| Revision as of 03:27, 25 July 2004 editGilgamesh~enwiki (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers42,698 edits ‘Okina'ed the page (except "Hawaii" for post-overthrow interpolitical entity name)← Previous edit | Revision as of 13:55, 16 August 2004 edit undoZora (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers17,728 edits Replaced call for Hawaiian sovereignty with data on actual movementsNext edit → | ||
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| The '''Hawaiian sovereignty movement''' refers to an active ] for the reinstitution of an ] ] of ] separate from the ] — with a preference for the revival of the ] ] in ]. An impassioned movement, the campaign has resulted in anger from anti-indigenous sovereignty advocates in America. | |||
| The '''Hawaiian sovereignty movement''' is somewhat of a misnomer, in that there is no unified movement. There is a common concern, on the part of many ], to revive the ] and culture, to redress a hundred years of perceived injustice, and to unite Native Hawaiians in a self-governing entity. There is no consensus on how these aims are best achieved. | |||
| ==Wilcox Rebellions== | |||
| The first organized factions of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement were established even before the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy. In ], a group of ] government ministers led by ] with the support of an armed ] forced ] at gunpoint to promulgate what is now called the ]. The ] stripped ] of their voting rights while at the same time empowered Americans and other ] foreigners to make decisions for the island nation. The king's own powers were limited substantially. A native Hawaiian officer and veteran of the ] ], ], organized a ] in ] to revive the powers of the king over administration. The rebellion was thwarted by ] ] owners and Wilcox was tried for ]. | |||
| A number of organizations claim to represent Hawaiian interests. | |||
| Acquitted from any wrongdoing, Wilcox organized a second rebellion in ] in attempt to forcibly unseat the Americans that had appointed themselves to the Privy Council — the royal ]. Again, Wilcox was unsuccessful and tried for treason. Acquitted a second time, Wilcox organized a third rebellion in ] in protest of the unfair trial of ] at the hands of the American ]. Wilcox planned to attack government buildings in ] at night. Armaments were landed on the beaches of ]. The armaments were found and Wilcox was tried for treason once more. This time Wilcox was found guilt and sentenced to death. However, ] pardoned Wilcox. | |||
| ==Home Rule Party== | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| As soon as the United States annexed the Hawaiian Islands and established the ], native Hawaiians became worried that both the ] and ] were incapable of truly understanding and fully accepting of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement. In ], native Hawaiians and their supporters created the Home Rule Party under the maxims "Hawai‘i for Hawaiians" and "Hawaiians for Hawaiians." Several members of the ] and ] became involved in the party. In the first election, the Home Rule Party succeeded in becoming the majority party in the ] and ]. They even sent Robert William Wilcox to represent the territory in the ]. | |||
| ===OHA=== | |||
| A newly elected delegate from Hawaii, Wilcox proved to be key in the overall agenda of the Home Rule Party. He became the direct link between the Congress that supported the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and the members of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement. On the floor of the ], Wilcox challenged his colleagues for the rights of the native Hawaiian people whom he feared Congress would neglect. His impassioned pleas and vigor in debate earned him headlines throughout ] ]s. Though successful in securing some rights, Wilcox failed to advance his agenda for native Hawaiian self-determination. | |||
| The oldest, and best funded, is OHA, the ]. OHA was set up in 1978 by the ]. OHA was to represent the interests of Native Hawaiians in the administration of the ] and the ] -- land formerly belonging to the Hawaiian government and crown that were ceded to the United States as public lands when the islands were annexed in 1898. When the Territory of Hawaii became a state in 1959, these lands were passed to the new state. The act transferring them ordered that they be administered for five public purposes: | |||
| The Home Rule Party proved to be an ineffective arm of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement in the ]. During the period that they controlled both chambers of the legislature, chaos ensued. They refused to speak ] and debated vehemently in the ]. They attempted to pass bills granting blanket amnesties to native Hawaiian ]s, tried to grant ] ]s to ] and tried to lower the USD $3 tax on female dogs — a delicacy for some. Eventually, members of the royal family left the Home Rule Party to become Republicans. The Home Rule Party was disbanded after the elections of ]. | |||
| 1. The support of public education | |||
| ==Modern Movement== | |||
| 2. The betterment of the conditions of native Hawaiians as defined in the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920 | |||
