Hawaiian Recognition.

[missydog1]

Bumping because this topic should not get buried. Any new developments?

[opihikao]

Mahalo for asking, Kathy. The DOI is continuing their meetings with various tribes both in USA & Canada of which 90% of the kanaka maoli who attended voiced a resounding "NO" to the DOI's questionnaire. Too many articles and links to post, but that is the general consensus, which mirrors the meetings held here in Hawai'i.

Further, OHA has issued their official response to the DOI found here:

http://www.oha.org/news/oha-submits-comm...government

Of note, OHA still supports the federal recognition proposal, which some believe is completely opposite of what the people voiced in the DOI meetings, and in written form.

OHA has also extended the time frame for "nation building" (original deadline was set by Kanaiolowalu). Article found here:

http://www.oha.org/news/oha-trustees-ext...g-timeline

The deadline to submit comments to the DOI remains August 19, 2014.

I gather the upcoming primary election and then the general election will dictate what will happen next when a new BOT is seated.

Personally, FWIW, I have removed my name from the Kanaiolowalu list, as I am not in favor of kanaka maoli being considered a "tribe". Ever.

JMO.

[missydog1]

opihikao, thanks again for the update and new links. []

I can fully understand why you oppose tribal recognition. Even if it were a fitting designation for kanaka maoli, which it is not IMHO, it's not as if the BIA was ever a good solution for Native Americans.

A government puts a people in boxes and gets them agree to live in the boxes. Then time passes and the government needs to pacify another indigenous people, and offers them another one of the same kind of box. And then wonders why they say NO.

I've been researching the history of California Indians and the settlement process, and there are some precedents you might find interesting. It's all history I never heard of growing up in California schools. I only came across it when I found members of my father's family had registered with the BIA for the 1928 Indian Canyon census, which was a type of roll signing exercise that was started in order to establish a class of California Indians with whom the government needed to settle a lawsuit over California land titles.

The documents that are online are truly appalling, letters from the field to Congress sharing thoughts on how to screw the Indians over, etc..

[lavalava]

What kind of reparations are we talking about here? More land? More money? Congressional recognition? Another apology?

[opihikao]

quote:

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Originally posted by lavalava

What kind of reparations are we talking about here? More land? More money? Congressional recognition? Another apology?

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Great questions, lavalava, that's the problem. There is no sound, prudent, realistic answer(s).

We can't even get a freaking list of "Hawaiians" that anyone agrees with! We can't even agree who the heck is royalty or not? No one is King or Queen today in my book.

We can't even get off food stamps and get a job, nor can we afford our own medical and car insurance, for God's sake (stated in the most dramatic sense, not being disrespectful to those of us who do not "collect" anything).

We can't even decide WTH is "fair"! Too many factions of "kanaka maoli" are continuing to position for "status", and yet, there are no answers to your questions! Frustrating, to say the least.

The only time in my long life on this earth I have seen so many kanaka maoli speak as one, is this latest DOI round of meetings. No matter the differences, we have all said "NO" to (basically) becoming a tribe.

What do we want? Well, give me a New York minute, or two. Much aloha to you for caring. We cannot turn back the hands of time, nor can we say "Get out of our Kingdom" to the USofA, I wish we'd find middle ground.

All I know is we are not a "tribe". We are a people. Hawaiian people.

JMO.

[csgray]

I think a big part of this issue that people from other places can't, or don't, understand is the impact of the massive die off of the Hawaiian people that started with Captain Cook stumbling upon the Hawaiian Islands and almost eliminated the Hawaiian people.

I do a graphing exercise with my Hawaiian History students where we graph the population changes using whatever data we can find in historical documents from that era. Epidemic after epidemic swept through the Hawaiian population, for two years during the worst period, not a single baby made it to age 1. Entire families and villages were wiped out, the survivors were left with shattered communities and a place based culture that was being cut off from the land that was their foundation. This period had to have traumatized the Hawaiian people, how could it not? Think about seeing 8 out of every 10 members of your family die during the reign of King Kamehameha and what that would do to your family and community.

