NŪ HOU - NEWSBRIEFS

Nū Hou

By Ka Wai Ola Staff

Pahinui 'ohana announces inaugural annual tribute to Pops

The Pahinui family has announced its first Gabby Pahinui Waimānalo Kanikapila, intended as a tribute to patriarch and Hawaiian kī hō'alu legend Gabby “Pops” Pahinui.

The event, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Waimānalo Beach Park, is free and open to the public.

Headlining the event will be the new Pahinui Hawaiian Band with members Cyril Pahinui, Martin Pahinui, Gabby Pahinui, Kali Pahinui, Kunia Galdera and Peter Moon Jr.

“During my dad Gabby Pahinui's life, weekends at the Pahinui home in Waimānalo were a continuous jam session,” says Cyril Pahinui.

“With a welcoming pot of beef stew and rice always on the stove, our Waimānalo home became the perfect setting for a rejuvenation of Hawai'i's musical traditions.”

During the 80s, kanikapila sessions were started at Waimānalo Park to perpetuate Hawaiian kī hō'alu music. It has been a dream of the Pahinui 'ohana to re-establish these gatherings and to recognize Gabby's contributions to Hawaiian music.

Educational and informational booth space is available. Contact Michael Hikalea of Hui Mālama I ke Kai via e-mail at haunani1@mac.com for information.

A series of workshops is scheduled for Aug. 7, 8 and 10. Email cyril@cyrilpahinui.com to register.

For more information, please see www.cyrilpahinui.com.

Moloka'i blueprint

A new plan aimed at providing a blueprint for an economically sustainable future for Moloka'i has been released by an ad hoc community group, informally known as 'ōpio-makua. The completion of the 30-page document comes on the heels of a master plan supported by the Moloka'i Ranch that called for the development of luxury homes at Moloka'i's Lā'au Point. In the wake of widespread community opposition, ranch officials withdrew the plan from the EIS process and in March announced the shutdown of all ranch operations. Members of the 'ōpio-makua group said their plan incorporates several other past efforts to compile the “best ideas” for economic sustainability and seeks to “answer the question of, 'What do the people of Moloka'i want for their island?' ” Topics covered in the new plan include culture, education, agriculture/aquaculture, subsistence, tourism and governance. The'ōpio-makua group is seeking public comment on the plan. To view the plan go to www.themolokaidispatch.com and click on the links.

OHA seeks federal grant

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is applying for a federal grant to aid in the creation of a Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) to help small businesses, especially those owned by Native Hawaiians, get government contracts. The Board of Trustees in May approved the creation of the center and authorized Administrator Clyde Nāmu'o to submit a grant application to the U.S. Department of Defense.

PTACs are run by local governments or other nonprofit entities. The centers bridge buyers and suppliers, providing businesses with an understanding of government contracting and the know-how to obtain and successfully perform federal, state and local government contracts. Hawai'i is one of only four states without a PTAC in place.

OHA is taking the lead in seeking the Hawai'i PTAC with an alliance including the University of Hawai'i Richardson School of Law, the Hawai'i Procurement Institute, the Honolulu Minority Business Enterprise Center, Empower O'ahu, and the Hawai'i Small Business IT Hui.

“Small businesses, especially Native Hawaiian-owned businesses, deserve a larger share of the huge federal procurement market,” said Nāmu'o. “While the PTAC would serve all businesses, OHA's management and financial support … would ensure that all beneficiaries seeking business opportunities and training and technical assistance related to government contracting would be served.”

Ceded land case

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs expressed disappointment at the decision by the State of Hawai'i to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court over the Jan. 31 Hawai'i Supreme Court ruling that prevents the sale and transfer of ceded lands until “unrelinquished claims” of Native Hawaiians have been resolved.

In 1994, OHA was party to a lawsuit filed to prevent the state from selling about 1,500 acres of ceded lands. In 2002, Circuit Judge Sabrina McKenna ruled in favor of the state's authority to sell ceded lands. The Hawai'i Supreme Court later reversed the lower court's decision, and barred the State from selling ceded lands pending resolution of Native Hawaiian claims to those lands.

Board of Trustees Chairperson Haunani Apoliona said, “We at OHA still believe that the Hawai'i Supreme Court ruled correctly that the state should keep the ceded land trust intact until Native Hawaiian claims to these lands are settled. We trust the U.S. Supreme Court will not second-guess the justices of the Hawai'i State Supreme Court.”

