#first of all: i want hawaiian sovereignty

[bbygirl-in-lace]

Some thoughts on colonialism and indigenous people 🤔 would love to hear your thoughts on this cause i feel like i'm going crazy whenever i'm thinking about this

Of course the decolonization didnt leave former colonized countries in a state that's not still permanently influenced by colonialism. No. Colonialism completely changed those countries and cultures and the effects of it are irreparable. However, at least the white colonialist rule ended. (I'm not bringing neocolonialism into that now)

But then, think about indigenous people. Almost all of their land, maybe even their whole continent was stolen and it never came to an end. The white rule just continued. And the injustice continued. They never got their land back and barely anyone is talking about that????? Wtf? Have they even at least received compensation or anything?

#like #first of all: i want hawaiian sovereignty #colonialism #Hawaiian sovereignty #postcolonialism #native rights

[hero-israel]

Something I need to just vent: I'm half Jewish and half something US leftists have no trouble understanding as oppressed. I feel like I'm being torn in two. First there are the people from my non-Jewish half, which is, yeah, really fucking antisemitic. There's the garden-variety "fucking kikes deserved it" shit, but I am also fucking drowning in "well obvs we stand w/ the Palestinians" version that went to college, skimmed Fanon, and thinks every struggle is exactly the same. And they all want to pretend the rampant anitsemitism they were all raised with doesn't feed into it, but of course it does. These big name Twitter users of my bg pretty it up with blah blah decolonization isn't a metaphor, but they will never say the whole truth, which is that they visit home and break bread with parents who just say Jews are Satanic pieces of shit with their whole chest. Then there's my fucking idiot white friends who parrot it all. They don't know what's being carefully hidden from them, and if someone showed them, they'd bend over backwards to insist it was somehow totally justified. They know who the Good Guys are, and obviously it's not those loud, greedy, cruel Christ-kil-oh oooooops, I mean Israelis!!! And they're just rushing to like and retweet what the idiots from my other half have to say. They don't question why their pet issue isn't, say, Hawaiian independence, which they might have some weight in as Americans. They don't wonder why they don't give as much of a shit about tribal sovereignty. Hating Jews -- oops, Israelis! -- just feels somehow so much more satisfying and righteous, and whooo could possssibly say why? Definitely not those vicious settler colonialist Jews who just see Jew-hatred everywhere for SOME crazy made-up reasons. And I'm just here, alone. I don't want to act like my non-Jewish half has it easy; it doesn't. But on the left, at least there's like .... the *etiquette* of people pretending to support us, to sit down and listen, to acknowledge they probably have biases. But Jews....everyone just fucking hates us. All my life, I've felt the pressure from gentile people on the left (which is dominant where I'm from in MA) to only care about my gentile half, to only identify with it. I resist it every day, but it's so. hard. A secret I can only whisper here: Both my sides struggle. But I'm only ever truly afraid for my life as a Jewish person. That's the one that feels like it could get me killed. That's the one that I feel tempted to hide. I wear my chai, but sometimes, when I'm on the T and someone seems like they're staring, I panic and want to hide it. Maybe I'm wrong. But I know there's a significant chance I'm not. Especially when they're clearly from my other half, I know exactly what the fuck they're thinking. And I have nowhere to say it, except a stranger's askbox. Am Yisrael chai, motherfuckers.

I very much hope you stay safe, and am sorry you feel so unsupported by your friends.

I know what that is like. None of my actual goyische friends have said anything hostile, but most of them haven't said anything at all. I know it sounds minor but the days and days of posts of Mr. Rogers saying to look for the helpers, or Gandalf saying nobody wants to live through these times, the usual rounds of virtuous signals, are unmissably absent. And the friends-of-friends are pure violent garbage, which makes me wonder if my friends would have hated and rejected me as a Jew if they'd met me for the first time now and not when we were kids. Have had MULTIPLE friends-of-friends declare that the Israeli civilians weren't civilians, they were colonizers who can't be civilians and who all deserved it ("it" to include rape and infanticide). Every last one of those friends-of-friends are white Americans.

Please keep wearing the chai.

