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.

Return to the Hawaiian Independence Home Page, the Kahale Smith Memorial Page or the News Articles Index