HO'OULU LĀHUI ALOHA - TO RAISE A BELOVED NATION

After placing his name, Fred Roland – a Squamish-Hawaiian of the Pacific Northwest – shown seated at center, put on his Kau Inoa T-shirt and said, “I've waited my whole life for this.” He has since passed away. - Photo: Courtesy of Roree Oehlman

Kau Inoa registry helps reconnect Squamish-Hawaiians with their roots

By Nara Cardenas / OHA Community Outreach Specialist

“We have never ceded or surrendered title to our lands, rights to our resources, or the power to make decisions within our territory.”
– Squamish Nation

In the 1800s, Hawaiians helped establish the fur trade in the Pacific Northwest. They were renowned as excellent watermen and often recruited by whaling ships. Many made the continent home and raised families there.

The Squamish-Hawaiians are descendants of the pioneering Hawaiians who settled in Vancouver, British Columbia. They got together for a Hawaiian Reunion Celebration of the Pacific Northwest hosted by the Squamish Nation on July 19 and 20. OHA Administrator Clyde Nāmu'o, Director of Hawaiian Governance Theresa Bigbie, and Lead Advocate for Kau Inoa Aulani Apoliona, were invited by the Squamish Nation Administrator, Glen Newman, to represent the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The celebration's goal was “to reunite the Hawaiian families of the Pacific Northwest, to heal the past, and recreate an atmosphere of trust,” says Theresa. Aulani explains: “In former years, the older generations … have often had to bury or hide their Hawaiian side out of shame of being half-breeds. So a very important purpose of this meeting was to celebrate their Hawaiian genealogy and heritage.”

Estimates put the current Native Hawaiian population in Canada at 20,000; approximately 400 of the 1,200 members living in the Squamish Nation reservation are Hawaiian. Aulani helped 286 Squamish-Hawaiians register in Kau Inoa at the event. “It became clear to us through the Kau Inoa registrations from this region that these were people who had Hawaiian ancestry who were passionate about being counted and included. Not always accepted culturally by Native Americans as well as Hawaiians in Hawai'i, they have felt the urgent need to be reconnected,” Theresa says. The Hawaiian Registry Program and Kau Inoa have helped them “make that bridge to their native home.” Aulani adds, “For the most part, the Squamish people have never laid eyes on representatives of their Hawaiian heritage.”

There is much that Hawaiians can learn from the Squamish Nation. According to its web site, the Squamish Nation was established by an agreement between 16 Squamish chiefs to “guarantee equality to all Squamish people and to ensure good government.” Through their agreement they were able to consolidate nation revenues and resources to provide for their people. Aulani ventures that the Squamish understand how necessary it is for Hawaiians to build a nation because “they have had a personal positive 'nation' experience to draw upon. For example, the Squamish Nation has sources of revenue including a marina, different small native businesses, affordable housing and galleries all on their 'reserve' land. They know that the reserve and the nation relationship with the Canadian government provide special opportunities for Squamish people, if they choose to take advantage of them. So the Squamish are very supportive of Hawaiians forming their own nation.” In addition to helping Squamish-Hawaiians make the connection to their roots, Theresa says, “We went to learn from them of the great heritage and legacy of struggle and endurance in a land fraught with the challenges of frontier life. It is a story of persistence and courage!”

Mahalo a nui loa to the Squamish Nation, their Administrator Glen Newman, event coordinator Lei Aloha Baker, and Hawai'i contact Roree Oehlman for hosting us and making a long-awaited reunion a reality.

Check out www.squamish.net for more information on the Squamish Nation. A more in-depth article will be featured in the next Ho'oulu Lāhui Aloha newsletter – register in Kau Inoa to receive the newsletter or go to kauinoa.org.

Ma Ka 'Āina Nui

By Nara Cardenas / OHA Community Outreach Specialist

Lead Advocate for Kau Inoa Aulani Apoliona has been spearheading Hawaiian Governance efforts on the West Coast since 2004. She observes that it is a community with special challenges: Hawaiians are scattered throughout a wide geographic area and transportation to events and activities can be prohibitively expensive. Hawaiians who leave home find that services and programs that were available to them in Hawai'i are no longer accessible so far away. “No matter where they are, Hawaiian organizations are struggling,” Aulani says. “It's hard to recruit new members and membership across the board is dwindling or stagnant. The leadership is aging, they are getting tired, and funding is drying up.” She asserts that: “We need a strong community. If Hawaiian organizations become stronger, then we all grow stronger and we can support each other as Hawaiians. None of us can do it by ourselves.”

“There is the general sentiment in Hawai'i that Hawaiians who have migrated to the continent just ditched, but it is many mainland Hawaiians' lifetime dream to come home,” Aulani says. She finds great joy in helping them maintain a connection to our homeland. “It's exhilarating to meet people whose families you know here!” she exclaims. In some ways, her work with Kau Inoa and the Ho'oulu Lāhui Aloha: To Raise a Beloved Nation plan bridge a divide within 'ohana that many of us share. There are a few books and oral history projects that tell the story of Hawaiians who have left home, but Aulani hopes to one day hear the other side “for families here, who missed those who left,” she says. Aulani reflects on the years her own brother lived on the mainland: “No matter what, we weren't complete. That's the connection we need to make.”