Introduction
Personal identity, sovereignty, and cultural heritage are issues that the Native Hawaiian community has struggled with for many years. Native Hawaiians are among the poorest, sickest, most incarcerated, and least educated groups in their own homeland.
Apology Resolution
In 1993, the U.S. Congress enacted the Apology Resolution, an apology to Native Hawaiians for the United States’ involvement in the illegal overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani and the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1893. The Apology Resolution was signed by President Bill Clinton. The resolution calls for "reconciliation between the United States and the Native Hawaiian people." It was an acknowledgment that citizens and agents of the United States violated Native Hawaiians’
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right to self-determination and international law. It further acknowledged that the Hawaiians never relinquished their claims to the land. The apology resolution has been cited as the initiative (inducement, catalyst, or beginning?) of the Hawaiian Sovereignty movement. Akaka Bill In 2000, the Departments of the Interior and the Department of Justice issued a recommendation for self-determination and Federal Recognition for Native Hawaiians. From 2000 to 2010, Senator Daniel Akaka, the first U.S. senator of Native Hawaiian ancestry, unsuccessfully attempted to push various forms of what has become known as “The Akaka Bill” through Congress. The purpose of the bill was to “provide a process for the reorganization of the single Native Hawaiian governing entity and the reaffirmation of the special political and legal relationship between the United States and that Native Hawaiian governing entity for purposes of continuing a government-to-government relationship.” The bill was met with considerable opposition, and ultimately failed. Proponents Those in favor of Federal Recognition believe that it provides a foundation for establishing a Native Hawaiian Government and is the first step in seceding from the United States. In addition, it is viewed as a potential source of revenue, should Native Hawaiians follow the actions of Native Americans. Lastly, Federal Recognition would grant the Native Hawaiians land and prevent legal action against Native-Hawaiian exclusive programs. Opponents There exist more opponents than proponents for Federal Recognition. Numerous Native Hawaiians see Hawaii as an illegally occupied nation and want to return it to independent sovereignty. These opponents believe that Federal Recognition will end any chance they have to return Hawaii to said sovereign status. Other opponents see Federal Recognition as discriminatorily racially biased. They believe it will separate the people of Hawaii, which is among the most racially and ethnically diverse states in America. Some believe that all people should be treated equally, no biased treatment, whether it be preferential or disadvantageous. Department of the Interior In the June and July of 2014, the Department of the Interior held a series of public meetings across Hawaii regarding Federal Recognition. In these meetings, the Department of the Interior emphasized that the Native Hawaiian community would be the one to decide whether to form a Native Hawaiian government, what form the government would take, and the relationship it would have with the United States, whether it be government-to-government or none at all. The Department of the Interior stressed that, should a government-to-government relationship be re-established… The majority of those in attendance were Native Hawaiians in opposition of Federal Recognition, stating it would do nothing to right the wrongs of their history. Namely the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Mililani Trask, an attorney and United Nations expert on indigenous people, was one such person who spoke out against Federal Recognition. He stated that most Hawaiian people do not what to accept the DOI’s definition of federal recognition, because they are capable of self-governing, but federal policy limits their right of expressing self-determination. He further stated that the Hawaiian people are not (Native American) Indians, and therefore the federal Indian policy is inappropriate for the people. My Opinion I do not think Hawaii should proceed with anything until the consequences of the actions being taken are clearly laid out. Finding information regarding Federal Recognition was quite difficult, there does not seem to be much detail to it. Which is my point of concern. What exactly would Federal Recognition change? What would it mean for Native Hawaiians? What land would they get back? What benefits would they get? Would they establish a relationship with the United States? Would they begin to open casinos like the Native American Indians? What about the non-Native Hawaiians? What place would we have in this new government? Would they begin to be treated like second class citizens and outsiders? I have seen Hawaiian people get insulted at the mere suggestion, but I myself have been on the receiving end of hostility for being in outsider, especially when I first moved to Hawaii from the mainland. My point is that, at the moment, the details of what Federal Recognition entails are too vague. I have found that the plan of “crossing that bridge when we come to it,” is rarely wise. This is particularly true when so much is at stake. Hawaii is a part of America now, even if the annexation was never officially ratified, and the people did give consent. America has done quite a lot of positive things for the land, but some people are only able to focus on the negative. Moreover, had America not taken Hawaii, another nation likely would have, and things could have been a lot worse. If America was to withdraw, Hawaii would be ripe for the taking and nearly defenseless. I researched Hawaii’s demographics and found that only approximately ten percent of the island populace is Native Hawaiian. So, what about the other ninety percent? I read that the majority of Native Hawaiians want Hawaii to return to sovereignty. I did not see anything about what the majority of the people want. All the people. Just because one is not Hawaiian in Hawaii does not make their views and opinions obsolete. In addition, the majority of Hawaii’s citizens, particularly the Native Hawaiians, are object to Federal Recognition. Forcing something on people who do not want it is what got us into this situation in the first place. The difference is, in this case, it is more like “I know what is good for you better than you yourself do.” That does not sit well with most people. The people have spoken, and they do not want Federal Recognition. The majority of Native people reject the proposal because they are holding out for the return of Hawaiian sovereignty, which I do not support. I am on the other side of the opposition, and believe that preferential treatment for a small group of people on a very racially and ethnically diverse land may not be wise. What happened to the Native Hawaiians was terrible, there is no denying that, but countless people have been through similar tribulations all throughout history. The world is built on the back on conquest, and though such things may not have a place in this more civilized time, it proves that people can persevere through such troubles. I think some Hawaiians have a way of projecting their troubles as the fault of Americans, rather than taking responsibility.
