Ka‘ū News Briefs, Friday, April 1, 2022

The late Edith Kanaka'ole, who will grace a quarter printed by the U.S. Mint, her husband Luka. See more below. Image from Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation

 SHANE PALACAT-NELSEN IS A CANDIDATE FOR COUNTY COUNCIL to serve Ka'ū into Kona. The 52 year-old from Napo'opo'o is President of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, Hawai'i District Council. He said that for many generations, "my family has helped shape the evolution of South Kona and parts of Ka'ū stemming from historical events that led to the Kamehameha's first key victory at the Battle of Mokuʻohai in Ke'ei."
    He noted that his family was involved in producing the first coffee mill in Hawaiʻi at Nāpoʻopoʻo, in reviving traditional practices at Hikiau and ʻAleʻaleʻa heiau, and in restoring Native Hawaiian concepts

Shane Palacat-Nelsen

within community development and planning. "My Gaspar and Grace 'ohana have worked resourcefully and in service to our community, and today I am excited to continue this legacy and announce my candidacy for County Council, District 6."
    Palacat-Nelsen was born and raised in Napo'opo'o, graduated from Konawaena High and attended Hawai'i Pacific University. He said he grew up in South Kona "when everyone I knew picked coffee after school, and our family would go fishing and shoreline gathering on Sundays for our dinners for the coming week. This very special place has come a long way since those days, and we need to navigate the course ahead to ensure our community remains vibrant, can access opportunities for economic development, and is well-served by our county government."
    For the past ten years, he has led community engagement initiatives such as directing and providing advocacy and outreach efforts to garnish support for the Miloliʻi Community Based Subsistence Fishing Area and assisted with grants for local communities for such missions as restoring, preserving, and educating ʻōpelu fishing traditions at Hoʻokena and Miloliʻi.
    Palacat-Nelsen also organized economic resilience workshops for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs through its West Hawai'i office. "From leveraging financial and capacity building resources and adequately distributing them to support our community efficiently, especially during one of the most challenging times in our lives, I've facilitated Federal, State, and County agencies, and non-profit organizations including Kamehameha Schools, Liliʻuokalani Trust, local farmers, merchants and non-profit organizations." Among the tasks was "pulling our resources together to distribute food and hygiene to Hawaiʻi island residents. We extended our efforts to include temporary financial assistance for those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic."
    Prior to this role, like many residents of Kona, Palacat-Nelsen said, he spent many years working in the hotel industry. "I started as a Financial Analyst in 2001 at The Fairmont Orchid, eventually taking on management roles. Over the years, my responsibilities changed, and I learned a great deal about developing processes to optimize efficiency and accountability in operations while leading a team to deliver high-quality and authentic services to all guests."

Shane Palacat-Nelsen, right, with Kahakaʻio Ravenscraft  during a reforestation project.

    The candidate said his professional experiences "have parlayed into advisory roles. As chair of the Kahu Kū Mauna Advisory Council to the University of Hawaiʻi on the management of Mauna Kea, the Vice-Chair of the Kona Community Development Action Committee, a board member of the Kona Historical Society, and president of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs' Hawaiʻi District Council, I am grateful for these opportunities to offer insights into community needs and interests to inform and educate decision makers."    Palacat-Nelsen said he is most proud of the "collaborative work in designing and implementing communication and consultation spaces I refer to as 'the lōkahi table' that bridges community-based knowledge to government resources especially in arenas of economic and community development. Outside the office is equally important.
    "On the weekends, you will find me restoring and maintaining traditional farmland terraces and planting crops such as mamaki, kalo, ʻawa, and native plantains, to working on reforestation projects that utilize traditional concepts and protocols in the South Kona Forest Reserve, and assisting in the restoration of kiʻi images at the Hale o Keawe in Hōnaunau as a lineal descendant consultant and traditional carver.
    "You will also find me assisting fishpond restoration efforts at Kaloko fishpond where my paternal grandfather grew up. Among conservation planning and activities, I am excited in my new endeavor to restore the coral and natural water passages at Kealakekua Bay. I enjoy working within the community in providing options that best suit our community, by means of collaborating with individuals and experts."
    As the council member for Kona and Ka'ū, Palacat-Nelsen said, "I will bring this collection of experiences to the table and build the necessary bridges to deliver government resources to community. There are new, once-in-a-lifetime federal funding opportunities for infrastructure and jobs, and we cannot afford to standby and miss the opportunity. We must do this while holding everyone to the highest accountability and transparency standards."
    Contact the candidate at shane@shaneforhawaii.com. See www.shaneforhawaii.com.

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U.S. MINT WILL PRINT KANAKA'OLE QUARTERS FOR CIRCULATION. "George Washington will be sharing some space with a native Hawaian hula teacher next year." That's The New York Times lead into the story today about Edith Kanaka'ole, the native Hawaiian Kumu Hula, selected for her image to grace U.S. quarters. Other outstanding women in history with their images to be printed by the US. Mint on quarters next year will be Bessie Coleman, first black and first Native American woman airplane pilot; Mexican American journalist and activist Jvita Idár; First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, famous for human rights work, and Maria Tallchief, the first Native American prima ballerina. The flip side of all the quarters will feature George Washington.
    A statement from U.S. Mint described Kanaka'ole as an "indigenous Hawaiian composer, chanter, dancer, teacher, and entertainer. Her moʻolelo, or stories, served to rescue aspects of Hawaiian history, customs, and traditions that were disappearing due to the cultural bigotry of the time."