Hawai'i's history has left many wounds on the Native Hawaiian people.

There is no doubt these wounds exist; they are evidenced in our short life expectancy, high incidences of diabetes and heart disease, high poverty rates, homelessness and over-representation in a host of social-ill indicators.

Three distinct and vastly different schools of thought are being forwarded about what to do: (1) unmake history, (2) rewrite history or (3) recognize and move forward together.

The first school, proponents of independence, seek to turn back the clock to a time before the wounds were inflicted. They yearn for a utopia that does not, and may never, exist. The second school seeks to deny these wounds exist at all. They declare "there should be no recognition for Native Hawaiians." For them, it is easy to distort Hawai'i's history; they do not suffer under its boot. The truth is, you cannot unmake the wound. There are only two options: let it fester or heal it. Queen Lili'uokalani knew this best. In 1917, she said, "I could not turn back the time for the political change, but there is still time to save our heritage."

For generations, the local people of Hawai'i, whether of Hawaiian, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino or other ancestry, have lived in harmony because we acknowledge the wounds, and recognize there is no equality without mutual respect and justice.

That is the aloha spirit that prevails among us. That is what the opposition groups threaten to destroy for all of Hawai'i — our very way of life in these Islands.

The Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, commonly known as the Akaka bill, advances the best idea — one rooted in Hawai'i's history and the need for Native Hawaiian autonomy to sustain a culture that only exists here. The bill neither denies the wounding history, nor attempts to turn back time. Unlike its opponents' positions, it takes nothing from others. Instead, it works to create an opportunity for a brighter future for all of Hawai'i by acknowledging the wounds, providing a space to heal them, and a process to move beyond them.

What the Akaka bill does is simple. It provides a process for Native Hawaiians to organize themselves. It extends to Native Hawaiians the best federal policy on its native peoples since the formation of this great nation, one with a proven track record of healing and empowerment.

And finally, it engages everyone in determining the how, when and where of Native Hawaiian autonomy in the negotiations of the powers and assets of the Native Hawaiian government.

We applaud the leadership of Sen. Daniel Akaka and our congressional delegation, Gov. Linda Lingle and her administration, the Hawai'i Legislature and other community leaders, Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian alike, in advancing the Akaka bill.

We thank them for their courage to stand for what's right and what's possible. They are honoring the wisdom of Queen Lili'uokalani, who said, "The world cannot stand still. We must either advance or recede. Let us advance together."

The Akaka bill is not utopia, but we don't live there. We live in the space between our ideals and our present condition — a place where we strive for a better future by implementing programs, services and solutions to address our adverse conditions and to perpetuate and share the knowledge and traditions of our ancestors.

That is why the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and so many others support passage of the Akaka bill. Together, we can find a way to heal.

Jade Danner is information and government-affairs manager for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement. She wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.