Talks bring OHA back onto ‘1 path’

Office of Hawaiian Affairs CEO Kamana‘o­pono Crabbe and the OHA trustees emerged from an all-day session of Hawaiian reconciliation and forgiveness Monday with what they called "one voice" traveling on "one path."

Crabbe still has his job, and OHA will continue its nation-building efforts — although there might be a new timeline for Kana‘i­olo­walu, the Native Hawaiian Roll project that OHA has pledged to support with $3.9 million.

The trustees spent more than six hours behind closed doors Monday, during which Crabbe and the trustees shed tears, hugged one another and deliberated about recent events, Crabbe said afterward.

"We have walked through very rough waters," he told dozens of supporters, many of whom kept vigil all day at the OHA headquarters on Nimitz Highway in Hono­lulu.

"We are a stronger people today. We are a stronger organization, a stronger OHA. We will continue to rebuild a beloved nation. We look forward to that task," Crabbe said, the trustees by his side.

"We’ve agreed to move forward together with one voice, in one path, not just for the betterment of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, but for the future of our haumana (students), the next generation, so that we can be responsive to our community and bring dignity to the process," he said.

Crabbe and the trustees had been locked in a dispute over a letter he sent to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on May 5 asking for a legal opinion on the status of the Hawaiian kingdom. In his letter he noted the illegal overthrow of the kingdom in 1893 and questioned whether OHA might be violating international law if it continues to pursue a Native Hawaiian governing entity. He wrote that he would recommend backing off on nation-building until he gets an answer.

The trustees promptly rescinded the letter, saying it did not reflect board policy. The trustees later offered to discuss the disagreement during a session of hooponopono, the Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness.

Crabbe, meanwhile, picked up support during a trustees meeting held on Maui and by way of an online petition signed by more than 2,500 people.

On Monday, Crabbe admitted to being a little worried about losing his job.

"But in the spirit of our tradition to make things right, I think we recognized the gravity of the future of our people and put that behind us. We have to think about the broader good of our people," he said.

As for the letter, Crabbe said the concensus among the trustees is that there was merit to the questions he asked the secretary of state but that Monday’s discussion centered more on "clarifying the protocol."

OHA trustee Chairwoman Colette Machado said much of the day was spent reviewing job responsibilities "at the CEO level and the trustee level."

"We know we have to communicate better and to continue to work together," Machado said.

Crabbe also indicated afterward that OHA may end up trying to delay the Native Hawaiian Roll process in order to allow more people to join in the nation-building process.

As it stands now, the trustees are financially supporting an effort that would see a constitutional convention in October or November. More than 125,000 people have signed up. The final day of registration was May 1.