HO'OULU LĀHUI ALOHA - TO RAISE A BELOVED NATION

With the help of OHA's Washington, D.C. Bureau, OHA Chairperson Haunani Apoliona (pictured 3rd from left, 2nd row) joined many American Indian and Alaska Native leaders in briefing a Senate steering committee on critical Native American issues. - Photo: Courtesy of OHA's Washington, D.C. Bureau

Retracing the steps of our
Ali'i in Washington, D.C.

By Nara Cardenas / OHA Community Outreach Specialist

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs supports a Washington, D.C. Bureau to increase support for issues important to Native Hawaiians on a national level, including the passage of the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, commonly known as the Akaka Bill. It operates with one staff and contract assistance. Martha Ross is the bureau chief, assisted by Julie Coleson. Interns and fellows come in when available – these are often Native Hawaiian students recruited from universities throughout the U.S. Volunteers come in to help in a crunch.

The Bureau often receives visitors curious about D.C. as it relates to Hawaiian history. “They want to see where the Ali'i stayed, to know where they visited,” says Ross. “Some people here don't understand that Hawai'i was an internationally recognized sovereign nation,” she adds. Education is a very important part of the OHA Washington, D.C. Bureau's work.

In December 2004, Martha proposed a research project to document Native Hawaiian diplomatic missions to Washington, D.C. inspired by a visit from the leaders of the Royal Order of Kamehameha I, the 'Ahahui Ka'ahumanu, Hale O Nā Ali'i O Hawai'i and Māmakakaua. Ke Ali'i Maka'āinana Hawaiian Civic Club (KAMHCC), a Hawaiian civic club based in Washington, D.C. partnered with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs on the project as researchers.

Phase I of the guidebook Ali'i Diplomatic Missions and Other Business Travel to Washington, D.C. was completed in 2006. The guide is intended as “a place to start for those interested in visiting sites where Ali'i and their representatives conducted business and lodged while in Washington, D.C.” Sixty-six pages long, the publication includes a Chronological List of Hawaiian Ali'i & Congressional Delegates, chapters detailing travel during specific time periods, an overview of Prince Kūhiō's Washington, D.C. residences and congressional directory information, along with numerous historical photographs. A full seven-and-a-half pages of notes and instructions for doing your own research, including a data-collection tool, a sample letter requesting assistance, and a list of potential resources, round out the guide.

Work on the project continues with Phase II, which could be out by the end of the year. It will expand on previously researched topics and cover additional research of interest, including a piece on Kingdom stamps. The Postal Museum is across the street from the Bureau and has many original Hawaiian stamps on display

It's truly a collaborative effort – researchers will get tips from people, sometimes people will get interested and take on a bit of the research themselves. The quest piqued the interest of the librarian at the Mt. Vernon Ladies Association, who found a picture of Queen Kapi'olani and her visiting party on the lawns at Mt. Vernon, Lili'uokalani's and Queen Kapi'olani's signatures in the guest book, and a note describing the details of their visit in the groundkeeper's log. Of course, Ke Ali'i Maka'āinana Hawaiian Civic Club continues to be involved.

Martha observes that the project is a wonderful example of reconnection based in our cultural values. The importance of a sense of place, and knowing where our Hawaiian leaders were and retracing those steps was the driving force behind the work. In one of the publication's introductory letters, Darlene Kehaulani Butts, president of KAMHCC, writes, “the pride and deepened sense of connectivity to Hawai'i Nei brought researchers closer to each other ... our Ali'i and the work they conducted ... came to life, for us, through this work.”

For a copy of the Ali'i Diplomatic Missions and Other Business Travel to Washington, D.C., Research Phase I, please contact us at hla@oha.org. The PDF version is also available online at www.oha.org under the reference section.