| The modern Hawaiian sovereignty movement is rooted in the debates of the watershed ]. Delegates to the convention agreed on the implementation of progressive measures to preserve Hawaiian culture and history, right the wrongs done against native Hawaiians since the arrival of ] ] and create a framework for the eventual return of sovereignty should it be granted by the federal government. Most important to the Hawaiian sovereignty movement in the convention was the establishment of the ]. The semi-autonomous department of the state government was charged with the administration of 1.8 million acres (7,300 km²) of royal land held in trust for the benefit of native Hawaiians. For the first time, native Hawaiians had a right to make their own decisions as to investment of ceded land and the collection of revenues generated to fund programs for the people. | |||
| 3. The development of farm and home ownership | |||
| 4. The making of public improvements | |||
| 5. The provision of lands for public use | |||
| The second purpose had been largely ignored; OHA was to correct this. OHA trustees were to be elected by Native Hawaiians. (A recent court ruling has opened the vote to all Hawaiian citizens). | |||
| ==Apology Resolution== | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| The first official recognition of the wrongdoing of American involvement in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy came with the ], ] signing of United States Public Law 103-150 by ] ]. Also called the ], the law apologized for having used military force and having supported the actions of the ] against the peaceful reigning government of Queen Lili‘uokalani. ] ] ] remarked, "The logical consequences of this resolution would be independence." Along with events memorializing the centennial anniversary of the overthrow, the passage of the law revitalized the Hawaiian sovereignty movement with an infusion of a new generation of activists. | |||
| Few Native Hawaiians now believe that OHA has represented them successfully. Many think that the OHA trustees have been too pliant, too willing to please the state government. Trustees have also been prone to factional strife. | |||
| ==Objections== | |||
| Like most independence campaigns throughout the world, the Hawaiian sovereignty movement does not lack its share of objections from various factions. An array of arguments have come from anti-indigenous sovereignty groups that have organized within Hawaii, as well as arguments of public opinion from the rest of the United States. One argument often made is that advocates of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement are racists, intent on taking over the Hawaiian Islands and establishing a native Hawaiian supremacist government intent on subjugating non-Hawaiian residents as second class citizens. Mainland United States citizens identify the crucial need for Hawaii for its strategic military importance and that without it, the United States would be vulnerable to attack from the west. Others argue that an independent Hawaiian state would not be able to survive without the economic support that American statehood brings. Some contend that Queen Lili‘uokalani willfully abdicated her throne and therefore the overthrow did not happen. | |||
| Disappointed, many Native Hawaiians turned to other organizations. | |||
| ===Ka Lahui=== | |||
| ] was formed in 1987 as a grassroots initiative for Hawaiian sovereignty. The Trask sisters, ] and ], were prominent in the effort. Native Hawaiians were to sign up as citizens of Ka Lahui. Once they were united, they would be able to bargain with the United States government for recognition, land, and restitution. They took as their model the Indian reservations of the U.S. mainland, which have increasingly become self-governing. Many thousands of Native Hawaiians signed up as members. However, few of them actually participated in the affairs of Ka Lahui after signing their name. Ka Lahui seems to have succeeded to the extent that the Hawaii congressional delegation is supporting a bill by Senator Akaka that recognizes Native Hawaiians as a ''first nation'' on a par with Native Americans and Alaskan tribes. Ka Lahui, however, regards the bill as illegitimate and oppposes it. The bill seems unlikely to pass in any case, as it languishes at the bottom of the U.S. Congress docket. | |||
| ===Nation of Hawaiʻi=== | |||
| ] first made the news in 1993 when he and followers occupied the old lighthouse at Makapuʻu on Oʻahu. At the time, he claimed to be the legitimate heir of the Kamehamehas and the new Hawaiian king. The group abandoned their occupation when offered an inexpensive lease on state property in the adjacent community of Waimanalo. The group nearly lost its land several times, due to non-payment of rent and failure to get liability insurance, but as of 2004, it is still there, home to 70 people. | |||
| "Bumpy" made headlines again in 1995 when his group gave sanctuary to a Native Hawaiian who had refused to pay federal taxes. Kanahele was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to eight months in federal prison. | |||
| The Nation of Hawaii still claims to be the only legitimate successor to the Hawaiian monarchy. However, Kanahele has dropped his claims to the throne; the episode is no longer mentioned. | |||
| ===Hayden Burgess/Poka Laenui=== | |||
| ] also uses the Hawaiian name ]. He is a lawyer who argues that since the revolution that overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy was illegal, the current government of the state is illegal, and that residents owe it no fealty or taxes. It is not clear how many people regard him as their leader, but because he is an able and willing speaker, he is frequently seen or heard in the news. | |||
| His arguments do seem to have struck a chord with those who do not want to pay taxes or make mortgage payments. Native Hawaiians have collided with the law -- and lost -- when they refused to pay taxes or register their cars. A Hawaiian title company was counseling clients that all land transactions since the overthrow of the monarchy were invalid; clients refused to make mortgage payments and lost their property. The courts eventually shut down the title company. | |||
