Sovereignty | Rowena Akana

Consolidating committees is an attempt to control power – AGAIN!

`Ano`ai kakou… On July 30, 2015, the Trustees voted to authorize the OHA Administration’s proposal to consolidate my committee, Asset & Resource Management (ARM) and the Land and Property (LAP) Committee into a new super-committee called the Committee on Resource Management. The board needs to vote on it one more time before it becomes official but, by the time you read this, it probably already happened.

OHA’s administration feels that having three committees only wastes time and effort. But this just part of the administration’s continuous efforts to strengthen their control over Trustees. Over the past six months they have harassed Trustees by denying our travel and sponsorship requests; using vague rules that we never authorized. Is the administration elected by the beneficiaries or hired by the Trustees?

Trustees are the policy makers, but with very weak leadership at the helm of the board, our powers have been minimized. OHA’s administrators and attorneys run the show and the Trustees have been downgraded. Despite pledging to take back power, this Chairman has not kept his promise to Trustees.

Consolidating committees will only centralize power under a few Trustees that are favored by the administration. Despite early promises by this Chairman to stop this kind of shenanigans, he has failed. So you can expect business as usual.

Over ten years ago, OHA had five committees covering everything from land to the legislature. Trustees developed many successful programs, such as Aha ‘Opio and Aha Kupuna. Then Trustee Haunani Apoliona and her faction took over and consolidated the five committees into two, giving her and her successor a tighter grip on power.

This was the start of a string of disasters as OHA could not get anything meaningful done. With no Trustee Committees overseeing them, our successful programs were quietly discontinued. But it’s the loss of land that was the most devastating consequence.

Maili Land

In 2002, a company leaving Hawaii offered to donate to OHA 198 acres of Maili land. OHA waited too long to respond and the company sold the land, valued at $3,000,000, for $100,000. The ARM chairman at the time said he didn’t see the urgency of the deal and failed to take it up in his committee in a timely manner. It was unconscionable to let such a huge opportunity slip through the cracks. Unfortunately, history tends to repeat itself.

Puna Land

On August 18, 2004, Joe Wedeman offered to donate 66.4 acres of Puna land to OHA. The gift was a tremendous opportunity and could be an educational and cultural resource for students.

I immediately asked the ARM chairman to bring it to the committee for a vote and reminded him about the Maili debacle. On September 1, 2004, he asked the administrator to do a study first. Then, on September 29, 2004, they asked for three more weeks to visit the site. When I checked on December 17, 2004, it still wasn’t done.

By the time the Administration finally presented the study to ARM on February 16, 2005, Mr. Wedeman had withdrawn his offer.

We need both the LAP & ARM committees

The Trustees seem to have forgotten all of the problems above that led to the creation of the LAP Committee. Shouldn’t everyone be asking why leadership wants to combine it with ARM? They are putting power again in the hands of a few Trustees and the Administrator. Aloha Ke Akua.

Governor should consider transferring Mauna Kea Lands to OHA

`Ano`ai kakou… As many readers know, Mauna Kea is a ceded land asset belonging to both Native Hawaiians and the general public. OHA Trustees are also mandated by state law to advocate for all Native Hawaiian and to protect and preserve sacred sites.

On May 26, 2015, Governor David Ige announced that he had asked UH, which subleases the summit area from the state, to make ten changes to improve its stewardship of Mauna Kea. One of the ten changes included UH voluntarily returning to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) full jurisdiction of more than 10,000 acres that are not specifically needed for astronomy.

I commended Governor Ige for his commitment to make Mauna Kea whole again. Transferring such a large portion of Mauna Kea out if UH’s hands is a wonderful idea and provides Native Hawaiians with a positive first step in revising the way Mauna Kea is safe-guarded.

However, I have recently heard through unconfirmed reports that DLNR has been resistant to taking control over the Mauna Kea lands because they lack the resources to properly manage it.

If it is true that DLNR is unable to take responsibility over the lands, I would like to suggest that the state encourage UH to turn over the lands to OHA. It would make perfect sense since all 11,300 acres of land within the Mauna Kea Science Reserve are public land trust lands classified under section 5(b) of the Admissions Act. The revenues from public trust lands must be dedicated to specific purposes including the betterment of Native Hawaiians.

