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.

 

 

 

 

August 2, 2006

 

 

 

5th Annual Native Hawaiian Convention

Schedule of Events at a Glance

Hawaii Convention Center – September 25th – 29th, 2006

 

Monday, September 25, 2006

 

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

 

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

 

Thursday, September 28, 2006

 

Friday, September 29, 2006

 

Registration Forms & Scholarships availabe at www.hawaiiancouncil.org or contact CNHA Event Services at 808.521.5011 or via email at events@hawaiiancouncil.org.

 

CNHA’s 5th Annual Native Hawaiian Convention Sponsored by:

 

Lead Sponsors:

 

UPC Wind, LLC

 

Host Sponsors:

 

Aloha State Services

Friends of Hawaii Charities

Hawaii National Bank

Maui Land & Pineapple Company

National CAPACD

The Legacy Foundation

 

 

 

 

CNHA Message – Young Leaders, Mahalo!

by Robin Puanani Danner, CNHA President & CEO

 

This summer, CNHA has been blessed with the talent and spirit of interns and volunteers.  They hail from the Waianae coast and even northern California!  In this week’s CNHA message, we celebrate five individuals -- each one reminding us by their enthusiasm and sheer energy for service that young leaders are all around us everyday. 

 

Cherise Agua-Andrews is from Waianae, Oahu, and graduated from Kamehameha Schools.  She earned a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Washington and a Master’s degree in English Studies from Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom.  Cherise is working at CNHA through a Summer 2006 Fellowship in Native Hawaiian Law from the Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law at the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law, where Cherise will begin her first year this fall.

 

Amita Aung-Thwin is working at CNHA through the same Summer 2006 Fellowship in Native Hawaiian Law.  She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  Amita is a member of ‘Ahahui O Hawai‘i, an officer with the Filipino Law Students Association, and an editor for the Asian Pacific Law and Policy Journal at the law school, where Amita will begin her third and final year this fall.

 

Madeleine “Maddy” Kudritzki is from Mill Valley, a small town in northern California.  Maddy was a member of the team from UCLA’s Tribal Learning Community and Educational Exchange program which presented at CNHA’s Symposium on Defining Citizenship in April 2006.  Maddy continues her studies as a junior in the World Arts and Cultures department at UCLA this fall.

 

Maxine Cobb-Adams is Hawaiian from Kailua, Oahu, and graduated from 'Iolani School.  She is currently studying Political Science at Scripps College in Claremont, California, where she will be returning as a senior this fall.  She is an intern with CNHA and working on the Native Votes Campaign.  

 

Courtney “Coco” Williams is a graduate of Kailua High School, where she was actively involved in the Hawaiian Studies program and a member of the Hawaiian Ensemble as a hula dancer.  A former Miss Keiki Hula contestant, she competed in various competitions with Hula Halau Pukaikapuaokalani under the direction of Kumu Hula Ellen Castillo of Kailua.  Coco is married and has a son, Alaka’i.  Formerly of Kane’ohe, she and her family reside in Killeen, Texas, where her husband is an active duty soldier with the United States Army, currently on a tour of duty in Iraq. 

 

These young leaders are spending their summer at the CNHA Policy Center compiling resource materials that will touch hundreds of organizations.  For distribution at the 5th Annual Native Hawaiian Convention, a guide is near complete that lists all of the major federal programs relevant to community development practitioners, and how to access these important resources.  They have energized this year’s Voter Registration initiative, conducted powerful research on the reauthorization of federal legislation on Native American language programs, and are completing an analysis on Native constitutions, as well as Act 302 passed by the legislature in 2001 enabling DHHL to delegate responsibilities to community organizations. 

 

We mahalo each of these individuals for giving of themselves this summer and engaging in the work of community organizations all across the state.  Special thanks to the UCLA Native Nations Law Clinic and the UH Law School for sharing their students with us!

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Thursday, July 27, 2006

 

1926-2006

Revered kupuna 'Anakala Ka'anana

 

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Staff Writer

 

Raised in two traditional Hawaiian fishing villages in South Kona, 'Anakala Eddie Ka'anana spoke fluent Hawaiian and could fish, grow taro and build canoes like generations of his ancestors.

 

Ka'anana, who was 80 when he died of cancer July 16, inspired scores of Hawaiians and Hawaiians-at-heart with his deep knowledge and the humble manner in which he shared it. Photo courtesy of the Honolulu Advertiser

 

Eric Enos, co-founder and director of the Ka'ala Farm cultural learning center, was among the younger Hawaiians who looked to Ka'anana and others like him for guidance decades ago as they collectively shaped a burgeoning Hawaiian movement into the force it is today.

 

Ka'anana and his cousin Walter Paulo provided counsel for the "wild bunch of young activists," Enos said.

 

"The uncles were grounding elements," he said. "We were just angry and trying to figure out what we were going to do ... but trying to take that anger and turn it into something positive."

 

Not only was Ka'anana, a volunteer for the farm, teaching the ancient ways of planting kalo, or taro, he often was the first person at the Wai'anae site every morning, Enos said.

 

Earlier this year, Ka'anana's was honored as one of six Living Treasures by the Hongpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai'i. And last week the four Hawaiian royal benevolent societies named him as a recipient of the Kalaniali'i Award.

 

Tomorrow, Ka'anana will be among those honored by the Hawaii Tourism Authority with a He Kuleana Ke Aloha Award, which is given to those who have spent a lifetime perpetuating the Hawaiian culture.

 

But perhaps the honor Ka'anana would appreciate most is taking place on the Windward side of O'ahu this week.

 

Hundreds of pounds of taro have been pulled from lo'i on nearly every island in the state and taken to Ha'iku Valley where this evening it will be placed in an imu and cooked, said Daniel Anthony, who is taking part in the effort.

 

Tomorrow the cooked kalo will be pounded by hand and turned into pa'i 'ai, mashed taro, which will be mixed with water to become poi, Anthony said. "He's been feeding people with food for the mind and the spirit by teaching us how to connect with the land. And it's because of their appreciation and aloha for him that people are doing this," Anthony said.

 

The poi is to be served at Ka'anana's funeral service at Borthwick Mortuary on Saturday.

 

Danny Bishop, a Windward taro grower who worked alongside Ka'anana to help rehabilitate taro patches around the state, said as a youth he was "a confused Hawaiian," noting that his mother was told to massage the noses of her children so they would look less Hawaiian.

 

"I didn't know very many Hawaiians who knew their culture, who were proud to be Hawaiians," Bishop said. "And then I met people like 'Anakala Eddie, who didn't speak very loudly but had all this positive energy and just great, great stories about who we are as a people and how we should behave and how we should live, and how we should treat each other, even non-Hawaiians."

 

Hailama Farden, a Hawaiian language teacher at Kamehameha, was a high school student himself when he first met Ka'anana. Farden's class was taught by Ka'anana the traditional way of fishing for 'opelu at Ka'ala Farm.

 

Farden would later take his own students to learn Hawaiian language and other skills from 'Anakala Eddie. "He was such an inspiring person because of his humility and his ability to reach children and adults and share his knowledge," he said.

 

"All of the children that he's taught — that will be his legacy," Farden said.

 

Born in Honolulu, he was raised by his grandparents, first in the Hawaiian fishing village of Ho'opuloa and, after it was overrun by lava, the neighboring village of Miloli'i.

 

Helen Ka'anana, his wife, said he left Hawai'i when he was 17 to join the Navy. An O'ahu girl herself, the couple met while both were civilian employees in Guam. They came back to Hawai'i and married in 1950. As their five children grew older, the family moved to Wake Island where he was a civilian heavy equipment operator for the Federal Aviation Administration.

 

The Ka'ananas moved home to O'ahu in 1972 and Eddie Ka'anana worked atop the FAA installation at Mount Ka'ala until his retirement in 1981.

 

Helen Ka'anana said her husband was asked by his cousin Walter Paulo to help out at Ka'ala Farm. It was there, as a volunteer, he began imparting his knowledge about fishing, farming and other topics related to living in the traditional Hawaiian way.

 

Enos said that although it had been a number of years since their youth, the two cousins were able to recall much of how they grew up. "Things came back to them, long forgotten things that they were taught to push aside, that society had said to push aside," he said.

 

After five years there, Eddie Ka'anana was approached by the leaders of 'Anuenue, the Hawaiian immersion school in Palolo Valley near the Ka'anana's home, to help grow kalo there. He ultimately got on staff there as a teacher, Helen Ka'anana said.

 

"He loved the children, and he loved people," she said.

 

'Anakala Eddie was also a fixture at the Kamakaku'okalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, where he helped guide development of the kalo lo'i, taro patch, there as well as instruct students and faculty alike about other traditions.

 

Pomaika'i Crozier, lo'i coordinator at the Ke Papa Lo'i O Kanewai, said there are a number of kupuna who talk about the cultural practices and traditions of their youth.

 

"But Uncle Eddie was a real doer," Crozier said. "He really was about bringing those things to life to us, a generation that doesn't understand what it is to have no electricity or to be totally dependent on what we grow and be self-sufficient. He really made that real for us and let us know what it meant to be Hawaiian."

