🤔🌺✈️ Native Hawaiians Waka Comot Go Las Vegas, E Still Dey Part Of We Family?
As tins dey hard for Hawaii, plenty Native Hawaiians don dey find betta life somewhere else. Today, pass half of dem don waka comot go other places.🏝️🚶♂️🛄
Plenty people dey yan say, di ones wey leave for better life, dem still be part of we lahui (community)? And dem fit still get di same benefits and help like di ones wey dey struggle for Hawaii? Na so wahala full ground about whether make dem expand help reach Native Hawaiians wey dey mainland. 🌍🌴💬
But to Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA), di thing wey dey happen na clear like mirror. Dem even do new annual mainland conference, na dem call am di Western Regional Native Hawaiian Conference. Las Vegas na where e happen dis year. Almost 2,000 people show, pass 60% na from 36 states for mainland. Even Maine sef dem come from.🗺️🎰🎤
CNHA sef dey look Seattle to do anoda conference for 2024. Dem get plan to start dey help and fight for people rights for Los Angeles for di next couple of years, den dem go enter other cities.🌆📅🎯
CNHA get numbers for back. U.S. Census’ American Community Survey for 2021 talk say 370,546 Native Hawaiians dey live for mainland, while 309,807 na dem dey for Hawaiian Islands. 👨👩👧👦📊🌎
Kuhio Lewis, di CEO of CNHA talk say Native Hawaiians na just 18% of Hawaii population now. He say as dem don scatter between Hawaii and mainland, things don complex for lahui. Lewis talk say, anytime Native Hawaiian comot, na so part of Hawaii culture dey comot. E come hard for Native Hawaiians wey dey outside islands to hold dia own Native Hawaiian culture, values and identity.🏝️🕊️💼
Meanwhile, Lewis dey yan say, “Nobody na im dey focus on di future, di way tins dey go. Di way tins dey go show say Hawaiians don scatter, dem full everywhere for U.S.”🚀📈🇺🇸
Di thing wey CNHA dey see and wey dey show for dia Western Regional Native Hawaiian Conference na to get voice for all Hawaiian community. Di conference even important reach where Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, staff from U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Native American tribal leaders, and politicians from Hawaii and other places show.🎩💼🏛️
He talk say CNHA dey plan to help Hawaiians wey dey outside Hawaii build wealth so dat “maybe one day dem fit go back home (to Hawaii).” But dis CNHA plan no just sell like dat. Some Native Hawaiians wey dey Hawaii dey fear say, if CNHA expand reach mainland, e go comot wetin suppose reach dem. Dem dey worry say e go make more Hawaiians comot, and dem go carry part of Hawaii culture follow body.🏡💰🛫
Meanwhile, di wahala na to see how to keep di Native Hawaiian community for house. “When we dey talk about lahui, na sacred word be dat. E get root for we history, e get root for aloha aina (land). Dis no be we land. We no be native here. We be malihini (strangers) here,” na so Trisha Kehaulani Watson talk. She dey do work for culture, environment and community for Hawaii. 🗣️🏝️💚
As conference dey go, people come dey find way to talk, listen and see things wey dey connect and value wey dem share to cover di gap between dem. 🤝🌈✨
Some people for di conference come talk say Native Hawaiians wey dey outside Hawaii wey get money pass di ones wey dey Hawaii suppose dey send money back to Hawaii as other Pacific Islanders dey do. 🤲💸🏦
But as Las Vegas dey give new opportunities, e no always be promised land for people wey comot Hawaii, and some of those wey leave Hawaii for wahala, don struggle to stand gidigba.🎲💔😔
Some say dem go like go back Hawaii, others say na lie because of high cost of living and house price. Dem dey fear say Hawaii no dey friendly for business, and opportunities to find good-paying jobs no plenty. Anoda reason to comot na to dey close to friends and family wey don comot. 🏠💰👨👩👦👦
Even as dem dey plan to serve mainland Hawaiians, CNHA CEO talk say dem no go comot resources from those wey dey Hawaii. “I think wetin people no realize na say plenty money dey already dey go states to support Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. E go good if dem go give organizations wey truly represent Native Hawaiians,” na so he talk.💼💡💪
As time dey go, e go good make dem get better connection with Hawaiians for all states. Dis one fit bring more resources. U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D- Hawaii, talk say, “Please go back into your states, into your districts, and contact your member of Congress and ask for their commitment to Native Hawaiians not just as a matter of national policy, but also as a matter of personal commitment to their own constituencies.” 🇺🇸🗣️💬
This na di koko of di matter. We dey watch to see how tins go dey unfold. As we talk now, di future of Native Hawaiians na im dey for table. Na so e be. 🎬📰🌺
NOW IN ENGLISH
🤔🌺✈️ Native Hawaiians Moving to Las Vegas, Are They Still Part of Our Family?
