Kamana‘o Crabbe

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.

There’s that, and then there’s the perennial subject of self-governance,

including the issue of whether Native Hawaiians gain federal recognition, through the long-stalled, so-called Akaka Bill or any other means.

Crabbe, who got his doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Hawaii, spent the two years before this promotion as OHA director of research. Before that he was a director of psychology training at Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. Using data to fulfill the OHA strategic plan — getting a good grip on the needs of the Hawaiian community and then pressing for ways to improve its conditions — is still a primary focus, he said.

Designer Puamana Crabbe is his sister, so the name is known, but beyond his clinical and cultural-practitioner circles, Crabbe kept a low profile until now. He took a circuitous route to his career, living the surfer’s life before guidance from his native-speaking granduncle directed him back to school. Family remains important — his 4-year-old daughter keeps him grounded, he said, while his new executive role can seem overwhelming.

“We have to nurture the culture and provide an environment where it really is about working together and collaboration,” he said. “It’s about respect for the work we do. But more importantly for me is we have purpose in our work and we believe in the mission.”

QUESTION: What led up to your becoming an OHA research director, the job you held before getting the CEO spot?

ANSWER: As a result of my training, it took me to different islands. Before Waianae, I practiced out in Hana Community Health Center on Maui, and then I was in Molokai with Dr. Emmet Aluli and provided behavioral health services for him. And previous to that I was with the Institute for Family Enrichment providing multisystemic therapy as a program manager out in the Windward area.

I think as a result of my work, working primarily with Hawaiians, I believe I got the reputation of serving Native Hawaiians.  …

Q: Did you find that cultural-based practices were helpful?

A: A majority of the Hawaiian patients that I saw really had a tremendous thirst, craving for that. I think when you go to school they teach you one way on how to apply treatment methods. … So it really wasn’t until I graduated in 2002 that I made a decision to start incorporating culture, cultural practices, values and hooponopono into my own practice. … I was kind of like a maverick, actually, because I was just doing things that other people weren’t doing. I enjoyed it.

If you asked me 15, 20 years ago where I’d end up, I couldn’t tell you. Eventually it all came together. …

Q: What helped you decide to come here?

A: Another research area that I’ve been involved in, social determinants of health, looks at disparities and what causes those disparities that create disadvantages or lack of opportunity for people to have good access to health care, insurance, education, employment and so forth.

When I looked at the (OHA) strategic plan and the roles of OHA moving forward — which is advocacy, research, resource management and, now, community engagement, in terms of getting the message out — the light bulb, or the kukui went off in me. It said, this is something I would commit to.

In my practice, … for every person that I helped, there were 20 more, 10 more in line. What I saw in the model, and what I had read was systemic change at a massive level. That’s what attracted me to OHA. …

Q: What was your job during those two years?

A: We were able to set baseline measures for each of our (desired) results, so we could measure our progress from 2011 through 2018. … We will look back and see how much change we have made in decreasing obesity among Native Hawaiians; how much progress we have made in increasing academic achievement at the elementary, intermediate and high school levels in reading and math for Native Hawaiian students.

When we look at affordable rentals and homeownership, the grants that we have funded in terms of financial literacy, workforce development, job training, how much has that contributed to increasing people’s income so they can afford rent or the ability to buy a home? …

Q: Why did you decide to seek the top job?

A: I think that within the first two years, the leadership had great commitment, passion and intent to implement the strategic plan. …

I believe that’s why I came to OHA is to have an impact, and change and action. I felt I had the experience and the knowledge of understanding the plight of Native Hawaiians, that I had a genuine commitment to increase the potential of OHA. …

Q: How do you see your role in administration?

A: I’m the navigator of the canoe. I don’t look at it as an administrative position. It really is a leadership position. …

One of my first decisions was to change my title. So I changed it to ka pouhana, which is the main post of the house. … If you look at a Hawaiian hale, you have the main post, and then you have the four corner posts that hold up the framework.

So, that’s a metaphor for leadership, in terms of assuming that the responsibility to keep the house stable, erect, provide shelter, provide warmth for people to gather. Usually it’s the head of the household, or the clan. So they are in a position of authority but must emulate, must embrace the values not only of the house but the broader community. …

Mahatma Gandhi always talked about being the change you want to see in the world. But being part of that change requires thinking out of the box. It will rub up against systems, government, people in power. It will ruffle the feathers of political institutions. So it’ll take courage for the change we want. We have to understand there’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears we will have to invest in, for that change. …

Perhaps others don’t view Hawaiians as that empowered to take control of our own destiny. I’m saying, we do. We have the mana to do that.

Q: How do you see the Akaka Bill mission now?

A: We going to stop? No. That’s part of our strategic plan, governance. What the outcome is, as a result of the roll commission, we don’t know. But that’s still on the plate.

I think that, moving forward, we need to be open about what that looks like for our community. The change in the political landscape in Washington, D.C., the changes in the political seats within the congressional delegation and the potential changes in the Legislature, create a power dynamic shift. We have to be astute to those changes and flexible enough to work out strategies to move that agenda forward.

It will require us to reconnect with old foes, allies and reshape what is OHA’s role now. I envision OHA’s role more to provide good education and information, to provide leadership in bringing people together of diverse backgrounds, … and moving in a direction that will foster good forums for people to be informed so they can make a good decision on what they want.

Q: How do you feel about the Kakaako Makai settlement?

A: It was a little nervous for me, because it was a huge political issue. There were implications, both pro and con, for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. But in its totality, when the sun set, I was pleased with the outcome, because it provides hope and a future not just for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs but for Native Hawaiians as a whole. We have legacy lands … and we are looking to acquire other large tracts of land. When it’s all said and done, within a couple of years OHA will be a significant land owner, similar to the other alii trusts. …

Other than Waimea Valley, the other lands don’t have any commercial revenue; they’re purely for preservation, opportunities for cultural practice, and so forth.

Q: This is different?

A: This is different. … This doesn’t resolve the whole ceded lands issue. What it does is it provides the opportunity for OHA to be landowners with commercial properties. What that will require is development. … We’re going into the final stages of the land conveyance, the title transfers. The next phase will be working with the (Hawaii Community Development Authority) in finalizing that …

Q: HCDA doesn’t now allow residential development there. What are your thoughts?

A: There’s a lot of controversy about that. … They (resident groups) support a Hawaiian sense of place. But they also are thinking of their constituents, in terms of public access to the beach, the surf, and as much as possible to have an environment for Hawaiians, local people and tourists to come to. …

The fear of residential high-rises is a serious concern. I guess the concern is we’ll be too urban and too “city.” And then we’ll lose a sense of value, of what is Hawaii. Because we don’t want to be like Chicago, New York, San Francisco or L.A. …Whether or not it’s residential, I think we have a long way to go in working with the community, and whether or not the Legislature supports that, as well. …

Definitely, Kakaako Makai is a high priority, because that’s our future, not only OHA’s future, but the future of our people and communities.