#jews #judaism #antisemitism #jumblr

[climatecalling]

“My outlook changed during the pandemic, but the fire was the last straw for me … I don’t want to serve tourists any more. This isn’t what our ancestors would want,” said Keo, 40, who recently resigned from the hotel after 16 years to work at a composting company. “I want to be a better steward for my people and Āina. I want to show my kids that there’s an alternative to the corporate tourism we’ve been under for so long, and food is a big part of that.” ... Maui Hub is part of a broader Indigenous-led land back movement to construct a circular food economy to boost food sovereignty, climate resilience, soil health and public health, while reducing Maui’s unsustainable overdependence on tourism – which is driving the housing crisis and exacerbating water shortages. In some cases, community-led efforts since the fire have encompassed the broader thinking on the future role of food and agriculture in building back West Maui, while generating critical debate about the status quo. ... Charles Dapitan, 37, has been volunteering and sleeping at the Nāpili hub since the fire, having given up his small apartment for a displaced family. “Tourism is all we’ve ever known, but now I know that my community needs me more than the tourists do. When I sit back and think about what we’ve achieved since that first tent six months ago, it’s crazy, and we can do more.”

#hawaii #food #food sovereignty #climate crisis

[freehawaii]

KE AUPUNI UPDATE - OCTOBER 2022

Burning the Papal Bulls, Not Just Symbolically Every year at this time, while the U.S. celebrates Columbus’/Discoverers’/
Indigenous Peoples’… Day, we ask people to hold a ceremony called, The Burning of the Papal Bulls, to reject colonialism. The "Papal Bulls” were edicts issued by several Roman Catholic popes, that set in motion 600 years of colonialism, the forceful spread of western civilization, religion and culture, often resulting in atrocities against native peoples. This included the violent taking of lands (even whole continents), displacement, genocide, the rampant plundering of resources, and wanton environmental destruction. Today, colonial attitudes and practices still dominate the world’s culture, economy, and politics. Like it or not, colonial doctrines continue to drive the mechanisms of global society. Much of today’s civil unrest is pushback against the tyranny of nearly 600 years of colonialism. In December 2020, the United Nations (a club consisting of colonial countries and their former colonies) issued a declaration for 2021-2030 as the Fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism. Wow! Sounds great! The UN says it wants to eradicate colonialism! But wait! What’s this? Fourth decade? What happened in the first three decades? Sadly, nothing! Like the infamous 1993 U.S. Apology for the taking of Hawaii, the previous three UN declarations to end colonialism, ended up as just lip service. However… this time… something is stirring. Last year, 2021 the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva adopted a resolution A/48/7 –titled, “the negative legacies of colonialism on the enjoyment of human rights.” And rather than let it sit on the shelf, just last week, the Council, at the UN’s Palais des Nations, Geneva, conducted a special panel discussion on the matter. I was there in the main assembly hall for that session. Statements by the member states, experts and civil society were impressive in their unequivocal condemnation of colonialism and its continuing negative effects. The cry was loud and clear: Colonialism must end! Coupled with the General Assembly’s Fourth Declaration for the eradication of colonialism, and a recent assertion by the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, this opens the door to jumpstart and seriously overhaul the UN’s broken-down decolonization process. If this is pushed, it could give a tremendous boost to the many peoples and nations that had fallen by the wayside when freedom was being dispensed. It can also correct the 1959 manipulation of the UN’s decolonization process that made Hawaii and Alaska captive “states” of America.---------- Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono. The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

------ For the latest news and developments about our progress at the United Nations in both New York and Geneva, tune in to Free Hawaii News at 
6 PM the first Friday of each month on ʻŌlelo Television, Channel 53. 

------ SIGN THIS PETITION…


Rename McKinley High School and remove the McKinley statue! He was the president who turned Hawaii from a peaceful, neutral country into a major hub of America’s war machine. Sign this online petition NOW! Tell everyone you know to sign it too! TinyURL.com/AlohaOeMcKinley PLEASE KŌKUA… Your kōkua, large or small, is vital to this effort... To contribute, go to: • GoFundMe – CAMPAIGN TO FREE HAWAII • PayPal – use account email: [email protected] • Other – To contribute in other ways (airline miles, travel vouchers, volunteer services, etc...) email us at: [email protected]  “FREE HAWAII” T-SHIRTS - etc. Check out the great FREE HAWAII products you can purchase at... http://www.robkajiwara.com/store/c8/free_hawaii_products All proceeds are used to help the cause. MAHALO! Malama Pono,


Leon Siu


Hawaiian National

#ke aupuni #leon siu #free hawaii #hawaiian kingdom #koani foundation

[celtposting-klepto]

Replacing America, What to Do?