| ===What form of sovereignty?=== | |||
| Native Hawaiians do seem to want some form of sovereignty, but defining and achieving it remain elusive. Proposed solutions run the gamut from state-sponsored commission to "nation-within-a-nation" to militant independence. The state-sponsored commission, OHA, already exists; the "nation-within-a-nation" does not seem like an immediate possibility, but may be achieved in the future. Complete independence appears unlikely as long as fewer than 10% of Hawaiian residents identify themselves as Native Hawaiians (2000 census). | |||
| ===Non-Hawaiian responses to the sovereignty movement=== | |||
| ====Apologies==== | |||
| Few current Hawaiian residents would argue that the overthrow of the monarchy was just. The old justifications for colonialism (the incapacity of "natives", the white man's burden) no longer convince. When Native Hawaiians demand apologies, they get them. | |||
| Hawaiian governors apologize: | |||
| ⚫ | *"The recovery of Hawaiian self-determination is not only an issue for Hawai‘i, but for America. Let all of us, Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian, work toward a common goal. Let us resolve to advance a plan for Hawaiian sovereignty." '''—Governor Benjamin J. Cayetano, 1998''' | ||
| ⚫ | *"This is a historical issue, based on a relationship between an independent government and the United States of America, and what has happened since and the steps that we need to take to make things right." '''—Governor Linda Lingle, 2003''' | ||
| The U.S. government apologizes: | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| On ], ] ] ] signed an ], admitting that the U.S. was at fault in supplying military assistance to the revolutionaries who overthrew the government of Queen Liliuokalani. | |||
| Apologies are words and not deeds; it is not clear that deeds will be forthcoming. | |||
| ====Backlash==== | |||
| There has also been something of a backlash against Hawaiian assertiveness. One Big Island rancher sued to win the right to vote in OHA elections, claiming that any Hawaiian citizen should be able to vote for a state office, and that limiting the vote to Native Hawaiians was racism. In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in his favor and OHA elections are now open to all registered voters. Native Hawaiians now fear that other racial preferences may be in danger. | |||
| ==A history of resistance to U.S. rule== | |||
| The current Hawaiian sovereignty movement is not the first upwelling of Hawaiian resistence to U.S. rule or American domination. See also ] and ]. | |||
| ==Contemporary Hawaiian Activists== | |||
| ==Activists== | |||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==Quotes== | |||
| *"The recovery of Hawaiian self-determination is not only an issue for Hawai‘i, but for America. Let all of us, Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian, work toward a common goal. Let us resolve to advance a plan for Hawaiian sovereignty." '''—Governor Benjamin J. Cayetano, 1998''' | |||
| ⚫ | *"This is a historical issue, based on a relationship between an independent government and the United States of America, and what has happened since and the steps that we need to take to make things right." '''—Governor Linda Lingle, 2003''' | ||
| *"That's very critical to understanding sovereignty, to understand that Hawaiians had a nation recognized by 100-something nations in the world, we had diplomatic relations with the United States, England and other European countries and the United States committed an act of war against the Hawaiian government. Sovereignty today really begins from that historical injury." '''—Haunani-Kay Trask, 2004''' | |||
| ==Resources== | ==Resources== | ||
Revision as of 13:55, 16 August 2004
The Hawaiian sovereignty movement is somewhat of a misnomer, in that there is no unified movement. There is a common concern, on the part of many Native Hawaiians, to revive the Hawaiian language and culture, to redress a hundred years of perceived injustice, and to unite Native Hawaiians in a self-governing entity. There is no consensus on how these aims are best achieved.
A number of organizations claim to represent Hawaiian interests.
OHA
The oldest, and best funded, is OHA, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. OHA was set up in 1978 by the State of Hawaii Constitutional Convention. OHA was to represent the interests of Native Hawaiians in the administration of the Hawaiian Homelands and the Ceded Lands -- land formerly belonging to the Hawaiian government and crown that were ceded to the United States as public lands when the islands were annexed in 1898. When the Territory of Hawaii became a state in 1959, these lands were passed to the new state. The act transferring them ordered that they be administered for five public purposes:
1. The support of public education 2. The betterment of the conditions of native Hawaiians as defined in the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920 3. The development of farm and home ownership 4. The making of public improvements 5. The provision of lands for public use
The second purpose had been largely ignored; OHA was to correct this. OHA trustees were to be elected by Native Hawaiians. (A recent court ruling has opened the vote to all Hawaiian citizens).
Few Native Hawaiians now believe that OHA has represented them successfully. Many think that the OHA trustees have been too pliant, too willing to please the state government. Trustees have also been prone to factional strife.
Disappointed, many Native Hawaiians turned to other organizations.
