth Avenue, he said.

 

"Even though Fourth Avenue did have a stigma on it (the long-time poor reputation of many bars), it was truly the main street of Anchorage," he said.

 

Wong has formed his ideas for downtown Anchorage based on what he has picked up in worldwide travels and from his experience in Honolulu.

 

Pike Place Market in Seattle and the marketplace of Granville Island Public Market in Vancouver, British Columbia, are examples of what he'd like to create here.

 

"Have you been to Granville Island?" he said. "It's all artisans and arts and crafts."

 

In Honolulu, the state owns a large waterfront area near Fisherman's Wharf that it's trying to decide what to do with, he said. One idea was to build high-rise condominiums "and sell it to the wealthy people."

 

Wong opposed that.

 

"This is the last piece of ground that the state has that is so valuable, you have to keep it for the people," he said. "And my concept was a gathering place."

 

The Hawaii Legislature is still debating, he said.

 

What's different in Anchorage is that Wong owns the site he'd like to develop into a busy marketplace and gathering place.

 

While he's concentrating on what he calls "incubating" artists, Wong is also pushing for a broader public marketplace here -- fresh fish, farm produce, and local arts and crafts.

 

His way of dealing with groups that have different ideas, or could be competitors, is to join with them. An example is his having invited the Native Heritage Center to open an outlet in Ship Creek Center.

 

Wong's vision unavoidably touches on the dispute between the Saturday-Sunday market, held in a city parking lot on Third Avenue, and Fourth Avenue merchants who feel the market diverts business from them.

 

Wong's solution: move the weekend market to the parking lot for his buildings, and make it spill over to Fourth Avenue businesses.

 

He also proposed closing a portion of Fourth Avenue at times for a farmer's market.

 

Wong heightened his interest in Anchorage over time. Some of his early investments were low-cost housing, including the Jewel Lake Villa in Sand Lake and the Plaza 36 trailer park in Midtown, which is now cleared out for office space.

 

He also developed the Mount Vernon Commons condominiums in Midtown between C Street and Arctic Boulevard off 34th Avenue. He and his wife, Ruth, live there when in Anchorage. Ruth, he said, "moves house" for the summer and stays here full time. Jimmy Wong is here several days a month. One son, Garrett, lives in Anchorage. Another son, Darryl, of Honolulu, has taken over day-to-day control of Jimmy Wong's enterprises, Jimmy Wong said.

 

City planning director Tom Nelson said a public market for Anchorage is just an idea for now.

 

"We are trying to investigate opportunities and see if there are property owners and business owners interested in pursuing them," Nelson said.

 

There would have to be more studies. Markets in some places have had tough times and have required millions of dollars in investment. A popular market in Portland, Maine, is expected to close within a couple of months, having failed to become profitable, according to a June 1 story In the Portland Press Herald.

 

A People Mover transit center is another idea for the general area of the Sunshine Plaza and Ship Creek Center, Nelson said.

 

Becky Beck, director of the Anchorage Downtown Partnership business association, sees a transit center and market working together "similar to what you see in Europe when you travel, (with shops) connected to railroad stations."

 

It would be enclosed, but with lots of windows and bright lights, and places to sit, Beck said.

 

The ideas keep coming. And most have one thing in common: Jimmy Wong will be an important player in deciding what will happen.

 

"He may be an older gentleman, but he's a thinker," Nelson said.

 

"Mr. Wong is a visionary when it comes to development," Beck said. "He's looking at what Ship Creek Center can add to downtown and the community. No one can stop him."

 

 

 

 

Akaka Calls for Phased Withdrawal from Iraq

 

Future of Iraq must be determined by Iraqi People

 

Washington, D.C. – Calling for a new vision to strengthen the war on terror, Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) today voted to begin the process of withdrawing American combat troops from Iraq.

 

Senator Akaka stated, “Today, I voted for the redeployment of U.S. combat troops out of Iraq by a specific deadline because I believe our country and our military need a clear and decisive exit strategy for Iraq.  Tragically, the Bush Administration’s open-ended no plan, no end Iraq policy has failed and it is time to begin redeploying our U.S. forces out of Iraq.  

