-Onipaa March (2018). Protest against continued use of Hawaii for military use.
If I had not been sitting in the passenger seat, the other passengers would have seen me trying to hold back my laughter. Fortunately, I put my head down in time to not reveal that the comment made by our tour guide Maggie (not her real name) was darkly funny to me and quite revealing.
Waiting in light traffic during our “Road to Hana” tour, we had already moved past our general introductions and reasons for visiting. Then at that moment perhaps in frustration or wanting to make a point, she asked if we knew why there was so many people waiting in traffic?
No one responded, so she revealed the answer.
“All of these people waiting in traffic are going to work to serve you.”
The silence and discomfort lingered for a few seconds, but it felt longer before someone said anything to move the conversation along. I looked over to Maggie who had a blank expression on her face, and I realized that the most important point of my day was to learn why she made her comment.
Instead, most of my answers came in the actions of other travelers.
Maggie is a Native Hawaiian, or rather a Kanaka Maoli, which is the proper term for someone who is Indigenous to the islands. She stands out because she is mixed Black and Indigenous .
Throughout our day, I noticed how her tribal tattoos were fetishized. One traveler revealed he was inspired to get his own tattoos while visiting. He showed them and explained that the characters sprawled across his back were cool. Maggie responded that her tattoos were of ohana (family) and the characters stretched back many generations.
One for Tourists, the Other for Locals
We traversed the landscape of East Maui while Maggie told us how many of the residents on this side of the island lived in encampments formed by multiple vehicles encircling each other to form communities.
This was a result of homesteading.
Land promised generations ago has been tied up in legal red tape for over a century, resulting in most people passing away never having received any land. Maggie noted that her case was unique because of her mixed heritage, meaning that whatever she and her children would eventually receive is less than that of a full-blooded Kanaka Maoli. When asked, “Why the delays?” Her response was government corruption made it worse due to the number of Hawaiians in politics who decide that their pockets mean more than others’ rights. Instead, the land was sold to various companies, most prominently one based in Canada, that have transformed much of the landscape into land for hotels, shipping, and new attractions.
As a visitor, this was all news to me but not entirely surprising. Hawai’i is one of the most desirable destinations in the United States. Who has not fantasized about visiting, especially throughout the pandemic of 2020–2022? Yet with all the visits, who has not read reports of locals wanting people to stay home or at the very least be respectful to the land?
“The state’s prioritization of tourists over residents has been a longstanding concern for the local people of Hawai’i. Tourism’s devastating impact on the environment—the core of Hawai’i’s culture, and also a large attraction to visitors—has only compounded this feeling” Star Advertiser, August 2021.
Articles from publications such as Beat of Hawai’i and the Star Advertiser are replete with articles about influencers crossing boundaries for the perfect selfie. Private snorkeling tours on Molokai are exceeding the maximum visitor numbers. Fights break out between locals and travelers. Most importantly, the lack of insight into the local customs is the biggest sticking point.
Despite all of the above, most of the jobs available to locals are in the tourism industry. Most people work two to three jobs to eek by. They enjoy an odd day to rest and possibly visit the beach with ohana. As a historian in the town of Lahaina revealed, “The best benefits and long-term employment are in tourism.” Some people have opted to move to the mainland, while others are more adamant about not leaving their land. Regardless of these choices, the Kanaka Maoli have become a servant class—all by design.
Foreign Policies
Confronted with an increasing class of haole (foreign) missionaries and a decreasing Indigenous population due to various diseases, by June 1839, King Kamehameha III made his first step toward a more English/American style of government by changing the Kingdom from a monarchy into a democratic framework.
Starting with the Hawaiian Declaration of Rights (1839), also known as the Hawaiian Magna Carta, Edict of Toleration (1839), and finally the Hawaiian Constitution (1840), also known as the Hawaiian Bill of Rights, these documents introduced equality between commoners (maka’ainana) and ali’I (chiefs), and defined the role of government. Together, they guaranteed that Kanaka Maoli would not lose their land, or the opportunities to establish free enterprise. They also allowed for the open celebration of faiths other than the ancient religious traditions. Finally, declaring rights and having the ability to create laws were laid out in written form as well as the formal establishment of three divisions: the King as Chief Executive, the Legislature, and the Judiciary).
Despite how the decade began, as the 1840s continued, the Kingdom of Hawai’i received multiple threats from internal and external forces that whittled away at the King.
