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Native
Hawaiian community leader Walter Ritte publicly disenrolled
from the Native Hawaiian Roll and withdrew his candidacy from
the Nai Aupuni Native Hawaiian election and aha, calling for
a boycott of the election in Oct. 2015. The U.S. Department
of the Interior announced today a final rule to create a pathway
for reestablishing a formal government-to-government relationship
with the Native Hawaiian community.
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The U.S. Department of the Interior announced today a final
rule to create a pathway for reestablishing a formal government-to-government
relationship with the Native Hawaiian community.
The final rule sets out an administrative procedure and criteria
that the U.S. Secretary of the Interior would use if the Native
Hawaiian community forms a unified government that then seeks a
formal government-to-government relationship with the United States.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said in a statement,
"Throughout this two-year rulemaking process, thousands of voices
from the Native Hawaiian community and the public testified passionately
about the proposal. Today is a major step forward in the reconciliation
process between Native Hawaiians and the United States that began
over 20 years ago. We are proud to announce this final rule that
respects and supports self-governance for Native Hawaiians, one
of our nation's largest indigenous communities."
The final rule builds on more than 150 Federal statutes that
Congress enacted over the last century to recognize and implement
the special political and trust relationship between the United
States and the Native Hawaiian community. It also considered and
addressed extensive public comments during the rulemaking process,
which included public meetings in Hawaii and the mainland United
States.
Native Hawaiians have not had a formal unified government since
the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1893. In 1993, Congress
enacted the Apology Resolution which offered an apology to Native
Hawaiians on behalf of the United States for its role in the overthrow
and committed the Federal government to a process of reconciliation.
As part of that reconciliation process, in 2000 the Department of
the Interior and the Department of Justice jointly issued a report
identifying as its lead recommendation the need to foster self-determination
for Native Hawaiians under Federal law.
"We heard from the Native Hawaiian community about the importance
of this rule to preserving its culture and traditions," said Kristen
Sarri, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management,
and Budget. "This historic rule provides an opportunity for a Native
Hawaiian government to exercise its inherent powers of self-government,
self-determination, and economic self-sufficiency. It recognizes
the special political and trust relationship between the United
States and the Native Hawaiian community and will help to more effectively
implement the laws that Congress passed."
The news release said the decision to reorganize a Native Hawaiian
government is one for the Native Hawaiian community not the
Federal government to make as an exercise of self-determination.
If a formal government-to-government relationship is reestablished,
it could provide the community with greater flexibility to preserve
its distinct culture and traditions. It could also enhance their
ability to affect its special status under Federal law by exercising
powers of self-government over many issues directly impacting community
members.
On the net:
The final rule, Frequently Asked Questions and other
documents are available on the Department of the Interior website
at doi.gov/hawaiian.
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