 

“Our troops have made us proud serving courageously in Iraq under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.  They have done their job, now we, the leaders in Congress must do ours.  It is time to put the future of Iraq in the hands of the Iraqi people and their elected leaders.  America cannot continue to pay the mounting toll of lives lost and resources squandered with no clear end in sight.”

  

Senator Akaka voted in support of two amendments offered to the Department of Defense Authorization bill.  The amendments called for the phased withdrawal of a majority of troops from Iraq while maintaining U.S. forces required for the training and logistical support of Iraqi security forces, protection of U.S. personnel and facilities and the targeting of counter-terrorism operations.

 

Senator Akaka visited Iraq earlier this month where he met with American troops and Iraqi officials.

 

“Iraq’s National Security Adviser, Dr. Mowaffak Rubaie, told me that the removal of foreign troops will legitimize Iraq’s government in the eyes of its people. In my view, a phased withdrawal of American troops will encourage the Iraqi government and military to take responsibility for their future,” he noted.

 

Senator Akaka and Senators Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), and Russ Feingold (D-WI) were among 13 senators who voted in support of Senator John Kerry’s (D-MA) amendment, which called for the immediate redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq by July 1, 2007 and leaving only necessary forces to complete the mission. Senator Carl Levin’s (D-MI) amendment called for the beginning of a phased redeployment of U.S. forces this year. 

 

 

 

 

Published on: 06/22/06

 

Radar peers into Creek Nation's past

 

Archaeologists survey mounds of Etowah

 

By MIKE TONER

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 

CARTERSVILLE — From the summit of one of North America's great pyramids, a flat-topped earthen mound that towers 63 feet above the Etowah River, the ruler of Georgia's pre-eminent prehistoric culture could see every corner of the teeming town at his feet.

 

That, of course, was then — sometime around 1350 A.D. Now, on a sun-drenched June day 6 1/2 centuries later, the village area at the base of what is now known as Mound A, is empty, save for tiny human figures pushing a three-wheeled cart back and forth across the grassy clearing.

 

At the end of each pass, an electronic beep signals that the ground-penetrating radar has recorded another foot-wide swath of Etowah's prehistoric landscape. It's one more line of data to help map what remains of this ancient town.

 

The technology is all 21st century. But for these archaeologists, the connection to the land is as old as Etowah itself.

 

"This is where our people used to live, I can feel it every time I'm here" says Johnnie Jacobs, cultural technician for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma, as she pauses at the end of another radar pass.

 

"This part of Etowah has never been surveyed before, and instruments like this will help us understand what was here — without disturbing the ground that we consider sacred."

 

Archaeologists have probed and dug at Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site near Cartersville for over a century. But it is only recently — after a 10-year lull in archaeological investigation at Etowah — that Native Americans have joined in a cooperative effort by the University of South Carolina, the University of Texas and Texas State University at San Marcos to understand one of the crown jewels of the culture that dominated Eastern North for 500 years.

 

"Etowah is one of the most important archaeological sites in the United States," says Texas State archaeologist Kent Reilly, who has spent his career studying the art and symbolism of indigenous civilizations in North and Central America. "This culture's achievements were every bit as impressive as those of the Aztecs and the Maya, but it is still one of the least understood civilizations on the planet."

 

Long before Columbus reached the Americas, Mississippian culture, a forerunner of many of the later tribes like the Creek and Choctaw, dominated the eastern United States. By the 1300s, Mississippian mound cities — Etowah among them — stretched from Michigan to Florida and from Virginia to Arkansas.

 

And yet, by the time Europeans first penetrated the interior of the continent , this great civilization — for reasons unknown — was already beginning to crumble. European diseases and political upheavals hastened the collapse. By 1500, Etowah had ceased to be the region's pre-eminent chiefdom.

 

As America grew, the mounds themselves went the way of the people who built them — plowed under for farms, bulldozed for development, flooded by reservoirs and razed for roadfill.

 

"In an 1884 survey, a Smithsonian Institution counted 300,000 Indian mounds in the eastern third of the country," says Reilly. "Today's that's down to about 30,000."

 

Although Etowah was not the largest of the mound cities, it was, in a way, the Athens of prehistoric America — a center for art and culture that circulated throughout the Southeast.