OHA’s administration has built up its capacity to manage both commercial and preservations lands by establishing an in-house land department and a land committee at the board level.

I believe that transferring responsibility over Mauna Kea lands to OHA would produce the best “win-win” situation for the State, the University of Hawaii and all of OHA’s Native Hawaiian beneficiaries. What better solution could there be than to put Hawaiian lands in Hawaiian hands?

ON ANOTHER NOTE…

On April 1, 2015, the Board of Trustees rescinded its support of Mauna Kea as the site of the TMT. As a result OHA has no position as to whether or not the TMT should be located on the mountain.

Nonetheless, on July 10, 2015, OHA opposed DLNR’s proposals to use emergency rulemaking procedures to ban outdoor gear and nighttime presence in an 18,000 acre corridor leading to the summit of Mauna Kea. OHA testified that there were a number of technical, statutory, cultural, environmental, public safety, and constitutional concerns, as well as the potential for unintended natural, cultural, and public safety concerns.

Despite OHA’s strong opposition, the BLNR passed the following rules: (1) A rule change that will allow for the BLNR Chairperson to close public hunting areas for up to 30 days; and (2) A rule closing the Mauna Kea Observatory Access Road, including one mile on either side, from 10:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m. Aloha Ke Akua.

Moving a Mountain: The Real Problem

`Ano`ai kakou… For the past several months, there has been a tremendous focus on Mauna Kea. OHA, as a Hawaiian agency created to better the conditions of Native Hawaiians, is tasked with administering ceded land revenues to address this mandate.

Because of this responsibility, OHA is frequently asked by the state agencies such as the University of Hawaii (UH), nonprofits, and even private entities to comment, help, or, in some cases, take legal action on issues important to Native Hawaiians.

Hawaiians are not against science

Today, Mauna Kea is an issue that has gone global with Hollywood celebrities joining the protest to stop the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) at the summit. The Star Advertiser says OHA lacks leadership because we are not telling Hawaiians to stand down because the state needs revenue and everyone benefits from science. They also feel we need to stand by our previous decision. The newspaper needs to do their homework before making blanket statements.

Six years ago, the majority of the Board of Trustees accepted Mauna Kea as the sight for the TMT. OHA also weighed in on a contested case hearing asking UH and the Mauna Kea Management planners to force them to do an Environmental Impact Statement and ensure they do what was necessary to culturally protect the site for future generations.

OHA lost the lawsuit and, when approached again last year, the Board took no action for many reasons. The most critical being we no longer had standing to sue since we lost the first case and two Native Hawaiian workers on the Big Island testified that they needed the jobs the telescope construction would provide.

The real problem

The bigger issue here is UH and the state legislature. The state has been a poor trustee of our ceded lands. They are leasing our lands for only a $1 per year and it allows UH to sublease the lands for millions, perhaps billions of dollars. Why isn’t UH making the builders of the telescope give something back to our community for the desecration of our sacred mountain? Why isn’t UH requiring the builders to clean-up their mess and take down their telescopes that aren’t operational?

Where is all of this money going? Is it really going to science? Has the state ever conducted an audit of the University to verify where all of the millions generated on Mauna Kea each year are truly going? UH is frequently complaining they are broke. Where is the accountability? Revenues generated on Mauna Kea are both Hawaiian and taxpayer monies and yet who really knows how the dollars are being spent?

The state and the legislature needs to revisit the autonomy that they have given to the UH and pull back that power. UH should not have the power, in the name of science, to do anything they want with our aina.

Hawaiians are concerned about access to worship afforded to them by the PASH Law.

UH does not own the mountain and the state should make them return it to the people of Hawaii in the same pristine condition it was in when they took it from us.

A strong voice in support of Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs

`Ano`ai kakou… Thanks to my close working relationship with the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), OHA was able to partner with them for a second year in the ITB Berlin Travel Trade Show from March 2-9, 2015. Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs were once again represented in this prestigious event.

