Welcome to the Age of the Dismissal of the Host Culture

On April 28, 2016May 2, 2016 By jandillIn Indigenous IssuesLeave a comment

During the past several years and particularly during the last several weeks as the legislative season moves towards its closing, it has become more and more apparent that public and private policy makers have increasingly ignored the Hawaiian culture and concerns when reaching their decisions impacting present and future components of our community. The mandated historical preservation processes, traditional water resource management, and cultural protocol relating to land use have generally been ignored by many agencies and departments of the federal, state/counties, and a cultural sensitivity to the impact of decisions on historical and contemporary Hawaiian places and practices has been clearly absent. Two or three specific issues might illustrate this principle.

According to credible sources, the U.S. Navy has indicated that they will turn over five hundred acres of their Kalaeloa lands to a commercial private sector developer for the building of private residences. No mention of community input, no mention of the historical or cultural importance of this land to the Hawaiian people, no recognition and provision for the critical water resources beneath this land, no consultation with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and a seeming lack of interest in the opinions of Hawaiians and non-Hawaiian community members have characterized this egregious and insensitive decision. I know that “to the victor belong the spoils” is the catch phrase in the exercise of military and political power, but in the past it has been a bit more subtle. It seems the velvet glove has come off.

It is interesting that most tourists come to Hawai‘i in great part because of the presence and power of the Hawaiian culture.

Just recently we also learned of the dismissal of the Hawaiian Cultural Director of the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, after ten years of being a voice for the host culture in the organization that represents and promotes the largest industry in the state after military spending. It is interesting that most tourists come to Hawai‘i in great part because of the presence and power of the Hawaiian culture. It seems that authentic Hawaiian culture, traditions, and values are being abandoned by industry promoters in favor of slick generic beach promotion and Disney plastic tikis and cartoon caricatures. Pohō.

Another point of irritation in this vein is the fact that the Hawaiian culture is the only major ethnic group lacking a cultural center to celebrate its rich history and presence in our community. The Filipinos, the Okinawans, the Japanese, the Chinese, the Koreans, and others have their stand-alone centers. In a curious proposal, the HTA is offering to put a Hawaiian Cultural Center on the roof of the Convention Center. I suspect this is done to pay for the repair of major issues they have had with the roof and in hopes of financially saving that debt-ridden facility. Shame on them. How about OHA stepping forward and putting a real testimony to the Hawaiian culture, music and dance on their Kaka‘ako property? In a pono world, Hawaiian culture should be a priority for Hawaiian cultural organizations.

There are many more examples of this blatant disregard by our policy makers for issues of importance to the Hawaiian community, but I will close with another example of this widening disregard. The current legislature and state administration have been lukewarm, at best, in working to provide the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) with the resources needed to process applications for housing and land leases. This is despite the ruling of the Hawai‘i Supreme court that highlights this failure of the state to uphold its commitment to fund these administrative activities, a major part of the constitutional agreements included in Hawai‘i’s admission as a state in 1959 (see Nelson case). For eight decades, the continuing failure to fund the process of leasing by the department has, in part, led to the decades-long waitlist for DHHL leases. Today there are over twenty-thousand on the waitlist, and DHHL has struggled to get the resources to manage an efficient processing program. Many Hawaiians die while on the waitlist and thousands are kept from having a piece of their ‘aina. Let’s see what emerges. I tend to believe that this administration and legislature will again affirm its lack of serious interest in fulfilling the state’s obligations to the Hawaiian community, which would allow more Hawaiians home ownership.

How can we claim to be the land of aloha when aloha is absent from the heart of those who are shaping the present and future of our community??

I trust that the Hawaiian leadership and friends of the Hawaiian culture will begin to stand up in the face of this dismissal of the Hawaiian people by the political and economic power brokers in our community. This dismissal is mean spirited, exploitive, and lacks the amazing values and perspectives that our kūpuna call us to model. How can we claim to be the land of aloha when aloha is absent from the heart of those who are shaping the present and future of our community?? It is important that Hawaiians resist the “culture of shame” that drives a consistent dismissal of our culture and our place in our homeland. To put a positive face on a negative reality, perhaps it is time for our Hawaiian leaders to model clearly the power and healing nature of servant leadership. The contrast to the present behavior of our political leaders may lead to a true return to our cultural values in our public policy debate. Perhaps the time of ahonui (patience) is pau and kū pono (stand for righteousness) should be the lens we use to view those who govern us.

