Column: Protecting kanaka maoli interests in federal recognition bill

Placing the interests of the kanaka maoli first, Hawaii’s U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, who chairs the U.S. Senate’s Indian Affairs Committee, recently called for a full and fair hearing of the Lumbee Recognition Act.

If passed, the act would grant federal recognition to a group that calls itself the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. Currently, there are a lot of questions surrounding the ancestry of this group. More than 30 tribal leaders have opposed recognition of this group as a tribe and have stated that members of this group “abandon one claim for another when challenges to their identity are asserted” — so Congress should without question give this act a full and fair hearing before granting the Lumbees recognition.

Recognition will likely cost close to $1 billion at a time when federal funding for native groups is scarcer than ever. Hawaii’s kanaka maoli have faced many challenges in particular in accessing federal COVID-19 relief funds. It is the Hawaii congressional delegation’s duty to ensure that funds are not improperly diverted away from those truly deserving of them — especially now.

Data from the Hawaii Department of Health released in 2020 indicated that “Pacific Islanders still account for the majority of COVID-19 cases, with nearly 30% of the cases, even though they make up only 4% of the population. Native Hawaiians represent the third-highest pool of COVID-19 positive patients with 17% of the cases to date.”

With COVID-19 cases in Hawaii recently surging and hospitalization at the highest point of the pandemic, there is an urgent need for federal funds and assistance for these groups that have been heavily and disproportionately impacted.

If Congress fails to research the Lumbee’s ancestry details, it could be a costly mistake. Millions or more in federal funds could end up going to a group that does not have a legitimate claim, while those in need in Hawaii continue to go without assistance.

Government-to-government relations between the Hawaiian kingdom and the U.S. government was destroyed during the illegal annexation and coup in 1893. A 2016 rule finalized by the Department of Interior has created an opportunity for the U.S. to potentially reestablish a formal government-to-government relationship with the kanaka maoli community. Should kanaka maoli leadership determine that this is the best way forward for their community and follow through with this administrative process, they could soon qualify for the same federal funding that Native American tribes and nations receive. However, granting a group that doesn’t have genuine native ties federal recognition will unquestionably degrade the benefits of recognition, and worsen conditions for indigenous people around the U.S.

According to a report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights titled “Broken Promises: Continuing Federal Funding Shortfall for Native Americans,” “federal funding for Native American programs across the government remains grossly inadequate to meet the most basic needs the federal government is obligated to provide.”

It went on to state that “since 2003, funding for Native American programs has mostly remained flat, and in the few cases where there have been increases, they have barely kept up with inflation or have actually resulted in decreased spending power.”

It’s incumbent on the executive and legislative branches to address these funding inadequacies. Until that time, though, Congress needs to remain extra vigilant with its constitutional authority to federally recognize natives groups, including the kanaka maoli, and ensure that these funds go into the right hands.

That means saying “no” to bills like the Lumbee Recognition Act before they receive full and fair hearings in Congress.

Micah Young, of Pearl City, is a political and marketing analyst in Honolulu.