In preparation for any possible foreign invasions, ambassadors were dispatched to lobby and create agreements with various world leaders to gain allies and recognition.
Their efforts gained the recognition of independence from the United States and the support of President John Tyler (1842) who extended the foreign policy of military support in case of European intervention (Monroe Doctrine 1823) to include the Pacific (Tyler Doctrine). The following year (1843), Great Britain and France also recognized the Kingdom of Hawai’i as an independent nation:
“Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and His Majesty the King of the French, taking into consideration the existence in the Sandwich Islands of a government capable of providing for the regularity of its relations with foreign nations, have thought it right to engage, reciprocally, to consider the Sandwich Islands as an Independent State, and never to take possession, neither directly or under the title of Protectorate, or under any other form, of any part of the territory of which they are composted.”
Following these events, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Italy, Samoa, Japan, and others entered into agreements with the Kingdom.
Despite efforts in 1843, the Kingdom dealt with the five-month-long occupation of Honolulu.
Known as the Paulet Affair, the event was the result of claims made by the British Consul to Hawai’i (Richard Charlton) that British nationals were denied rights to the land. In response, Captain Lord George Paulet arrived on Oahu to discuss matters.
Unfortunately, due to timing, the King was unavailable as he was on another island. Waiting turned into frustration, which became occupation, complete with the burning of Hawaiian flags and raising of the Union Jack.
In response, the British Navy (HMS) were brought in to mediate and end matters related to the sovereignty of the nation (Restoration Day).
In 1848, to clarify and distinguish to whom the lands belonged to, the Great Mahele (division of lands) was established to guarantee land ownership under three categories. :
• 1.0 million acres going to the King and his family.
• 1.5 million acres designated for the King’s rulers (ali’i) and managers (konohhiki).
• 1.5 million acres designated as government lands.
This was amended by Kuleana Act of 1850, which allowed commoners to petition for title to land that they lived on and cultivated (homesteading).
The strengthened government continued its efforts to improve laws to protect the citizens (Organic Acts 1845–1846). Their next test in foreign policy came in the form of a French Invasion (Sacking of Honolulu or Tromelin Affair 1849).
The Annexation of Hawai’i
By the late 1870s, the grandchildren of the original missionaries had increased in number, influence, and strength, and they put their interest in the sugar industry due to the rise in sugar prices, as a consequence of the American Civil War. Their actions culminated in the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 allowing free trade with the United States in exchange for preferential treatment in economic affairs over other nations The treaty was later renewed in 1887 to allow a U.S. naval presence at Pearl Harbor.
As demand rose for sugar rose so did the need for labor to supplement and later replace the existing workforce (1885–1900) This led to the importation of migrant Japanese laborers to work the then 34 sugar plantations throughout the islands.
During this period, King (David) Kalakaua, also known as the Merry Monarch, became the last, most extravagant, and controversial King of the Hawaiian Kingdom. During his brief reign, corruption, foreign influence, and finally violence plagued his Kingdom. Hawaiians supported the Reciprocity Treaty and wish to go back to the old ways prior to 1839 – 1840 Declaration of Rights and original Hawaiian Constitution. The latter was amended and modified in 1852 and 1864.
Held at gunpoint with bayonets by the Honolulu Rifles (a local militia utilized by the Missionary (Reform) Party led by Lorrin A. Thurston), King Kalakaua signed the Bayonet Constitution (1887) effectively ending the powers of the monarchy, rights of Natives and Asian migrant population, and transferring them to a minority land-owning class.
The Kanaka Maoli did not recognize this signing and proceeded in creating their own political party (Hawaiian Political Party), which engaged in organized resistance.
In 1891, the King passed away during a trip to San Francisco. At that time, there were rumors that he had been planning to sell the islands. In his place, Queen Lili’uokalani became the last “ruling” monarch.
In 1893, the Queen, with support from her people, came close to abolishing the new Constitution (1887), but due to the Committee of Safety (Hawaiian League/Annexation Club) led by Sanford B. Dole (yes, that Dole), their efforts were thwarted.
Now political battlefield plots were enacted to arrest the 13 men of the Committee while they planned to depose the Queen. This resulted in a standoff at Iolani Palace surrounded by more than 120 Marines and sailors. Naval ships anchored offshore and 1,000 supporters of the Committee were on standby. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Queen decided to surrender to avoid bloodshed.
The provisional government voted to make Sanford B. Dole the first president of the Republic.
