Hawaiians advised to 'define' their goals
By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — Hawaiians need to better define the type of government they envision before being officially recognized by the United States, Interior Secretary Gale Norton said yesterday.
Advertiser library photo • Dec. 29, 2000
Hawaiians have sought federal recognition as an indigenous people — similar to American Indians — and the right to form a government that would oversee land and other resources. Federal legislation granting recognition has been stalled in Congress over concerns by Republicans that it would create racial preferences for Hawaiians.
Interior Secretary Gale Norton said more thought should be given to what federal recognition would mean for Hawaiians and Hawai'i.
The legislation also would establish an Office for Native Hawaiian Relations within the Interior Department. The Bush administration has not taken a position on the legislation but is concerned about its racial and political implications.
Norton, in a morning talk with reporters, said all sides should give more thought to what federal recognition would mean for Hawaiians and Hawai'i.
"I'm not sure they've really defined yet what their expectations are," she said. "I would urge people in Hawai'i to really define what they think the relationship should be in terms of jurisdiction for law enforcement, for land planning, for social services, whether this is to be a separate government from the (Hawai'i) government. If so, what are its geographic boundaries?"
The House approved a bill two years ago that would federally recognize Native Hawaiians, but the measure failed to clear the Senate. Hawai'i lawmakers proposed the bill again this session. Some are frustrated it has taken Congress so long to act on what they see as an issue of self-determination.
The legislation would empower Hawaiians to form a government, elect officers and engage in government-to-government relations with the United States. A Hawaiian government could negotiate with the Interior Department and the state over potential transfers of land or other assets.
Congress set 1.8 million acres of land in trust when Hawai'i became a state in 1959. Another 200,000 acres are intended for Hawaiian homesteads and farms.
Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, and other bill sponsors wanted to let Hawaiians decide the details of how a new government would operate. He said those details should not be a pre-condition of the Bush administration's support.
Two recent developments have pushed the issue of sovereignty.
The Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that trustee elections for the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs must be open to all residents of Hawai'i, not just Hawaiians. And the Kamehameha Schools this year admitted a non-Hawaiian student.
Haunani Apoliona, OHA chairwoman, agreed with Norton that Hawaiians should define their government. She said the legislation would set in motion a process to achieve the beginnings of self-governance, not the final result.
"I don't think it's up to the Department of Interior to fit us into a box," she said.
Ray Soon, chairman of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, said he was encouraged by Norton's comments. The secretary, he said, could have questioned the philosophy behind federal recognition or opposed the idea outright.
"What I appreciate is she's not closing the door," he said. "She's saying get on with it."
