Kamana‘o Crabbe

The new Office of Hawaiian Affairs chief executive takes the helm at a historic juncture

By Vicki Viotti

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jun 15, 2012

~~<p>The state Office of Hawaiian Affairs has been at the center of various levels of turmoil — from within and without — through three decades of its history. Stability is a good thing, which may be why its new chief executive officer, Kamana‘o Crabbe, 48, instituted his own preferred job title, “ka pouhana,” which means the central post in a Hawaiian house.</p>
<p>Hawaiians use that as a metaphor for leadership, he said, something needed especially in the months ahead as state lands in the Kakaako Makai district are deeded over to OHA. It’s a settlement of back payments the state owed for OHA’s share of revenues from ceded lands — the 1.8 million acres of Hawaiian kingdom and government lands ceded to the U.S. government with annexation.</p>
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The state Office of Hawaiian Affairs has been at the center of various levels of turmoil — from within and without — through three decades of its history. Stability is a good thing, which may be why its new chief executive officer, Kamana‘o Crabbe, 48, instituted his own preferred job title, “ka pouhana,” which means the central post in a Hawaiian house.

Hawaiians use that as a metaphor for leadership, he said, something needed especially in the months ahead as state lands in the Kakaako Makai district are deeded over to OHA. It’s a settlement of back payments the state owed for OHA’s share of revenues from ceded lands — the 1.8 million acres of Hawaiian kingdom and government lands ceded to the U.S. government with annexation. Login for more...