Land Back and Reparations have been greatly expounded upon elsewhere, I support this entirely. I also support the dissolution of the border, the abolition of the police, the demolition of the criminal justice system, and the further expansion of systems of mutual aid, worker self-management, etc. The anarchist program I am sure you are all aware of. I support the continuing Latinification of Anglo America and I support the full sovereignty and territorial claims of Indigenous Nations. I continually find myself on the same side as the Zapatistas when it comes to nearly any relevant idea or practice. I support refugees and the continued (support means agree with ideologically, my ACTUAL support goes where it is able to and is far more local) development of refugee communities. Free association and intercultural dialogue and shared groups and institutions linking all of these communities, intermarriage shared neighborhoods, love and families, cross cultural music, etc. However the question of the dissolving the USA in favor of more human and multi cultural communities leaves a glaring question, wtf are white people supposed to do and identify. Firstly dealing with the reality of Settler colonialism, addressing white supremacy, dissociating from the state and power, breaking barriers to racial integration and cooperation, etc. But if the USA were to be dissolved, every Native, Black, Latin, Muslim, Chinese, Iranian, Filipino, etc. not to mention Puerto Ricans and Hawaiians who never identified as american anything to begin with, have identities and communities that continue. White Settler identify as Americans, with the exception of insular communities like Irish Travellers (who are themselves a displaced indigenous people and despite european origin not even really white often), and ethno religious cultural groups like Jews and the few Anabaptist sects left, or regional identities like Texan Settlers, Appalachians, Acadians. That American identity, being to the United States and not the Continents of the Americas We Find Ourselves In, is based centrally and irrevocably to loyalty to the American Republic/USA or to the idea of it. Which certainly successor states, especially white supremacist christo fascist ones and/or Techno-capitalist neoliberal ones, which a very large, atleast 50% of White Settlers would side with against a multicultural overthrow of the USA. Where does that leave us few Settlers who would revolt and tear down the system that has struck us with the decontextualizing plague, no more Gael or Slav, no more of this village or that, or a person of that mountain or that river. That has made us and our people complicity and made for us a world of slavery and devastation. Our  concerns aren’t the most pressing, the countless groups above are must better socially organized, much more under threat, and various other factors leading to their issues being not only of a higher priority but also being more well considered. Most Settlers do not even know themselves as Settlers, but the few of us who do, and the fewer who desperately want a world after the USA (and canada for that matter), are in a rather strange situation that is a source of much emotional distress for myself atleast. I don’t even know how much anyone else cares, my draw towards ancestral practices certainly heightens it for me, as does my obsession with history. There are a couple of paths on an individual level, there are many white race traitors who have, will, and do marry into and join indigenous, black, or other communities, their children being paler but still being first and foremost a member of that community (not that this is the only type of relation) and ofc even without sexual, certainly heterosexual behavior, white people will, through mutual strugge and personal friendship, find themselves joining their closest friends as found family. For centuries settlers have run away from civilization and joined Natives and Maroons, today Natives live no freer than anyone else for as long as their lands are robbed of proper stewardship, biodiversity and anti-stateness (not that there are not indigenous states, but I am an anarchist). And the other question, which to me comes up time and time again, as while the only true found-familymember, packmate, that I have is not themselves white but is dispossed (as of current), from being a member of a family or community of their people, thanks to abuse and assimilation. This one comes up to me again and again, as while I cannot join the fascist horde I despise who would kill me for having a bent back and a bent gender, aswell as those I care for and have brought me nothing but pain, ableism and empty, fleeting, now-gone, possessions. Nor can I choose myself to marry into another community. I stand a time traveling Gael, lost without a Tuatha. Well I may build myself a fíne (clan or extended family) or canairt (wolf pack), I find myself a future ancestor with the cultural lessons I have dove deep and fought hard and traveled far for, from Ireland and elsewhere, I found myself asking if a new generation of elders were made, would other race traitors find themselves drawn together to start a new culture on purpose, something not impossible, but is it desirable? We cannot return to Ireland, or Gaul, or any village of Europe, to do so would abandon the fight here and the people here. And while our Ancestors Are Us, We Ourselves Are Changed. So what are your thoughts? We need new families, many are sure of that, but what of a new culture? One which respects The Land, which respected the ancestors, respects our neighbors, respects the ancestors of others, respects food, respects the sanctity and necessity of hospitality? Which dives into its own history and forebearers for seeds to grow a new forest? Not just a family farm but a part of something bigger, of a people, of a nation which can join the great american Nation-Of-Nations in the mycelial matrix of anti-colonial, anti patriarchal, anti ecocidal futures, here in what claims to be the States?