 

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

 

 

 

 

“Meet the Candidates” Series

 

The CNHA Policy Center, ‘Ahahui Siwila Hawai‘i O Kapolei (Kapolei Hawaiian Civic Club) and the State Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations are hosting a series of Meet the Candidates “coffee” hours.  Meet your candidates in an informal setting, ask them questions, find out who they are as people and then as policy makers!

 

August 8, 2006 (Tuesday)

               4:00 pm - 5:00 pm     Matt Matsunaga                U.S. House, 2nd District

               5:00 pm - 6:00 pm     Clayton Hee                      U.S. House, 2nd District

               6:00 pm - 6:30 pm     break

               6:30 pm - 7:30 pm     Colleen Hanabusa             U.S. House, 2nd District

               7:30 pm - 8:30 pm     Hanalei Aipoalani              U.S. House, 2nd District

 

August 24, 2006 (Thursday)

               4:00 pm - 5:00 pm     Randy Iwase                     Governor

               5:00 pm - 6:00 pm     Quentin Kawananakoa      U.S. House, 2nd District

               6:00 pm - 6:30 pm     break

               6:30 pm - 7:30 pm     William Aila                      Governor

               7:30 pm - 8:30 pm     To be determined

 

Where:   Best Western’s The Plaza Hotel - Honolulu International Airport

               Plumeria Room, 3253 North Nimitz Highway (At Camp Catlin Rd)

 

Pupus and beverages will be served.

 

Reserve your seat today.  Contact Lisa C. Oshiro at CNHA via phone at 808.521.5011, toll-free at 800.709.2642, or via e-mail to nativevotes@hawaiiancouncil.org.

 

The Native Votes Count Campaign will also have Deputy Voter Registrars on-site to register people to vote and will distribute Absentee Applications along with voter education materials.

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Saturday, July 29, 2006

 

Pounding poi for Uncle Eddie

 

By Gordon Y.K. Pang and Lesa Griffith
Advertiser Staff Writers

 

The pounding went from morning to dusk under the tarp next to the taro patch along Ioleka'a Stream in Ha'iku Valley.

 

Some 300 pounds of kalo, or taro, from Maui, Kaua'i and O'ahu were pounded yesterday into pa'i 'ai, mashed taro, then mixed with water to become the poi that will be served today at the funeral service of 'Anakala Eddie Ka'anana. Photo courtesy of the Honolulu Advertiser: Bruce Asato

 

"We think that this is the most taro that's been pounded (in one place) in quite some time," said Vince Kana'i Dodge, 49, one of the organizers of the effort. "But this is not for show. This is for love, man. This is for Uncle."

 

Ka'anana, for whom the word " 'anakala," Hawaiian for uncle, seemingly always preceded "Eddie," touched the lives of scores of Hawaiians who turned to him as a source of knowledge and inspiration.

 

Dodge, who works with youths at the Ma'o Organic Farm in Wai'anae, was one of them. Dodge said Ka'anana was among the first people he saw pound kalo and was always at ease when he did it. These days, Dodge is known for the poi pounders and boards he creates.

 

"Look at this — this is the life," he said. "You get together with your friends, new and old, and you make food together. There is definitely something wonderful about making food with your hands."

 

Ka'anana died of cancer July 16. He was 80.

 

He was raised in the Hawaiian fishing villages of Miloli'i and Ho'opuloa, where he learned to speak fluent Hawaiian, fish, grow kalo and live the life of generations of his ancestors. He left the Big Island at 17, and raised his family on O'ahu, Guam and Wake Island while working as a civilian heavy-equipment operator, first for the military and then the Federal Aviation Administration.

 

It wasn't until he retired in the 1980s that young Hawaiians seeking kupuna, or elders, to help guide their fledgling Hawaiian movement turned to the soft-spoken 'Anakala Eddie.

 

He taught generations of youths — sometimes for pay, but not always — at Ka'ala Farms in Wai'anae, 'Anuenue School, the Hawaiian language immersion school in Palolo Valley, and at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa's Center for Hawaiian Studies. He also served as a cultural and spiritual adviser for many.

 

Several dozen people from those byways of 'Anakala Eddie's life were on hand to help with yesterday's poi-making, as well as the imu cooking on Thursday night. Photo courtesy of the Honolulu Advertiser: Bruce Asato

 

Kaipo'i Kelling, 35, met Ka'anana a decade ago when he was studying the Hawaiian language at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa and in need of someone with whom to speak fluent Hawaiian. Eventually, the two spoke of kalo and the role it played in Hawaiian culture.

 

Ka'anana later helped Kelling, a teacher at Kawaiha'o Church School, set up a series of kalo patches on his property. Two years ago, Kelling started clearing a lo'i on his property, and Ka'anana paid him a visit.

 

"He talked to the water, talked to the trees, said it was going to be a good place," Kelling said, noting that he discovered the property is old taro land.

 

It was in Kelling's yard, sitting along the stream next to the lo'i, that Ka'anana's friends gathered for both the cooking and the pounding.

 

Peewee Almarza, 37, was among those pounding kalo yesterday as others peeled the tubers with the help of a net, a technique taught by Ka'anana.

 

Almarza, who works in different capacities at 'Anuenue, said Ka'anana helped provide spiritual guidance to his family when their 3-year-old son, Maka, was diagnosed with cancer.

 

"He gave us a lot of strength, a lot of hope," Almarza said, recalling that Ka'anana would take Maka aside and speak to him privately.

 

Two years later, Maka is now about to start kindergarten at 'Anuenue.

 

"He really opened up a lot of doors for me," Almarza said. "He made me realize what priorities were: Take care of your family, and everything else will fall into place."

 

Ka'anana also had an impact on Almarza's other children, who also attend 'Anuenue.

 

Wainani Almarza, 17, remembered visiting Miloli'i with her class, with Ka'anana accompanying them.

 

"He explained to us how he grew up, and what he used to do. We know it's going to be different at school without him."

 

Kalena Almarza, 16, said Ka'anana was well-respected at the school. "It was nice how, when he was talking, everybody would just go silent," she said.

 

Peewee Almarza said the 'Anuenue Na Koa football team is dedicating its season to the memory of 'Anakala Eddie.

 

Puaonona Stibbard, 22, and Kahiau Wallace, 23, are the site coordinators of Ka Papa Lo'i O Punalu'u, a 2.5-acre project sponsored jointly by Kamehameha Schools and the UH-Manoa's Center for Hawaiian Studies that is designed to teach youths about lo'i production and culture.

 

Both said Ka'anana was the first person they ever spotted pounding kalo and that much of what they learned about taro came from Ka'anana — first as students and later when they sought an adviser.

 

Stibbard said Ka'anana's pounding technique was smooth, adding, "It was as if the kalo didn't stick to his hands."

 

Wallace said Ka'anana also taught them a Hawaiian motto: "He ali'i ka 'aina he kauwa ke kanaka," which means "The land is chief and the people are its stewards."

 

Ka'anana's point was that "when you take care of the land and treat it like the chief, it will take care of you," Wallace said. "But when you forget about the 'aina and its worth, then you're lost."

 

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com and Lesa Griffith at lgriffith@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

Call For Nominations – 2006 Native Hawaiian Business Award

 

Honolulu, HI – Since 2004, American Savings Bank (ASB) and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) have been recognizing Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs who play vital roles in building our communities and our economy.  We are excited to announce the nomination period has opened for the 2006 Native Hawaiian Business Award.  The recipient of this award will be recognized during CNHA’s 5th Annual Native Hawaiian Convention, September 25 – 29, 2006, at the Hawai‘i Convention Center.

 

The 2006 Native Hawaiian Business Award will recognize a business that is Native Hawaiian owned and/or serves the Native Hawaiian community.  Judges will consider community involvement, promotion of Native Hawaiian values, innovation, business growth in the past three years, and the need or demand for venture.  Past award recipients include: Manu Manuheali‘i, Inc. in 2004 and Native Books/Na Mea Hawai‘i in 2005.

 

Click here to download the ASB Native Hawaiian Business Award Nomination Form.  Please return the completed forms to Blaine Cacho, ASB Community Development Specialist, via e-mail at bcacho@asbhawaii.com or fax at 808.539.7239 by Friday, August 4, 2006.  If you have any questions or if you need any additional information, please contact Blaine at 808.539.7131.

 

 

 

 

August 2, 2006

 

Profile of Aloha

 

Her name is Millie. She is Hawaiian, a bookkeeper and an artisan called “Da Honolulu Bag Lady.” This year marks the third time that she will have a vendor’s booth at the Native Hawaiian Convention. Millicent “Millie” Hyde has no college education but has grown her main business, Strictly Bookkeeping to over 50 clients with her three Native Hawaiian employees.

 

“Da Honolulu Bag Lady” is her second passion and she has been doing that for approximately four years. Specializing in “hula” bags that can hold ipu heke, puili, uli uli and kalaau, she has built up a loyal customer base. Her bags are versatile and are not only used for hula supplies. “We have had mom’s use them to hold soccer balls, shoes and clothes,” Hyde says. “And the best part, they’re washable.” Her other products include open tote bags for laptops and legal size documents, bamboo-handled purses, diaper bags and many more (but you need to ask.)

