ALOHA AT OU: Three Native Hawaiians united by Native American identity speak on Indigenous Peoples' Day

Oct. 9—To honor Indigenous Peoples' Day, the Native American Studies Department at the University of Oklahoma invited three Native Hawaiians, or Kānaka Maoli, to share what the holiday means to them.

The three speakers are also enrolled citizens of different tribal nations and pageant winners.

The event also brought awareness to the August Maui fire, which took the lives of at least 98 people in and around the city of Lahaina.

At the Jim Thorpe Multicultural Center on Monday, attorney and former Miss Indian World KeAloha Douma, Kānaka Maoli and White Mountain Apache, shared her thoughts on the connections between Native Hawaiians and Native American people.

She said just a few weeks ago, her son brought home a worksheet that posed the question, "Who discovered Hawaii?"

"I knew the answer that they were looking for. I knew they wanted us to put Captain [James] Cook. I looked at him with my mom glare and asked, 'Who do you think discovered Hawaii?'" Douma said. "He said, 'the Hawaiians?' and I said, 'Yes, the Hawaiians. You write that, the Hawaiians, not Captain Cook.'"

Douma said Native Hawaiians share a lot in common with Native American people, as history claims that white Europeans "discovered" them years ago.

In 2019, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed Senate Bill 111 which combined Indigenous Peoples' Day with Columbus Day, which takes place every second Monday in October.

Oklahoma is one of 17 states that recognizes the holiday.

Douma, originally from the North Shore of Oahu, currently lives in Arizona where she works with White Mountain Apache people as a lawyer. She previously served as attorney general of the White Mountain Apache Tribe where she addressed topics on water rights, carbon credit projects, gaming and litigation management.

"We [Native Americans and Native Hawaiians] definitely have a lot of connections. We have more similarities than differences," she said. "We all value the importance of family and community, shared values, language, ties to the land, water, natural resources, and the ugly connections of laws and policies that were instituted to destroy our way of life and eradicate our government, self-determination, our language, our culture, and our dances and so on."

She said many organizations throughout the U.S. work to revitalize elements of Indigenous ways of life throughout the U.S.

"It's exciting to be part of revitalization with a language that was essentially lost, which is no longer lost," Douma said. "A lot of Native tribes have visited the Hawaiian Islands to see what is working there in order to implement it within their tribal communities. It's exciting to share our knowledge with our relatives in the continental U.S."

Asher Stephens-Ticman, Kānaka Maoli and Wichita, is an OU alumnus who spoke on the intersection of Native American and Native Hawaiian identity.

He grew up on Oahu but came to OU to learn more about Native Americans while studying anthropology.

"There was a part of me, I didn't get a chance to explore being in Hawaii," Stephens-Ticman said.

In 2019, he was crowned Mr. Indigenous OU.

"As much as we're here to talk about the connections between Native American Native Hawaiian cultures here in the mainland, there's also a little bit that goes back the other way," said Stephens-Ticman.

He said Native American peoples have lived in Hawaii for many years, and every year for nearly a half a century, Native peoples have put on an annual Powwow in Honolulu in connection with the Bishop Museum.

He said anyone can gain a better understanding of different cultures by taking a backseat and listening to those of a different background.

"Taking that moment to sit, listen and learn from my relatives here allowed me to learn more about the culture and learn how to carry myself," he said.

Samantha Alohalani Wells, Caddo, Kiowa, and Kānaka Maoli, formerly served as Caddo Nation Princess, 2016-2017. She is a preschool teacher and an OU student who lives in Lawton and came to the event, in part, to meet people, like herself, who share Polynesian and Native American heritage.

"I love to be able to express both my Native American cultures as well as my Native Hawaiian culture," she said.

Wells said she supports the societal shift from recognizing Columbus and toward recognizing Indigenous peoples.

"I love that the holiday got changed from Columbus Day," she said. "We were always here, it's important that they were able to make a day to celebrate all we have accomplished."

Last week, President Joe Biden signed two documents proclaiming Oct. 9 as both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day. He was the first president to recognize the holiday in 2021.

"For generations, it was the shameful policy of our Nation to remove Indigenous peoples from their homelands; force them to assimilate; and ban them from speaking their own languages, passing down ancient traditions and performing sacred ceremonies," he wrote.

Douma said it is important for those willing to give back to help amid August's wildfires in Hawaii.

"We're so grateful for the efforts of our relatives near and far all across Indian country who are supporting the efforts of Maui,, not just for the Kānaka Maoli, but for all the residents that were affected by those horrible fires," she said.

Event organizers encouraged those wanting to give back to support organizations like Maui Strong Fund at hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/.

Brian King covers education and politics for The Transcript. Reach him at bking@normantranscript.com.