 

Past excavations at Etowah have unearthed thousands of artifacts — elaborate shell gorgets, graceful ceremonial axes, finely crafted copper plates and carved marble effigies, most of them from the site's smaller mounds.

 

The current investigation, however, is focused not on finding fancy new artifacts — but mapping a site that, even after a century of study, is still an enigma. And Etowah, archaeologists are discovering, still holds plenty of surprises.

 

"Because the entire site has never been systematically tested, there are large portions about which nothing is known," says University of South Carolina archaeologist Adam King, who is leading the current investigation.

 

Among the places ignored by earlier archaeologists were the sprawling plain at the foot of the mounds — where most of the ordinary people lived — and the summit of Mound A, where it was assumed that 20th century farming has obliterated any trace of ancient Etowah.

 

And yet, just beneath the plow zone atop that largest of Etowah's mounds, radar and other remote sensing instruments have revealed the foundations of three, perhaps four, previously unknown buildings — including one massive square structure 54 feet on a side — that appears to have been the ruler's residence.

 

Because the mounds were built one hand-carried basket of earth at a time, they rose slowly from the surrounding river plain. As a result, the buildings atop the largest found — which sprawl across an acre of real estate — were probably constructed late in Etowah's history, probably between 1325 and 1375.

 

"These structures are huge," says King. "This is clearly a much more complex place than we imagined."

 

The fuzzy outlines of 700-year-old buildings, of course, whet King's appetite to learn more. "I'd love to know more about these structures," he says. "And the only way we are really going to find out what's there is to put a shovel in the ground."

 

But he won't. And least not yet. In the past, archaeologists have often been quick to dig and less inclined to do the costly, less exciting analysis, reporting, and curation needed to share their research. Much of the material excavated from Etowah in the last century has never been thoroughly studied, and King is in no rush to add to the backlog.

 

He's also aware that the descendents of ancient Americans are entitled to a voice in any effort to understand their past. Under the 1990 federal Native American Graves and Repatriation Act, the 43,000-member Muscogee Creeks and several smaller tribes that are "culturally affiliated" with Etowah, now have the right to play a major role in deciding what happens to their ancestral homeland.

 

The state of Georgia and the Creeks are still in the early stages of deciding what will happen to artifacts — some on display at the museum at Etowah and some in storage over which the state now exercises "custodial" care.

 

Also to be decided is what to do with the human remains that were excavated by the state decades ago. Now stored at a state repository, the remains represent more than 200 individuals who were buried during the mound building era.

 

The Creeks have already suggested that they would like to see both reburied at Etowah at some point in the future. Consultations could take years, but one thing is clear for now.

 

"We don't want any more digging," says Joyce Bear, manager of the Muscogee Nation's cultural preservation office. "How would you like someone digging up your grandmother's grave? We know who we are, and we don't need to dig up anything to find out."

 

At one point, such a stance — anathema to traditional archaeology — might have dashed all hope of learning any more about Etowah.

 

But the growing sophistication of 21st century remote sensing tools, which enable researchers to "see" beneath the ground without disturbing it, has provided at least a temporary bridge between archaeological curiosity and cultural sensitivity. It was, in fact, the Creeks themselves who bought the ground-penetrating radar unit now used for a number of tribal cultural projects.

 

"As archaeologists we may want to dig, but the reality is that these are the people who will decide," says State Archaeologist David Crass, watching the Creek surveyors mapping another swath of the grassy field with their radar.

 

"There's no easy resolution to these questions," he says. "But right now we're learning to trust each other at the same time we're doing some pretty important archaeology. And that's a step in the right direction."

 

 

 

 

Posted: Friday, Jun 23, 2006

 

Adolescence biggest hurdle

 

by Cynthia Matsuoka

THE GARDEN ISLAND

 

See the first two stories in this series on The Garden Island’s Web site.

 

Editor’s note: This is the third in a four-part series on The Hawai‘i P-20 Initiative, a revolutionary approach to education for children from birth to post-college. Part I discussed early education and kindergarten preparedness for children under the age of 5. Part II addressed the Department of Education’s efforts to prepare disabled children for school. Part III skips ahead to adolescence.

