The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutRES 130 Draft 01 2020-2022 A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION ACT OF 1920, AS AMENDED. WHEREAS, born on March 26, 1871, in the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole (Prince Kūhiō) became an orphan after his father died in 1878 and was adopted by King David Kalākaua, who named Kūhiō a Prince with a royal proclamation; and WHEREAS, among his many accomplishments, Prince Kūhiō studied at the Royal Agricultural College in England, helped to form the first Hawaiian Civic Club, and reestablished the Royal Order of Kamehameha I; and WHEREAS, Prince Kūhiō was elected as a non-voting delegate from Hawai‘i to the United States House of Representatives in 1902, where he served until his untimely death in 1922 and where his major achievements included securing funds to build the Hilo wharf and establishing the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park; and WHEREAS, as a congressional delegate, Prince Kūhiō was responsible for instituting the county system that remains in place today, shaping the foundation for the modern government structure in Hawai‘i; and WHEREAS, during his tenure as a statesman, Prince Kūhiō grew increasingly concerned about the fate and living conditions of the native Hawaiian people following the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom Government in 1893; and WHEREAS, with Hawaiians having been identified as a landless and dying people as the result of disease and loss of lands, in a 1920 letter to United States senators, Prince Kūhiō observed that “…after extensive investigation and survey on the part of various organizations organized to rehabilitate the Hawaiian race, it was found that the only method in which to rehabilitate the race was to place them back upon the soil”; and WHEREAS, on July 9, 1921, after a relentless effort spearheaded by Prince Kūhiō, United States President Warren G. Harding signed the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, as amended (hereinafter “the Act”), which set aside approximately 200,000 acres of reserved land to establish a permanent homeland to return native Hawaiians to, while encouraging self-sufficient farming and ranching on leased parcels of land; and WHEREAS, pursuant to provisions of the Act, the State of Hawai‘i Department of Hawaiian Home Lands was established to provide for the rehabilitation of the native Hawaiian people through administering a government-sponsored homesteading program granting 99-year leases for residential, agricultural or pastoral purposes at an annual rental of $1.00, helping to ensure the self-sufficiency of Hawaiians; and WHEREAS, the Act also included benefits to Hawaiians such as financial assistance programs through direct loans or loan guarantees for home construction, replacement, repair, development of farms and ranches, technical assistance and the operation of water systems; and WHEREAS, Congressional passage of the Hawaiian Home Lands Recovery Act in 1995, which provided, in part, for the settlement of claims against the federal government through exchange and transfer of lands after the United States’ continued retention of properties initially designated as available Hawaiian homes lands, is a demonstration of the continued vigilance required to ensure the intentions of the Act are held true for future generations; and WHEREAS, Hawaiian home lands of East Hawai‘i Island are located in Discovery Harbour, Kamā‘oa, Kaūmana, Keaukaha, Kurtistown, Maku‘u, Pana‘ewa, Pi‘ihonua, Pu‘u‘eo, University Heights, and Waiākea; and WHEREAS, Hawaiian home lands of West Hawai‘i Island are located in Honokāia, Humu‘ula, Kamoku, Kaniohale, Kawaihae, La‘i ‘Ōpua, Lālāmilo, Nienie, Pu‘ukapu/Waimea, and Pu‘upūlehu; and WHEREAS, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands 2020 Annual Report indicated that there have been a total of 2,529 leases awarded to native Hawaiians in Hawai‘i County as of June 30, 2020, including 1,716 on residential lots and 506 on agriculture parcels, emphasizing the specific impacts of the Act to addressing housing and land use on our island; and WHEREAS, the State Senate adopted Senate Resolution 150 on March 31, 2021, and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Hawaiian Homes Commission adopted Resolution 303 at its March 16, 2020 meeting, both recognizing the upcoming anniversary of the signing of the Act; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I that it recognizes the Centennial Celebration of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, as amended, to commence on July 9, 2021 and extend through July 8, 2022. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council shares with the Department of Hawaiian Homes Lands, as the organizer for the Commission’s Centennial, the desire and dedication to engage and work with Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiaries and community members and to seek to participate in potential statewide events that both mark the Centennial and honor the contributions of Prince Kūhiō in establishing the Act, including the Department’s suggested partnering with established activities, such as Aloha Week Festivals, Annual Convention of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, Merrie Monarch Festival and King Kamehameha Celebration Parade. BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the County Clerk shall transmit a copy of this Resolution to members of the Hawai‘i delegation to the United States Congress: Honorable Senator Brian Schatz, Honorable Senator Mazie K. Hirono, Honorable Representative Ed Case, and Honorable Representative Kaialiʻi Kahele; members of the Alaska delegation to the United States Congress: Honorable Senator Lisa Murkowski, Honorable Senator Dan Sullivan, and Honorable Representative Don Young; Jonathan Nez, President, Navajo Nation; Honorable David Y. Ige, Governor, State of Hawaiʻi; Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi, Hawaiʻi State Senate President; Honorable Scott K. Saiki, Speaker of the State of Hawai‘i House of Representatives; William J. Ailā, Jr., Chairperson, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Hawaiian Homes Commission; the mayors of all counties in the State of Hawaiʻi; Sir Alika Desha, Aliʻi Nui of the Royal Order of Kamehameha I; Coline Aiu, Kuhina Nui of ʻAhahui o na Māmakakaua; Waikululani Cockett, Ikū Haʻi Nui of ʻAhahui Hale ʻO Na Aliʻi ʻO Hawaiʻi; Pauline Namuo, Pelekikena of ʻAhahui Kaʻahumanu; and Hailama Farden, President of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs. Dated at _____________, Hawai‘i, this ______ day of ___________________, 20___. INTRODUCED BY: _______________________________________ COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I COUNTY COUNCIL County of Hawai‘i Hilo, Hawai‘i ROLL CALL VOTE AYES NOES ABS EX CHUNG DAVID I hereby certify that the foregoing RESOLUTION was by the vote indicated to the right hereof adopted by the COUNCIL of the County of Hawai‘i on _____________________________________. INABA KĀNEALI‘I-KLEINFELDER KIERKIEWICZ KIMBALL ATTEST: LEE LOY RICHARDS VILLEGAS Reference: COUNTY CLERK CHAIRPERSON & PRESIDING OFFICER RESOLUTION NO.