Akaka bill - ANWR drilling connections


In the Feb. 1-15 issue of the Hawaii Island Journal, Jack Kelly has a good piece (following up on the earlier HIJ article and research by Anne Keala Kelly) on the connections between the "Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005" (now aka the Akaka/Stevens bill, also named after Alaska senator) and proposed drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—which Hawaii's two senators are two of the only Democrats to support—and the solidarity among the people who are fighting against both. It's long and worth reading, but here's the concluding grafs:

Some Native Hawaiian groups, who fear that the Akaka Bill will set up a Hawaiian model similar to that of the Alaska native corporations, are working with the Alaskan activists to raise grassroots support in Hawai'i and to get the people's voice heard by Senators Akaka and Inouye.

Bumpy Kanahele, leader of Nation of Hawai'i, says, "I've been working with Faith Gimmel and the Gwich'in Steering Committee from the beginning and this issue has our full support. One thing that surprises me, though, is how Hawaiians who are knowledgeable about this issue can turn around and support the Akaka Bill."

"Hawaiian Natives feel solidarity with Alaskan Natives on drilling and development in the Arctic and the effect it has on traditional practices that in themselves rely on a pristine environment," says Jim Medeiros of the Big Island group Protect Keopuka 'Ohana, who participated in local meetings with Akaka and Inouye's staff in Honolulu in mid-January. "Hawaiians face the same problem on a daily basis with the shrinking of the cultural landscape, pollution of their shorelines, alteration of traditional waterways, [and] desecration of our burials."

Clarence Ku Ching, retired attorney and Hawaiian rights activist, says, "You see the press try to paint this as a people issue, a conflict between different peoples, the Gwich'in and the Inupiat. But that's not what it is. It's the corporate guys versus the people. It's all about money and power for them. I'm sure almost all pro-independence Hawaiians support the wishes of these people to maintain their subsistence lifestyles and cultural identity."


Posted: Mon - February 21, 2005 at 05:27 PM    
   
 
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Published On: Dec 27, 2005 10:12 PM
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