The ITB Berlin Travel Trade Show provides a tremendous opportunity for our Native Hawaiian beneficiaries to develop their self-sufficiency by giving them greater control over the marketing of their history and culture internationally and by bringing about a stronger, more authentic Native Hawaiian identity in the minds of travelers around the world.

I have served on the AIANTA board of directors for over two years. AIANTA is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit association formed in 1999 to help federally recognized tribes market their unique stories to visitors and to facilitate the ease to which travelers can explore Indian Country. The association is made up of member tribes from the following regions: Eastern, Plains, Midwest, Southwest, and Alaska. The Pacific region is now being represented thanks to my participation.

Each March, AIANTA sponsors an expansive Native American Indian booth located within the United States Pavilion at ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show with more than 170,000 visitors, including 110,000 trade visitors and over 10,086 exhibitors from 180 countries. The Pavilion attracts large crowds of participants and hundreds of international travel agents.

The success of our experience in 2014 encouraged another Hawaiian organization to participate with us in this year’s ITB Berlin Travel Trade Show.

Pohai Ryan, Executive Director of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association (NAHHA), accompanied us to ITB Berlin this year. NAHHA had never participated before but after recently joining AIANTA, they have learned the value of promoting our indigenous cultures collectively to the European market. It is NAHHA’s goal to promote guided Huaka`i conducted by Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs, to promote the programs of NAHHA and advocate for a greater Hawaiian cultural presence in our state’s tourism industry. As part of their participation with AIANTA, NAHHA has worked to arrange private meetings with wholesalers who have been carefully vetted to meet with them, matching the profile they have specified.

Also as a result of my involvement last year, five Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs from Kauai decided to participate in this year’s ITB Travel Trade Show. Hopefully, next year we will be able to have even more Hawaiian businesses participating.

I look forward to working with NAHHA on other projects to ensure that only authentic and quality representations of Hawaiian culture are portrayed in the hospitality industry. We will also look for more opportunities to provide a strong voice in support of Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs.

Many positive things happening at OHA

`Ano`ai kakou… As we start the New Year off, I feel it is important to highlight all of the positive things that have been happening at OHA.

A POSITIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT

OHA Chairman Robert Lindsey is working hard to make sure that everyone at OHA has a voice and that their concerns are heard.

Chair Lindsey has supported me every step of the way as I take over as the new Chairperson of the Asset & Resource Management (ARM) Committee. It is refreshing to finally work with a Chair that doesn’t let his personal feelings get in the way of doing what is right for OHA and its beneficiaries.

GRANTS

In March, Trustees will review grant applications that will make $8.9 million in OHA grant funds available to community-based nonprofits that can help address key priorities for bettering the conditions of Native Hawaiians. Trustees will need to approve between 30 and 35 grants for a two-year period between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2017.

LEGISLATURE

OHA will request $7.4 million in state funds during the upcoming 2015 Hawai‘i legislative session. If approved, the biggest impact will be felt in social services, where an estimated 7,250 Native Hawaiians are targeted to receive the support they need to help prevent debilitating debt, unemployment, and homelessness.

CHARTER SCHOOLS

In 2014, Trustees awarded 17 Hawaiian-focused charter schools a $1.5 million grant for the 2013-2014 school year. The grant is helping Native Hawaiian charter schools keep pace with growing enrollment, which had increased to 4,224 from 4,033 the year before.

SCHOLARSHIPS

In 2014, Trustees approved a combined total of $870,000 in scholarship money to help Native Hawaiian students pay for college in a time of rising tuition costs. The average awarded to 354 Native Hawaiian students last year was $2,458. The total amount of college scholarships that OHA has given out over the past five years totals to about $3.5 million.

FACILITATING NATION BUILDING

Trustees are committed this year to facilitate the next steps in a process that empowers Native Hawaiians to participate in building a governing entity. The effort has drawn broad-based support from Hawaiian leaders who are prepared to help shape the process and outcome, with OHA serving as a facilitator and supporter.

REVENUE FROM RENTALS

More than a year after the BOT approved the acquisition of OHA’s headquarters on Nimitz, the building has finally achieved a 90 percent occupancy rate. By comparison, the occupancy rate was only 65 percent in November 2013 when we moved in.

