Aloha ‘oe Senator Daniel Inouye

Hawai‘i Maoli was honored to be with Senator Daniel Inouye in August as we presented him with the Ka Mana O Ke Kanaka award.  In the words of our Board President, Ramsay Taum:

We honor the life and service of a man who has served the State of Hawai‘i and its people in the United States Congress since 1959.  His courage on the battlefield may have earned him the Medal of Honor, but it is his “Hawaiian at heart” persistence, commitment and dedication to improving the living conditions of Kanaka Maoli and native peoples in America that has earned Senator Daniel K. Inouye our admiration, respect and gratitude.

I first met Senator Inouye in 1978 in Nashville, Tennessee at a Bureau of Indian Affairs gathering of tribal leaders from across the continent. I was there as the student-teen representative of a seven-person delegation from Hawaii supporting the Senator’s effort to seek inclusion for Native Hawaiians in the Native American CETA program.  Not only did he succeed in that effort, but in the thirty plus years since, Senator Inouye has championed the causes and rights of Native Hawaiians and other first nations people across the country year in and year out. His accomplishments are unparalleled.

Mahalo piha e Senator Inouye.  Rest well.  You will be truly missed.  Aloha!

2012 Hawai`i Maoli Annual Report

Please click on the sphere for our 2012 Annual Report.