This is certainly not true for all Hawaiians, but the fact that most are incarcerated, uneducated, and poor, the fault lies with them. “I not late, I stay on Hawaiian time,” and “cruising,” when one should be on regular time and working hard contribute to the uneducated factor, while dominoes to the incarceration, particularly since marijuana is not uncommonly used in Hawaii’s more laidback culture. People like David Akaka show that Native Hawaiians can be just as successful as anyone else, if they work hard. My great-grandfather was very poor and was from a heavily oppressed group when he moved to Hawaii from Okinawa, and his decedents all worked hard to earn their living here in Hawaii. If people cannot do that, perhaps they do not belong here, even if their blood indicated otherwise. Everything I have learned from this class shows what hard workers Hawaiians were, and I am sure they can rise at of …show more content…
poverty. Now, despite how it may seem and to counter to practically everything I just wrote, I am not a cold and heartless demon.
I do think the Hawaiian people need a hand-up (not a hand-out). I think they need some benefits as compensation for what was done to them, but I also think they need to work hard themselves. Give the Hawaiian people back Kamehameha school (exclusively), financial aid, and anything else they need to get back on their feet. But do not expect to cruise through life because of events from a century ago.
The Hawaiian people can survive, even if that means temporarily leaving Hawaii and returning when they have more money. Hawaii, particularly Oahu, is not a cheap place to live. Uprooting from home never feels great, but there is a whole wide world out there, Hawaii is such a tiny place. Leaving for a while is not the end of the world, and Hawaii will still be here.
In conclusion, until it is decided what is best for everyone, and exactly what changes will come about, big changes should not be
initiated.
Queen Liliuokalani wrote a letter, titled, “Queen Liliuokalani’s Letter of Protest to Mckinley” she writes that she believes that the treaty that the United States is trying to carry out to take over Hawaii is an injustice, since it goes against many of Hawaii’s civil rights. The letter was written, while The United States was in the Spanish-American War. The United States was attempting to take over Hawaii, just to look stronger to the Spanish. In her letter, Queen Liliuokalani discusses the treaty that the president of America is trying to carry out. America threatens to blow up Hawaii, if the Queen does not give up her power to America. One example that demonstrates the purpose and point of view is when the author states, “The treaty ignores
Hawaii’s political economy went through some major changes. The development of plantations and tourism paved the path for how Hawaii’s economy is today. I will discuss how tourism, ethnicity, gender and education both constrain and enable opportunities in contemporary Hawaii.
While walking down the beach, the white, warm sand mushes between your toes. The sun’s radiant rays beam off your glowing skin. The sound of waves crashing blocks out the external world. There is no other place like the gorgeous tropical islands of Hawaii. The wide range of flowers, cuisine, and wildlife makes it one of the most picturesque places on Earth. It also leads the United States with the highest racial minority rate making it the most diverse state. However, there are numerous hidden dangers of Hawaii, and not all ethnic groups get along causing sharp tensions across the island.
Finally, modern issues show that even till today. insults to the Native Americans are happening because of the power the government holds. Modern issues that the Natives Americans face today, are the poor conditions that the reservations they live. There is lack of easy access supply of water and there is hardly and jobs to make and earn money from. Lack of jobs cause some of the Natives to leave the reservations and seek work in other states to be able to provide enough living for their families. Their houses are really run down and small, many insects infest their
While walking down the beach, the white, warm sand mushes between your toes. The sun’s radiant rays beam off your glowing skin. The sound of waves crashing blocks out the external world. There is no other place like the gorgeous tropical islands of Hawaii. The wide range of flowers, cuisine, and wildlife makes it one of the most diverse places on Earth; however, the unappealing aspects Hawaii makes it one of the most dangerous in the world.