Utilizing deception to visit the mainland, Queen Lili’uokalani met supporters and allies within the United States before making the Old Ebbitt Hotel (Washington City) a temporary embassy. The Queen lobbied then incoming President Grover Cleveland to honor agreements between the countries and their sovereignty (1896). Agreeing that the Kingdom was overthrown by a coup, President Cleveland vetoed annexation and asked for amnesty to all parties involved.
Unfortunately, this did not dissuade the haole (foreign) governments who continued to act in disregard to President Cleveland’s wishes. On July 7, 1898, during the Presidency of William McKinley (who was in favor of annexation), Hawai’i was annexed by the United States.
On August 12 1898, the Hawaiian flag was lowered at a formal ceremony at Iolani Palace and replaced by the Stars and Stripes.
As a territory of the United States, 1.8 million acres of Crown and Government lands became “Ceded Lands.” Under the Admission Act (1959), Hawai’i became the 50th State. As part of the act, 1.4 million acres of land went to the State of Hawai’i for use for public purposes and “for the betterment of the conditions of native Hawaiians.
The Re-Education of Natives: Protests and Activism
During my time in Oahu, I frequently took an early morning bus from the residential section of Honolulu to the hotel area in Waikiki Beach. Each day, my commute was filled with various hotel workers from housekeeping, maintenance, and front-end positions departing in small groups to the hotel chains.
In the late afternoon, as the modest second shift rolled in, I found myself gravitating to Old Honolulu. Sitting at Smith’s Union Bar having drinks, I studied the old pictures of former local servicemen who remember the events of the attack on Pearl Harbor. My hope was to learn from them but instead my presence was widely ignored.
After a few days and lots of drinks, I proved myself just enough to be acknowledged. It was then that I heard the stories of having to live far from family members who live on the North Shore due to the availabilty of consistent work near large hotels and about addiction and prostitution. A somber mood punctuated how much they missed being on the beach that tourists now play on.
They expressed a sense of defeat and loss but never of losing pride in their heritage or struggles.
In the story of Hawai’i, it is frequently implied that the Kanaka Maoli were often steamrolled. It is better to view their story through the lens of a war of attrition.
The Hawaiian Islands’ population shrank dramatically through the 19th century. Along with that were dropping literacy levels and lack of modern weapons. More often than not, surrendering meant saving lives.
Despite the low rate of success throughout Queen Lili’uokalani’s life, there were events such as the Wilcox Rebellion (1895). From September 11 to October 1897 the “Petition Against Annexation” was signed by 39,000 Kanaka Maoli and mixed-blood persons. This petition was later hidden within the records of the Library of Congress to promote the perception that the population wanted to be annexed.
Continued fighting meant adopting alternative means.
Songs such as Queen Lili’uokalani’s “Mai Wakinekona a Iolani Hale” were filled with hidden messages to her people, snuck out by loyal staff, who had them published in Hawaiian publications.
Throughout the 20th century, Hawaiian culture and history were weeded out in school and updated by historians. Now they were “brutes” who needed saving by the haole (foreigners) who brought a new language and civility. This prevailing thought survived into the 1990s.
Their history survived due to ohana (family). Schools taught one version of events. Ohana taught the true version. The most attractive and sellable parts of their culture, or rather additions to the culture, were kept, commoditized, and made into tourist attractions.
The Tourism Industry
Among the beautifully maintained lawns of Kapaula (West Maui) is a gorgeous golf course. If you are not a member, signs inform you of where not to walk. Old buildings have historical markers giving you a glimpse of the history related to the space. As you turn the corner on Plantation Club Drive, and happen to look down, there is a small sign that states that the area was once a burial ground. A similar sign exists in Lahaina Town. Another is in a burial ground that has been cordoned off of the walking path along Honokalani (black sand) Beach in East Maui.
Similar examples exist on the other islands, the most famous being the unexploded ordinance on Kaho’olawe Island (1976).
When inquiring about the burial grounds and markers, I was told that, at one time discoveries happened frequently, but since 1,100 bones were found in 1988 during the construction of a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, but now similar finds are very rare.
Disturbed burial grounds and ammunition training are only two recent examples of the cost of statehood. It extends beyond land that was originally meant for Kanaka Maoli (The Great Mahele Land Redistribution, 1848). The best land was sold off in parcels, leaving the least desirable behind.