Mahalo nui to all

December 2014 Ka Wai Ola Column

`Ano`ai kakou… Let me begin by expressing my warmest Mahalo to all those who supported me in the General Election. Your kokua has allowed me to return to OHA to serve you for another four-year term. A very special Mahalo nui to Ke Akua for his divine guidance and love that he has bestowed upon me and my family.

I would like to offer my warmest Aloha to Trustee Oswald Stender who is retiring from OHA after 14-years of service to our beneficiaries. I would also like to congratulate newly elected OHA Trustee Lei Ahu Isa and welcome her to the Board of Trustees. I look forward to working with her to fulfill OHA’s mission to better the conditions of Native Hawaiians.

Campaigning can be a grueling process, but now the real work shall begin. The time has come for all us to come together in spirit and put some meaningful effort into re-establishing the political relationship between Native Hawaiians and the Federal government to re-organize our Native Hawaiian Governing Entity. Once done, we will be able to protect all of our Hawaiian trust assets from the constant threat of lawsuits. This is why I have always supported state and federal recognition.

As I traveled around the state, I spoke to many people who were confused about the process towards nationhood. I can only conclude that OHA has not done enough to educate the public. This situation has to change. Trustees are going to have to speak up about the many positive results that Hawaiian Nationhood would bring for both Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians. I assure all of you that, after listening to your mana’o, I will do everything that is humanly possible to address your concerns.

What is also needed is your participation. You must challenge EACH Trustee to be accountable to you. It is unfortunate that you cannot assume that Trustees will do this on their own. Like any organization, from time to time, especially when one faction has been in power for too long like it has been at OHA, “the people” need to become actively involved. Otherwise we will risk having to deal with complacency and the abuse of power.

What we face today as Hawaiians is no different than what has occurred over the past 100 years. We are still fighting off assaults on our culture, the deterioration of our rights to our lands, and attacks from racist organizations.

Let us begin to work together for the cause of recognition. Let us begin to agree on the things that we can agree to and set aside the things we differ on and move forward together for the future generations of Hawaiians yet to come.

As we close out the year of 2014, I would like to wish each of you a very safe and happy holiday season, and may the Lord in his grace bless each of you and your families and take you safely into 2015. Have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Aloha pumehana.

An untapped market for authentic Hawaiian travel experiences

`Ano`ai kakou… I would like to thank the Trustees who voted to support OHA’s partnership with the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) to participate in the 2014 ITB Berlin Travel Trade Show.

Each March, AIANTA travels to ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show with more than 170,000 visitors, including 110,000 trade visitors and over 10,086 exhibitors from 180 countries. The event attracts hundreds of international travel agents. For the first time, Native Hawaiians were represented at this very prestigious event.

The purpose for this trip was to give an opportunity to our Native Hawaiian businesses, which have not been able to reach international travel markets, to promote their businesses. After distributing hundreds of Native Hawaiian business brochures from all of the islands to international travel agents, I am positive that we made a significant impact. The European market was very receptive.

For many, many years, Hawaiians have wanted to see our local tourism industry focus on authentic Native Hawaiian experiences, but this has not occurred. I believe that OHA can assist our Native Hawaiian businesses by helping them reach international markets that they previously could not afford to reach on their own. Travelling to ITB Berlin allows OHA to further develop a potentially lucrative market for our people and improve their economic self-sufficiency.

If we don’t tell our story, who will?

After speaking first hand with ITB Berlin attendees, I discovered an untapped market of wealthy European travelers eager for authentic cultural and historical travel experiences. These travelers were hungry for experiences that someone on a tour would never be able to experience. These travelers want to stay at a location far longer than the average stay. They want to stay for weeks and immerse themselves in a new culture so that they can make their long distance travel more worthwhile. OHA is in a perfect position to use its expertise in Native Hawaiian culture and history to develop strategies to assist our beneficiaries to tap this potentially lucrative international niche market.

I also made personal connections with nearly 50 travel agents and forwarded their contact information to the appropriate staff members within OHA, including Waimea Valley, which OHA manages through the Hi’ipaka LLC.