And moreover, could European faiths be woven that could stand as an honorable neighbor alongside Traditional Indigenous practices and the West Afrikan Diasporic Traditions and the many Latino folk systems?

Seriously want to hear all y’all, and frankly anyone at all´s, thoughts on the subject if interested. Total respect if not interested. Also feel free to reach in DMs this has been strickening my mind for a few years now and any conversation is a treasure on it. (Neo-) Zapatismo is not an ideology, it is not a bought and paid for doctrine. It is … an intuition. Something so open and flexible that it really occurs in all places. (Neo-) Zapatismo poses the question: ‘What is it that has excluded me?’ ‘What is it that has isolated me?’ … In each place the response is different. (Neo-) Zapatismo simply states the question and stipulates that the response is plural, that the response is inclusive …[2][1]

#paganism #amerikkka #wicca #irish republicanism #anti racism #anti colonial #gaeilge #cymraeg #america moment #anarchism #anarchy #abolition #solarpunk #gen z #antiracism

[tealin]

Long Trail to McMurdo, Part 5: Getting There

At 5.45 on the morning of November 13th, I hauled my newly repacked luggage to the Antarctic passenger terminal to check in. Once ticked off the list, I had to find my two orange ECW bags from the other day and put on the parka, overalls, and bunny boots which were required to be worn on the flight. The rest of my stuff was sorted into four categories:

Carry-on – the items to keep with you at your seat on the plane. These can come in as many pieces as you want, but they all have to fit at once in a prescribed volume, measured by a plywood box at the CDC. Anything that doesn't fit in that box has to be checked.

Checked – Just like on a commercial flight, checked luggage gets stowed with the cargo and you are reunited with it at your destination. Unlike a commercial flight, even if your flight is cancelled or turned around in midair, you still won't see it until you arrive in Antarctica, because one it's been palletized it's a right old pain to get it out again. This is why you have a . . .

Boomerang Bag – Weather in Antarctica is extremely unpredictable, and as we have learned this year, aircraft maintenance can be, too. Sometimes you can be well on your way when a blizzard swoops onto the airfield and the flight has to turn around back to New Zealand. This is called a 'boomerang.' As your checked luggage will stay checked until you arrive in Antarctica, it is therefore wise to pack a few days' worth of clothes and toiletries in a separate bag which will be checked but not palletized, in case you end up with a prolonged holiday in Christchurch.

Leave in Chch – It's summer in New Zealand and also summer in Antarctica, but the former can be quite warm while the latter is well below freezing. Therefore there are probably clothes you won't be needing until you get back to New Zealand, and these are kept for you at the CDC until you return. I left my two skirts, a light cotton shirt, sandals, and antihistamine.

Once everyone was dressed and all our bags were appropriately tagged and checked, we were given our boarding passes and released to have breakfast at the strip mall around the corner. It was a rather quiet and rugged-looking bunch who poured into the trim café that morning; I wonder what the more casual visitors must have thought.

Then we were back to watch another video – I have seen so many of these now I forget what this one was about – probably the Antarctic Treaty, which is an agreement between all the nations that operate in Antarctica to preserve it for peaceful science and not to claim sovereignty over it. This makes it one of the few things that North and South Korea agree on.

After the video, we queued for security, which was much like any security queue at any small airport, with the exception of the refreshingly low-tech boarding pass check. Once through the metal detectors and hand luggage scan, we boarded a school bus which was old enough I might have taken it on a field trip as a kid, to be taken out to the waiting C-17.

We passed the lame C-17 on the way to our shiny new Hawaiian one.

Had I been quicker into the queue, I might have got onto this very special private-hire city bus:

On the way into the plane we were each given a bagged lunch and some earplugs. The C-17 is not designed for passenger comfort, and we would be flown south in close proximity to four enormous jet engines. The hearing protection was appreciated.

There were about ten rows of forward-facing seats in the plane, but I wanted the proper C-17 experience so I made my way to the line of lengthways seats behind them. We shared the fuselage with the cargo, and it became apparent why, once bags were checked, they weren't coming out again.

Just like on a commercial flight, we got the standard flight safety briefing, only our cabin crew were a pair of Guardsmen straight from central casting. Turns out, even on a C-17, the life vests are under the seats and are inflated by pulling on the toggle, but as there are no overhead lockers, the oxygen masks are in a compartment in the wall behind your head. Now you know.