The Hawaiian tourism trade is part of a cycle equal parts economic slavery, lack of opportunities, and greed. This is well-documented and often ignored:
“In Hawai’i, the destruction of our land and the prostitution of our culture is planned and executed by multinational corporations (both foreign-based and Hawaii based), by huge landowners (such as the missionary-descended Castle & Cook of Dole Pineapple fame), and by collaborationist state and county governments. The ideological gloss that claims tourism to be our economic savior and the “natural” result of Hawaiian culture is manufactured by ad agencies (such as the state-supported Hawai’i Visitors Bureau) and tour companies (many of which are owned by the airlines) and spewed out to the public through complicitous cultural engines such as film, television and radio, and the daily newspaper. As for local labor unions, both rank and file and management clamor for more tourists, while the construction industry lobbies incessantly for larger resorts.
“The major public education institution, the University of Hawai’i, funnels millions of taxpayer dollars into a School of Travel Industry Management and a business school replete with a Real Estate Center and a Chair of Free Enterprise (renamed the Walker Chair to hide the crude reality of capitalism). As the propaganda arm of the tourist industry in Hawai’i both schools churn out studies that purport to show why Hawai’i needs more golf courses, hotels, and tourist infrastructure and how Hawaiian culture is ‘naturally’ one of giving and entertaining.” Excerpt From A Native Daughter, R. Haunani-Kay Trask, 1993.
Pineapples are not indigenous to Hawai’i. They were imported in by the Dole corporation (1900).
Hula is an intimate religious dance meant for kings and commoners to honor gods and beliefs, and not a tourist attraction to gawk at over dinner. Hawaiian Pizza is from Canada.
Recognizing the Kingdom
By the 1970s, Hawai’i experienced its first Renaissance (Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance) to bring into the consciousness of America the native art, language, traditions, and dance that were kept hidden from public eyes. The period was also a time for active protests and attempts to separate from the branded Hawaiian experience that has become synonymous with cruise ships and marketing campaigns. Most importantly, this period marked the beginning of the Hawaiian Sovereignty movement.
In 1971, at a month-long protest of evictions on the Bishop Estate of pig farmers, activists chanted to police officers, “Hey, you guys are Hawaiians. You should be up here with us.” In 1973, A.L.O.H.A (Aboriginal Lands of Hawaiian Ancestry) Association fought for Kanaka Maoli reparations. In 1977, a protest stopped the development of the Waiahole-Waikane area in Oahu. In 1978, additional protests took place at Hilo Airport (Big Island) against injustices towards Natives.
Throughout the 1980s, challenges took place in an academic sphere due to the hegemony of haole (foreign) influence in education.
“The strange origins of an American Studies department in colony Hawai’i deserve some background. Evolving out of the federal government’s East-West Center in the early sixties, the department had been chaired by the same man for nearly twenty years when I applied for my job. By his own proud admission, he had worked for the Central Intelligence Agency prior to his appointment at the East-West Center and the university. He also was well known as an adversary of the small liberal community of campus and had been known to make disparaging remarks about oppositional people of color, including Hawaiians. As chair, he had hired the early members of the department, including two of his former students. Structurally, he had enormous power, with only weak advisory committees beneath him. As a result, his long tenure as chair had created a docile faculty too willing to be governed and too meek to demand change in leadership.” From A Native Daughter. R. Haunani-Kay Trask, 1981.
In the late 1980s and 1990s, battles became political as activists such as “Bumpy” Kanahele and his non-profit Aloha First fought successfully in reclaiming land in the Waimanalo Valley to serve as the headquarters of the Nation of Hawaii. R. Haunani-Kay Trask and sister Mililani B. Trask founded Ka Lahui Hawai’i that promotes Native self-determination.
On November 23, 1993, the 100th year anniversary of annexation, President William J. Clinton signed “The Apology Resolution” formally recognizing and apologizing for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai’i.
In 2018, the work of Alfred Maurice de Zayas serving as the United Nations’ first independent expert on the promotion of democratic and equitable international order led to the United Nations formally acknowledging that the Kingdom of Hawai’i is under occupation.
Yet their situation has not changed.
Where Do We Go From Here?
In January 2021, Honolulu City Councilwoman Esther Kia’aina formerly of the Department of the Interior stated “If Native Hawaiians want to pursue what’s commonly referred to as ‘referred recognition,’ she said now would be the right time.” She continued “I don’t know of a better opportunity where you have the right people in the right places…There’s no guarantee that there will be a Democratic administration in four years.”
