Native Stories

I was the first wahine, the first woman that was asked to stand up, so they put their handcuff/strips on me and walked me to the vehicle. There was silence, but there were tears, there were tears of love. The policemen wept, and we wept, and all of the young people wept in silence. And we asked to do that, and give every kupuna their day.

The discussion will cover the University of Hawaii's historical management of Mauna Kea, the role that astronomy and Native Hawaiian communities have played in the past, and the current conflict over development on Mauna Kea. The panel includes Camille Kalama, Attorney, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, Gregory Chun Ph.D. senior adviser to University of Hawaii on management of Mauna Kea, Chair of Mauna Kea Management Board, and UH Manoa faculty member, Justice Robert Klein, Attorney, Klein Law Group, and Associate Justice, Hawaii Supreme Court, 1992-2000, Mayor Harry Kim and moderated by Moanike'ala Nabarro of KITV.

Questions include

1. (ALL) What is your #pilina, or relationship, to Mauna Kea? Why is it important to you personally?

2. (MAYOR KIM & CAMILLE KALAMA) When consulting the #communityregarding future stewardship of Mauna Kea, what does “community” mean to you? How should the “community” be determined? How much weight should that community’s voice carry when envisioning future management?

3. (GREG CHUN & JUSTICE KLEIN) How has UH demonstrated that it is the proper #steward of Mauna Kea? Do adequate #guidelines exist within current management plans to address traditional and customary practices especially given that Mauna Kea is situated on ceded lands?

4. (ALL) What does #pono #management of Mauna Kea look like? What is the most significant concrete first step that UH could take to better steward Mauna Kea? What other steps could UH take to improve its stewardship of Mauna Kea?

Na Pua o Haumea Indigenous Birthkeepers in partnership with La Ho'iho'i Ea Honolulu presents HANAU EA: RECLAMATION AND RESURGENCE OF INDIGENOUS MIDWIFERY AND BIRTH PRACTICES. An event held at Waiwai Collective on July 5. Indigenous Midwives from Canada, America, and Hawaii share about the important birth-related work they are doing within their Nations. @Autumn Cavender, @Melissa Rose, @Carol Couchie, @Strong Women Song by @Glenda Abbott, @Rhonda Grantham, @Sewa Yuli, and @Margaret David with children Laka and Manu, @Rhonda Grantham, @Glenda Abbott, Alicia Cook​, and last Laulani Teale​.

Nā Wāhine Koa documents the life of four mana Hawaiian wahine for sovereignty and demilitarization. Being interviewed is Aunty Terri, one of these Wahine Koa. Nanea Lo introduces the book by reading a passage about Aunty Terri. Aunty Terri tells us about herself and the many projects that she is involved in today and in the past. To read more about Moanike‘ala Akaka, Maxine Kahaulelio, Terrilee Keko‘olani-Raymond, or Loretta Ritte, get the book today. The book was edited by Noelani Goodyear-Ka‘ōpua and she organized this talk story. Book is available at UH press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target and other places. https://uhpress.hawaii.edu/title/na-wahine-koa-hawaiian-women-for-sovereignty-and-demilitarization/Amazon https://amzn.to/2RC0opn

Ned Pablo of Guåhan is an Indigenous Chamorro and grassroots activist from the Marianas Islands and this is his story about Chamorro sovereignty and a message for all our Pacific Island brothers and sisters of the Pacific.

Romano Cortes Jorge is a journalist and owner of Strawberry Jams Music Studio. He has decades of experience as a newspaper and TV section editor as well as covered important stories in the Philippines. He’ll be talking about his experience under Martial Law under Philippine dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, and the Marcos’ ties to Hawai’i.

Natasha Hanisi nee Lemoto resides in Sydney, Australia and is a wife and mother of two sons. Born on Ngapui whenua in Te Ika a Maui (also known as North Island, New Zealand), raised in Tonga with Tongan, Samoan, Hawaiian ancestry, she has called Australia home for the past 30 years. She has expertise in complex trauma therapeutic interventions for non school and school age children. Her passion and vision has always been reversing the rising trend of child removals of Pasifika and Indigenous children in Australia.

Sha Merirei Ongelungel is a Palauan-American professional rabble rouser. She’s spent the better part of the last two decades working in digital media, finding different ways to combine social media and her special brand of productive pettiness to be a positive force in the community.

Kapena's great grandmother was a kumu hula and ukulele singer. Kapena started researching his roots while at Harvard and produced his thesis on the Hawaiian Room. Baptista interviewed many of the former Hawaiian Room singers at a reunion they held at the Lexington, a nightclub in New York City.

Other resources:"Hawaiian Room" the movie: https://www.pbshawaii.org/pbs-hawaii-presents-the-hawaiian-room/More on Kapena's research: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/05/researching-roots-aiming-to-teach/

Photo Credit: PARADISE OF THE PACIFIC, COURTESY HULA PRESERVATION SOCIETY

Sponsors: Kamehameha Schools

Interviewer: Adam Keawe Manalo-Camp

Description: http://keyproject.org/ (808) 239-5777 [email protected]

Aulii Dudoit is the Executive Director at KEY Project. The Kualoa-Heeia Ecumenical Youth (KEY) Project was founded in 1968 through the efforts of churches, community residents, and social agencies. The mission of KEY Project is to nurture and promote the cultural, environmental, social, economic and recreational well-being of the Kualoa-He’eia area by providing a vital grassroots civic resource that effectively serves the needs of our diverse multi-cultural community.