Documents

Codes of Conduct

Community Organizational principles

Culture

Dispute Resolution – Ho`oponopono

Economics

Education

Environment

Futures

Hawaiian Sovereignty

Hawaiian Sovereignty Advisory Commission

Health

Heritage

Indigenous Rights & Decolonization

Legal Challenges in the Courts

Maui County Resolution

Military in Hawaii

Native Hawaiian Convention

National Security

Poems and Stories from Hawaii

Statehood Reviewed

Taxation

United Nations

Interviews of Poka Laenui

Economics seems to touch every aspect of Hawaii’s past, present, and future. It’s a reflection of culture, laws, environment, attitudes, values, etc. In these papers, I have tried to give the reader a view of how economics can be seen from the perspective of new and challenging values. One different perspective is to structure a national or community economic system from the eyes of a hungry child rather than Adam Smith’s invisible hand, or to switch from the approach of the Gross National Product to the Gross National Happiness, or to search for the meaning of Pono economics. These are documents covering a period from the early 1990’s to the present. The two principle writers are Regina Gregory who starts off with the first 3 documents, and myself with most of the remaining documents. Dr. Kioni Dudley has joined me in the report on the Hawaiian Sovereignty Economic Symposium. I have also reprinted an article from Maddie Felts who writes on the Pursuit of Global National Happiness. (I have misplaced the source of Maddie’s article.)

We hope you can prosper from this discussion of Hawaiian economics and what it can and should be. Should you wish to contribute to this page with your document, please feel free to send the paper to plaenui@hawaiianperspectives.org.

Mahalo for this visit.

In this section, we introduce several papers on planning and several writers who submitted their ideas and dreams of what the future should look like. The central documents for this section is the 2035 Edition of the Traveler’s Guide written in 2010 with a plan for projecting 25 years ahead. I invited others to join in this practice of setting down their specific views and hopes of what Hawaii should look like. References made by some of the responding papers are to that “Traveler’s Guide.” Eliza Goodhue’s mana`o sent via email produced a vivid expression and hopeful story of what Hawaii can aim toward, touching on fresh food sources to the underlying essence of an economy of sharing. Caroline Sakai, master instructor and practitioner of Thought Field Therapy (tapping) which has done miracles among her patients in Hawaii, in that genocidal war fields of Rwanda between the Hutus and Tutsi’s and many other places, also joins the discussion on fundamental issues of health care. Ruth Bolomet has added her vision which identifies again a theme of self-sufficiency and health for Hawaii’s future. Ho`oipo DeCambra shares a personal family vision of her recently birthed twin grandsons and what they will be doing in 2035. At a Hawaii Forgiveness Project monthly meeting, participants listed their visions for a future Hawaii reflecting many common themes along with some interesting new ideas for the future.

The last document is a more formal submission to the City & County of Honolulu in their 50 year planning process for Honolulu. The Institute for the Advancement of Hawaiian Affairs submitted to that process a detailed proposal which tries to take account of Hawaii’s history, physical/geographic realities, deep culture, population trends and patterns, technological development, changing world environment, national powers and collapse of empires, and the making of hopeful visions for a preferred future.

This practice of planning can have application not only for Native Hawaiianʻs but for indigenous peoples throughout the world as well as societies in general.

These documents cover a period of writing by Poka Laenui over approximately 20 years, most of which was served while he was associated with the community run behavioral health center, Hale Na`au Pono, incorporated as the Wai`anae Coast Community Mental Health Center, first as a volunteer member of the Board of Directors/attorney and subsequently as its Executive Director. He returned to the full-time practice of Law in 2014. The earliest document here on La`au Lapa`au (Traditional Hawaiian Healing) was based on his participation at a Kupuna (Elder) conference of practitioners in 1988 which starts out this series of writings. As he became more involved in the behavioral health aspects, he wrote of health from an expanded perspective than merely the primary care aspect. Pōkā has not been trained in the Western medical system nor has he received formal training in traditional practices.

He is informed on this area of health based on his experience raised in a large (10) mixed cultural family (Hawaiian, Chinese, Caucasian) in the Wai`anae community, study with Pilahi Paki, advocacy through his role as Trustee with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Vice-President (International Political Spokesperson) for the World Council of Indigenous Peoples, his legal training and his role with Hale Na`au Pono, and his association with various practitioners from Hawaii and elsewhere.

He was named Outstanding Executive Director by the Mental Health Association of America in Hawaii, 2007, the Native Hawaiian Health Award for 2012 for Life-Time Achievement for improving the Health and Well-being of Kanaka Maoli and for his advocacy for the rights of Indigenous peoples of Hawaii by Papa Ola Lokahi, and received the 1999 Best in the Nation organization for Hale Na`au Pono by the National Managed Health Care Congress.

His most recent addition to this subject of health is the paper Hawaiian National Re-emergence from U.S. Colonization: Community Strength, Mental Health and Traditions published as a chapter by Spring Nature a few years ago in Psychology in Oceania and the Caribbean authored by Grant Rich.

The papers presented here under the topic of Indigenous Rights and Decolonization has formed a fundamental part of the consideration for the right of self-determination, not only as it applies to the Hawaii theater but throughout indigenous worlds and other colonized territories. These papers cover a broad sweep of the conditions of indigenous peoples and yet can be applicable to very specific instances of current struggles. Like many other categories, these papers tend to overlap into other matters such as health care, economics, psychology, history, etc. That is just the nature of the study of people, they can’t be neatly contained in a box! Perhaps we should build better boxes.