I reached out to a few people who are involved in either the education field or sovereignty movement to get their opinion of the current state of the movement.
Francis C. Boyle is a human rights lawyer and professor of international law at the University of Illinois College of Law. Not only did he serve in the same class as Barack Obama, but as counsel to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Provisional Government of the Palestinian Authority and counsel to the Kingdom of Hawai’i (1993). He had a big hand in creating both a legal foundation for the Restoration of the Independent Nation State of Hawai’i and crafted an updated Constitution and legal battle for the Kanaka Maoli. In 2014, he petitioned against then President Obama’s campaign to make the Native population an Indigenous Self-Governing Tribe instead of granting sovereignty.
My question for him:
Under the Biden administration, the United States has experienced Juneteenth being made a national holiday, and individual states are seeking to give reparations. Stop Asian Hate gained strength, Indian culture is more accepted, and the plights of Indigenous peoples are being brought to the forefront.
Why is the conversation about Native Hawaiians seeking independence still not being had?
Response: “The consequences for the American Empire of Hawaiian Independence would be catastrophic—the U.S. Pacific Fleet is headquartered there.”
Next, I reached out to Dr. Jonathan Kay Kamakawiwo’ole Osorio who is the Dean of the Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge in Oahu. Dr. Osorio received his PhD in history from the University of Hawaiʻi. At Kamakakūokalani, he has developed and taught classes in history, literature, law as culture, music as historical texts, and research methodologies for and from indigenous peoples.
Same question.
Why is the conversation about Native Hawaiians seeking Independence still not being had?
Response: “The United States never wants to have a conversation about the restoration of our independence because it will either lose Pearl Harbor or have to pay an enormous lease. Americans in Hawaiʻi, and that includes many Hawaiians, think that being a small state in a powerful empire is better than being a small country in a dangerous world. However, the United States has no legal claim to our country and its continued presence here is obnoxious to Hawaiian nationals and also to its own professed principles. “
Additional Question: Who are the current representative faces of the Kanaka Maoli? The activists, prospective leaders, and voices?
Response: I think that the face of Kanaka Maoli leadership can be found among the kiaʻi on Mauna Kea in 2019: Andre Perez Ilima Long, Kahoʻokahi Kanuha, Kaleikoa Kaeo, Jamaica Osorio, and others too numerous to name.
I contacted Maggie (not real name), the guide who showed me East Maui.
Same question.
Why is the conversation about Native Hawaiians seeking Independence still not being had?
Response: “Nobody really acknowledges us as our own people…we are considered to be “other” or Pacific Islanders not HAWAIIANS.”
Unfortunately, that’s the kind of world we live in. It’s a sad reality that absolutely needs to be addressed so change can happen for the future of the Kanaka Maoli.
Conclusion
It is important to remember that within the sovereignty movement, there are internal divisions on how to tackle and what is best in regard to the issue. Regardless, it is best for those decisions to be made between the Kanaka Maoli. What must not be forgotten is that the Kingdom of Hawai’i was a pre-existing country, culture, and government prior to the United States’ involvement. In both ignoring or offering terms that make them equal to Indigenous Peoples is not the same. In my opinion, this would further marginalize Native Hawaiians instead of finding an actual solution.
Until a resolution is found, this is an ongoing story.
Fin
-On-going Protest to cease further desecration of sacred lands. Jan 2023
-Transfer ceremony from Hawaiian Sovereignty to U.S. Annexation (1893)
-2,700 workers strike for a live able wage (2018)
-Queen Liliuokalani at Ebbitt Hotel in Washington D.C.. (1896)
-Kapalua Golf - The Plantation Course & Sacred Space transformed into a golf course.
-2015 election to return sovereignty to Native Hawaiians (Kanaka Maoli)
-Fmr President William “Bill” J. Clinton acknowledges that Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown (1993)
The Continued Occupation of the Kingdom of Hawai'i
It took me some time to pull this article together. I believe that the history of Hawai'i is known up to a point. At least that is the idea i got from the various Youtuber mini videos that have sprung up recently. The historical breakdown was to give an idea of how massive the history of modern Hawai'i government was.
The point i want to make is that it appears convenient to make attritions to specific ethnic groups but ignore others especially when there is no real reparation involved. When it comes to the military or any other specific need of the U.S. government your request for justice falls on deaf ears. Looking at this via today's lens, how is this really any different from what is happening between Russia and Ukraine?