The families who survived married immigrants to Hawaii, and their children inherited the immunities of their non-Hawaiian parents, that intermarriage is probably what saved the Hawaiian people from extinction. Prior to contact the Hawaiians were a very healthy people, but it was health in isolation, they had no natural immunity to the diseases carried by the sailors, and sailors at that time were pretty much the bottom of the barrel from European port cities, so they carried a lot of disease with them. The impact of this loss of population at a time of more and more foreigners moving here, combined with the Great Mahele, Kuleana Grant laws, and the increase in intermarriage with foreigners, has created a situation where it has to be hard to define what it means to be "Hawaiian." I have had students who strongly self identified as Hawaiian, even though to a stranger they looked much more like the other branches in their family tree, and others who were completely indifferent to their Hawaiian heritage (usually to the regret of their parents and grandparents.) My point is that this is a really complicated issue for everyone, with a lot of historic pain in the mix, I think that is a big part of the difficulty in moving forward.

Defining who is Hawaiian, and what that means, after the events since Cook is a question of genealogy, of history, and of culture. The Hawaiian Kingdom allowed foreigners to legally become "Hawaiians" but the idea of blood quantum comes from the systems used by the American government to decide which people in American Indian tribes got "benefits" from the BIA, it was not a Hawaiian idea. Now tribes on the mainland are dis-enrolling entire families in fights over casino profits and resource exploitation royalties. I can see why the Hawaiian people would be leery of going down that road.

Carol

[opihikao]

Profound statement, Carol. Spot on. Mahalo for your knowledge.

The pain is great for many, justified no doubt. Pahoated also has raised several opinions that also carry weight. It is the opinion of many. Right or wrong. How to move forward is the question at hand.

OHA has firmly stated their position, the lahui has stated their postion, and again, are at odds. OHA needs to be removed from this process, or the perception of a USA/State entity overseeing this effort is bias.

As to blood quantum, Hawaiian nationals were of various races, not just the ones with the koko (blood). Therein lies another argument, which will continue to delay the "settlement" between the United States and the "Hawaiian Kingdom". Most of us would not be considered "Hawaiian", if we are to be 50% or more to "qualify".

Your extensive knowledge is appreciated, and especially being a teacher to our keiki. Akua bless you.

JMO.

ETA: typo

[csgray]

Opihikao,
If you would ever be willing to spare some time to work on my pronunciation of the Hawaiian names I try so hard not to mangle while teaching HHK (History of the Hawaiian Kingdom) I would be forever grateful. I know I get some of them wrong, an ear for pronunciation and subtle sound differences is something I totally lack. My first year teaching HHK I had a wonderful student from Molokai who helped me a lot, but those names just don't roll off my tongue the way they should. I always consider it an honor to teach that class every year.

Carol

[csgray]

If she was a licensed teacher with a masters degree in teaching and also able to teach US History, health, and art Opihikao could apply for my job.

She would also need to be able to teach children who cannot read or write due to specific learning disabilities, abused children who have a tremendous amount of justifiable anger they don't have the skills to deal with, children who spent the night before sleeping in a car in the jungle, and children who have missed more school than they went to for the last 7 years. In addition she would need to be able to interest all the kids who want to learn, the ones who are more interested in texting than reading, and the kids whose parents moved them to Hawaii without a clue about what the Big Island is like for fresh off the plane kids.

When my boss first told me I was going to teach Hawaiian History I spent 6 months studying. I researched Hawaiian History, took trainings at the Judiciary Center on legal aspects of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the overthrow, and devoted myself to learning everything I could about the subject. I take it very seriously, and work hard to teach it in such a way that all the children in my classroom, Hawaiian, haole, kamaaina, malahini, and descendents of plantation workers are comfortable and feel welcome. It isn't easy, but it is what I signed up for.

Carol

edited to remove a little snark and explain my approach to teaching Hawaiian History

[pahoated]

quote:

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Originally posted by opihikao
As to blood quantum, Hawaiian nationals were of various races, not just the ones with the koko (blood).

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That is a New Kingdom view being promoted, based on the Kingdom after the kapu was outlawed in 1819, in favor of Christianity. All the monarchy afterward were Christians. When that decree was passed, yes, there were many people of many places that had settled in Hawaii and the monarchy viewed that as being Hawaiian. This new Kingdom view is being promoted by the Republicans because it protects their holdings.

There is the Old Kingdom group that wants to use lineage to Kamehameha and earlier to determine who is a native Hawaiian. They also want a return to the ancient Hawaiian religion. These are the ones opting out of the roll call and often the ones with the highest percentage unemployed, in prison or having felony records.

There is no way these two groups come together, kingdom, nation, tribe. Both being able to say no to tribe doesn't mean they will ever agree on kingdom or nation. As long as they stay divided, then official recognition won't happen.

"This island Hawaii on this island Earth"