Ka Lahui
Ka Lahui Hawaiʻi was formed in 1987 as a grassroots initiative for Hawaiian sovereignty. The Trask sisters, Mililani Trask and Haunani-Kay Trask, were prominent in the effort. Native Hawaiians were to sign up as citizens of Ka Lahui. Once they were united, they would be able to bargain with the United States government for recognition, land, and restitution. They took as their model the Indian reservations of the U.S. mainland, which have increasingly become self-governing. Many thousands of Native Hawaiians signed up as members. However, few of them actually participated in the affairs of Ka Lahui after signing their name. Ka Lahui seems to have succeeded to the extent that the Hawaii congressional delegation is supporting a bill by Senator Akaka that recognizes Native Hawaiians as a first nation on a par with Native Americans and Alaskan tribes. Ka Lahui, however, regards the bill as illegitimate and oppposes it. The bill seems unlikely to pass in any case, as it languishes at the bottom of the U.S. Congress docket.
Nation of Hawaiʻi
Dennis "Bumpy" Kanahele first made the news in 1993 when he and followers occupied the old lighthouse at Makapuʻu on Oʻahu. At the time, he claimed to be the legitimate heir of the Kamehamehas and the new Hawaiian king. The group abandoned their occupation when offered an inexpensive lease on state property in the adjacent community of Waimanalo. The group nearly lost its land several times, due to non-payment of rent and failure to get liability insurance, but as of 2004, it is still there, home to 70 people.
"Bumpy" made headlines again in 1995 when his group gave sanctuary to a Native Hawaiian who had refused to pay federal taxes. Kanahele was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to eight months in federal prison.
The Nation of Hawaii still claims to be the only legitimate successor to the Hawaiian monarchy. However, Kanahele has dropped his claims to the throne; the episode is no longer mentioned.
Hayden Burgess/Poka Laenui
Hayden Burgess also uses the Hawaiian name Poka Laenui. He is a lawyer who argues that since the revolution that overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy was illegal, the current government of the state is illegal, and that residents owe it no fealty or taxes. It is not clear how many people regard him as their leader, but because he is an able and willing speaker, he is frequently seen or heard in the news.
His arguments do seem to have struck a chord with those who do not want to pay taxes or make mortgage payments. Native Hawaiians have collided with the law -- and lost -- when they refused to pay taxes or register their cars. A Hawaiian title company was counseling clients that all land transactions since the overthrow of the monarchy were invalid; clients refused to make mortgage payments and lost their property. The courts eventually shut down the title company.
What form of sovereignty?
Native Hawaiians do seem to want some form of sovereignty, but defining and achieving it remain elusive. Proposed solutions run the gamut from state-sponsored commission to "nation-within-a-nation" to militant independence. The state-sponsored commission, OHA, already exists; the "nation-within-a-nation" does not seem like an immediate possibility, but may be achieved in the future. Complete independence appears unlikely as long as fewer than 10% of Hawaiian residents identify themselves as Native Hawaiians (2000 census).
Non-Hawaiian responses to the sovereignty movement
Apologies
Few current Hawaiian residents would argue that the overthrow of the monarchy was just. The old justifications for colonialism (the incapacity of "natives", the white man's burden) no longer convince. When Native Hawaiians demand apologies, they get them.
Hawaiian governors apologize:
- "The recovery of Hawaiian self-determination is not only an issue for Hawai‘i, but for America. Let all of us, Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian, work toward a common goal. Let us resolve to advance a plan for Hawaiian sovereignty." —Governor Benjamin J. Cayetano, 1998
- "This is a historical issue, based on a relationship between an independent government and the United States of America, and what has happened since and the steps that we need to take to make things right." —Governor Linda Lingle, 2003
The U.S. government apologizes:
On November 15, 1993 President of the United States Bill Clinton signed an Apology Resolution, admitting that the U.S. was at fault in supplying military assistance to the revolutionaries who overthrew the government of Queen Liliuokalani.
Apologies are words and not deeds; it is not clear that deeds will be forthcoming.
Backlash
There has also been something of a backlash against Hawaiian assertiveness. One Big Island rancher sued to win the right to vote in OHA elections, claiming that any Hawaiian citizen should be able to vote for a state office, and that limiting the vote to Native Hawaiians was racism. In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in his favor and OHA elections are now open to all registered voters. Native Hawaiians now fear that other racial preferences may be in danger.
A history of resistance to U.S. rule
The current Hawaiian sovereignty movement is not the first upwelling of Hawaiian resistence to U.S. rule or American domination. See also Wilcox rebellions and Home Rule Party.
Contemporary Hawaiian Activists
- S. Haunani Apoliona
- Kawaipuna Prejean
- Haunani-Kay Trask
- Mililani Trask
- Poka Laenui
- Dennis "Bumpy" Kanahele
Resources
- Core Attitudes of Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement, Kenneth R. Conklin, Ph.D.
- Office of Hawaiian Affairs
- Hawaiian Federal Recognition Bill