NHSC Private And Local Responses To Special Needs Of Native Hawaiians
Contents
Private And Local Responses To Special Needs Of Native Hawaiians
A number of private and local organizations have worked to meet the unique needs of native Hawaiians. These include Alu Like, Inc., the Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center, the King William C. Lunalilo Trust, and the Kamehameha Schools established under the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate.
A. KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS/BERNICE PAUAHI BISHOP ESTATE
When Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of Kamehameha I, died in 1884, the bulk of her estate of over 373,000 acres was bequeathed to a charitable trust, to be administered by five named persons whose successors were to be appointed by a majority of the justices of the State Supreme Court. 1/ Approximately 90 percent of the estate's land is leased for long terms for residential, agricultural, commercial, and industrial purposes. 2/ The purpose of the trust is to maintain two schools and to support orphans and other indigents "giving the preference to Hawaiians of pure or part aboriginal blood..." The estate has limited its activities almost exclusively to maintaining the Kamehameha School for its students, all of whom have native Hawaiian blood. 3/ Currently, 2,617 students attend School camps. 4/ The school also has an extension education division, involving over 20,000 students in 28 different activities. 5/
B. QUEEN LILIUOKALANI CHILDREN'S CENTER
Queen Liliuokalani established a trust, as amended October 11, 1911, which provided: "From and after the death of the Grantor, all the property of the trust estate, both principal and income,... shall be used by the trustees for the benefit of orphan and other destitute children...in the Hawaiian Islands, the preference to be given to the Hawaiian children of pure or part aboriginal blood." 6/
At the outset, the trust established an orphanage. In 1934, the Trustee sought to substitute care in foster homes for the outmoded orphanage. At present:
- Our staff not only meet the various needs of the children left orphaned by the death of a parent, but also other children whose educational needs are not being met at school and at home, the needs of teenage mothers who are keeping their children, needs of children coming from families which are dysfunctioning and disintegrating, needs of children and families in learning their cultural heritage. These various needs are being met by three agency programs: (1) Individual and Family Services; (2) Community Development; and (3) Group Services. 7/
The Trust operates such wideranging projects as counseling, the Children's Center campsite and beach, and agriculture/hydroponics projects to teach lifeskills to children. The focus is to provide services to children of Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian blood. In 1980, the Trust expended just over $2 million and provided continuous service to 5,594 children and brief service (one to two interviews) to 5,670 children. 8/
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C. LUNALILO HOME 9/
The Lunalilo Home is a custodial care facility funded by the Lunalilo Trust Estate for indigent Hawaiians whose families are unable to care for them. Referral services are provided for those applicants needing nursing care or alcoholic treatment.
Currently, there are fifty-five residents: twenty-two men and thirty-three women. There are nineteen full-Hawaiians, and the majority of the others have more than 50 percent Hawaiian ancestry. They are housed in two large wards with two or three to a room. Twenty-three of the residents are disabled, needing wheelchairs, walkers, or canes, or are blind. Each individual provides his or her own medical care payments: Department of Social Services and Housing, private, Medicare, or other.
The Home attempts to maintain an enriched Hawaiian style of life. Polynesian music and dance are probably the most participated-in activities. The residents have formed their own ensemble and make appearances around the island.
Other disabled and/or interested persons in the community are encouraged to participate in such Home programs as excursions, classes, and religious devotions. Many volunteers spend time assisting and teaching those who have interest.
D. ALU LIKE, INCORPORATED 10/
Alu Like, Inc. is a private, non-profit social change organization that works toward native Hawaiian economic and social self-sufficiency. It administers the Alu Like Native Hawaiian Projects and employment and training programs. Its primary funding sources are the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor; the State of Hawaii through the Hawaii Office of Economic Opportunity; and private foundations, donations, and volunteers. Alu Like provides a number of services, including: intake and referral to appropriate agencies; advocacy and community development; training and technical assistance; pilot projects to demonstrate resolution of blocks, gaps, and needs; employment and training; and Economic Development Institute activities. Alu Like administers island centers on Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, Oahu, and Kauai.
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PRIVATE AND LOCAL RESPONSES TO SPECIAL NEEDS OF NATIVE HAWAIIANS
NOTES
1/ Neil Levy, "Native Hawaiian Land Rights," 63 California Law Review §48 (1975), pp. 860, 870-876.
2/ Ibid., p. 871. Levy questions whether the investment policy of the trustees produces sufficient return to meet their fiduciary obligations.
3/ Ibid., p. 872. As of 1975, the Kamehameha Schools received 85 percent of their expenses from the Estate; the remainder came from tuition paid by students.
4 Alu Like, Inc., Analysis of Needs Assessment Survey and Related Data, A Team Report (1976), Part B-3.
5/ Ibid.
6/ Information for this part of the Report is taken from the 1980 Annual Report of the Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center-Liliuokalani Trust, and a statement of the Center-Trust "History and Programs."
7/ Ibid., 1980 Annual Report, p. 6.
8/ Ibid., p. 12.
9/ Alu Like, Analysis of Needs, Part B-3. One comment received by the Commission on its Draft Report points out that Kamehameha Schools, Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center and the Lunalilo Home started with a land base, the income from which provide funding. The Lunalilo Home sold its land and is funded by an investment portfolio that is worth a smaller amount than the land that funds the other two organizations. In addition, this commenter points out that two other services for native Hawaiians use a "land base"—Queen's Hospital and the Kapiolani Maternity Hospital.
10/ Information for this Section is taken from an undated Alu Like report provided to the Commission.
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