 

Two years ago, “Da Honolulu Bag Lady” got a booth at the 3nd Annual Native Hawaiian Convention and donated 10% of her gross profits to the Hawaiian Way Fund (HWF). “I was so impressed and thankful, everyone was so good to me,” Hyde said. “It was my way to give back. What comes around goes around.” The HWF is a Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) philanthropic initiative dedicated to supporting nonprofits built on the “Hawaiian Way” of meeting community needs and designed to attract individual and corporate giving to social, educational, economic, environmental and cultural initiatives. The Hawaiian Way Fund has grown tremendously over the past three years due to an increase of businesses and organizations that support workplace giving and also because of the growth in the general awareness of the program.

 

“At last years’ convention, my booth profits doubled,” stated Hyde. “I think everyone should donate to the HWF. You get great exposure, meet interesting people and it is an opportunity to share your good fortune with worthwhile Hawaiian organizations.” She will be at this year’s 5th Annual Native Hawaiian Convention and if this year’s event is bigger than last year, she will be very busy. “Last year I had to sew at night for a customer. I had really good sales,” Hyde said. This is the fifth year for the convention and it is growing bigger everyday, even better as long as “Da Honolulu Bag Lady” is there.

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Monday, July 31, 2006

 

Congress candidates back Hawaiian entity

 

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Staff Writer

 

All of the major candidates vying for the open 2nd Congressional district seat support the move toward federal recognition of a Native Hawaiian government entity but they differ on how it should be addressed.

 

Most support legislation that would, at least, stave off legal challenges to the millions of government dollars that go to health, education and other assistance programs aimed at Hawaiians.

 

Some believe it may be time to re-evaluate the long-stalled Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, dubbed the Akaka bill after its chief sponsor, U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, D-Hawai'i. First proposed six years ago, the bill sought eventual Hawaiian federal recognition and self-government rights. Despite the tenacious efforts of many of Hawai'i's political leaders, a bid to bring the bill to the Senate floor for debate was rejected last month. But one candidate maintains that issues such as federal recognition should be addressed by Hawai'i voters in a referendum.

 

Political observers tracking Native Hawaiian issues are not surprised by the support expressed by the candidates for federal recognition and their defense of Hawaiian programs.

 

Tom Coffman, historian and author of "Nation Within," a book about the 1893 overthrow of Queen Lili'uokalani and the 1898 annexation into the U.S., said the answers "reflect the momentum for federal recognition that was achieved over the last 15 to 20 years."

 

Coffman contends "there's still a pretty solid majority" in Hawai'i for federal recognition. Such support is also based on "an understanding of history and how the United States routinely deals with indigenous people," he said.

 

H. William Burgess of the group Aloha For All, which believes any legislation designed to help Hawaiians only is discriminatory, also isn't surprised.

 

"Basically, anybody running for office is reluctant to offend any potential voting bloc," Burgess said. "That's sort of the first rule of politics — you don't offend any vocal group, if you can avoid it."

 

Ikaika Hussey of the group Hui Pu, which opposes the Akaka bill on the grounds it does not do enough for Hawaiians, said there has been "a general approval for increasing self-determination for Native Hawaiians" built up over the past three decades. Hussey said those in his group, as well as others, assert that candidates should be promising more.

 

"What the survey shows is that they've given the easy answer," he said. "But what we're looking for is real courage from the congressional candidates to talk about real self-determination, real justice for Hawaiians which would not be accomplished through federal recognition."

 

Former state Rep. Quentin Kawananakoa said the history of Hawai'i shows an obligation is owed to Native Hawaiians.

 

"The United States and the state of Hawai'i need to honor their commitment to the Native Hawaiian people," Kawananakoa said, noting that statistics show the need for health and education programs that help Hawaiians. "Native Hawaiians have the worst social indices of any people here in the state.

Courtesy of the Honolulu Advertiser

Former State Sen. Matt Matsunaga echoed those sentiments. "We definitely have a moral and ethical obligation to preserve and protect the host culture," Matsunaga said.

 

Citing statistics showing Hawaiians ranking high in prison population and poor in health categories, he added, "Native Hawaiians still have a significant way to go before we can bring them up and the Akaka bill certainly would have been a way to fend off the attacks in the courts."

 

State Rep. Brian Schatz said there are two reasons for federal recognition. "The first is to preserve what it means to be Hawai'i — it has to be recognized by the United States government that there is an aboriginal people of the state of Hawai'i and that there was a nation that preceded" annexation and the move toward Hawai'i's statehood in 1959.

 

The second reason for recognition, he said, is to preserve Hawaiian programs and entitlements. Over the past 26 years, more than $1.2 billion in federal money has been distributed to hundreds of Hawaiian programs, according to the office of U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai'i, who is largely credited with steering the money to the state.

 

State Sen. Colleen Hanabusa said there is "overwhelming support" among Hawai'i residents for federal recognition. A compelling indicator is the support residents have exhibited for Kamehameha Schools as it defends a Hawaiians-first admissions policy in an ongoing court challenge.

 

"I believe these people also feel (federal) programs for Native Hawaiians should be preserved as well, be they in the form of health-related or educational issues," Hanabusa said.

 

Honolulu City Councilman Nestor Garcia said he strongly supports the Akaka bill. In addition, Garcia wants to fight for more money for programs aimed at helping Hawaiians, particularly programs geared toward post-high-school education opportunities extended through the Native Hawaiian Education Act.

 

State Sen. Gary Hooser said federal recognition is "a good first step in the right direction and is key to bringing the proper focus to moving the Hawaiian community forward."

 

He also wants to see various health and educational programs maintained and expanded, and would seek guidance from leaders in the Hawaiian community on what is best for Hawaiians.

 

State Sen. Ron Menor said he supports the Akaka bill "or similar legislation that might be introduced in Congress in the future" that supports Hawaiian programs. He also supports efforts by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to establish a separate government entity without the support of Congress.

 

Former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono said she supports the Akaka bill, but believes an alternative plan suggested by Inouye should perhaps take priority now. Following last month's procedural vote that ensured the Akaka bill would not be voted on this year, Inouye pledged to introduce alternative legislation that would protect Hawaiian program funding without addressing the issue of federal recognition.

 

"First things first, we need to ensure that resources for Native Hawaiian programs are not spent fighting lawsuits against these programs," Hirono said. "So I support Senator Inouye's efforts to draft legislation that would protect these programs from legal attacks."

 

State Sen. Clayton Hee, a former OHA trustee, said the Akaka bill as presented, tried to do too much.

 

"The Akaka bill was not possible because it was overly broad because it included issues such as sovereignty and land claims," Hee said. "I would suggest that the bill needs to be redrafted and more narrowly focused."

 

State Sen. Bob Hogue was the lone candidate interviewed who favored a slower approach involving a referendum of all Hawai'i residents, Hawaiian or not.

 

"Bring the debate back here and talk about all of these concerns that have been brought up and ultimately put it on the ballot and let everybody vote on it," Hogue said.

 

"There should be some sort of federal recognition," he said, but added that concerns regarding a new government entity's authority need to be thoroughly addressed.

 

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

 

 

 

 

August 2, 2006

 

Huaka‘i, A Learning Experience

 

Honolulu, HI – On Saturday, July 29th, along with a gentle breeze and the peaceful landscape of Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies – Halau Haumea, about 50 Huaka’i attendees immersed themselves in the creation of ohe kapala.  The second Huaka’i of the year was hosted by CNHA member Na Pualei o Likolehua and featured instruction by kumu hula Leina’ala Heine and alakai Mehana Hind who discussed the history and importance of the area and the resources that were about to be used. Halau members also took on the role as educators as they shared with the group the entire process- from the gathering of the ohe (bamboo), the cutting and sanding to shape the bamboo stamp, the dyes used and what can go into creating your personal design.  “How appropriate that here we are, learning about ohe kapala and are being shaded by the various kinolau of the Gods –ohe of Kane, ulu of Haumea, maia of Kanaloa, and the niu of Ku.”, remarked Kumu Hula Leina’ala Kalama Heine.

 

Once the instruction was done, it was time to get to work. Everyone in attendance chose their bamboo piece and started the shaping process. “I had no idea how much work went into the ohe kapala process,” noted CNHA staff member Victoria Smith. “I thought I would have a completed project by the end of the Huaka’i. Now that I know that it will take over ten hours to complete, I have a greater appreciation for the larger-scale printed pieces done the traditional way. I am glad that we have knives and sandpaper!”

 

This was the first time making ohe kapala for many involved but the process became infectious. “When I heard about the Huaka’i, I didn’t know what an ohe kapala was,” said Nicole Ku’upualalea Chun-Park of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association. “I took four bamboo pieces home and now I work on them all the time, even at the beach. I don’t know what my design will be yet, but it will come.”