Coastal habitat funds

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has received $2.1 million in federal grants to help acquire 4,198 acres on the islands of Hawai'i and O'ahu to protect coastal and forest habitats, wetlands and watersheds. The federal funding will support conservation planning to help protect endangered sea turtle nesting areas, forest habitat for more than 90 rare species, including the largest known population of 'elepaio in the Wai'anae mountains. DLNR will be partnering with other federal agencies and several nonprofit organizations in using the funding for the following projects:

• $1 million to acquire and protect 551 acres in the district of Ka'ū that includes pristine coastline containing nesting beaches for the endangered Hawaiian hawksbill turtle and offshore feeding areas for the threatened green sea turtle.
• $361,196 to apply to the acquisition and permanent protection of the 3,582-acre Honouliuli preserve in O'ahu's, 'Ewa district, home of 90 threatened or endangered species, some of which are found nowhere else.
• $740,000 for the Hāmākua Marsh Watershed project to add 65 acres of wetland and watershed lands to the existing Hāmākua Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary in Kailua to enhance ongoing recovery efforts for endangered Hawaiian water birds and plant species in the marsh.

East Maui streams

Deadline is June 10 to submit written comments on draft instream flow standard assessment reports for five East Maui hydrologic areas: Honopou, Hanehoi, Piinaau, Waiokamilo and Wailuanui, whose eight freshwater streams are part of an ongoing petition and contested case hearing regarding water use by Alexander & Baldwin and its subsidiary East Maui Irrigation.

In 2001 the farmers' cooperative Nā Moku Aupuni o Ko'olau, represented by the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp., petitioned the state Commission on Water Resource Management to increase instream flow standards for 27 East Maui streams. NHLC's Alan Murakami said taro farmers and traditional practitioners are suffering because, without regard for these legally protected water uses, the Board of Land and Natural Resources allows East Maui Irrigation to divert 160 million gallons a day from East Maui, or the equivalent of O'ahu's daily water supply, from 33,000 acres of ceded lands.

Nā Moku Aupuni and its supporters recently protested at Honomanū Valley, passing out leaflets to those headed to the East Maui Taro Festival. It plans another protest June 14. A protest on May 24 at Twin Falls was organized by taro farmer Lyn Scott.

The draft reports are available online at www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/cwrm or at the CWRM office: Kalanimoku Building, Room 227, 1151 Punchbowl St. in Honolulu; at Maui Community College library, or Maui public libraries in Hāna, Kahului and Wailuku.

Send comments to: Commission on Water Resource Management, P.O. Box 621, Honolulu, HI 96809; fax to 808-587-0219; or email dlnr.cwrm@hawaii.gov and include your full name, affiliation if any, address and phone number. A comment form is available at http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/cwrm/sw_ifsar.htm.

Royal Hawaiian Center

To celebrate the completion of its $115 million revitalization, the Royal Hawaiian Center will have a weeklong grand opening June 14 to 20, offering entertainment, cultural classes, dining specials, retail sales and more.

The “Nou Ka Hale: Our House is Your House” celebration features entertainment by Aaron Salā, Ho'okena, Mākaha Sons, Kaukahi, Pat Sylva, Kawika Trask and Friends and many others, as well as classes in hula, 'ukulele, Hawaiian quilting, lomilomi and lei-making. The activities mark the center's first major renovation since opening in 1979, providing a dynamic mix of 110 world-class retailers, restaurants and entertainment destinations in the largest public gathering place for entertainment and culture. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and offers validated parking. For more information visit www.RoyalHawaiianCenter.com or call 922-0588.

Con Con commission

Ten appointees to the new Constitutional Conventional Cost Task Force have been named by Lt. Gov. James Aiona, who is the head of the nonpartisan group. They are: state Sens. Gary Hooser and Gordon Trimble, Reps. Lynn Finnegan and Joseph Souki, Pi'ilani Kaopuiki of the Honolulu Chapter of the League of Women Voters, Kaipo Lum of the Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce, Chief Elections Officer Kevin Cronin, Attorney General Mark Bennett, state Comptroller Russ Saito, and Finance Director Georgina Kawamura.

The group will determine how much it will cost taxpayers to hold a convention aimed at amending the state Constitution. Voters will decide in the 2008 general election whether to convene a Con Con.

The newly created task force will hold statewide meetings to solicit public comment on the overall financial costs of a convention. The group is expected to complete a report on their findings by Aug. 1. Task force members are also accepting public comment by e-mail at concon@hawaii.gov.

Under the state Constitution, Hawai'i voters have the right every 10 years to vote whether to hold a Con Con. The last Con Con, in 1978, established the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, set an annual balanced budget requirement, established term limits for the governor and lieutenant governor, and adopted the Hawaiian language as an official language of Hawai'i, among other things.

