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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

• Hawaii
• Sovereignty movements