Top 10 stories of 2008

By T. Ilihia Gionson | Ka Wai Ola

It's that time of the year again, when we look back on last year as we prepare to face the year ahead. Land is a central issue in Ka Wai Ola's biggest news stories of 2008, from a movement to protect our kalo from genetic modification, to the eviction of Native Hawaiians both those living and those who have passed on, to working to protect the land trust obtained from the Kingdom of Hawai'i, and to building partnerships to get more native Hawaiians onto homestead lands.

Here is our list of the 10 biggest news stories of 2008.

1. Ceded lands settlement attempted

A proposed agreement announced Jan. 18 to settle OHA's claims of ceded lands revenues from 1978 to 2008 was not passed by the Hawai'i state Legislature. The settlement would have transferred to OHA a mix of land and money valued at $200 million, and would set a minimum for future annual payments at $15.1 million. While some in the Hawaiian community viewed it as a good move to collect on past-due revenues, others saw the settlement as too little, too late or as barring future actions seeking reparations.

2. Supreme Court agrees to hear ceded lands lawsuit

In 1994, OHA and four individual plaintiffs sued to prevent the state from selling ceded lands; specifically in that case, 500 acres in Lahaina, Maui, and 1,000 acres in Kona, Hawai'i. A state Circuit Court ruled in 2002 that the state could indeed sell the lands, but that decision was overturned on Jan. 31, 2008, when the Hawai'i Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the state cannot sell or transfer any ceded lands until all unrelinquished claims to the lands by Native Hawaiians are settled. In April, the state appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, and in October, the court decided to hear the case. About 400 people gathered at the state Capitol in November to urge the state to drop the appeal. The Supreme Court will hear the case on Feb. 25, and issue its decision by July.

3. Kahana families face eviction

Families living in the Ahupua'a 'O Kahana State Park since the 1980s as part of a living cultural park concept came close to eviction in October, when the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said that had no legal authority to issue new leases to the families in the park. Six keiki of the original lessees – some of whom had built homes with temporary permits in anticipation of being issued leases – were given 90 days to vacate. But an 11th-hour push by lawmakers and supporters stayed the evictions. The 2009 Legislature will consider amending the law to resolve the situation.

4. Naue iwi disturbed

A conflict arose on Kaua'i's north shore, when landowner Joe Brescia sought to build a house on top of a site at Naue with at least 30 known burials. After construction began, a judge ruled that the State Historic Preservation Division didn't fully do its job in protecting the iwi kupuna. The landowner was then warned that any construction would be at his own risk should the burial council decide to relocate the iwi or take other action. Trials begin this month for individuals charged with criminal trespass during the protests.

5. Elections

In 2008, we saw the election of Hawai'i-born and bred Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States. Obama, who visited the Islands for a campaign rally at Ke'ehi Lagoon in August, included support of the Akaka Bill in his platform. In local news, Native Hawaiians were elected mayor on Kaua'i and Hawai'i Island. A proposal to hold a convention to amend the Hawai'i state Constitution was voted down. And at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, all four incumbent trustees running for re-election were voted back in.

6. Moloka'i Ranch shutdown

The Moloka'i community was divided over a plan by major landowner and the island's largest employer, Moloka'i Ranch, to build 200 luxury homes at Lā'au Point in exchange for more jobs and a large donation of land to a public land trust. Concerns ranged from the scarcity of water to the impacts that residents of 200 luxury homes would have on Moloka'i's rural, subsistence lifestyle. In the end, Moloka'i Ranch decided not to move forward with the plan and the company's operations shut down at the end of March. The company's demise left about 120 employees jobless in the community of about 7,500.

7. OHA and DHHL embark historic partnership

On June 5, OHA and DHHL entered into a historic agreement: OHA agreed to provide $3 million a year for up to 30 years to cover the debt service for up to $40 million in bonds to help the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to get more Hawaiians in homes sooner. As a result of the agreement, DHHL estimated that up to 500 additional beneficiaries could be in homes over the next year and a half.

8. Auē, ua hala

Many notable people in our Hawaiian community passed away in 2008, including:

• Hawaiian falsetto icon Genoa Leilani Adolpho Keawe-Aiko (Oct. 31, 1918 – Feb. 25, 2008)

• Slack key guitar master and National Living Treasure Raymond Kaleoalohapoinaoleohelemanu Kāne (Oct. 2, 1925 – Feb. 27, 2008)

• Entertainer Anthony “Tony” Yukim Lindsey (Apr. 20, 1929 – Mar. 15, 2008)

• Former Lunalilo Trust trustee and King Kamehameha Celebration Commissioner Renee-Michele Keahi Allen (Oct. 25, 1941 – April 7, 2008)

• Beloved composer, chanter, storyteller, educator, author, activist, and matriarch Aunty Winona Kapuailohiamanonokalani Desha Beamer (Aug. 15, 1923 - April 10, 2008)

• Noted kumu hula, chanter, Living Treasure and constant promoter of Hawaiian culture John Keolamaka'āinanakalāhuiokalaniokamehamehaekolu Lake (Oct. 11, 1937 - May 14, 2008)

• Kaua'i mayor Bryan Baptiste (Oct. 15, 1955 - June 22, 2008)

• Waimea Valley historian and archaeologist Rudolph Earl Leikamana Mitchell Sr. (Jun. 9, 1927 - Sept. 14, 2008)

• Esteemed feather lei maker and teacher Mary Louise Kaleonahenahe Wentworth Peck Kekuewa (Feb. 5, 1926 - Nov. 18, 2008)

9. 'Iolani Palace break-in/occupation

On April 30, the Hawaiian Kingdom Government, headed by Mahealani Kahau, asserted its status as the functioning government of Hawai'i by blocking access to 'Iolani Palace in Honolulu for about six hours. After that, the group applied for the required permit and peacefully conducted its business on the palace lawn on weekdays. On Aug. 15, the group Kingdom of Hawai'i, Nation, went further by breaking into the palace itself and attempting to seat its leader, Akahi Nui, on the throne. Six members of the group were charged with burglary and one with assault on an 'Iolani Palace staff member.

10. No can grow GMO kalo

Activists statewide pushed for the state Legislature to ban the genetic modification of kalo, for reasons ranging from fear of contamination of non-GMO varieties of kalo to respect of kalo's role in Hawaiian culture. Although a bill was not passed on the state level, the issue had success on the county level. On Hawai'i Island, the County Council voted 9-0 to pass an ordinance banning the genetic engineering of kalo and coffee on the island. The measure was vetoed by then-mayor Harry Kim, citing the difficulty of enforcing such a ban. But the council overrode the mayor's veto, and on Nov. 13, the ban became law.