As life becomes tougher in Hawaii, many Native Hawaiians are seeking a better life elsewhere. Today, more than half have moved to other places.🏝️🚶♂️🛄
There is an ongoing debate asking if those who leave in search of a better life are still part of our lahui (community)? And should they receive the same benefits and support as those who are struggling in Hawaii? This is the dilemma surrounding the expansion of aid to Native Hawaiians on the mainland. 🌍🌴💬
But for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA), the situation is clear. They have organized a new annual mainland conference, the Western Regional Native Hawaiian Conference. This year, it took place in Las Vegas, attracting nearly 2,000 attendees, over 60% of whom came from 36 states on the mainland, even as far as Maine.🗺️🎰🎤
CNHA is also considering Seattle as the venue for another conference in 2024. They plan to start advocating for people’s rights in Los Angeles in the next few years before moving to other cities.🌆📅🎯
CNHA has the numbers to back them. The U.S. Census’ American Community Survey in 2021 reported that 370,546 Native Hawaiians live on the mainland, while 309,807 reside on the Hawaiian Islands. 👨👩👧👦📊🌎
Kuhio Lewis, the CEO of CNHA, has stated that Native Hawaiians now make up just 18% of Hawaii’s population. He says that as they are scattered between Hawaii and the mainland, things have become complicated for the lahui. Lewis notes that each time a Native Hawaiian leaves, part of Hawaii’s culture leaves with them. It has become challenging for Native Hawaiians outside the islands to maintain their Native Hawaiian culture, values, and identity.🏝️🕊️💼
Meanwhile, Lewis argues, “No one is focusing on the future, the way things are going. The trend shows that Hawaiians are scattered and spread across the U.S.”🚀📈🇺🇸
What CNHA envisions and demonstrated at the Western Regional Native Hawaiian Conference is the representation of the entire Hawaiian community. The conference was significant enough that Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, staff from the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Native American tribal leaders, and politicians from Hawaii and elsewhere attended.🎩💼🏛️
He says CNHA plans to help Hawaiians outside Hawaii build wealth so that “maybe one day they can return home (to Hawaii).” However, this CNHA plan is not universally accepted. Some Native Hawaiians in Hawaii fear that if CNHA expands to the mainland, it will reduce the resources meant for them. They worry it will lead to more Hawaiians leaving, taking a part of Hawaiian culture with them.🏡💰🛫
Meanwhile, the challenge is how to maintain the Native Hawaiian community at home. “When we talk about lahui, it’s a sacred word. It has roots in our history, it has roots in aloha aina (love of the land). This isn’t our land. We’re not native here. We’re malihini (strangers) here,” says Trisha Kehaulani Watson, who works with culture, environment, and community in Hawaii. 🗣️🏝️💚
As the conference went on, people sought to converse, listen, and identify shared connections and values to bridge the gap between them. 🤝🌈✨
Some conference participants suggested that wealthier Native Hawaiians living outside Hawaii should send money back to Hawaii as other Pacific Islanders do. 🤲💸🏦
But while Las Vegas offers new opportunities, it isn’t always a promised land for those who left Hawaii. Some of those who left Hawaii due to hardship have struggled to get on their feet.🎲💔😔
Some express their desire to return to Hawaii, while others deny it due to the high cost of living and housing prices. They fear that Hawaii isn’t business-friendly, and opportunities for well-paying jobs are scarce. Another reason to leave is to be close to friends and family who have moved. 🏠💰👨👩👦👦
Even as they plan to serve mainland Hawaiians, the CNHA CEO assures that they will not pull resources away from those in Hawaii. “I think what people don’t realize is that a lot of money is already going to the states to support Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. It would be beneficial if they were to give it to organizations that truly represent Native Hawaiians,” he says.💼💡💪
Over time, it would be beneficial to foster a stronger connection with Hawaiians across all states. This could bring in more resources. U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D- Hawaii, urges, “Please go back into your states, into your districts, and contact your member of Congress and ask for their commitment to Native Hawaiians not just as a matter of national policy, but also as a matter of personal commitment to their own constituencies.” 🇺🇸🗣️💬
This is the crux of the matter. We’re watching to see how things will unfold. At present, the future of Native Hawaiians is on the table. So it goes. 🎬📰🌺