 

Even if a child is adequately prepared for elementary school, sometimes the most difficult transition in a student’s life comes later, during and immediately after high school. Whether it’s the social angst of awkward development, the introduction of hormones or the shift in extra-curricular interests from Legos and Little League to alcohol and the opposite sex, high school and the assimilation to college present an entirely new set of obstacles.

 

Kaua‘i Community College is working to address the entire age range on the educational spectrum.

 

A 2004 report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education shows that Hawai‘i ranks below the national average in the status of its educational pipeline. Out of 100 ninth graders in Hawai‘i, only 65 graduate from high school on time, 34 enter college, 22 return to their second year of college and 12 complete higher education on time.

 

Kaua‘i Community College chancellor Peggy Cha said the P-20 Initiative reflects, formalizes, gives direction and recognizes the number of things that have been going on for some time.

 

“With P-20, you are literally talking from preschool through graduate school,” she said. “As a university center, that’s very much what Kaua‘i Community College represents.”

 

KCC has a complimentary early childhood education program.

 

“We are committed to and very involved in preparing teachers for preschool,” Cha said, adding that KCC graduates are well represented among teachers and directors of preschools around the island.

 

The Hawaiian Immersion preschool is located on the grounds of KCC.

 

“We work with a number of different kinds of programs (that address) the middle school through high school,” Cha said.

 

She gave as an example the work they have done in Anahola. The community identified classes and services they wanted. Looking at models on Moloka‘i and Lana‘i, they discovered facilities built in Hawaiian Homes communities that made services available for which, normally, community members would have to travel a distance to receive. A Housing and Urban Development grant through the Office of University Programs helped build an ‘ohana education center in Anahola that could be used by any number of agencies to provide services.

 

One such program held in the center is an after-school tutoring program targeting middle school students in reading and math, funded through an OHA grant. Another program is the Competency Based Diploma program presented through partnering with the DOE and Kamehameha Schools.

 

“A number of different agencies bring classes and services to the center,” Cha said.

 

They are now in the process of turning over the administration of the center to a Ka Halepono advisory board. This will involve getting tax exempt status and building the capacity of the board to handle the administration and management of the building, Cha said.

 

KCC is also the site for Na Pua No‘eau, a program for gifted and talented native Hawaiian youth run by UH-Hilo. KCC supports the program by providing the space. The Super Saturday program provides enrichment with an emphasis on science, technology and math.

 

KCC also offers the Future Flight program, which has included an afternoon robotics class this summer.

 

The community college is working closely with the high schools on developing academies. Cha sits on the board of Kaua‘i High School’s Academy for Hospitality and Tourism. High school students are able to shadow and work with KCC faculty in culinary arts and hospitality and tourism to see what’s going on.

 

Cha said they also have a good relationship with Waimea High School’s culinary academy.

 

KCC is getting ready to launch a construction academy in the spring of 2007, backed by legislative funding, the governor and the construction industry.

 

“You hear all the time about the tremendous need for people to go into the construction industry,” Cha said.

 

The academy requires close coordination and cooperation between KCC and the high schools. Two KCC faculty members will be stationed in the high school to teach the curriculum. One KCC faculty member will prove traveling support and curricular coordination.

 

The construction curriculum has been piloted by Honolulu Community College and has been aligned with state standards.

 

“This is one of the few sets of career and technical programs that will provide dual credit,” Cha said.

 

Kaua‘i and Waimea high schools will be the two schools involved. Cha said they hope to invite Kapa‘a High School once the programs become established and more funds become available.

 

Departments and individuals have done outreach, Cha said.

 

Francis Takahashi from the electronics department participates in the Women in Technology summer internship program. Cha said last summer the female students built computers, which they then gave to their respective schools.

 

“It was a powerful experience,” Cha said, adding that a number of girls have enrolled in KCC’s electronics program.

 

Brian Yamamoto was one of the founders of a program partnering with the National Tropical Botanical Gardens. The NTBG offers a national program to improve science instruction. Slots are reserved for Kaua‘i teachers and they have the rich resources of the NTBG available to them. They help teachers develop curriculum using tropical biology and botany.

 

Cha said in his botany classes, Yamamoto has quietly been cultivating native Hawaiian plants with tissue culture. His goal is to give a set of materials to every school so they can have their own set of native Hawaiian plans they can use for science or any other projects.

