Aloha kakahiaka. I am honored to join you this morning as you begin the second full day of the First Annual Native Hawaiian conference. I want to congratulate and commend the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, all of the sponsors, and particularly all of you who are participating in this important event. For many years we have discussed the need to have a conference, the need for us to come together, the need for us to discuss issues of importance to our community.
Finally, we have that opportunity, largely due to the efforts of Robin Danner, her phenomenal staff, and the CNHA board, Chairman Ray Soon, and board members Mahealani Kamau'u, Lulani McKenzie, Melody McKenzie, and Hardy Spoehr. Mahalo nui to all of you for the hard work you have done over the past year to make this event a reality.
The conference theme, Ke Kamaehu ma o ka Lokahi, or Strength Through Unity, is appropriate. I have met with many of you here on other occasions and in other venues. In our discussions we have spoken about the influence and power of a united Native Hawaiian community. As all of you know, I am the lead sponsor of a bill pending in Congress to extend the federal policy of self-governance and self-determination to Native Hawaiians. I have been working on this legislation since 1999. During the past three years, I have spoken to a number of groups and participated in several meetings where I have stressed the importance of the Native Hawaiian community coming together. My words and sentiments have sometimes been misconstrued and interpreted to convey the view that positive progress for our community requires complete consensus and uniformity. I want to set the record straight. When I encourage unity in the Native Hawaiian community, I am not saying that everyone must hold the same opinion. We can agree to disagree, but we must listen to each other and we must know what is going on. We must share information.
Far too many of us who are working to address longstanding issues of concern to our people have come to see ourselves as the unrivaled experts on an issue. These attitudes hinder our ability to find the appropriate solution to the challenges that face us. We, particularly the kupuna, must be willing to share our mana'o with the makua and the opio. Too many of us who have been involved for many years are waiting for the younger generations to prove themselves, to go through an initiation process, before we listen to what they have to say. While I agree that years of experience should not fall by the wayside and that we need not reinvent the wheel, I believe it is important to listen to the younger generation of Native Hawaiians who have so much to share with us.
We must be willing to share the lessons we have learned so that we can all move forward together. We must stop doubting each other and stop looking for ulterior motives. We must have faith in each other so that we can have the frank, open, candid discussions that are necessary to develop a plan of action to improve the future for our people. The ability to have such discussions and to share our mana'o must be based on the willingness to listen to one another. To listen. Not to always agree. But to listen, and in some cases, to agree to disagree so that we can move forward.
We, as a people, are facing many difficult challenges. For those who seek alternatives in terms of political status at the international arena, your efforts should be commended and continued. For those who advocate for the rights of indigenous native peoples within the federal context, however, the landscape is more difficult. There is a growing sentiment in our state and nationally, by those who misunderstand, or seek to misrepresent, the legal and political relationship between native peoples and the United States, to strip native peoples of the their rights to self-determination and self-governance within the federal context. It is incumbent upon all of us to acknowledge these challenges, to decide how we should address these challenges and then to move forward, together, as a united force, with one common goal: to provide a better future for our children.
I am impressed with the conference agenda and the focus on community development. One of the keys to our success is the empowerment of our people. Many who oppose us believe that we benefit unfairly from entitlements and benefits. There is nothing unfair about the federal programs and services available to Native Hawaiians based on our legal and political relationship with the United States. It is up to us to make the most of these opportunities to empower our people, to seek ways to better the cultural awareness and education of our youth, to increase affordable housing opportunities, to establish partnerships between organizations so that we work together rather than compete against one another, and to address the health issues which seem to be prevalent in the Native Hawaiian communities. We are an educated people, a motivated community driven by the passion to preserve our culture and tradition. We are fully capable of empowering our communities and making the most of the opportunities available to us. This conference, and the many workshops offered, give us the tools to make such goals a reality.
Finally, I'd like to touch on federal recognition and the federal policy of self-governance and self-determination for Native Hawaiians. As a Native Hawaiian, I firmly believe that it is important to understand the ways of our ancestors. We must be imbued in our culture and traditions. In this day and age, however, it is also important to be multi-cultural. We must be able to appreciate all cultures and traditions, and as indigenous peoples, we must be able to function effectively between indigenous and non-indigenous settings. The federal policy of self-determination and self-governance and the partnerships formed between the United States and native governments is the appropriate avenue to accomplish this goal.
As indigenous peoples, we never relinquished our inherent rights to sovereignty. We were a government that was overthrown. While our history in Hawaii is one filled with emotion and despair, Native Hawaiians have preserved their culture, tradition, subsistence rights, language, and distinct communities. We have tried to hold on to our homeland. Hawaii for us, is our homeland. I am proud to be an American and I am proud to have served my country in the military. As long as Hawaii is a part of the United States, I believe the United States must fulfill its responsibility to Hawaii's indigenous peoples. While Congress has treated Native Hawaiians in a manner similar to American Indians and Alaska Natives through the enactment of over 150 statutes, the federal policy of self-determination and self-governance has not been extended to Native Hawaiians. I believe it is imperative to clarify the existing legal and political relationship between the United States and Native Hawaiians by providing Native Hawaiians with federal recognition for the purposes of a government-to-government relationship. Therefore, because the legislation I have offered is based on the political and legal relationship between the United States and its indigenous peoples, which has been upheld for many, many years, by the United States Supreme Court, based on the Indian Commerce Clause, I vehemently disagree with the mischaracterization of this legislation as race-based.
Misinformation is being spread in Hawaii regarding this bill as precluding sovereignty for Native Hawaiians. This cannot be further from the truth. This legislation deals with the United States legal and political relationship with Hawaii's indigenous peoples within the context of federal law. As I stated before, I firmly believe the United States must fulfill its responsibility towards its indigenous peoples. This bill accomplishes that goal.
However, while the bill authorizes a process for federal recognition, establishes an office within the Department of the Interior to focus on Native Hawaiian issues, and creates an inter-agency coordinating group representing federal agencies with programs and services impacting Native Hawaiians, it does not create the Native Hawaiian governing entity. This is a task placed in the hands of the Native Hawaiian community. We, as a community, must begin to address this issue together. I have heard from a number of organizations who believe they have the appropriate governing structure to represent the Native Hawaiian community. While I am pleased to see such progress, I believe it is imperative that we work together to develop a governing entity that has diverse, broad-based support, and has the legitimacy and structure to represent all of our interests.
Again, I am not asking for uniformity in opinions. The strength of our democracy lies in the structure allowed for deliberate policy making and debate. We must, however, not let the debate separate us as a people. We must continue to work together not only to empower our communities, but also to establish the governing structure necessary to make the most of the federal policy of self-governance and self-determination. We have so much potential and so much to share with the rest of the world.
Again, mahalo nui loa for providing me with the opportunity to join with you in this First Annual Native Hawaiian Conference. I look forward to working with all of you as we continue our efforts to improve Hawaii's future.
A hui hou!