 

While everyone was sanding and cutting, those who have made ohe kapala in the past strolled around the different groups and answered the many questions that arose. “It was convenient being surrounded by such knowledgeable coaches,” said Maddie Kudritzki, a UCLA student and CNHA intern. “I thoroughly enjoyed the entire cultural atmosphere. I didn’t just learn about making a bamboo stamp, I learned about the history of the land we were sitting on, the relevance of the Native Hawaiian plants and the thought process that goes into your individual carving design.”

 

This Huaka’i was a great start for the participants to get the gist of the complex art of making ohe kapala. Many of the attendees shared their past experiences. “The best way to learn is to teach someone else the task at hand, but not all the resources can come from books or the internet,” said Delani K. Tanahy of Ka’ala Farm. “It is not a dead art. You need to find the practitioners. ‘The few, the proud, the kapa makers’ put their heart and soul into it, whenever possible, get their manao.”

 

Participants of the second Huaka’i included CNHA members Halau Na Pualei o Likolehua, Papaku no Kamehaikana, Ka Waihona o Ka Naauao, Ka’ala Farm Inc, NaHHA and CNHA staff as well as many friends and family.

 

A very traditional halau, Na Pualei o Likolehua’s mission is to train women to become teachers in hula.  These women learn the cultural traditions of mele oli and mele hula to uphold the values of traditional protocol, remain actively responsible to the land, enrich the spiritual balance of oneself through discipline, and lastly to empower our people through education. 

 

CNHA is a statewide and national association of Native Hawaiian organizations. Operating an active 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.

 

 

 

 

July 27, 2006

 

Senate Committee Approves Akaka Measures to Strengthen Disaster Response

 

Washington D.C. – Today the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved two measures introduced by Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) as part of legislation to strengthen the federal government’s response to natural disasters.

 

“I support the Committee’s efforts to ensure that the failures of Hurricane Katrina are never repeated and believe that the provisions based on my legislation will make certain that FEMA has well trained employees and that the federal government’s emergency response agency is run by well-qualified individuals,” Senator Akaka said.

 

The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, S. 3721, requires senior leaders at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to have executive leadership and crisis management experience as outlined in Senator Akaka’s bill, the Department of Homeland Security Qualified Leaders Act, S. 2040, and establishes a rotational program to allow employees at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to gain broad expertise throughout the Department as outlined in the Homeland Security Professional Development Act, S. 3476.

 

S. 3721 codifies the FEMA Pacific Area Office, which was established in 1993 at Senator Akaka’s urging, but has never been required in law.

 

Senator Akaka stated, “I am committed to protecting the FEMA Pacific Area Office, which is vitally important to Hawaii’s safety and security.  Codifying the PAO in law will ensure its preservation.”

 

Senator Akaka pledged to work with the Committee to address the treatment of tribal governments in the Stafford Act and the Homeland Security Act and to ensure the availability of post-disaster hazard mitigation funding for natural disasters is not diluted prior to the bill being taken up on the floor.

 

Senator Akaka is a senior member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

 

 

 

 

July 26, 2006

 

House panel approves Native Hawaiian housing bill sponsored by Abercrombie

 

WASHINGTON DC-The House Financial Services Committee today approved a bill sponsored by Congressman Neil Abercrombie which authorizes continued federal funding and provides greater financial flexibility to Hawaiian homesteaders and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

 

Abercrombie last week joined Rep. Robert Ney (R-OH), chair of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, in introducing the Hawaiian Home Ownership Opportunity Act of 2006 (H.R. 5851).

 

The measure reauthorizes existing Native Hawaiian housing programs for five years (until 2011) and expands their scope.

 

In 2000 Congress passed legislation authorizing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide block grants for affordable housing for Native Hawaiians through the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

 

The 2000 measure also authorized HUD home loan guarantees for Native Hawaiians whose incomes are equal to or less than 80 percent of the median income.  Eligible borrowers include Native Hawaiian families, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and private nonprofit organizations experienced in planning and developing affordable housing for Native Hawaiians.

 

In fiscal year 2006 the Native Hawaiian housing block grants provided $8.7 million, and $891,000 was allotted for housing loan guarantees.

 

The House of Representatives has approved moderate increases in those funding levels for 2007, and the legislation awaits further action by the Senate.

 

The Hawaiian Home Ownership Opportunity Act of 2006 reauthorizes these programs and adds new provisions authorizing loan guarantees for home mortgage refinancing and permitting the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to issue bonds.

 

Rep. Ney told the Financial Services Committee before it acted on the bill today, "This [request for reauthorization and improvements] came from the Governor of Hawaii and Neil Abercrombie responded instantly."

 

"This legislation acknowledges the housing needs of Native Hawaiians and establishes a mechanism to address those needs.  It is one component in our larger effort to secure justice for the native people of our land. I appreciate Representative Ney's support of this legislation, which plays such an important role for the Hawaiian community."

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Sunday, July 30, 2006

 

Hawaiian artists call for cultural trademark

 

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser staff writer

 

Many Native Hawaiian artists want better safeguards against copycats, imitators and others who misappropriate local culture, but there's no consensus yet on the best way to achieve the protection, according to a survey released yesterday.

 

More than half the artists surveyed statewide think that fakes and simulations affect their ability to sell or promote their work at true value. They also believe a proposed cultural trademark program would not only help them individually but go a long way toward protecting Hawaiian culture, survey officials said.

 

"The larger picture is that artists are interested in the protection and perpetuation of the culture. It's clear that they want to be sure that art promoted as Hawaiian reflects a cultural truth and emanates from the core of the Hawaiian experience," said attorney Leighton Chong, one of the organizers of yesterday's daylong Native Hawaiian Cultural Trademark conference at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.

 

The effort is part of a growing worldwide movement of native peoples striving to keep control over their own culture when it enters a broader economic sphere, organizers said.

 

In New Zealand, for example, Maori people angered by the misappropriation of their warrior images by businesses like Sony, Lego and a German conglomerate have received a government "Maori made" trademark for their traditional artwork and distinctive cultural images, said Maui Solomon, a Maori attorney who addressed the conference. The German company even went as far as trademarking the name Moana and blocking a popular Maori singer by that name from distributing her CDs in the country, he said.

 

Meanwhile, Native American groups are pushing for new state laws and the formation of regional organizations that offer similar protections. Arizona, Alaska and New Mexico are among the states that have such laws, but a federal law on the books since 1935 designed to protect Indian artwork from outside infringement has never resulted in a single successful criminal prosecution, said Rebecca Tsosie, executive director of the Indian Legal Program at Arizona State University.

 

In Hawai'i, artists could be leaders in the protection of cultural values and even in the sovereignty movement, participants said.

 

"Artists and producers are a most precious resource, and art is the clearest place we have to find the vision we need in this increasingly technological, overproduced, driven world," said Maile Meyer, a co-chair of the conference and a founder of Native Books/Na Mea Hawai'i.

 

Empowering a proposed Native Hawaiian Cultural Arts Board to certify what constitutes true cultural art here "may be the first act of Hawaiians actually taking sovereignty into their own hands," Chong said.

 

The survey of more than 140 visual, creative and performing artists throughout Hawai'i produced widespread support for the possibility of establishing a trademark program, but there was much discussion and worry about how best to effectively implement the protections.

 

The trademark program could cover a wide array of artists, including painters, sculptors, lei makers, lauhala weavers and others. Concerns raised by survey takers included who would qualify as a Native Hawaiian artist, who would pass judgment on the art, whether the trademark would be used to evaluate the quality of the art, and whether such a program should receive funding from either the state or federal government.

 

"If the laws can be used in our favor, I'm good," said Sabra Kauka, a Kaua'i artist and educator. "But I'm skeptical that we need to be 'certified' as Hawaiian."

 

The survey and conference were an outgrowth of a 2003 gathering that discussed Hawaiian Intellectual Property Rights and ways to protect Hawaiian culture from the threat of theft and commercialization. Organizers said they hoped to emerge from yesterday's session with a strategy and action plan to develop a trademark program to protect future artists in the local, national and international market place.

 

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.

 

 

 

 

July 28, 2006

 

HTA Announces 15th Annual Keep It Hawaii Recognition Awards

 

HONOLULU- Rex Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), the state agency for tourism, has announced the HTA’s Koa and Kahili Award recipients for 2006. “The Keep it Hawaii Recognition Awards honor those who have demonstrated commitment to honor and perpetuate the Hawaiian culture and community, providing visitors and residents with opportunities to experience the true culture through creative and responsible efforts,” stated Johnson.

 

Nominations for the awards were judged by members of HTA’s Hawaiian Cultural Program Advisory Council on Authenticity, Usage, Uniqueness, Educational Value, Longevity and Commitment into the Future. The prestigious Kahili Award was offered in three designated categories: Business, Individual, and Community Organization; one each for each of the four counties.  This year, an out-of-state category was also added.

