Writings & Reflections

Every time a Hawaiian organization spends a dollar in the state—for salaries, services, supplies, consultants, labor—that dollar touches all of the people of Hawai‘i. Read More

As we rethink our next steps to achieve political sovereignty, let us pursue the path of a Hawaiian future that is totally within our control – Economic Sovereignty. Read More

We Hawaiians need to spend less time rehashing the past and more time on how a Hawaiian- driven future will make life better for everyone – not just Hawaiians. Read More

Hawaiians historically were color blind and have always freely inter-married the thousands of immigrants from Asia and Europe who arrived here. Read More

I have a notion that the Battle of Kuamo‘o still rages. But the battlefield is not a physical place. It’s a place where old and new Hawaiian cultural and political ideologies clash. Read More

I am an American of Hawaiian ancestry. I am proud to be an American. I am equally proud to be of Hawaiian ancestry. Whew! There, I’ve said it. Read More

In the wake of the political storm that raged over approval of same-gender marriage, hopefully this will give you pause for thought and perhaps turn a light on in your heart. Read More

Many of the real leaders and opinion shapers of the Hawaiian community do not carry titles. In fact, Hawaiians that carry official titles are often under suspicion. Read More

There are many institutions and organizations that make up the Hawaiian community. But its heart may be harder to define. Read More

Historic preservation and new development can work together to create a win-win-win for Hawaiians, developers, visitors, and residents. Read More

The good news—and the bad news— is we have so shrunk the world that places that used to be difficult to access are now totally accessible. Read More

The Waikīkī Natatorium is hallowed ground as a war memorial. Read More

The highest level of validating what constitutes a traditional and customary practice has to be based on consultations with cultural practitioners rooted in the lands… Read More

Nothing is more important in rebuilding the nation than for us to accurately reconstruct our past based on the repository of historical Hawaiian language materials. Read More

It is a major commitment to add Hawaiian to ATMs because each has to be programmed one at a time. A huge mahalo to Bank of Hawai‘i for showing great respect for our language. Read More

Random acts of aloha are acted out every day by thousands of local people who didn’t have to go to school to learn the behavior. Read More

I propose to present the Hawaiian community as a Cultural Nation on-line, with all the fundamentals of a nation—-its customs, traditions, people, places, practices, and more. Read More

Navigating life is like navigating the world’s oceans. It’s about steering a course through unpredictable seas. It helps to have a navigation system to guide you. Read More

As Hawai‘i’s film industry grows, so does the demand for locations. The challenge is that our island landscapes and historic properties are coming under siege. Read More

We need to nurture our living keepers of the culture—kumu hula, chanters, navigators, and practitioners in all the arts and sciences that define us as a people. Read More

I grew up when it was not cool to be a Hawaiian. When I stumbled on to a Herb Kane poster of the Hōkūle‘a, I had never seen such a stunning portrayal of my culture. Read More

Fundamental to a Hawaiian institution is a Hawaiian values-based management system that shapes the behavior of the work force in ways that are uniquely Hawaiian. Read More

Prominent leaders of the Hawaiian community are leading an important initiative to declare 2018 as the Year of the Hawaiian. Read More

This month’s columnist is my nephew, ʻUmi Perkins, PhD, who teaches Hawaiian history at the Kamehameha Schools and Political Science at the University of Hawaiʻi. “If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.” — Thomas Pynchon On August 6th, 1843, the newspaper Ka Nonanona reported on Read More

Let’s ramp down from the lofty rhetoric and get to the real how-does-this-work questions. My intention here is as a facilitator of the questions that need to be asked. Read More

I find myself in deep reflection over OHA’s stated mission, “To Raise a Beloved Nation.” What a profound thought with plenty of room for dreaming of what could be. Read More

As an OHA trustee, I find myself having to focus on logical steps in the rebuilding of a nation. In my own mind I’ve constructed a four-legged stool as my model. Read More

Lyrics and music to the Sovereignty Song by Peter Apo & Jeff Rasmussen © 1985 Read More

The aha delegates have done their work. Now it’s our turn. Read More

All politics aside, indigenous identity seems more malleable than many people suggest. Read More

A letter from an OHA beneficiary who is able to navigate the confusion and emerge anger-free with a thoughtful defining of the challenges. Read More

On March 6, 2014, the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs voted to adopt a plan that in its final phase will see OHA dissolved. Read More

OHA, its Trustees, and Administration are struggling to navigate an unfriendly sea of public opinion, a divided beneficiary community, low ratings from important state legislators, and a cautiously uneasy relationship with the state administration.  Aspects of OHA’s performance are being subjected to a state audit and at least one state inquiry, and OHA itself is in Read More

OHA does not exist in a vacuum.  But its communications strategy tends to be incestuous—aimed  to Hawaiians only—and diminishes the importance of seriously reaching out to the broader Hawai‘i community… Read More

I propose that OHA amend its Strategic Plan and reconsider how the strategic objectives are stated.  For instance, it’s not enough to simply create a broad objective titled health … Read More

We need to hit the re-set button on the way we manage beneficiary business and maximize our proficiency in carrying out our fiduciary duty. Read More

This column is the first in a series in which I hope to provide some thought leadership proposals regarding OHA’s governance model and the need for a fundamental restructuring… Read More

By the time this column is published I hope that OHA’s toxic leadership struggle will have been short lived and another Trustee will have been voted into the position of Chair. Here are what I believe to be important outcomes to pursue moving forward regardless of who is the Chair: Read More

Most people have heard of OHA, but that doesn’t mean they understand what it is, or what it does. Read More

OHA has been active in acquiring properties for their cultural value to the Hawaiian people and what we expect will someday be the Hawaiian Nation. Read More

There is no greater kuleana or responsibility for an OHA trustee in the exercise of our fiduciary duty than to properly manage OHA’s assets of more than $550 million. Read More

Given the department’s inventory of over 200,000 acres of trust lands, it’s hard to understand its failure to fund homestead development. Let’s move on to find solutions. Read More

The majority of the Board felt it was preferable to pay ourselves rent, thus building equity in OHA’s own property and saving us (and our beneficiaries) millions of dollars. Read More

The Kakaʻako Settlement is a profound opportunity for OHA to grow its capacity to impact the Hawaiian economy in ways that help everyone. Read More

In central O’ahu are stones where the progeny of the highest chiefs were born. Celebrated in ancient chants, it is a most sacred place in the islands. Read More

The Western idea of conservation is inconsistent with traditional Hawaiian management of resources. Read More

The decision whether to expand the marine national monument should only be made with public input. Read More

If Obama takes this step, the federal government essentially would assert control over hundreds of thousands of miles of ocean around Hawaii with no public discussion. Read More

The state Supreme Court decision halting — for now — the $1.4 billion telescope offers an opportunity to untangle cultural arguments about Mauna Kea. Read More

Mauna Kea warrants the highest level of cultural sensitivity but it should be totally consistent with the historical record of Hawaiians and their search for knowledge. Read More

I am convinced we will find a way to link arms in the name of humanity and share one of the greatest endeavors in the history of the world. Read More

The Thirty Meter Telescope project is at a flash point. So how does one bridge the apex when science slams head on into culture? Read More