I believe OHA can increase its presence at next year’s ITB Berlin Trade Show by sponsoring our own booth within the Native American and Alaska Natives’ section. By focusing on our unique culture and history, we can bring about a stronger, more authentic Native Hawaiian identity in the minds of travelers around the world.

I heard over and over again from everyone I spoke to at the trade show that they did not want to travel like a tourist in “Waikiki” watching “dancing hula girls.” They wanted to see authentic Native cultural and historical sites and have a unique Native Hawaiian experience. They pointed out the harsh truth that if they wanted to experience warm, tropical weather, they could just go to Mexico or Florida.

Finally, I would like to thank the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) for inviting OHA to participate in the ITB Berlin Travel Trade Show.

UH needs to pay their fair share

`Ano`ai kakou… Here are two important issues affecting Native Hawaiians that require special attention:

MAUNA KEA

The 11,300 acres of land within the Mauna Kea Science Reserve are public land trust lands classified under section 5(b) of the Admissions Act. The revenues from public trust lands must be dedicated to specific purposes including the betterment of Native Hawaiians.

House Bill 1689 requires the University of Hawai’i to use the fair market value for the lease of lands when calculating the amount of funds that it must transfer to the public land trust fund.

OHA receives a portion of revenues generated from the use of these public land trust lands. HB 1689 will ensure that OHA and its beneficiaries receive adequate compensation for any future subleases.

Mauna Kea lands have long been mismanaged by UH. Sacred cultural lands have been industrially developed without any payment or clear benefit to Native Hawaiians.

At the same time, UH has been receiving a substantial benefit from its lessees in the form of telescope time, which has been valued in some cases at more than $100,000 a night. This benefit has mostly gone only to the astronomy program at UH; since none of this value is seen as sub-lessee rent. OHA beneficiaries and the State Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) have not received a fair share of this substantial revenue.

To avoid possible fiscal impacts to the University of Hawai’i’s educational mission, any proposed general lease for Mauna Kea lands should require UH to charge more appropriate rent for the sublease or use of such lands. This would ensure that OHA beneficiaries and the State receive appropriate compensation for the use of these public land trust lands, and ensures that UH also receives adequate revenues to support its broader educational mission.

It should also be noted that the requirement for UH to conduct a financial review of all public land trust revenue will help to identify gaps in revenue from public land trust lands, as well as clarify what revenues may be generated from specific lands, such as Mauna Kea.

In the meantime, OHA should also propose a financial audit of all revenues UH derives from its use of public trust lands. This will allow OHA to ensure more appropriate level of benefits flow to public trust beneficiaries for the use of our sacred mountain. Finally, UH’s authority to manage public trust lands must be reevaluated because of its continual abuse and mismanagement of our precious lands.

NIIHAU KONOHIKI

Senate Bill 180 SD2 proposes to give one individual resident on Niihau the exclusive konohiki rights to regulate fishing around Niihau. The konohiki will be appointed by the Chairperson of BLNR, in consultation with the private owner of Niihau.

While I understand the arguments in support of this proposal, I believe that we must be very careful about setting a precedence of having only one person making all of the fishing rules for an entire island. Especially if that person may have vested interests to protect and could abuse their power as Konohiki to lock out any competition.

Tourism through a Native perspective

`Ano`ai kakou… On February 6, 2014, the Board of Trustees voted to support OHA’s partnership with the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) to participate in the 2014 ITB Berlin Travel Trade Show.

This action is part of an effort to provide Native Hawaiian beneficiaries with greater self-sufficiency by giving them greater control over marketing their history and culture internationally and bring about a stronger, more authentic Native Hawaiian identity in the minds of travelers around the world.

The knowledge brought back from ITB Berlin will also assist our beneficiaries to develop authentic Hawaiian cultural travel experiences to market in the future.

Partnering with AIANTA

I have served on the AIANTA board of directors since February 12, 2013. AIANTA is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit association formed in 1999 to help federally recognized tribes market their unique stories to visitors and to facilitate the ease to which travelers can explore Indian Country. The association is made up of member tribes from the following regions: Eastern, Plains, Midwest, Southwest, and Alaska. With my participation, the Pacific region can now be represented.