Feel free to contact the writer(s) should you so desire.

Legal and historical memorandum of law challenging jurisdiction of State over Hawaiian Nationals
INTRODUCTION TO APPROACH OF HAWAIIAN NATIONALISM IN THE U.S. JUDICIAL SYSTEM
Declaration on Jury Qualification for contesting Jury Array **Please submit this Declaration to 86-641 Puuhulu Rd., Wai`anae, HI 96792**
Motion Challenging the array of the jury in Hawaii
Memo in Spt of Motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction Generic

Building a Beloved Community Animation: Boy with a Gift
[embedyt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8efSW6Biog[/embedyt]
Original Story by: Aunty Puanani Burgess
Narrated by: Aunty Puanani Burgess
Animated by: Michelle Zheng, B.A.
Book Animation by: Zachary Jones

Check out https://www.tumblr.com/blog/michizlogs for process videos and update videos regarding this project and its creation.

This video was created by Michelle Zheng for the University of Hawai’i West O’ahu Academy for Creative Media Capstone Project in Spring 2022.

Abstract: The idea of simultaneous growth of self-identity and the community has been a long-established part of indigenous cultures. This project uses Auntie Puanani Burgess’ Building a Beloved Community as a guide on what a beloved community is and how it can be built. Inspired by cultural leaders, friends, family, and personal life experiences, Burgess shares stories that carry a deeper meaning than what appears on the surface. This style of teaching is based around indigenous oral story-telling which carry the ʻike kupuna, or ancestral knowledge from the generations of communities before now. The relationships within a community are built on trust, empathy, and reliability. To be able to see from a different perspective respectfully and honestly allows strong relationships to be formed and both parties to thrive. Anecdotal stories from people who have participated in Building a Beloved Community share the effect it has had on their personal and professional lives. While the effects of these activities are beneficial, it is important to understand that everyone’s journeys are different and it teaches everyone to be patient and understanding towards other people. At the end of participating in a Building a Beloved Community, people should leave feeling loved and ready to pass it on to strengthen the community evermore.

Taxation for Hawaiian nationals crosses over a number of legal areas, as you will see from this document on the issue of taxation. There are issues of international law, U.S. Constitutional law, concepts of jurisdiction, as well as an understanding of history of the world, of the study of truth, and issues of Hawaiian history.

The document could be helpful as a standard approach in many different situations.

Tax appeal letter format on jurisdiction

At the United Nations, there have been many activities regarding Hawaii but which are not familiar with many people in Hawaii. The documents below just touch the surface of the most relevant events occurring at the General Assembly, the International Court of Justice, and the other specialized organizations of the U.N. The ICJ is the judicial arm of the U.N. and we have posted a recent decision regarding decolonization which has very important implications for the Hawaii case. The second document calls for members of the General Assembly to review an error which it made in taking Hawaii off the list of places to be decolonized. The third document sets forth one possible resolution for re-inscribing Hawaii back on that list. The next document does a legal analysis for decolonization of Hawaii and the fifth document is a “historical” document which records for posterity the voices of former Governor Quinn, former C.J. William Richardson, both of whom are now deceased, and offers an important look into the mistake they participated in bringing about Statehood.

The next document combines some of the documents also found elsewhere and is a response to an inquiry by a Special Rapporteur (reporter or investigator) from the office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights regarding the Legacy of Colonization. I have written that document from the perspective of the Hawaii case. That last entry includes many attachments which gives a background of the Hawaii situation and some particulars with respect to a present criminal proceeding.

I have also included documents responding to the Alaska situation to the Special Rapporteur. The investigator may be able to see the great similarity in the legal case for decolonization between Hawaii and Alaska.

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions after reading these documents.

Poka Laenui May 5, 2021

HAWAII

ALASKA

Poka Laenui’s involvement in the work of the WCiP

Adam Manalo Keawe Camp asked me several questions dealing with my involvement in the drafting of the UN Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Believing that the topic is one of general interest, I share my response with you. 1. What was your role in the drafting process of UNDRIP?I first became involved in this…

December 11, 2023
New videos (Unprocessed 9-15-26)

Recent Videos Talks at Waianae HS in 1990 5 Stages of Decolonization – Tales of Hawai’i [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfM33Qskm6s[/embedyt] Poka and Pua visits a class on Asian-Americans in Hawaii and responded to multiple questions of Hawaii’s future. Hawai’i: Forgiveness and Sovereignty

September 15, 2026
Colonial Regimes of Mental Health, Substance Use, Drug Treatment, and Recovery: A Locally Contextualized, Anticolonial Response

Documented in this article is the anticolonial treatment modality developed by a community-based behavioral health center on the island of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i—situated in a predominately Native Hawaiian community reacting to and affected by American colonial control of the Hawaiian Islands since 1893. We tie Haraway’s concept of “situated knowledge” to the methodology of Clarke’s “situational…

March 31, 2022

Resources

Downloadable Files

HAWAII

ALASKA

Poka Laenui’s involvement in the work of the WCiP

New videos (Unprocessed 9-15-26)

Colonial Regimes of Mental Health, Substance Use, Drug Treatment, and Recovery: A Locally Contextualized, Anticolonial Response