Rep. Tokuda introduces bill to provide more funding for Native Hawaiian culture and arts

US Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02) introduced a bill on Tuesday to ensure that Native Hawaiian organizations can fully access funding they are entitled to under the Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development Program for cultural programming and activities.

The Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development Program was created in 1984 to provide grants through the National Park Service for the scholarly study of and instruction in Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian traditional and contemporary arts and culture. The program was also created to help perpetuate Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian traditional and contemporary arts by developing educational centers and degree programs.

Since the program started receiving appropriations again three years ago, Native Hawaiian organizations have not been able to access it because of outdated statutory requirements.

The Native Arts and Culture Promotion Act would amend the program to allow the National Park Service to award grants to a greater variety of Native Hawaiian organizations doing incredible work to study and promote Native Hawaiian culture and art. Additionally, the bill would remove offensive and unnecessarily restrictive statutory language impacting Alaska Native applicants to increase the program’s accessibility within the Alaska Native community.

“I am proud to introduce a bill to modernize the Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development Program, which has historically provided support for community-driven efforts to educate, promote, and perpetuate the arts and cultures of Native Hawaiians and Alaska Natives,” said Rep. Tokuda. “Ensuring that the program functions as intended will enable more Native Hawaiian organizations to receive their fair share of federal resources for historic preservation and creative development. It is critical that we continue to recognize and promote traditional and contemporary native arts and cultures so that the stories and knowledge of indigenous communities can be treasured and embraced by future generations.”

The full text of the bill can be found here.