 

The Running Start program partnership between the DOE and UH was established by Act 236 in 2000. The program allows students to take a course at KCC and get high school and college credit. Cha said it has been a system effort to align courses with the DOE. She said there is a long list of courses available for dual credit.

 

Cha said the number of students under 18 taking courses at KCC has grown significantly. In the fall of 2000, 41 students were enrolled; in the fall of 2004, 84 students were enrolled.

 

Funding through the university’s gear-up program has allowed KCC to offer a parents’ night. The open house gives students and parents an opportunity to be introduced to the college. They can meet with counselors, talk with representatives from all of the different programs and find out about financial aid and the COMPASS placement test.

 

“It’s an opportunity for parents and students to find out the breadth of opportunities available here,” Cha said.

 

According to Cha, the fall registration is slightly over 1000. Enrollment has gone down over the past couple of years, a sign of a good economy. When employment is high, enrollment drops.

 

“[It] always happens at community colleges,” Cha said.

 

Eighty-five percent or more of the students work and it is difficult to have a full-time job and attend school, she said.

 

About half of all entering students are new students; the other half are non-traditional students, Cha said, with an average age of 27, and a median age of 21. This means that there is a large block of students in the traditional college age. There is another large block of students between 26 and 45 years of age.

 

“These students have been out of school for a while, working,” she said. “They have solidified their career ideas and now know what kind of post secondary courses they need for the careers they want.”

 

The challenge is to support these working adults who are juggling families, jobs, and education. Some of the supports are scheduling night classes, encouraging distance education, listing courses from any campus in the system in KCC’s schedule. In addition, the library and Learning Center are open in the evenings and on weekends.

 

• Cynthia Matsuoka is a freelance writer for The Garden Island and former principal of Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School. She can be reached by e-mail at aharju@kauaipubco.com.

 

 

 

 

June 26, 2006

 

Searider Productions wins national award

 

Star-Bulletin staff
features@starbulletin.com

 

Waianae High School Searider Productions was honored Friday night by the National Television Academy and Hawaii Student Television during a private ceremony at KITV4.

 

The school received the National Student Television Award's Crystal Pillar Award (sports category) for its production of "A Paddle Though Time."

 

The student video makers traveled to New York City earlier this month to claim their prize in the NTA's national awards ceremony. Waianae High was one of only seven schools in the United States to be honored.

 

The NTA is best known as the organization that oversees the prestigious Emmy Awards.

 

Now in its fourth year, the NTA Awards for Excellence program is part of a nationwide commitment to educate the next generation of broadcast journalists.

 

HSTV is a year-round Hawaii Student Film Festival outreach program. For more information, visit HawaiiStudentTV.org or call 671-5219.

 

 

 

 

Thursday, June 22, 2006

 

With UW assist, tribe to break ground today on housing project

 

BY PHIL FEROLITO

YAKIMA HERALD REPUBLIC

 

Yakama tribal housing authority staff and University of Washington officials and students will hold a 1 p.m. groundbreaking ceremony today for a project south of Wapato.

 

The gathering will be held just north of Adams View Park on Fort Road near Lateral B.

 

There, UW architect students along with a Yakama Nation Housing Authority construction crew will build the first of some 30 duplexes on roughly 44 acres.

 

About 80 homes and duplexes already exist at the tribal housing complex.

 

Although the housing authority will do most of the construction, UW students will help on weekends for the next nine weeks. The partnership between the tribal housing authority and UW will provide architecture students experience in both design and construction.

 

"The idea is to have them involved in all phases of construction from start to finish," said Clarence Moy, director of construction for the tribal housing authority. "We think this will be valuable experience for them."

 

While only one duplex will be built this year — costing roughly $200,000 — the tribe eventually would like to see some 30 units constructed there, Moy said.

 

Total cost of the project hasn't been determined yet, and a completion date will depend on how much additional funding the tribal housing authority could garner, Moy said.

 

"This is just a start of a dream," he said.

 

Design and planning of the project is being funded through a three-year, $400,000 federal grant from Housing and Urban Development. The tribal housing authority has agreed to cover all material costs for the first unit, Moy said.