Learn wall-building

Through August, Paepae o He'eia will offer monthly workshops dedicated to the Hawaiian dry-stack method of wall-building. The Saturday workshops run from 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and cost $20, which includes a light breakfast, heavy lunch, T-shirt and binder of related readings and materials. The workshops, limited to 20 students each, will be held:

• June 28, at He'eia Fishpond and Waipao uplands, lo'i dry-stack method, led by Billy Fields
• July 19, at the fishpond, loko i'a method, led by Kalaniua Rite and Hano Naehu
• Aug. 16, at the fishpond, loko i'a method, led by Paepae o He'eia staff

Workshop tuition is subsidized by a Hawai'i Tourism Authority 2008 Living Hawaiian Culture Program grant. The first five participants to sign up for more than one workshop will receive a full tuition waiver for the second workshop.

To register or for information, contact Mehana at 236-6178 or mehana@paepaeoheeia.org.

Homebuyer fair

House shoppers will find plenty of useful information at the free Community Homebuyer Fair on June 21, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. at Kapolei Hale, located at 1000 Uluohia St. Booths will be hosted by nonprofit and government agencies, lenders, and housing-development companies.

The fair aims to help prospective homebuyers prepare for the process of buying a home and offers an opportunity to win a $50,000 down payment toward a home through the Crack the Code sweepstakes. Sponsoring partners are the City & County of Honolulu, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Honolulu Board of Realtors, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The fair will also offer hourlong workshops as follows: 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., Homeownership 101 and Credit Counseling Basics; 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Qualify for a Mortgage and Homebuyer Resources. For information, call 523-9500.

Hei workshops

Workshops on the Hawaiian art of string figure-making (hei) and slip-knot tricks (pū kaula) will be making its way across the islands. Participants will also learn chants and stories involved in this traditional pastime.

Kumu Kalani Akana of Hālau Hana Hei hopes to perpetuate this art for subsequent generations as a source of enjoyment, learning and cultural pride. Preference will be given to educators and Hawaiian-speaking parents and workshops are limited to 10 adult students per six-week session. For more information, email kala
niakana@yahoo.com.

Scholarship recipients

Six students have been named to receive the inaugural Nā Pua No'eau Hideo Noguchi Advancement of Native Hawaiians Scholarship to study at one of the University of Hawai'i campuses.

The recipients and their scholarship amounts are: Kiani Elie Yasak of Maui, an incoming junior at UH Hilo majoring in Hawaiian Studies, $800; Alexander Keali'i Kea III of O'ahu will be a freshman at UH Mānoa majoring in Hawaiian Studies, $900; Cheney-Ann Pūlama Kealoha Keikilani Lima of Moloka'i will be a junior at UH Hilo majoring in Hawaiian Studies and political science, $800; Nakoa Michael Derrick Goo of Hilo, an incoming senior at UH Hilo majoring in marine science, $800; Pililuaikekaiohilo Mary Keala of Moloka'i will be a senior at UH Mānoa majoring in Hawaiian Studies and Hawaiian language, $900; Kālia Susan Yasak of Maui will be a freshman at UH Hilo majoring in Hawaiian Studies and nursing, $800.

The recipients were selected from an eligible pool of participants of UH's Nā Pua No'eau, a K-12 culture-based center, which aims to raise the achievement and aspirations of Hawaiian students and their families.

Seeking kōkua

A recent story in the Hawai'i Tribune Herald highlights the challenges facing the family of Gladys Brigham, who works in OHA's Hilo office. Brigham's brother and sister-in-law, Cata and Kaleo Hauanio of Kailua-Kona have two adopted boys, Koa and Nalu, who are in need of specialized treatment for medical problems stemming from their birth mother's pre-natal drug and alcohol abuse. The couple was aware of the boys' health situation, and was prepared to help the children, who are age 5 and 6. But despite treatment, the boys' symptoms persist. The Hauanios are trying to raise money to visit the Amen Clinic in Newport Beach, California, where a brain-imaging procedure can be performed. Donations will be used to cover travel expenses, testing, treatment and equipment. To help, call 345-7064

New medical board

The members of 'Ahahui o nā Kauka, the Association of Native Hawaiian Physicians, have elected Dr. Nathan A.K. Wong of Honolulu to serve as the president of the board of directors.

Wong is a family physician in practice at the Waipi'o Clinic of Kaiser Permanente. He replaces outgoing president Dr. Dee-Ann Carpenter.

Wong was raised in Honolulu and graduated from 'Iolani School and Cornell University. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Wong was accepted to UH Mānoa's John A. Burns School of Medicine. One of only four Hawaiians in the class, he graduated in 1975. Wong has also served as medical officer in the Hawai'i Army National Guard, from which he recently retired.

Serving as physician/crewmember, Wong sailed on Hōkūle'a in 1980, 1987, 1992 and 1995, and serves on the board of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

Other 2008 officers are Dr. William R. Ahuna (vice president), Dr. J. Kūhiō Asam (secretary), and Dr. Gayland Yee of Maui (treasurer). Two new members join the board in 2008: Drs. Miriam Chang of Hau'ula and Michele K. Shimizu of Kahuku.