Hawaiian Homestead Leaders to Headline 2021 Maui Centennial Puwalu

Hawaiian homestead leaders, Henderson Kainoa Huihui and Faisha Solomon will headline the 100th anniversary of the 1921 Hawaiian Homes Commission Act at this year’s 2021 Maui Centennial Puwalu – or conference.

The centennial event is set for Saturday, Feb. 13 from 9 to 11 a.m via Zoom and celebrates the 1921 Hawaiian Homes Commission Act federal trust encompassing the Hawaiian homestead program.

Zoom into the puwalu via Meeting ID: 843 9158 0752, Passcode: 943509. For event information, contact Kekoa Enomoto at (808) 276-2713 or email [email protected]. 

Henderson Kainoa Huihui, a Waimanalo homestead-raised staff attorney with the Oʻahu-based Native Hawaiian Legal Corp., will be a presenter at the puwalu. A fourth-generation homesteader, Huihui has received a two-year national Equal Justice Works fellowship to work with Hawaiian homesteaders on their issues and concerns. 

The puwalu also will feature Faisha Solomon, deputy director of the Homestead Community Development Corp., who will review accomplishments of the statewide nonprofit. The Kamehameha Schools alumna holds an MBA degree from Chaminade University of Honolulu. 

In addition, the event will examine models of expandable affordable housing. These 400- to 600-square-foot home plans were designed by contractor Mark Leal, a Waiehu Kou III homestead resident. The plans are pertinent because the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands estimates that more than 550 homestead lots will become available on Maui in the next five years. 

Lastly, the puwalu will review the DHHL General Plan that establishes department priorities for two decades. Maui Hawaiian Homes Commissioner Randy Awo is a member of the task force that seeks beneficiary input for the upcoming DHHL General Plan for 2023-2043. 

Two native Hawaiian entities will co-host this fifth in a 10-part series of Maui Centennial Puwalu. The next event from 5 to 7 p.m. March 26, 2021, will mark the 150^th birthday of Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaʻole, considered the father of the Hawaiian homestead program. The 10-term congressional delegate championed the federal act before Congress. 

Event co-host Paʻupena Community Development Corp. CDC is a nonprofit beneficiary organization under HHCA auspices. The mission of the Maui-based CDC is to provide resources, training and advocacy to empower fellow Hawaiian Homes trust beneficiaries to build homes and self-sufficient communities. 

The other co-host is the for-profit Credit Edge Solutions LLC. This native Hawaiian-owned mercantile operation offers financial-literacy training and other credit-enhancing services.