“When we have pleaded for understanding our character has been distorted, when we have asked for simple caring, we have been handed empty inspirational appellations, then stuck in the farthest corner.”(Walker, p. 698). When the United States managed to annex Hawaii in 1898, they did break the law and the human code of conduct. A joint resolution of Congress produced the annexation rather than a two-thirds majority vote, which is required under the United States Constitution. (MacKenzie, p.24) Also, the Native Hawaiians were vastly opposed to the annexation because it violated a treaty the U.S. had with Hawaii stating that they would not interfere with Hawaii’s right to self-government. (Castanha, p.2) So when the U.S. held a vote on whether or not Hawaii should become a state, many Hawaiians did not vote because their only choices were statehood or staying a territory of the U.S. and they did not want either of these. Many people today question the validity of the statehood because of the legal violations of long ago. Also, as human beings there is a naturally agreed upon law that we share with one another and that is to treat people with respect and dignity. The U.S. did not do this when they disregarded the treaty and the law to annex Hawaii. These are the reasons that Native Hawaiians are presently seeking reparations.
Native-Americans make up one of the smallest portions of our population, but are still victims of mass incarceration and police brutality Many Native-American reservations have high unemployment rates. Poverty in these areas is also common. Reserved, sacred land for Native-Americans is also disappearing as more and more land is being taken away by United States government. The government also disobeys treaty rights by exploiting their land for natural resources to gain profit. Low graduation rates are common in Native school districts. Suicide is much more prevalent among Native-American youth when compared to the rest of the nation. They also generally receive poor healthcare. Violence and abuse of children and women is more common in Native-American communities as well.
The first reason the Hawaiians were treated unfairly was because of the land agents. According to Kuloku, the land agents did not listen to the Hawaiians, did not confer with them, and only talked in the foreign language, which the Hawaiians did not understand. The land agents had no interest in selling the land to the Hawaiians, only to the foreigners. They had auctions and land was sold to the people with the highest bids, even though that was not supposed to happen. The land agents were supposed to give the Hawaiians the first choice and whatever was left over was supposed to go to the
Native American Relations During the numerous years of colonization, the relationship between the English settlers and the Native Americans of the area was usually the same. Native Americans would initially consider the settlers to be allies, then as time passed, they would be engaged in wars with them in a struggle for control of the land. This process of friendship to enemies seemed to be the basic pattern in the majority of the colonies. When the English landed in Jamestown in 1607, the dominant tribe of the area was the Powhatan (which the English settlers named after the leader of the tribe, Powhatan).
Before I discuss how we should pay reparation, I will discuss why reparations are necessary in the first place. A couple reasons why America should
Reconciliation with the Indigenous People of Australia. Reconciliation is not only an issue for the indigenous people of Australia, but for every Australian. The major step in achieving This is for an official apology to be made by the Australian. Government to indigenous Australians - especially those of the Stolen.
Many are blaming the United States and say they can’t run away from this problem because it will take awhile to go away. Many of the islanders moved to Hawaii to seek better health care because it can’t be provided for them in their country. The islanders are having a difficult time adjusting to the American culture and the homes they have to live in. Many of them aren’t wealthy they live in shelter and work at the fast food restaurants but the jobs they have still pay better than the jobs they would have had back at home. While someone interviewed Kiki a father from Micronesia said “We are the last immigrants...
McKenna MorrisseyThomas EdgeMarch 2, 2016Reparations for Japanese AmericansWith all the information I was given I do believe that Japanese Americans should becompensated for the way they were treated. I understand this opens a lot of problems forAmerica. America has wronged so many races and still do. I believe that American having toface consequences for what they did. America should be forced to pay anyone that wemistreated. I feel that reparations can be the start of potentially making things better. In DavidMuras article “No-no Boys” said, “110,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated, and did notget trails or any just treatment.” This information shows that America wronged so manyJapanese Americans. Americans tried to hide the extent of how they treated the Japanese.
Firstly, the overthrow of Hawaii caused Hawaiians to lose their land. As the Hawaiian Kingdom was overthrown, the United States treated Hawaiians as if they were slaves. Majority of native Hawaiians lost their land and power. Without their lands, Hawaiians worked as an unpaid labor force by foreigners, worked on sugar plantations or became homeless. Although, there were still some Hawaiians who did own land, most Hawaiians
I would rate this aspect as low. The reason for this is because I don't really know anything about it. I don’t know how to speak it but I can read it because it is almost the same letters as the alphabet but I may not be able pronounce it right because there are certain ways to say things. I don't listen to their music or watch their types of movies. The only reason that I know anything about their past and history is because of my class that I took last semester at UH Hilo which was Hawaiian Ohana. That class helped me learn the basics for the history but that is about all I know. I don't like eating Native Hawaiian types of food. I may be knowledgable about their traditions but I don’t follow through with it because like I said before I follow my Japanese traditions. I feel like I don’t identify with them at all because I don’t understand their traditions so we would have nothing in common. I would like to learn a little more about their culture though. One of my friends used to try and teach me a little more of the Hawaiian language which was very fun but difficult at the same time. I feel like these would be a great bunch of people to be connected to though because they go deep into their roots and their are very passionate about it. Sadly this is where I got my lowest score on the survey. I got a 26/90, clearly showing that I don’t know much or relate to their