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NAPEAHL Okay, which means for the sake of the children. And—and basically, the key
<br />components to this studies was important for them to have a thorough completion. And it had to
<br />do with their traditions and their beliefs and how it directly related to their health.
<br />The Japanese community in this study had the highest rate of life expectancy for that group of
<br />people that had come here. Also, the lowest rate of heart, heart cardiovascular problems, as well
<br />as strokes. And, in this study, that you can read, it was because of their determination to keep
<br />their cultural identity by holding onto their beliefs. It was important that this whole group of
<br />people maintained something like that. And, and the result of that was a healthy life. And so,
<br />that they managed to maintain and acquire.
<br />And, which brings me to the component that they used. One of the components, well, two. One
<br />was religion and the other was the level of acculturation. And what does that mean? Level of
<br />acculturation—it was asorry, I'm sorry—it was the belief of holding onto a traditional belief in
<br />a family because it was important. It gave them strength, and it worked. And, and so, which
<br />brings me to this idea of, of our Hawaiian community and the direct relationship, I believe, we
<br />have with our health and the disparities that have been, and the high percentage of disparities that
<br />come to our group of people, in our native group of people, throughout the years, and I think, I
<br />believe it has a direct relationship to our continue, continual fight to identify who we are as a
<br />culture in our own homeland and our environment. And it, it's—I'll give you an example. Our
<br />continual emotions, emotional distress watching a sacred mountain be desecrated; watching our
<br />Iwi Kupuna, our ancestors, being dug; and watching the desecration of a deity like Tutu Pele,
<br />being drilled by geothermal.
<br />And, all of these things have a, you know, have a suppression, be suppressive, an oppressive
<br />motive to destroy and to disconnect our group of people from what is empowering them, and that
<br />is our traditional beliefs.
<br />So, you know, I would hope that, you know, this is tangible. This is something that you can look
<br />at. And, I think she was pretty fair with her study at the, the University of Hawaii, and fair to
<br />use the religious and the level of acculturation in their perspective, and that it would not be
<br />complete without that because of the fact that you—we live, our Hawaiian people live, we're
<br />from this land. But, we're not able to be who we are. That, I believe, affects our health, our
<br />mind, our style of living, and our will to continue to be who we are as a culture. So, I would
<br />hope that as you make this decision, a wise, you know, wise and just decision, do it in the
<br />manner of that, the fact that our native community is your community, and to have our family be,
<br />our native community be as healthy as the American -Japanese culture has, you know, managed
<br />to be in a place that is totally foreign for their families. But, they managed to create a life for the
<br />sake of the children, and I think some of you sitting on the Commission are descendants of just
<br />that. That you can identify to that and hope that you can hear our native perspective, and our cry
<br />to have somebodyI don't think you'll ever find a positive health study done in our native
<br />community ever. And, so, that's my, my request today.
<br />FUJIYOSHL Aloha Commissioners. My name is Ronald Fujiyoshi, and I live in Hilo. I, this is
<br />only the second time I've ever been before the Windward Planning Commission. I came on
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