How about exploring servant leadership?

On October 20, 2015 By jandillIn Hawaiian ValuesLeave a comment

As we survey the challenges in our community in education, the economy, the environment, food sustainability, homelessness, and poverty in general (to cite a few), one can sink quickly into a state of despair. The way out is complicated and directly related to a powerful system that thrives on inertia and jealously guards the status quo.

If we turn to the Hawaiian culture for clues on how to deal with the multifaceted face of the establishment, I am struck by the power of the concept of “kuleana” as it has played in the sustaining and positive evolution of Native Hawaiian culture.

Kuleana is the term for “responsibility” and it was a concept clearly known by the Hawaiians and powerfully active in maintaining the culture’s stability while also allowing for change that would benefit the whole.

The ali‘i or ruling classes received their power from an assumed social compact with the larger governed classes. As long as they fulfilled their duties to protect and defend the community and promote it health and welfare, they were allowed to enjoy the trappings of power and prestige. Time and time again our traditions tell us that when the ali‘i failed to pursue their responsibilities, the consequences for them, were disastrous.

What lessons emerge for us as we face the daunting challenges of today’s Hawai‘i? One clear step that stands out for me is our need to get very intentional about teaching and modeling for our children the concepts and responsibilities of servant leadership, as they will continue to shape the future of our State. In this world where social isolation is growing with electronic use and fascination with technology is challenging interpersonal relationships, it is critical that we work in a focused fashion to: teach our children about the poor and needy in our communities, challenge them to be part of the solution in changing the social conditions that allow poverty and homelessness to prosper, connect them to the host culture and the rich values that have made this place a very special place, and model for them how they can become servant leaders in the social circles they inhabit. It is like periodically pouring small quantities of salt in a stew and tasting the increasing impact it can have on the whole, or lighting a small candle in a very dark room and experiencing the amazing impact of light in the darkness.

For the last three years I’ve seen a small church commit itself to holding “servant/leadership” camps for teens. Short seven to ten day timeframes are committed to sharing with the teens the poor of our city, the blight of homelessness, and the work of groups that are helping the poor find a path to success. They also “prayer walk” through public housing areas and spend time relating to the children and adults they encounter.

The impact of these camps on the lives of these teenagers has been amazing. The glimmer of servant leadership is often ignited by their brief exposure to the realities of poverty in their community and the examples of servant leaders working to help overcome these realities. It is a small step in the lives of relatively few young people, but the hope is that they will take “kuleana” and commit to being servant leaders who are salt and light to their communities. If we can challenge young people to choose to lead lives measured by what they give rather than what they gain, we will take a small but powerful step on the “pono” path towards health and resiliency for our dear Hawai‘i nei.

As Pope Francis stated in his speech to the United Nations during his recent trip to the United States, “The common home of all men and women must continue to rise on the foundations of a right understanding of universal fraternity and respect for the sacredness of every human life, of every man and every woman, the poor, the elderly, children, the infirm, the unborn, the unemployed, the abandoned, those considered disposable because they are only considered as part of a statistic. This common home of all men and women must also be built on the understanding of a certain sacredness of created nature. Such understanding and respect call for a higher degree of wisdom, one which accepts transcendence, rejects the creation of an all-powerful elite, and recognizes that the full meaning of individual and collective life is found in selfless service to others and in the sage and respectful use of creation for the common good.”

Just think with me what a joy it would be to have true servant leaders to follow and not wannabe leaders looking for servants.

Harnessing Homelessness

On September 15, 2015 By jandillIn Social Justice1 Comment

We are all confronted by the escalating rate of homelessness in our community. The number of people living on sidewalks has grown to the point that they become homeless communities in our midst. Our canals are lined with tents and shelters of the dispossessed. Federal officials declare they have never seen such a state repeatedly use the word “crisis” to describe it. How has our dear Hawai‘i descended to this point where homelessness, once never seen in our culture, becomes the new normal? How do we take steps to bring healing to this open sore in Paradise? How do we deal with our frustrations and angers?

There are obviously no simple one step answers. What has been going through my mind is to view homelessness as an amazing opportunity for our community to reaffirm our core culture and character.

We need to embrace the homeless, particularly the homeless families and children, as a gift to practice our aloha and mālama in ways that strengthen our communal commitment to what is pono!