There were quite a few first timers on my flight, but it was obvious who the experienced polar travellers were, because they knew the most comfortable way to get some shuteye and got right to it. More sleepless ones had books or e-readers. The man next to me was reading quite an interesting history of the leadup to WWI from a naval perspective, but the book that most caught my interest (by which I mean, it made me laugh out loud when I saw the title) was a few seats up from me.

It was a strange thing to take off on a plane with no windows. We evidently turned a few corners, and we seemed to taxi the entire length of the runway before turning around to take off, but when they hit the gas, WOW did we ever go!

I had noble intentions of polishing off a good chunk of Worst Journey during the five-hour trip down, but the suspense of the last few days and the early morning soon caught up with me, and I joined the sleepers instead. When I woke up, I noticed a cluster of people around the porthole aft of my seat. Had we reached Antarctica?

YES.

Not long after this, we got the announcement that we were beginning our descent, so it was back to seats and on with ECW and seatbelts. For such an enormous bird, the landing was admirably smooth, and once all post-landing checks had been completed, the hatch was opened. Long before we felt the cold, we could see our breath in the air, as the moisture levels in the cabin met the declining temperature. I had read about how stepping off the plane was like walking into a wall of cold, so I'd put on my balaclava and goggles, but when my turn came to start down the gangway, I realised it was actually quite mild. Not what one would expect for being . . .

IN ANTARCTICA!

A low ceiling of cloud obscured the tops of the mountains, but all the same I had much the same experience as I had when I first came out of the tunnel into Lyttelton, as suddenly all my reading and reference photos slammed into place. There was Observation Hill, and up along the Hut Point Peninsula a surprisingly large square promontory – that's why they call it Castle Rock! Windless Bight, White Island (it's white!) and Black Island (it's black!) and though I couldn't see its stripey dome, what was obviously the foot of Mt Discovery. And my feet, standing on the snow of the Barrier! I barely had time to be surprised how close everything was before our gaggle of shuffling scarlet penguins was ushered onto an enormous red people mover and we started our ride to McMurdo.

The windows were above eye level but if I stretched up I could see out. It turned out this was not a an effective strategy, as within a few minutes they had fogged up and I could only see through a narrow strip at the bottom. That may have been the more exciting way to come in to town, as the teasing glimpses of turquoise pressure ridges and the piebald slopes of the Gap suggested more than they revealed.

We pulled up outside big blue Building 155, the hub of activity in McMurdo, and as I stepped out into the light flurry of snow, there was Observation Hill with the Polar Party's memorial cross positively looming over everything. My coordinator, who had worked tirelessly all through the summer to line up resources for my visit and calm me down every time there was a hiccup with my medical, met me with an enormous hug, and I had a little cry on her shoulder. Here I was at last.

#mcmurdo #mcmurdo station #antarctica #united states antarctic program #usap #c-17 #airplanes #aerospace #kress #travel

[homaikaike]

Opinions and Discussing the Nonexistent Diaspora

Part Two of: “Misplaced” Hawaiians and the Myth of the Non-Existent Diaspora

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Final (Whole Project)

Hawaiian Studies 343: Myths of Hawaiian History | 21 October 2020

“Wow, it’s hard to believe you’re from Texas. I thought you were a local!” I hear this quite often actually; from cashiers in stores, to school faculty, and professors. Maybe it stems from the fact that I can understand pidgin, the creole English dialect used locally in Hawaiʻi. Or maybe it is because I have brown skin, Polynesian-style tattoos, golden bangles on my wrist and Locals brand slippers on my feet. As a “returned” Hawaiian from diaspora, I have been called “local-passing”, as in I am a person who could “pass” for being someone who lives in Hawaiʻi. Which is odd, because I do live in Hawaiʻi. It has been nearly three years since I have moved back to the home sands of my ancestors, yet my Texas driver’s license and preference for a southern twang is what nullifies any connection I could have to Hawaiʻi. I grew up in the Hawaiian diaspora, and though I could even be “Hawaiian-passing” as an actual Hawaiian person, it is because I did not grow up here that I am just another outsider. The list of opinions posed upon the Hawaiian diaspora and those living in it is lengthy and a discussion waiting to happen. I will begin this discussion here.

