Anahola Homesteads resident Jimmy Torio isn’t really worried whether his opinions are politically correct or not. He calls Kaua‘i’s mayor “Humpty Dumpty” and believes Native Hawaiian people should not cede any of their lawful rights to the United States, including
Anahola Homesteads resident Jimmy Torio isn’t really worried whether his opinions are politically correct or not.
He calls Kaua‘i’s mayor “Humpty Dumpty” and believes Native Hawaiian people should not cede any of their lawful rights to the United States, including the right to have a casino.
Torio calls his 3-year-old grandson Kamakana — lovingly referred to as “Hooch”— his major business partner.
A beekeeper by trade, Torio is the point man when it comes to the 20-acre Project Faith.
“The whole project is going to be a sustainable means of economic self-sufficiency,” Torio said. “The issue we’re faced with is self-empowerment and then sharing with others how we did it.”
He calls it building a community. “Project Faith is not about religion, it’s about faith, based on need … it’s faith in what can happen,” Torio said. “It will ensure long-term, community-based empowerment.”
Project Faith exists as a 20-acre parcel of land mauka of Kuhio Highway on the Eastside, near mile marker 13. Anahola lies a couple miles beyond.
The plans for the project include a cultural center, kindergarten through 12th grade charter school, elder care and commercial space for small businesses. It exists now as a five-phase project out of a 20-acre land grant in October 2002 made with the aid of the Department of Hawaiian Homelands. The Environmental Protection Agency has granted Project Faith almost $300,000 to clean up the toxic pile of car remains and household goods that were dumped on the property between 1986 and 1996.
The project was born of the Anahola Homesteaders Council, created in 1994 as a group of Native Hawaiians interested in preserving their interests, ways and culture. The group acquired nonprofit status in 1996.
“Eventually we will be a private for-profit with a board of trustees,” Torio said.
For now the council has a master plan and a management structure based on Mainland Indian reservation tribal council models. “It is a model consistent with Hawaiian traditions,” he said.
When the AHC was forming in 1994 they invited the Lakota, Hopi, Shoshone and Paiute tribe members to their Anahola land to tell them about the tribal council structure. “We adopted the Indian philosophy of seven generations,” Torio said. “Long-term planning done around the thinking of serving seven generations is the way Native Americans have done it for centuries.”
Torio says Project Faith is being developed with that type of philosophy. The school will be the pivot point for the development. Sitting at the focal point of the project, the six-acre area where the school will be, Torio looks towards Kuhio Highway. “Over there,” he said looking west, “will be the business area and here the school.”
“Over there” — pointing south — “will be the cultural center and here the school. Over there” — pointing north — “will be the elderlcenter and here the school.”
The idea said Torio is a model of social integration that will extend the courtesy of being Hawaiian to Hawaiians.
The economic idea behind Project Faith: “We haven’t marketed being Hawaiian … Hawai‘i has been sold, being Hawaiian is something we still have.”
To see the master plan, or to find out more, visit www.anahola.net or call 822-0927. There will be a master plan meeting at the Aloha Resort in Wailua Monday.
• Adam Harju, editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 227) or aharju@kauaipubco.com.