 

The 2006 Kahili Award recipients are:

 

 

The Koa Award was added in 2005 to recognize those signifying a long-term and exemplary commitment to perpetuating and preserving Hawai‘i’s host culture.  The 2006 recipient of the Koa Award is Pacific Islands Institute which has been providing learning experiences in Hawaii and the South Pacific for over 15 years.  Their “Hawaiian Traditions: History, Culture and Music” program provides a positive, authentic experience to visitors, involves the Hawaiian community in defining what this experience to visitors, involves the Hawaiian community in defining what this experience should be, and ensures that the interactions, practices and information are accurate and respectful.

 

Last year, the HTA recognized the need to honor those who have spent, literally, a lifetime working to preserve and perpetuate the Hawaiian culture and established the He Kuleana Ke Aloha Awards to annually recognize a business, individual or community organization who has demonstrated ongoing responsibility, personal commitment and dedication to honoring and perpetuating the Hawaiian culture for generations to come. Johnson added, “The increasing importance of the Hawaiian culture and community in maintaining Hawai‘i’s uniqueness as a destination has continued to be recognized as a high priority issue for Hawai‘i’s visitor industry future and for the well-being of Hawai‘i’s community as a whole.” This year’s Hawaii Tourism Authority He Kuleana Ke Aloha Awards were presented to ‘Anakala Edward Todoc Ka‘anana, Herb Kawainui Kane, Pius Mau Piailug, and R. Dwayne “Nakila” Steele.

 

‘Anakala “Eddie” Ka‘anana was one of our very last “hulu kupuna,” a fading breed of Hawaiian elders who are “manaleo” – native speakers that have invaluable knowledge of Hawaiian culture. Through his teachings about the “lo‘i” or taro patch, he passed on his knowledge of Hawaiian values concerning the environment. He was a kupuna at Anuenue School, a Hawaiian immersion school in Palolo, and served as an advisor to various cultural organizations including the statewide Taro Farmers’ Association, the Bishop Museum and the University of Hawai‘i Hawaiian Studies department.

 

As an artist – historian and author, Herb Kane has devoted much of his adult life to capturing the history and culture of Hawai‘i through various mediums of art. His experience includes publishing art, advertising art, architectural design, painting, writing, and sculpture. In the early 1970’s he moved to Hawai‘i from Chicago to pursue an interest that he had in Polynesian canoe designs, an interest that ultimately came together with another hobby of his, painting. His works over the years have become so famous that they are now seldom found in galleries as they are usually sold before they are completed.

 

May Piailug, a native of Satawal Island and a descendant of a long line of Pacific navigators, was honored in an initiation ritual and became a Celestial Navigator at the age of 20. Ancient Hawaiians had initially used this are to navigate to their new homeland of Hawai‘i, but with the passing times had almost lost all knowledge of it. He mentored the Polynesian Voyaging Society on using only the stars and swells to direct their canoes and was their guide in Hokule‘a’s infamous maiden voyage to Tahiti in 1973 and has passed on this precious knowledge to a new generation of navigators here in Hawai‘i.

 

Dwayne “Nakila” Steele was born in Kansas, then raised in Colorado and moved to Hawai‘i in the 1950s. In 1989, he developed an interest and strong passion for Hawaiian language and began studying it at the University of Hawai‘i. He continued his support for the language by helping to publish Hawaiian language text books as well as launching a project to digitize old Hawaiian language newspapers from the latter half of the 1800s. He vigorously fought for the survival of Hawaiian language schools by helping to fund and promote ‘Aha Punana Leo, a non-profit organization that initiated the creation of language schools that have now spread across the state.

 

 

 

 

August 1, 2006

 

First Native Hawaiian to Travel to Thailand with the East-West Center’s Women’s Leadership Program

 

HONOLULU, HI – On July 9, 2006, 12 women from the United States and the Asia Pacific traveled to the East-West Center to participate in the 2006 Changing Faces Women’s Leadership Program which included a Honolulu Seminar during the first week and a Thailand Study Tour during the second week.  This nationally competitive program attracted over 100 applications from which 12 participants were selected from Hawaii, Alaska, Georgia, Vietnam, China, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, India, and Pakistan.

 

Year 2006 marks the first year that a Native Hawaiian, Ms. Lilia Kapuniai, Vice President of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA), was accepted into the program.  “It was a humbling experience to be surrounded by such passionate and talented women with a broad range of expertise in fields ranging from human trafficking to political leadership training and education to environmental conservation,” remarked Kapuniai. 

 

“My favorite part of the tour was our visit to the Thai village of Leeled where we experienced one of their first community-based tourism projects that was founded on the notion of using their Native culture as their foundation and approach to business development.  It was interesting to observe and experience globalization of this concept in the Southern Province of Surat Thani which is consistent to the approach that we are using here in Hawaii.  I want to thank CNHA and the East-West Center for this invaluable and rewarding opportunity that every Native Hawaiian woman should experience.” 

 

Themed Women’s Political Empowerment and Civic Engagement in Asia, the Pacific, and the United States, the program considered how women’s leadership can contribute to the sustainability and well-being of their communities and they participate in political elections and assume leadership positions.  Seminar topics included communication, team-building and models of leadership in differing cultural contexts.  In Thailand the participants heard from agencies and organizations working to improve the conditions of women. 

 

Launched in 2002, the Changing Faces program was designed to bring together women from the United States and the Asia Pacific region to participate in dialogue on leadership and issues specific to women in leadership around the region.  Established by the U.S. Congress in 1960, the East-West Center is an education and research organization that is focused on strengthening relations and understanding among the peoples and nations of Asia, the Pacific and the U.S.

 

CNHA is a statewide and national association of Native Hawaiian organizations. Operating an active 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.

 

 

 

 

Posted: July 31, 2006

 

Independent Health Foundation and Seneca Nation Launch Health Initiative

 

by: Staff Reports / Indian Country Today

 

Independent Health Foundation awards scholarship to Medical School at University at Buffalo

 

IRVING, N.Y. - In what is being called a collaborative commitment toward improving the Seneca Nation's health and well being, leaders from Independent Health and the Seneca Nation gathered July 17 at the Seneca Nation's Community Health and Wellness Center to officially launch the ''Good for the Neighborhood'' initiative.

 

Seneca Nation President Barry E. Snyder, Sr., and Independent Health President and CEO Michael Cropp, M.D., were on hand to kick-off the program that seeks to improve the health and wellness of Seneca Nation members.

 

At the launch, Nancy H. Nielsen, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer, Independent Health, presented Vivian Redeye of the Cattaraugus Reservation with a scholarship for $10,000. Redeye will be attending the Medical School at University at Buffalo in the fall. The Independent Health Foundation has provided the scholarship in order to help fund the cost of her tuition expenses.

 

''The Independent Health Foundation is very pleased to be able to contribute to Vivian's education,'' said Dr. Nielsen. ''She is a talented young woman with a bright future, who will be able to share her medical expertise with her people. A homegrown Seneca Nation physician - that's good for the neighborhood!''

 

Good for the Neighborhood provides healthy living training and learning tools to assist Seneca Nation members in managing their own health care more effectively and improving their overall health. The program is a collaborative effort between the Independent Health Foundation and Seneca Nation of Indians to assist in the prevention, control and care of diabetes for the entire Seneca Nation.

 

''On behalf of the entire Seneca Nation of Indians, I want to thank the Independent Health Foundation for their continuing efforts to improve the health and quality of life of our members,'' said President Snyder. ''This is truly a collaborative effort, blending the knowledge and expertise of Seneca leadership, the Seneca Diabetes Foundation, the Seneca Nation Health Department and the Independent Health Foundation. The Foundation has tailored programs and provided services that will benefit the entire Seneca Nation on a long-term basis, and we are very pleased about that.''

 

A number of facets of the Good for the Neighborhood initiative were spotlighted at today's launch, including a farmers market, Healthy Options cooking demonstrations, ''Ask the Expert'' and ''Ask the Pharmacist'' information tables, and diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol and lead health screenings. In addition, the Independent Health Foundation announced the donation of hundreds of pedometers for use by Seneca Nation members who participate in the Good for the Neighborhood program.

 

According to research provided by the Seneca Diabetes Foundation, one in two adults in the Seneca Nation have diabetes, compared to only seven percent of the U.S. population, and the disease is affecting its people at earlier ages.

 

''These statistics alone demonstrate the need for a long-term investment of time and financial resources to monitor change in areas where health problems and risks are most severe, such as in the Seneca Nation,'' said Dr. Cropp.

 

In January, the Independent Health Foundation pledged $500,000 in programs and services over three years to the Seneca Nation of Indians and the Seneca Diabetes Foundation to address the prevalence of diabetes in the Seneca Nation.

 

Further, the Foundation is working to develop internships and employment opportunities that will help provide the Seneca Nation with the tools needed to accomplish the goals of this unique partnership. Through this affiliation, Seneca Nation members Darice and Samsoche Sampson will be serving as fitness instructors for the Good for the Neighborhood program.

 

The Good for the Neighborhood program is also being offered in medically underserved communities in the cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls.

 

''The Independent Health Foundation's total commitment is $2 million over three years to develop these programs and take them directly to Seneca Nation members, as well as to medically at-risk communities in the East and West Side of Buffalo and Niagara Falls'' said Dr. Cropp. ''This commitment to the Seneca Nation demonstrates that we are engaging in a long-term, measurable plan to change people's lifestyle habits and that we are serious about investing the money and time needed to make a difference.''

