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Big Island vigil to mourn Kauai homestead activist

Honolulu Advertiser
Saturday, January 20, 1996

By Hugh Clark

Hawaiian homesteaders will gather at noon today at Puhi Bay in Keaukaha to mourn the death of Kauai activist Hilbert Kahale Smith.

Smith died in a fire at his Anahola home on Kauai as he was being evicted by state officials.

Plans for the Big Island vigil were outlined by Patrick Kahawaiola'a, statewide director of Aupuni O Hawaii, which is made up of homesteaders, applicants and their families.

Kahawaiola'a and his followers ended a nearly two- week protest at the project site of a shopping center on Thursday to take a respite at Puhi Bay and plan their next step before a court hearing here on Tuesday.

Kahawaiola'a, a Hilo postal worker, has emerged as a central leader of Big Island protests over Hawaiian issues since the Puhi Bay incident of 1993 when dozens of Hawaiians were arrested in a dispute over use of the seaside park.

He said Smith will "become a martyr" for all issues involving Native Hawaiians, especially homestead concerns.

He described Smith as a member of his group and a friend of five years.

"He was probably the most abused Native Hawaiian," said Kahawaiola'a who, like Smith, has been withholding his home mortgage payments as a protest of state policies.

As much as he admires Smith, Kahawaiola'a said he does not recommend that protesters "go burn yourself."

Aupuni O Hawaii says it has more than 5,000 members.


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