We all know who Pierre and Pam Omidyar are right?. Just in case you forgot you can visit their website to refresh your memory.
Please check out their postion on property rights on this page of their website
http://www.omidyar.com/investment_areas/access-capital/property-rights
We have a really hard time understand why they believe in supporting property rights half way around the world but ignore them right here in their front yard!
Below is our correspondence with this kind giving couple who call Hawaii home and is now violating our claims to our property and no we have not received any response to these letters:
First letter:
Pierre and Pam Omidyar
1991 Braodway #200
Redwood City, CA 94063
February 13, 2010
Aloha Ohana Omidyar;
It is with much respect I compose this overdue letter. My name is Donna Lanakila Willard and I represent the Heirs of Pinehaka. We are descendants of Hawaii’s royal families.
I would like to introduce you to our efforts of recovering some of our lands from Maui Land and Pineapple Company.
Please do not confuse our efforts with the sovereign movement of the Hawaiian people. Our actions are based on laws and facts.
For more than 100 years Maui Land and Pineapple Company has knowingly held and illegally used the lands of our family and other families to build their company and make profits.
In the last few months we have recoverd all of the documentation that supports our ownership and inheritance of these lands.
Members of our family decided that we should begin to meet with Maui Land and Pineapple to discuss this matter and see how we might resolve it. We developed what we thought as a win win solution. However Maui Land and Pineapple closed the doors on discussion before we could even fully present the concept.
Since we began discussion with them in November they have discontinued talking to us and have taken a closed door policy. We have continued to assert ourselves as the rightful owners of these lands.
We don’t wish to burden you with the details of our efforts. However, we feel it is important that you know the rightfully and true heirs of these properties have made their claims known to Maui Land and Pineapple as well as the State of Hawaii though the appropriate officers and agencies. We are petitioning the Court to hear our claims.
Portions of the lands you and your company have entered into agreements with Maui Land and Pineapple may very well be on these lands. We are not able to determine if the lands included in your agreement are part of our claims as we do not know specifically which lands are included in your agreement.
We have reveiwed your Company and were pleased to discover that many of your values and visions are similar and compatiable to that of our family.
Your understanding of the importance of land ownership in relation to the well being of a person, a family and a community are sincerely welcomed. After years of our people and even newcomers being isolated from that right and sense of well being we live every day with the results of that alienation. Our family, being who we are believe that it is our task in this life, in this generation to assist in correcting that wrong. Not just for our family but for all people who want and need that assistance.
We are continually reviewing land records and extracting those titles that have questions. We identify the ohana and put the necessary information into their hands. This empowers them to make what ever stand they should decide as a family to make. It is during this process we discovered that Maui Land and Pineapple not only has a history of acquiring lands through extremely questionable actions but that some of these lands actually belonged to us!
Although there are members of our family who advocate the sovereign movement as individuals, we do not as a whole. We encourage the use of our traditional values in settling these matters. When those fail for whatever reason we then move to the court systems.
Native land ownership is well protected by both Kingdom and American laws. However, not understanding this and being ignorant of how the new systems worked our ancestors felt helpless and defeated. The succeeding generations were overwhelmed by the same feelings and they were compounded by the lack of finances. As a result, the greed of a few plantation barons who took advantage of the situation were allowed to continue the pattern. For at least a century they have done very well for themselves while the actual heirs of these properties struggled in their homeland to make a life.
Culturally we believe that if the foundation of something is not pono (perfect) then whatever you build upon it well topple eventually. We believe we are at the place now, where things that were not built in a pono manner are toppling.
We are diligently working to regain control of these lands so that we can begin to make the changes necessary to help our people as well as others regain a sense of well being and belonging. Our example will assist others in finding the courgae to stand up and make their claims. It is not just about our family or the Hawaiian people. It is about the world as a whole.
We hope that you will take our message to heart and understand that we are in many ways working to accomplish the same goals as you are. Once we have finished our task of regaining the control of our lands it would be advantgeous for us to sit and discuss the future of these areas.
If at any time you would like to discuss our claims or have any questions please feel free to contact us at willard@maui.net or by phone at 808 2803576.
May the Kupuna of the area bless your efforts with ease and success.
Mahalo;
Donna Lanakila Willard
Pinehaka Trust
Executrix
P.O. Box 11032
Lahaina Hi 96761
We apologize for the multiple deliveries you may receive of this but we wanted to insure you received it. Mahalo once again.
Second letter:
Pierre and Pam Omidyar
1991 Braodway #200
Redwood City, Ca 94063
March 4, 2010
Aloha ohana Omidyar;
My name is Donna Willard and I am the Executrix of the Pinehaka Trust.
In February, we sent you a letter making you aware that the lands you are leasing from Maui Land and Pineapple may be part of lands our family owns. As we do not know definitely what lands are actually being leased we were unable to determine if they are in fact part of lands owned by our family.
Since that correspondence, it has come to our attention that you may be considering lands that Maui Land and Pineapple is offering for sale.
I am writing to notify you that we are in dispute with Maui Land and Pineapple Company over the following parcels of land:
Land Court Award 7714B which is approximately 7000 acres in the ahupua’a of Honokohau award to Moses Kekuaiwa;
Land Court Award 8559B:23 which is approximately 3860 acres in the ahupua’a of Honolua and;
Land Court Award 8522B which is approximately 2650 acres and is in the ahupua’a of Honokohua; more commonly referred to as Kapalua.
Please be advised that at this point in time the title claimed by Maui Land and Pineapple to these parcels is being challenged. They have failed to satisfactorily furnish title to any of these properties (except possibly for 1000 acres in Honokohua). Also be aware that this is not a sovereign claim it is one based on facts and law.
If our information is accurate and you are considering purchasing lands from Maui Land and Pineapple it would be prudent of you to meet with us to discuss this or to even wait until after our claims are heard by the court system. Our family does not intend to sell any lands and will reclaim all lands that are ours in these areas.
We have also identified other parcels in these areas which Maui Land and Pineapple claims ownership to but those titles are also very questionable. The families who actually own these lands are being given the information they need to assist them in secure their titles and possession of their lands.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources and other relative agencies, including the Mayor and Governor’s offices have been made aware of our claims as the rightful owners. We are in the process of correcting this situation. We are more than willing to sit and explain our claim to you at any time.
All questions, comments or concerns can be directed to pinehakatrust@gmail.com.
Mahalo for your time.
Donna Willard
Executrix, Pinehaka Trust
P.O. Box 11032
Lahaina Hi 96761
808 2803576
Maui Land and Pineapple Caught with Stolen Lands 