 

The primary goals of the Good for the Neighborhood initiative are to encourage residents to develop and maintain an ongoing relationship with a primary care doctor, to encourage healthier eating habits, to emphasize the importance of keeping a regular physical fitness routine and to encourage smokers to quit and non-smokers not to start.

 

''No other organization in the Western New York area is providing comprehensive health education and wellness services in such a collaborative manner,'' said Dr. Cropp. ''We believe that this ''community-model'' approach is proven and sustainable and shifts us in a new direction for providing health services throughout a community. It can serve as a model to other communities struggling to address the health care needs of the medically underserved and residents at risk.''

 

According to Dr. Cropp, any successful community-based program requires the involvement of the broadest set of stakeholders, which is why the Foundation will work closely with faith-based organizations, schools and leaders within each community and partner organizations.

 

''A challenge of this magnitude could not be executed by the Independent Health Foundation alone. It is the innovative collaboration with so many partners, who all share the common goal of helping Seneca Nation members become healthier, that will enable this program to be successful,'' added Dr. Cropp.

 

The University at Buffalo Family Medicine Research Institute will track information collected at Good for the Neighborhood sites and analyze the data. University at Buffalo medical students will assist in the screening of participants, creating a chance for these students to engage in direct healthcare assistance within the community.

 

The funding for this program comes from the Independent Health Foundation and is made possible through grant money and acquired sponsorships. The programs are open to residents in all communities and not limited to Independent Health members.

 

Established in 1992, the Independent Health Foundation works to improve the health and well being of Western New York residents through health awareness, prevention, wellness education and other programs focused on community health priorities. For more information on the Foundation's activities, visit www.independenthealth.com

 

 

 

 

July 28, 2006

 

Hawaiian Law Now Permits Parents to Keep Placentas

 

By Nancy Cook Lauer

WeNews correspondent

 

A move to declare placentas "infectious waste" angered Hawaiians who use the placenta in religious ceremonies, highlighting the conflict between modern medicine and traditional culture. A law now guarantees women the right to take the placenta home.

 

HONOLULU (WOMENSENEWS)--To some, it's simply a byproduct of childbirth, a biological waste. To others, it's even a possible source of biological material for genetic research. But to those of Polynesian and some African and Asian cultures, the placenta is sacred.

 

In a transformation of an issue that was once a private matter between a woman and her doctor, the placenta became a political issue in Hawaii this spring, and its ramifications could spread to other states.

 

Following an uproar from Native Hawaiians after the state declared placenta tissue an infectious waste in 2005, the Aloha State has become the first in the nation to expressly give a woman permission to take the placenta home from the hospital following childbirth.

 

The new Hawaii law was introduced by the bipartisan Honolulu-based Women's Legislative Caucus and championed by Planned Parenthood of Hawaii, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition and a myriad of cultural organizations based in Honolulu and the Neighbor Islands.

 

Four families have taken advantage of the new policy since Gov. Linda Lingle signed it into law April 21. It's part of a growing sensitivity to the cultural practices of diverse groups even in the midst of greater concerns over diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS that could be spread by biological waste.

 

The placenta--or "iewe," pronounced eh-AY-vay --has an important symbolism in Hawaiian culture, and some rebuff the modern medical practice of simply throwing it out. Those practicing the religious and cultural ways of their ancestors explain that, in Hawaii, the burial sites of placentas of their forebears have the same significance as where they are buried after they die.

 

"The iewe of the newborn child is sacred and must be handled in a sacred manner in order to provide for the physical health of the child," Native Hawaiian historian Lilikala Kameeleihiwa told a state legislative committee considering the new law. "Moreover, the careful disposition of the iewe will indicate how the child will grow up and molds the child's identity."

 

Research Potential in Placenta

 

Following President George W. Bush's July 18 veto of federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, some Native Hawaiians, who make up about 20 percent of the state's population, are concerned scientists will start harvesting their sacred placentas from hospitals from the approximately 20,000 births in the state each year.

 

Like stem cells, certain placenta cells have been demonstrated to have the capacity to become cells of other parts of the body and could potentially be used to meet research demands. Indeed, Pittsburgh biotechnology company, Stemnion Inc., has licensed the patent rights to a process for removing stem cell-like material from placentas to treat cirrhosis and diabetes and spur healing, although the company says it uses only donated placentas with permission from the families.

 

"It is distressing to me and my family that a part of our children is unceremoniously thrown out as waste or used without permission in medical experiments," said Kimo Armitage, a Native Hawaiian rights activist who also testified before legislative committees. "There are no laws governing the acquisition of placenta and placenta-related products. Hospitals across the nation are stealing placentas and selling them for a profit."

 

Pamela Lichty, a board member of the Honolulu-based ACLU of Hawaii, says the issue goes beyond the cultural aspects and becomes a women's rights issue as well.

 

"In our view, it is about the freedom to practice one's religion and-or cultural traditions and about a woman's control over her own body," Lichty said.

 

Secret Ceremony Binds the Child

 

Native Hawaiians typically "plant" the placenta in the ground following a religious ritual that is kept a closely held secret. Sometimes a tree or bush is planted at the same time. The point, says Kameeleihiwa, a professor of Hawaiian studies at the University of Hawaii as well as a grandmother who has buried placentas of her own descendents, is to bind the child to his or her homeland.

 

"If planted in the earth, which in our religion is our Grandmother Papahanaumoku, the child will remain tied to the land of Hawaii, will not stray far and will work hard on behalf of the land," she said. "If disposed in a rubbish heap, the child will act like rubbish and be antisocial."

 

The rituals differ among families--some bury the placenta in the earth, some stick it high in the branches of a tree--and are passed down from mother to daughter. In Thai culture, for example, the placenta is often salted and placed in an earthen jar before being buried under a tree that corresponds to the symbol of the Asian year of the child's birth. Placenta of children born in the years of the tiger or dog, for example, can be buried under the lotus or jackfruit trees; those born in the year of the snake must have the Siamese sal tree as their "guardian."

 

In many African cultures, "zan boku" means "the place where the placenta is buried." Some African communities bury the placenta under a tree in a manner similar to some Asian and Native Hawaiian cultures. The Kikuyu of Kenya place it in an uncultivated field and cover it with grains and grasses, while other cultures bury it in the dirt floor of the family's house.

 

Culturally Appropriate Standards

 

Standards for providing culturally and linguistically appropriate medical care have been set by the federal health department and in some cases are required in institutions that receive federal funds. Other standards have been embraced voluntarily by professional health groups, said Kamanaopono Crabbe, a Honolulu behavioral health therapist.

 

"The ongoing influences of acculturative factors that permeate government, society and health fields that are based on Western paradigms and models of treatment in the past and present continue to alienate not only Native Hawaiians but other ethnic minorities," Crabbe said. "Therefore, it is essential that all levels of government be mindful of their own cultural attitudes when devising laws and policies that impact populations and communities indifferent to mainstream America."

 

The uproar over the disposal of placentas began in June 2005 when the state Department of Health changed its rules to classify the placenta as infectious waste. When several families were denied access to their placentas, they appealed to Native Hawaiian cultural and legal rights groups. Lawsuits in state and federal courts quickly followed, and lawmakers were pressured to override the Health Department's new rules by enacting a law.

 

Other states with high Asian populations may follow suit. California currently has a "don't ask, don't tell" policy much as Hawaii did before the new legislation, where a mother-to-be informs the doctor she wants to keep the placenta and it is quietly returned to her so that she may take it with her after childbirth.

 

"In California, it's a look-the-other way kind of thing," said Andrew Sprenger, an attorney with the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, based in Honolulu, who challenged the Hawaii law on behalf of two families. "Most states have not updated their infectious waste regulation standards in almost 15 years and they are revamping them now to better protect the public as new understandings of public health emerge."

 

Nancy Cook Lauer is Hawaii capital reporter for Stephens Media Group.

 

 

 

 

July 28, 2006

 

Congress urged to save native languages

 

By ZACHARY FRANZ

Bismarck Tribune

 

Indigenous languages will die out in America unless Congress acts soon, a leader in Indian education said Thursday.

 

"We're on the very verge of losing our languages,"said Ryan Wilson, president of the National Indian Education Association. "We don't have tomorrow. This has to happen today."

 

Wilson spoke at United Tribes Technical College in a press conference regarding legislation to preserve American Indian languages. Also speaking at the conference were Tex Hall, chairman of the Mandan-Hidatsa-Arikara Nation, and David Gipp, UTTC president. The conference promoted passage of a bill co-sponsored by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., that would create grants to establish immersion schools where Indian children could learn their traditional language.

 

Before Europeans came to America, there were about 500 different American Indian languages, Wilson said. Fewer than 100 have survived, and only 20 are spoken by American Indian children.

 

Immersion schools are important for two major reasons, Wilson said. First, indigenous languages are an important part of America's culture and history. Second, research has shown that Indian students do better academically when the lessons are relevant to their culture, he said. Language is an important part of that.