AIANTA Invitation to ITB Berlin: March 5-9, 2014 in Berlin, Germany

Thanks to my close working relationship with AIANTA, OHA has been invited to share a portion of AIANTA’s booth space in their Pavilion at ITB Berlin. Until now, Native Hawaiians were the only Native people in America not participating in this prestigious event.

Future AIANTA Partnership Opportunities

AIANTA President Sherry Rupert, who also serves as the Executive Director of the State of Nevada Indian Commission, was appointed this past June to the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. Rupert’s appointment helps to further strengthen AIANTA’s working relationship with the U.S. Commerce Department. Rupert is also a Benton Paiute tribal member.

The Obama administration, through agencies such as the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the National Park Service, is working to promote Native American culture and arts and to demonstrate the contributions they have made to United States.

AIANTA recently worked with the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service (NPS) to develop a historical book on the 20,000 American Indians who fought in the Civil War. A similar historical project could be put together for Hawaii’s National Parks.

The advantages of developing partnerships with these federal agencies are enormous. Hawaii has National Parks that need more federal funding. Being able tell our story through our National Parks, like other Native peoples throughout the United States have done, is only one of the many potential advantages of participating in ITB Berlin with AIANTA.

Both the National Park Service and the Department of Interior have significant funding set aside for the promotion of Native American projects. Why should Native Hawaiians be left out?

Closing out 2013 and welcoming in 2014

`Ano`ai kakou… Happy Year of the Horse! The following are some of the issues that I will be focusing on in 2014.

Kaka’ako Makai

During the 2012 legislative session, Senate Bill 682 proposed to add value to two parcels of our lands in Kaka’ako Makai by giving OHA the right to develop residential structures on them. This would have added significant value to our properties and provided much needed revenue for our Nation. While the bill had the support of key senators, it failed to pass. OHA now needs lay down the groundwork to pass a similar bill in the upcoming legislative session while also working towards a Master Plan for our Kakaako Makai properties.

Kewalo Basin

A continuing concern are the proposed “finger piers” that will front our property at Kewalo Basin. The finger piers are threatening to seriously reduce the value of our land and take away OHA’s right to develop our own piers. However, the HCDA continues to refuse any proposals to change their plan or to make concessions.

OHA must continue to object to the current finger piers design. If HCDA goes forward with signing any lease, OHA should consider suing. Given the major contests coming up in the 2014 elections, perhaps there are other reasons for HCDA’s reluctance to work with OHA. Developers have contributed large sums of cash to gain the support of key candidates who can help them with their development plans. We should all take this into consideration before we cast our votes.

OHA Audit

Also in 2013, the State Auditor came out with her OHA Audit (to see a copy visit: http://files.hawaii.gov/auditor/Reports/2013/13-07.pdf) that harshly criticized the trustees’ vote to authorize the purchase of the Gentry building. The action also had serious consequences for OHA’s ability to invest in community projects and has opened us to criticism by the state legislature.

In my opinion, OHA could have avoided much of the criticism if we had received better legal counsel from attorneys who have worked with OHA for a long time. I believe it is time for Trustees to seriously evaluate the quality of their advice.

Looking to the Future in 2014 with International Outreach

Last year, I joined the Board of Directors of the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), which provides Native Hawaiians a great opportunity to network with American Indians and Alaska Natives and to develop programs that will help sustain and strengthen our cultural legacy.

In March 2014, AIANTA will sponsor a pavilion at the Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB) Berlin — the world’s leading travel and trade fair — in Germany. ITB provides Native and Tribal tourism departments the opportunity to showcase their cultural programs and tour packages to the multi-billion dollar European tourism market.

I am optimistic about presenting tourism from a Hawaiian perspective. Native Americans and Alaska Natives are successfully doing this and providing economic development for their tribes and also contributing to their states’ tourism dollars. ITB Berlin will give our beneficiaries the opportunity to make valuable contacts with international travel organizations, media and tour operators.

Happy New Year!

I look forward to 2014 and am optimistic about OHA’s future. I wish all of you the very best Holiday Season filled with joy and good health. May God’s Blessings be upon each of you and your families. See you next year!