Lively discussions on land use and finding ways to insert Hawaiians and cultural practices into public policy decisions punctuated the first day of the 2024 Native Hawaiian Convention.

It’s the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement’s largest conference yet and the first on the Big Island, with approximately 2,000 registered attendees cramming the hallways and convention rooms at the Hilton Waikoloa.

Improving engagement with government entities was another major theme of the opening sessions on Tuesday. The impact of a Hawaii Supreme Court decision protecting Hawaiian cultural practices drew a standing-room only audience. Another on the future of the military’s land leases with the state was also well attended.

Attendees also heard from lawyers working on Indigenous intellectual property rights, Big Island ranchers trying to preserve the paniolo tradition, and cultural practitioners including Pualani Kanaka‘ole Kanahele, daughter of legendary kumu hula and composer Edith Kanaka‘ole.

The conference comes as Native Hawaiians prepare to take a larger role in tourism management and negotiating the use of culturally significant areas like Mauna Kea and other parts of the islands used by the military for training.

Entrepreneur Mahina Paishon-Duarte said everyone has a role to play in land stewardship and driving social change.

“If we get in the way of each other and become each other’s enemies, we will not advance our lahui (nation),” she said.

Paishon-Duarte said it’s necessary for people to be “at the tip of the spear,” those who stir the pot and create discomfort until there’s a critical mass in the broader population calling for change.

She and other panelists pointed to the 2019 protests on Mauna Kea over construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope as one example. The protests eventually led to the creation of a new authority that will assume governance and management responsibility over Mauna Kea in 2028, replacing the University of Hawaii and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The authority’s board includes members of the astronomy community as well as those who lead the protest movement in 2019. The executive director, John De Fries, anticipates some struggles ahead.

“That diversity will be tested as we move forward in shifting the kuleana over from the university,” he said.

Kali Watson, chairman of the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, focused on the need to build relationships. He said that Native Hawaiian-serving organizations like DHHL, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Native Hawaiian trusts, commonly referred to as the alii trusts, need to work more closely together to combine their vast resources.

“We need you to step up and be a part of the process,” Watson told the audience.

A Seat At The Table

In his opening remarks, CNHA CEO Kuhio Lewis reflected on how the organization grew from a small nonprofit to a major player in the state involved in disaster recovery on Maui and other assistance programs.

CNHA experienced tremendous growth since Lewis took office, with annual revenues now totaling more than $70 million, up from $1 million in 2018, according to the organization’s tax filings.

CNHA is also involved in tourism management. After a controversial procurement process, the CNHA won a portion of the coveted destination management contract for the U.S. West Coast. It was the first time a Native Hawaiian-led organization won the contract to manage the state’s most populous tourism market.

“We’re going to take back Waikiki,” Lewis said to applause from the crowd.

Panelists in a session on the military’s land leases echoed that sentiment and advocated for a return of more than 40,000 acres leased to defense agencies. Activists hope that the return of those lands is paired with cleaning and remediation programs by federal authorities.

Those lands include the Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island, the U.S. military’s largest live-fire training area in the Pacific. They also include Makua valley on Oahu, the former site of live-fire training exercises.

Many expect federal authorities to put up a fight over Pohakuloa, which the U.S. Army considers critical for preparation against potential foes with long-range artillery. UH professor Kyle Kajihiro anticipates agencies will use other lands as bargaining chips to hold on to areas they want, such as Pohakuloa.

While much of that process is being handled by state and federal agencies, Camille Kalama, a staff attorney for the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp., said it was important for Hawaiians to get involved.

It can be hard to keep track of leases coming before the Board of Land and Natural Resources or proposals cropping up at the Legislature, in part because bureaucratic processes are often hard to sift through, she said. But consistently engaging with the process is critical.

“If we don’t push, if we don’t try, we’ll get the same as we always got,” she said.

Next Up

Hawaii island also will be a major focus during the conference, with at least two panels discussing Mauna Kea and federal funding for the Thirty Meter Telescope. There’s been no movement on TMT-reltaed construction since 2019. The project is currently awaiting funding from the National Science Foundation.

Other discussions will focus on food sovereignty, resource management, endangered bird species, the culture of canoe paddling and Hawaiian leadership.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs will host a discussion on the stewardship of Mauna Ala, the burial place of many of the Hawaiian Kingdom’s monarchs.

U.S. Treasurer Marilynn Malerba, the first Native American to serve in the post, is scheduled to address the convention on Thursday. Featured speakers on the final day of the conference include Kamehameha Schools CEO Jack Wong, Gov. Josh Green and First Lady Jaime Green.

Civil Beat’s coverage of Native Hawaiian issues and initiatives is supported by a grant from the Abigail Kawananakoa Foundation.