 

At a language immersion school, of which there are already a few in the country for Indian students, children learn traditional languages and are then taught other subjects in the language. Most of the schools focus on young students, for whom it is easier to pick up new languages. Graduates of the existing programs have been more academically successful than students at traditional schools, Wilson said.

 

There are far too few of the schools, though, he said.

 

"You have one system that's scientifically proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, to fail our kids," Wilson said. "Here's another system that might be a potential answer."

 

Furthermore, he said, other research has shown that studying any language fosters intellectual development. For Indian students, an indigenous language is the logical choice for study, he said.

 

At Thursday's conference, Indian leaders urged Dorgan to continue championing the cause, and push to get the bill signed into law in this congressional session. Dorgan is the vice chairman of the senate's Committee for Indian Affairs.

 

"Indian country is resting its hopes on him,"Wilson said. "He's the only one that can carry water on this."

 

The bill doesn't set a fixed dollar amount, but Wilson said the program would likely cost around $8 million.

 

Fast action is important because some languages have only a few remaining speakers, said Tex Hall. There are only 8 people alive who speak Mandan fluently, he said.

 

"If we don't do this now, it will be gone,"Hall said. "These speakers are passing on. When they pass, they take a wealth of knowledge with them."

 

One reason there are so few speakers is because the government discouraged previous generations from speaking or learning indigenous languages in an attempt to force cultural assimilation, Wilson said. Many Indians attended boarding schools, where they were punished if caught speaking their native tongue.

 

"We know that while that was well-intentioned ... we also know that it did great damage to Indians," Wilson said. "We're not playing the role of victims; we don't believe in that. But the U.S. government made the biggest investment in the destruction of the languages, and it should make a commensurate investment in helping to bring them back."

 

Wilson said that while most immigrants in the country's history have been eager to assimilate, American Indians traditionally have not shared that desire. That is something mainstream America has struggled to understand, but is the right of Indians, nonetheless, he said.

 

"We ceded millions of acres of the most productive land in the world for the right of continued sovereignty,"he said. "It's our right. We've already paid for this."

 

(Reach reporter Zachary Franz at 250-8261 or Zach.Franz@;bismarcktribune.com.)

 

 

 

 

July 26, 2006

 

Hawaiian keiki receive school supplies in seventh country fair

 

By Brennan Purtzer

 

Native Hawaiian organizations worked together last week to provide school supplies and clothing to Hawaiian children at the seventh annual Keiki Country Fair.

 

In a joint effort from the Queen Liliokalani Center, Kamehameha Schools, Na Pu'uwai, Alu Like, The Department of Hawaiian Homelands and The Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

 

"Each agency has a list of names that we put together from the whole community," Andreana Reyes of the QLCC said.

 

The groups' efforts provided supplies for 175 children, aged Kindergarten through sixth grade.

 

The younger kids spend hours playing ring toss, throwing sandbags, and constructing shapes with foam blocks.

 

Kamehameha Schools Administrator Ron Kimball said each bag of supplies was tailored towards the curriculum for the different grades, but all children received a set of slippers, and healthy snacks from Na Pu'uwai.

 

Glenn Davis, who volunteered at "da slipah store" said some of the kids were already size 11 ½, but the most popular size was 8.

 

 

 

 

July 28, 2006

 

Tribes, Scientists Still Divided Over 'The Ancient One'

 

By Tom Banse and Elizabeth Wynne Johnson

Oregon Public Broadcasting

 

SEATTLE, WA 2006-07-28 It's been exactly ten years since a near-complete human skeleton emerged from the muck along the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington.

 

His advanced age - 9,000 years and counting - got scientists excited. For local tribes, the discovery remains a high-profile example of a persistent divide.

 

The controversy surrounding the skeleton has been aggravated just as much by what scientists know as by what they don't know.

 

CLOSELY GUARDED

 

It's hard to get to know Kennewick Man, and it's not just because he's dead.

 

Curator Peter Lape takes visitors through three alarmed doors to a windowless basement hallway in Seattle's Burke Museum. K-Man's bones rest in metal boxes somewhere close by. The exact room is a closely guarded secret.

 

"We can only open that room with a representative from the Army Corps of Engineers [which] is the agency that controls Kennewick Man's bones right now," Lape says.

 

The Burke Museum has served as bone caretaker for the government since 1998. Peter Lape says he's a bit "disappointed" by how little scientists have learned from the ancient skeleton.

 

LONG-STANDING DIVIDE

 

The principal investigators excuse the slow progress by noting the 9-year legal battle over access to the bones. A group of scientists finally prevailed in court against Northwest Indian tribes. The tribes had sued to rebury the bones.

 

John Sirois is the cultural preservation administrator for the confederated tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation. There, nobody refers to the 9,000-year-old skeleton as "Kennewick Man".

 

"We call that person 'The Ancient One', because it is a person. The town 'Kennewick' wasn't around when this person was alive," Sirois says, "So it seems odd to me to name it after a relatively new term."

 

A simple difference in names reflects a deep and long-standing rift. Scientists are on one side, eager to unlock K-Man's secrets. The Colville and other Northwest tribes are on the other. They consider the Ancient One to be an ancestor in need of peace and want him reburied.

 

Nine years and millions of dollars in litigation haven't done much to heal old wounds. Many Native Americans still dismiss archaeologists as glorified grave robbers.

 

And, Sirois says, the antipathy seems to be mutual

 

"They still don't see native people as having knowledge the way they have knowledge," he says, "It might be quaint histories that have been passed down, but it's not 'real knowledge'."

 

ASKING DIFFERENT QUESTIONS

 

The Colville are among a growing number of tribes that are working to close the gap between the academy and the 'rez'. Sirois says it's important that more Indians are pursuing advanced degrees in archaeology because understanding cultural context can shed a lot of light on bits and pieces of data.

 

Peter Lape says he's all for increasing the diversity of professionals in the field. It matters, he says, because there's no such thing as "objective" inquiry.

 

"And that's, of course, the center of science. And it's actually the most culturally sensitive part of science: What are the questions? If you look at Kennewick man, the scientists say the questions are: Who populated the New World? And where did they come from? That question is not of interest to some Native Americans."

 

WHAT WE KNOW

 

Besides his age, here's what we know after a decade of study. Kennewick Man died in middle age of unknown causes. He was around 5'9". And we can infer that he had friends or family. Someone had to have helped him recover from a serious spear wound.

 

University of Michigan anthropologist C. Loring Brace says he's optimistic we'll soon have an answer to one of the central questions. Who is Kennewick Man related to?

 

Vikings, contemporary Native Americans, maybe Polynesians?

 

Brace compared his measurements to a database he has of 8,000 modern and ancient skulls from around the world.

 

"It ties most closely with the Ainu of Japan," Brace says.

 

Professor Brace says the inland Northwest tribes who claim Kennewick Man have other ancestors, possibly from prehistoric China. That suggests the New World was peopled by waves of different ethnic groups. DNA testing could confirm or rule out links. But getting a good enough sample from the Kennewick bones has been impossible so far.

 

WHAT WE'LL NEVER KNOW

 

Suburban Seattle archaeologist James Chatters says it's also become clear that there's a lot the bones will never tell us.

 

"We'll never know how he died. That's one certain thing," Chatters affirms, "We'll never know what language he spoke. We'll never know what color his hair was or whether he had curly hair or straight. We'll never know the color of his eyes or the color of his skin."

 

BRIDGING DIFFERENCES

 

Back on the reservation, Sirois says what is of interest to him is ensuring that The Ancient One be respected. And that means being returned to the ground.

 

On those terms, is it possible to be both a 'good Indian' and a 'good archaeologist'? Sirois says it is. But there is an enduring contradiction. Embracing the profession means overcoming a profound cultural barrier: 'Don't mess with bones'.

 

But, whatever happens, this isn't the first time we've discovered human remains, and it won't be the last.

 

 

 

 

July 29, 2006

 

City nabs Native Olympics

 

WEIO: Fairbanks, the event's host since 1961, loses games for a year.

 

By KATE CHENEY DAVIDSON
Anchorage Daily News

Alaska's largest city scored a major coup last weekend when organizers of the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics announced they would move the event from Fairbanks to Anchorage next year.

 

The decision was announced last Saturday as the annual four-day event featuring Native games, dance and culture drew to a close.

 

Fairbanks has hosted WEIO since it began in 1961. Originally conceived by the city of Fairbanks as an extension of the community's Golden Days Celebration, WEIO has operated as an independent nonprofit organization since the mid-1970s.

 

If all goes as expected in 2007, WEIO will be held at the Sullivan Arena, although Anchorage officials said other venues such as the Wells Fargo Sports Complex at UAA remain a possibility.

 

WEIO board chairman Perry Ahsogeak, a Fairbanks resident, said the move will be for one year only.

 

"We wanted to give Anchorage a try to see if it will work for us," Ahsogeak said.