I have seen glimpses of this approach through the efforts of many churches to feed and shelter the needy. I have been encouraged by the positive responses of our community in the recruitment, training, and placement of those seeking jobs and a path of sustainability. I am challenged by organizations that stand ready to help build houses for families and rehab units in low income housing facilities if given the chance. Without being Pollyanna about it, I believe the “crisis” of homelessness can bring a community awakening to the heart of aloha that is in our DNA.

Unfortunately, at least 31 cities nationwide have passed laws that restrict or prohibit food-sharing in public places, meaning those who continue to feed the homeless without following various restrictions such as obtaining permits (often for a fee), could be fined or go to jail. Fortunately for us, Hawai‘i has not yet passed such a law. Those who passed these laws believe the myth that feeding the homeless enables them to remain homeless (as opposed to the real reasons, such as lack of affordable housing, lack of job opportunity, mental health or physical disability).

We need our policy makers to help fuel a rethinking of homelessness, but it should not wait for them to do it for all of us. We can organize early education programs for homeless young children, we can provide places where homeless adults can get training and preparation for employment, we can coordinate health services beyond its present state, and we can give hope to the hopeless and meaning and focus to our frustrations with the present situation. The thought that homelessness is an opportunity is something that needs to be planted and cultivated in our minds and actions. It would be a return to our core community values.

Are we ready to risk it?

And How Are The Children?

On August 27, 2015April 1, 2016 By jandillIn Social Justice4 Comments

Several years ago, an international expert on child welfare introduced me to how another community esteems and cares for their young. It has remained with me to this day. She pointed out that the warriors of the Maasai tribe in Africa, a nation well known for their military arts and long history of conquest, use a simple traditional greeting. They ask the question “Casserian Engeri” meaning, “And how are the children?” The Maasai understand that if the children are well, the community they live in is well. More importantly, this greeting summarizes the place children have in their communal priorities.

The Maasai understand that if the children are well, the community they live in is well.

From time to time I have turned this lesson about community priorities over in my head and have asked the question, “Why haven’t we made this part of our daily focus in life?” How have we allowed other concerns and urgencies to overshadow our commitment to our young? Today we face the consequences of this disregard in our community. Hawaiian children and children in general in Hawai‘i and elsewhere are beset by discouraging statistics. Hawai‘i is ranked near the bottom third in education nationwide and over half of our children are not attending preschool. Results from the Hawai‘i State School Readiness Assessment show that only 14.5% of kindergarten classes have at least three fourths of the children consistently displaying the skills and characteristics necessary for success in school life.

Early childhood education and school readiness are essential, as research has shown that 85% of brain development occurs by age 5.

Compounding these dismal statistics, the number of children living in poverty in Hawai‘i has increased in the past five years. These living conditions and lack of resources can have a lasting detrimental effect on children, especially homeless children. Compared to non-homeless children, homeless children are: nine times more likely to repeat a grade, four times as likely to drop out of school, three times more likely to be placed in a special education program, twice as likely to score lower on standardized tests, and have higher rates of chronic/acute illnesses, learning disabilities, and emotional or behavioral problems. Recent articles have called our community’s homeless situation “a crisis that demands action” with the children at the very center. However, no rational policy has emerged from our leaders.

Not a pretty sight. Perhaps we should think about greeting each other with “Aloha! Pehea nā keiki?” as a means of resetting our priorities as a community. The Hawaiian culture, as is true in most cultures, recognizes the critical role the care and preparation of our children have in the survival of their community. How is that played out in our community? How do we tolerate an educational system that takes significant resources and delivers questionable outcomes in the lives of our young? Why do children from dysfunctional families often end up in a harsh public child welfare system? Where is our investment in programs to prepare children and families for success? Why do we not demand outcomes with our investment in children that will sustain healthy and resilient communities? Could it be because our unspoken greetings are “…and how are the teachers?” or “…and how are the administrators?” or “…and how is the union?” or “…and how are our politicians?” and we end up relegating children, particularly poor homeless children, way down the priority list of public and private investment?

As we come together, let us ask each other, “Pehea nā keiki?” and have the courage to mean it and act upon it. Pose the question to those who represent us… let’s see their response. Perhaps sometime soon we can respond, “Maika‘i nō nā keiki!” (They are well!)

View printable version: And How Are The Children

At Low Tide

Tag: Self Determination

Welcome to the Age of the Dismissal of the Host Culture

How about exploring servant leadership?