[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 22 (Thursday, February 2, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E87-E88]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF DR. NOA EMMETT AUWAE ALULI

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JILL N. TOKUDA

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 2, 2023

  Ms. TOKUDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and 
legacy of Dr. Noa Emmett Auwae Aluli, a pillar in the Native Hawaiian 
community who sadly passed away on November 30, 2022, at the age of 78.
  Dr. Aluli was a Native Hawaiian physician, activist, and mentor to so 
many on Molokai and across Hawaii. He spent his life working to improve 
the health and well-being of Native Hawaiians and advocating for the 
protection of their lands, rights, and resources.
  Born on the island of Oahu in 1944, Dr. Aluli grew up in Kailua and 
graduated from St. Louis High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science 
degree from Marquette University in Wisconsin in 1966 and was one of 5 
Native Hawaiians who were part of the first graduating class from the 
University of Hawaii's School of Medicine in 1975. Following a one-year 
family health residency on Molokai, he began a 46-year career in 
private practice at the Molokai Family Health Center and Clinic. Dr. 
Aluli dedicated his life to serving his patients on Molokai, even in 
the final days before his passing.
  As part of his legacy, Dr. Aluli is best known for pioneering a 
Native Hawaiian approach to health care in rural Hawaiian communities. 
Dr. Aluli championed food as medicine and elevating traditional 
practices. To address many of the chronic health conditions prevalent 
in Native Hawaiian communities, Dr. Aluli worked

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with kupuna to conduct the first Native Hawaiian heart study to learn 
more about the impact of a traditional Hawaiian foods diet in 
effectively reducing risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, and 
obesity. The study, which engaged more than 300 Molokai Hawaiian 
homesteaders, found significant improvements in participants' health 
and laid the groundwork for indigenous health data sovereignty in 
Hawaii--community-based participatory research directed by and for 
Native Hawaiians.
  Following the study, Dr. Aluli co-founded Na Pu`uwai, the Native 
Hawaiian Health Care System that serves Molokai and Lanai. He also 
created the Native Hawaiian Physicians Association to create a 
professional support network of Native Hawaiian healthcare providers. 
Dr. Aluli's passion for health care also led him to help draft federal 
legislation: the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act, which 
established the Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems and Papa Ola Lokahi 
to promote health and disease interventions to improve the health 
status of Native Hawaiians. His actions continue to influence federal 
legislative priorities and policies to advance Native Hawaiian health 
care.
  Dr. Aluli also worked to protect the lands, rights, and resources of 
Native Hawaiians. Most notably, Dr. Aluli was part of the ``Kahoolawe 
Nine,'' the first group of people who stood up against the U.S. Navy's 
bombing of Kahoolawe in 1976, occupying the island for 2 days in 
protest. During that time, Dr. Aluli surveyed the damage caused by the 
military explosives including bomb craters and unexploded devices. It 
was not until 1990 after court action and a series of other occupations 
that the U.S. ceased bombing on Kahoolawe and in 2003, the island was 
returned to the State of Hawaii. Dr. Aluli played a pivotal role in 
getting the Navy to stop bombing the island and supported key efforts 
to rehabilitate Kahoolawe.
  According to the Aluli `Ohana, Dr. Aluli once said, ``We commit for 
generations, not just for careers. We set things up now so that they'll 
be carried on. We look ahead together so that many of us share the same 
vision and dream. To our next generations we say, Go with the spirit. 
Take the challenge. Learn something. Give back.''
  Dr. Aluli's impact goes well beyond his service as a Native Hawaiian 
physician. He inspired generations of Native Hawaiian medical 
professionals, practitioners, activists, and leaders. Dr. Aluli's 
passing leaves behind a significant a in accessing health care on 
Molokai and in Native Hawaiian health care more broadly. As the U.S. 
Representative for Hawaii's, Second Congressional District, which 
encompasses Hawaii's 8 major islands including Molokai, I am committed 
to continuing his legacy to improve health care access for rural 
communities, address health disparities, and strengthen pathways to 
health professions.
  Today, I ask that my colleagues join me in celebrating the life and 
honoring the legacy of a visionary, Dr. Noa Emmett Auwae Aluli.

                          ____________________