 

Organizers hope the move will draw more fans and competitors from Southcentral Alaska as well as Southeast and the Aleutians. This year, WEIO attracted more than 150 athletes, seven dance groups and eight WEIO queen contestants, Ahsogeak said. He did not have firm numbers on spectators.

 

"We're excited about it," said Mayor Mark Begich, who sees the move as an opportunity for Anchorage to showcase its ability to host major events. "What better way than to host the Olympics here?" he said.

 

Phone calls to Fairbanks Mayor Steve Thompson and North Star Borough Mayor Jim Whitaker were not returned.

 

Ahsogeak said many Fairbanks residents aren't happy.

 

"We need to look at why this happened and what we as a community need to do to bring it back," he said.

 

WEIO's decision to sample a new location has been in the works for a while, according to Ahsogeak.

 

"In 2003 a resolution was passed to look at the feasibility of other locations," he said. "They (WEIO participants and fans) didn't feel like they had the support (from Fairbanks)," Ahsogeak said. "It's always an ongoing issue between cities and the Native community."

 

Ahsogeak said declining attendance and participation numbers in recent years were also factors, although he said this year was an exception with higher attendance and record revenue.

 

WEIO board members approached Anchorage city officials three years ago, asking them to put together a proposal, Ahsogeak said. Anchorage's new rural affairs coordinator, Roy Agloinga, said the city leapt at the chance.

 

"The Anchorage delegation came up twice before the board of governors," said Ahsogeak. "They were excellent."

 

WEIO representatives also visited the Native Youth Olympics, an Anchorage event, and were impressed with the city's level of support, Ahsogeak said.

 

Because of the size of WEIO, which features hundreds of athletes and dance troupes, and the need to hold the event near a transportation hub, the best alternative was Anchorage, Ahsogeak said.

 

Two years ago, nearly the opposite happened when the Alaska Federation of Natives moved its annual convention from Anchorage to Fairbanks. Some AFN members said they felt unappreciated by Anchorage.

 

Begich said AFN's decision contributed to the city's effort to woo WEIO south.

 

"Anchorage took AFN for granted for far too long," Begich said.

 

Competition to host high-profile events such as WEIO is good business, Begich said. City officials estimate the economic impact of WEIO to be about $235,000, but Begich thinks that may be too low.

 

"I think they'll have more attendance (in Anchorage) because we're a hub," Begich said.

 

But some WEIO board members are concerned that Anchorage may be too big.

 

"I'm hoping it doesn't take away from the intimacy," said Nicole Johnston, a longtime WEIO competitor and new board member. She remembers when the event was held at the cozy Big Dipper Ice Arena in Fairbanks. This year, it was held for the second time at the much larger Carlson Center.

 

"Everything felt so much more spread out," said Johnston of the Carlson.

 

If WEIO relocates to Sullivan Arena, which can seat 6,400 for hockey -- a third more than the Carlson Center holds --Johnston and others worry it could change the family-friendly event.

 

Agloinga hopes to allay her fears.

 

"We want to follow their desire to keep it small, but within that context we want to help it grow enough so it can survive," he said.

 

Over the years, WEIO has enjoyed many freebies from Fairbanks, including use of the Carlson Center and UAF dorm rooms. That won't be the case in Anchorage.

 

"We can't afford to give the Sullivan for free," Agloinga said. The city is offering WEIO use of the Sullivan at half price, roughly $20,000 for four days. Anchorage officials, and other organizations such as the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, have offered to help WEIO seek additional funding.

 

Ahsogeak is still worried. Without a contract with the city or a firm offer of financial support from big sponsors, WEIO organizers wonder where the money will come from.

 

WEIO corporate supporters like Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. say they will continue to back WEIO no matter where it's held.

 

"It's because of the event, not the venue," said Curtis Thomas, the company's Fairbanks communications manager.

 

The Alaska Native Heritage Center has also offered to help WEIO find support in Anchorage. Beckie Etukeok, art coordinator at the center, feels Anchorage could give WEIO a much-needed shot in the arm.

 

"Everyone has growing pains and then stagnates -- it's not just Native organizations," she said. "Sometimes you need a leave of absence to get refreshed."

 

 

 

 

Posted on: Tuesday, August 1, 2006

 

Sovereignty group attempts to claim Kaho'olawe

 

By Mark Niesse
Associated Press

 

A Native Hawaiian sovereignty group took two boats from Maui to Kaho'olawe yesterday, landed on shore, set up a rock altar and planted a flag laying claim to the island.

 

The 18 members of the group calling itself the Reinstated Hawaiian Kingdom is challenging U.S. sovereignty over land taken during the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, said Henry Noa, who identified himself as the group's "prime minister" by cell phone from the undeveloped island.

 

A few hours later, state officers arrested two of the members and issued citations to the rest for entering a restricted area, said Randy Awo, branch chief of the Department of Land and Natural Resources enforcement division. Their names and the exact charges against them were not immediately released.

 

"Our purpose is to reclaim our national land," Noa said. "We're staking our claim here. We're not terrorists. We're far from being terrorists. We're reasonable people."

 

Kaho'olawe is the smallest of the eight main Hawaiian Islands, and was established as a state reserve in 1993. It is seven miles southwest of Maui and covers about 44 square miles.

 

Access to Kaho'olawe is restricted because it is hazardous after decades of military training, said Sol Kaho'ohalahala, executive director of the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission.

 

About 65 percent of the surface has been cleared of weapons and ordinance, and less than 10 percent of the surrounding waters are considered safe.

 

Ranchers once tended sheep and goats on the mostly lava-rock island, but it now has no permanent residents.

 

Members of the Reinstated Hawaiian Kingdom, which was formed in 1999 and claims 3,000 citizens, say their action on Kaho'olawe is justified by the 1993 Apology Resolution, in which Congress voted to apologize for the role the United States played in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

 

"They did not have the right to take it. That's what they admitted," said Dale Albertson, a Big Island district representative for the Reinstated Hawaiian Kingdom. "We're trying to remove it from future contamination and attempt to push forward the cleanup of the 'aina."

 

The Reinstated Hawaiian Kingdom is one of several Native Hawaiian groups seeking various ways to restore Native Hawaiian rights and rule in the Islands.

 

The state Office of Hawaiian Affairs is moving ahead with its vision for a Hawaiian government within the framework of the United States, according to OHA Administrator Clyde Namu'o.

 

"It's too bad that people are trespassing," Namu'o said. "The United States was apologetic, but I'm not sure you can say that's the basis for reclaiming land."

 

The Navy concluded its 10-year cleanup operations on Kaho'olawe in 2003, although officials say much ordnance remains buried, rests on the land surface or lies beneath waters offshore.

 

The Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission prohibits access except for Native Hawaiian cultural purposes, environmental restoration, education and rehabilitation of the habitat.

 

Commission officials say they prepare for such access ahead of time, informing groups about the risks involved.

 

Noa said his group maintains that the Hawai'i government is the one trespassing on Kaho'olawe, and it plans to continue efforts to reclaim its land and national identity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Policy Center Alert:  Final Candidates File to Run for OHA Trustee

 

Five trustee seats are up for the 2006 election for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, three Trustee-At-Large seats, one representing the Island of Maui and one representing the Island of Oahu.  Every voting-age resident of the State of Hawaii is allowed to vote in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee election so make a difference in your community and register to vote!

 

Following are the candidates running for OHA Trustee:

 

Trustee-At-Large (No Island Residency Required) (3)

 

Island of Maui (1)

 

Island of Oahu (1)

 

REMINDER:  Although the election of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustees is non-partisan and does not occur until the General Election, participation in the Primary Election is important. 

 

The Primary election takes place on September 23, 2006 and the General Election takes place on November 7, 2006.  Please contact the CNHA Policy Center at 808.521.5011 or email at policy@hawaiiancouncil.org if you need information for your community or family on voting or absentee ballots.

 

 

 

 

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.

 

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE THIRD CIRCUIT STATE OF HAWAII SUMMONS TO DEFENDANTS GEORGE A. TURNER; his heirs or assigns; and ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that Plaintiffs Mellon Bank N.A., as Trustee, Stephen B. Ratner and Audrey Ratner, have filed a complaint in the Third Circuit Court, State of Hawaii, Civil No. 06-1-0178, to quiet title to Land Patent Grant 4195, issued to GEORGE A. TURNER, situate at Olaa, Puna, Hawaii, within TMK Nos. (3) 1-8-010-031 & (3) 1-8-011-015. YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to appear in the courtroom of the Honorable GREG K. NAKAMURA, Judge of the Third Circuit Court, at 75 Aupuni Street, Courtroom 1, Hilo, Hawaii, on August 24, 2006 at 8:00 A.M., or to file an answer or other pleading and serve it before said day upon Plaintiffs' attorney, Philip J. Leas, whose address is Cades Schutte LLP, 1000 Bishop St., Suite 1200, Honolulu, HI 96813. If you fail to do so, judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint. DATED: Hilo, Hawaii, June 13, 2006. E. YAMABE CLERK, THIRD CIRCUIT COURT (Hon. Adv.: July 12, 19, 26; Aug. 2, 2006) (489600) Posted on 7/12/2006

 

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