February 2nd, 3rd and 4th from 5am. to 8pm., 2001, a protest of "aloha", at the Kahului Airport, Maui Hawaii. Kupuna ("Uncle Charlie") will be broadcasting live, all over the world, from the protest on Feb 2nd, from 10:00am. to 12:00noon on www.knuiam900.com

Na Kupuna O Maui (The elders of Maui), a Native Hawaiian grassroots initiative, are asking for your support against the recent lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court on October 4, 2000, to declare the office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), Hawaiian Homelands and Hawaiian gathering rights as unconstitutional. On October 2, 2000, John Carroll (Hawaii businessman, former state legislator, republican candidate for U.S. Congress, filed suit to eliminate the "Hawaiians Only" provisions in OHA. In light of the recent decision regarding Rice V. Cayetano, the U.S. Supreme Court declared "Hawaiians-only" voting for OHA trustee was illegal. By virtue of this decision Barrett and Carroll are petitioning the courts to suspend all government programs services, funding and entitlements upheld by Article 12 of the Hawaii State Constitution regarding Native Hawaiians.

This means:

• Office of Hawaiian Affairs will be dissolved;
• Department of Hawaiian Homelands will be dismantled, including the reality of 6,800 families who have Hawaiian Homes lessees, being evicted off their homelands: 19,000 applicants waiting on the list for land will be eliminated.
• Ancient Hawaiian Rights to gather from the mountains and the ocean will not exist.
• State Laws protecting the rights of Hawaiians regarding riparian and appurtenant tenant right to water will be eliminated, so the taro industry will be no more.
• Current State Laws regarding Environmental Impact Studies, Restoration of Fishponds on Molokai and else where will be restricted and suspended or repealed:
• All other native rights will be compromised.

As a result of the filings, Hawaiian from various parts of the community and state have begun to come together to develop a proactive strategy to address these issues.

THIS IS WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:

Contact your congressmen, governors, and leaders and express your concern. Submit letter to your local and national newspapers. Support Native Hawaiians and all Indigenous People in their plight for self-determination and self-governance. Check "Talk Story with Uncle Charlie" interactive website and express your concerns. It does get read.