 

Crews are now finishing a $7.8 million project that began last year at the Adams View tribal housing complex. It included building 30 two- and four-bedroom homes, refurbishing 25 of 50 existing homes there, and adding 30 more units to the tribe's retirement center in Wanity Park in Toppenish.

 

 

 

 

6/22/2006

 

Secluded reservation community promotes healthy lifestyles

 

“We’re rich in our Indian culture”

 

ALAMO NM

Rick Abasta

Native American Times

 

 

Secluded in the mountains of the Cibola National Forest is the Alamo Indian Reservation. The nearest gas station is 30 miles away, in the town of Magdalena. For the residents of Alamo, isolation is a way of life.

 

For this segment of the Navajo population, their status as a satellite community of the reservation usually means having to wait for the same opportunities afforded larger communities. On June 16, their wait for a new community center finally ended.

 

Alamo Navajo School Board Inc. celebrated the new opening of a $2.4 million facility funded through the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act funding, Indian Housing Services and the State of New Mexico.

 

ANSB received $884,000 in funding from the FY ’02 NAHASDA funding, while the remaining $1.5 million in funding came from the State of New Mexico and HIS.

 

In the center of town, a new structure rises from the desert floor, a combination of concrete, steel and postmodern design that would have caught the eye of Frank Lloyd Wright.

 

The Alamo Community Wellness Center is aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, while offering an amenity of activities: weights, aerobics, basketball, tabletop games and even a rock-climbing wall.

 

Of course, the crown jewel of the new facility is the gymnasium, complete with bleachers and a stage for community social gatherings. Before the grand opening celebration began, people toured the new facility and enjoyed refreshments in the lobby of the wellness center.

 

Over 100 people attended the event, including Navajo Nation Vice President Frank Dayish Jr. Serving as masters of ceremony, Manuel Guerro and Jackson Pino shared a brief history of the Alamo community.

 

“Thank you. This community definitely needed this kind of facility,” Pino said. “It’s a dream, a wish come true. I’ve never seen anything like this before in Alamo.”

 

Previously, a stone hogan served as the community wellness center.

 

Navajo singer/songwriter Socie Saltwater opened the program with traditional Navajo songs and an acoustic number she wrote for her grandparents. Saltwater’s stirring cover of “Proud Mary” from Ike and Tina Turner got the crowd charged up before the guest speakers took stage.

 

“I’m real happy you all got this new wellness center. Workout and be happy,” Saltwater told the crowd before leaving stage.

 

Michael Hawkes, executive director of the Navajo Alamo School Board, said the community of Alamo was rich in cultural diversity.

 

“This is going to be the main gathering point for the community, for all cultures to come together and be healthy,” Hawkes said.

 

George Willard was the architect who designed the spacious facility, while Sam Wadsworth Construction was contracted to build the center. Sam Wadsworth Construction is a Native American enterprise and a significant achievement in the eyes of Navajo Nation Vice President Frank Dayish Jr.

 

“I was real happy to hear that we had a Navajo contractor building this project,” Dayish said. “We have Navajo people building a Navajo community, that’s pride and ownership.

 

“Let’s take New Mexico and the Navajo Nation forward. Thank you to the leaders here and the Navajo Housing Authority. They’ve done an excellent job,” he added.

 

Also in attendance was U.S. Representative for the State of New Mexico, Don Tripp.

 

“I’ve seen a lot of health facilities across the state and this is the best I’ve seen,” Tripp said. “The people came together and spoke about their needs in the community.”

 

He recalled breaking ground in Alamo in 2004, to begin construction of the facility.

 

Dave Becenti, quality inspector for the NHA Grants Management Dept., said the new wellness center was a significant achievement and symbol of NAHASDA funding. However, the new facility was not the end of construction activities in Alamo, he added.

 

“We should have the new teacher and staff housing start construction in August,” Becenti said. We completed 11 scattered sites in Alamo last year from FY ’02 funding and we’re going to start on 15 more scattered sites in Aug. for FY ’06 funding.

 

“The Navajo Housing Authority is working with the Alamo community and we will continue to work with you,” he said.

 

The teacher and staff housing is funded by NAHASDA in the amount of $2.2 million for 20 new units. Becenti said ANSB is awaiting FY ’06 release of funds from NHA, which should be available in Aug.

 

“The Alamo community needs good, quality teachers and an incentive for them to stay,” Becenti said.

