The chair of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs urged Native Hawaiians to “live sovereignty” and laid out five concrete charges for cultural, diaspora, generational, economic and political action in remarks to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) board of trustees.

The chair framed the call to action with the story of Joseph Nāwahī, recounting how Nāwahī crossed the ʻAlenuihāhā Channel to ensure his seat in the Hawaiian Kingdom legislature in December 1892 and, together with his wife Emma Nāwahī, helped publish the newspaper Ke Aloha ʻĀina and collect more than 21,000 signatures opposing annexation. The chair used that history to argue that sovereignty is practiced daily, not merely proclaimed.

Why it matters: The remarks directed attention to what the chair described as ongoing threats to Hawaiian institutions and land — including court limitations on who may vote in OHA elections and outside legal pressure on Kamehameha Schools — and urged sustained action across multiple spheres to protect and build Hawaiian self-determination.

In the body of the speech the chair identified five “charges” for action: to live sovereignty in everyday life; for the diaspora to remain connected and carry Hawaiian identity across distances; a generational charge to construct institutions and systems for future Hawaiians; an economic charge to control resources and build wealth aligned with Hawaiian values; and a political charge to design law and governance rather than only defending existing rights. The chair said, “Sovereignty begins with practice,” and emphasized education, cultural institutions, and local economies as practical sites for that work.

The remarks also flagged current tensions: courts are shaping who may vote in trustee elections and who may serve as trustees; organizations on the continent are, the chair said, working to challenge Hawaiian institutions including Kamehameha Schools; and condemnation of former crown lands for military training — at sites named in the speech such as Pohakuloa, Makua and Kaʻula — is an active concern. The chair said OHA is “evolving into a new iteration” guided by integrity and invited allies, Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian, to support the work.

Direct quotes from the OHA chair used in the speech included: “Sovereignty begins with practice,” and “The diaspora is not outside our future.” The chair urged practical actions such as teaching ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi to keiki, subscribing to OHA’s Ka Voīla, supporting native-owned businesses, strengthening local food systems and investing in education and circular-economy models.

No formal votes or board actions were recorded in the remarks. The speech functioned as a vision-setting address and a set of policy and civic priorities rather than as a directive carrying immediate, recorded board decisions.

The chair tied these charges to the example of Joseph and Emma Nāwahī and to broader goals: reducing disparities in health and education, addressing incarceration rates among Native Hawaiians, and protecting ʻāina and wai. The speech closed with an appeal to sustained, everyday practice as the means to make sovereignty durable rather than solely symbolic.