 

Native America Calling talk show host Patty Talahongva was the keynote speaker, sharing statistics and health related information broadcast over the air through the years.

 

“Your community is poor, with a 60 percent unemployment rate, according to the U.S. Census 2000,” Talahongva said. “But take a look around and see all of your culture here, the language and art.

 

“We need to change our perspective and see that we’re rich in our Indian culture,” she added.

 

Healthy lifestyles mean more than just staying active, Talahongva said.

 

“Our Native men have such a hard time going out and getting help,” she said. “It’s usually up to the wife and mother to get them into the hospital for the check up.

 

“Men, get out there and get your prostate checked this summer,” Talahongva encouraged.

 

She spoke of the relationship of holistic wellness, binding the spiritual, mental, physical and emotional health together for a balanced lifestyle.

 

“Right now, inhalants and meth are ravaging Indian Country. Did you know 8th – 12th grade students on meth are dying of heart attacks? Every time we do a show on meth, our phone lines light up,” Talahongva said.

 

Education is the answer, she said, and the self-awareness that comes with a healthy lifestyle.

 

“What did our ancestors eat? What did they fight for,” Talahongva questioned. “They fought so we could survive. Are we surviving?”

 

 

 

 

June 24, 2006

 

Hawaii’s Healthy Traditions Reach a New Generation

 

Source: voanews

 

The indigenous people of Hawaii are reported to have some of the highest mortality rates for virtually all major chronic diseases. Obesity is also higher in Hawaiians than in non-Hawaiians, as is diabetes. Statistics like these have prompted health researchers to identify native Hawaiians as a vulnerable population.

 

Health care providers are looking to the past to heal Hawaiians of today. Ancient

 

Hawaiians relied on a myriad of natural substances for healing purposes, including plants widely available today, like kukui, the state tree of Hawaii. Its nutmeats were used as a purgative while the flowers and sap were used to cure mouth sores. Noni, a type of mulberry, is still used as a tonic and has become the subject of clinical research for possible anti-cancer properties.

 

Creating connections between traditional healing and contemporary medical practice opens a door into indigenous communities, according to Kaloa Robinson. He heads [1] Hui Malama Ola Na Oiwi , which provides medical services to the native Hawaiian community on the state’s largest island.

 

“I guess the question is, what is the role of traditional medicine in today’s society?” he muses. “We’ve found that even though they [native Hawaiians] go to see a physician, there’s just something that’s missing, the spiritual aspect that’s missing. And practices like ho’oponopono is something we refer some of our clients to.”

 

Ho’oponopono means ‘to make things right,’ according to Kaohu Chang Monfort, a nurse known for her healing expertise. She says her family routinely practiced this kind of group mediation and prayer when she was a child. “Ho’oponopono was number one. We never let the day go by, before the sun goes down, without ho’oponopono. You talk about what’s bothering you. Nobody leaves until everything comes out.” She recalls they could spend hours talking. “And when whatever’s troubling you comes out, that’s what the prayer is about, to help you heal.”

 

Spending time with patients is an important part of health care, says Edna Baldado, a

caseworker with Hui Malama who sees clients with diabetes. “Then they feel like you really care about them. Allowing them to have that space and that time, helping them feel like they’re somebody worthwhile and important. That’s a Hawaiian kind of value.”

 

While ho’oponopono and spending time help heal the spirit, traditional healer Mary Fragas points out that nourishing food is essential for a healthy body. “The Hawaiians used to eat fish, poi, taro, potato, uloo [breadfruit],” she points out. Recognizing that, Hui Malama has hosted fish and poi gatherings around the Big Island, demonstrating healthy cooking techniques to encourage healthy eating.

 

Baldado says sharing food and conversation has been an effective way to expand Hui Malama’s reach into the community, making more people aware of their range of services. “We want to promote eating our traditional foods, because that’s the healthiest food,” she tells the crowd at one of the gatherings. “If we eat that kind of stuff, we’ll be like the Hawaiians of old.” To scattered laughter, she adds, “They were slim, they could run for miles and not get tired!”

 

The fate of those ‘Hawaiians of old’ is similar to that of indigenous people across the globe. Less than a century after the first Europeans arrived in the islands in 1778, disease, war and famine had claimed over 80% of the native population. Disease is still taking a disproportionately high toll of Native Hawaiians, who die at greater rates from cancer, heart conditions and diabetes — chronic diseases that afflict all ethnic groups.

 

In searching for the reasons why, state health official Kim Birnie notes that some of the research points to genetic causes. “But other [causes] are accessibility,” she adds. “Are Hawaiians not getting care early enough? And if they’re not, why not?”

 

Birnie is Communications Director for the agency that oversees the state’s Native Hawaiian health care system. She says individual wellness is intertwined with social and economic conditions. “A lot of [our clients] are the working poor. They’re working but they can’t afford the rent. Or they want to work, but they have bad teeth. Having their teeth worked on gives them some confidence to be able to go out and apply for a job so they can pull themselves out of the homelessness. So it’s all tied in.”

 

Providing effective health care for Hawaiians requires bridging cultural, historical and social divides, according to caseworker Edna Baldado. “We have to kind of be innovative sometimes, but if it works [why not try it?],” she asks. “We’re not doing anything that’s going to be detrimental to us as individuals, or us as a people or to our organization. As long as we’re not doing something that’s going to be hurtful, we can do things a little more creatively.”

 

One innovation that works is the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program. Recipients - like Allison Grace - specialize in needed health professions, and after graduation, are placed in underserved areas. Grace says, “Being in the community is so different from being a doctor in the hospital, ’cause you get to talk to [patients] one on one, you get to spend time with them.”

 

She has been assisting Dr. Joycelyn Jurik, who says their practice is truly outreach. “If there are individuals that we hear about that are having problems at the beach, we’ll go to their van, we’ll go walk the beach, find them in their tents, we’ll walk the bushes, find them in the bushes, and that’s where we’ll see them!”

 

Grace says being Hawaiian themselves makes their relationship with their patients closer: “We live through it,” she explains. “We see that diabetes runs rampant in our families, I think all our patients become Auntie and Uncle anyway.”

 

Jurik agrees. “I don’t think I call anyone Mister and Missus! So it’s like, ‘Auntie, when do you want to come see me again?’ For them it’s so comforting, they feel like family now. And we feel like they’re family, too.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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. 06-1-0135 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE THIRD CIRCUIT STATE OF HAWAII SUMMONS TO: HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF KANAKAOLE; HEIRS AND ASSIGNS OF GEORGE H. AWAI, also known as GEORGE HOOMANAWANUI AWAO, SR., HERMAN K AWAI; ELIZABETH KAPEKA NONOKA; YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that Plaintiff KAU HOLDING COMPANY, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, claims fee simple ownership to the land described as: All of apana 1 and 2 of R.P. 5409, LCA 7553, to Kanakaole at Kahilipaliiki, Kau, Island and County of Hawaii, State of Hawaii, TMK's (3) 9-5-007-005 and (3) 9-5-007-008 YOU ARE HEREBY FURTHER NOTIFIED that Plaintiff KAU HOLDING COMPANY, a Delaware limited liability company, has filed a Complaint to Quiet Title in the Third Circuit Court, Hilo, Hawaii, requesting that title to the above-described real property be de-termined. YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to appear in the courtroom of the HONORABLE GLENN S. HARA, Judge of the above-entitled Court, 75 Aupuni Street, Hilo, Hawaii on Wednesday, the 19th day of July, 2006, at 8:00 a.m., or to file an answer or other pleading and serve it before said day upon Plaintiff's counsel, TOM C. LEUTENEKER, Carlsmith Ball LLP, attorneys for Plaintiff, whose mailing address is One Main Plaza, Suite 400, 2200 Main Street, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii, 96793, to show cause, if you have any, why the prayer of said Complaint should not be granted. Unless you file an 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, May 12, 2006. E. YAMABE CLERK OF THE ABOVE- ENTITLED COURT CARLSMITH BALL LLP TOM C. LEUTENEKER 721-0 One Main Street, Suite 400 2200 Main Street Wailuku, Maui HI 96793 Telephone: (808) 242-4535 Attorneys for Plaintiff (Hon. Adv.: June 6, 13, 20, 27, 2006) (A-448606) Posted on 6/6/2006

 

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