Before going into the many complexities of the diasporic identity and the various reactions to its existence, it is first important to unpack who is Hawaiian. It is known that Hawaiians are an ethnic group. Hawaiians are defined by ancestry, which is an important root in the discussion of Hawaiian identity. Starting with this, Hawaiians are those native to the islands of Hawaiʻi (Kanaka Maoli[1]). However, I find it important to mention that—especially in regards to the topic of this paper—that Kanaka Maoli, ethnic Hawaiians, are not less Hawaiian if they live away from Hawaiʻi and those who are living in Hawaiʻi today are not all ethnically Hawaiian. In today’s context and as generally accepted, Hawaiian is a race not a nationality; A Kanaka Maoli is one of Hawaiian ancestry, with all the kuleana[2] of a Native Hawaiian.

A misunderstanding takes place once “Hawaiian” is defined; though the definition mentioned previously explains that someone who is ethnically Hawaiian will still be Hawaiian regardless of where they live, people seem to forget that Hawaiians are located all around the world. There are many occasions on which friends and family have been met with the myth that Hawaiians simply do not live outside of Hawaiʻi. This, in theory, is unreasonable, given the plethora of reasons [to be researched] why a Kanaka Maoli would leave Hawaiʻi. The American military has a large presence in Hawaiʻi and throughout the Pacific, enlisting Pacific peoples into the Army or another branch, which then takes them to places all over the globe. In fact, the military is why I, and countless other Hawaiians in Texas ended up in such a place far from “home”. An editorial found in the Hawaii Tribune Herald, explains how the financial situation in Hawaiʻi is another factor causing Hawaiians to move off-island, pulling quotes from people currently living in the Hawaiian diaspora of the continental United States.

I’d love to come back home, but the economy in Hawaii was killing us financially. Milk [in Utah] is $1.25 a gallon...I am heartbroken every day because I want to come home, but reality reminds me why I cannot (Dawn Lehuanani Hutchinson, Utah).[3]

While many Hawaiians in diaspora find “easier” or “more affordable” lives outside of Hawaiʻi, that struggle that pushes natives out is not often recognized.

Social media is one thing that connects people to each other around the world. It is how many Hawaiians in diaspora keep in touch with family and friends in Hawaiʻi, and stay up-to-date with issues and events happening back home. However, it has also become a place for people to voice their opinions on public forums without invitation. One instance that lives rent-free in my mind, happened on Facebook; in the midst of the Protect Mauna Kea movement, an aunty of mine who lived in Texas had created a post on a group page about Mauna Kea. Though it has since been deleted because of the conflict it had caused, I remember it fairly well. She had posted something along the lines of: “Texas ʻohana[4] is sending aloha[5], please let us know if there is anything we can do from here.” Several comments were made, shaming her for living in Texas; for calling herself part of an ʻohana when she had chosen to leave her homeland, and saying that if she was “really a Kanaka” she would be on Hawaiʻi standing with the lāhui[6]. These comments were harmful, unprecedented, and showed that those diaspora communities still face judgement for having moved away from Hawaiʻi.

What could be more jarring though, is the judgment faced upon returning to Hawaiʻi. In my own experience, the Texas-made Hawaiian pride I had grown up with was suddenly lost upon moving back to Hawaiʻi for college. It was as if my Hawaiian identity was lost, because all I became to local Hawaiians in Hawaiʻi was Texan. I had grown up in Texas, not Hawaiʻi and therefore to them I was not Hawaiian. I was not alone in this either, and many teachers who realized this have spoken to me about never losing pride for who I am. Kanaka scholar ʻIlima Long, is a “returned” diasporic Hawaiian, meaning that she has returned to live in Hawaiʻi from her previous life in diaspora. Having worked with plenty of students during her time, she is one of the kumu that not only understands the experiences of diasporic Hawaiian youth, but also what that experience can contribute to academically:

I trip out when I think about how many [diasporic] Hawaiians I know who've [returned] home that I'm close to in Hawai'i, and what they bring to the lāhui from that positionality. But these are folks who have largely worked through the jolting identity issues that face kanaka who come home.[7]

Though the many opinions and happenings expressed in this paper have been of a negative nature, there has been a changing of the tides. Also on social media, there has been a recognition of these struggles, where people have been speaking out against hate and judgement. Because of this, I feel that the greater idea—the pride of being part of culture actively being oppressed—has instead connected those in diaspora communities to those in the local Hawaiian communities, with many locals now recognizing the difficulties and inner identity struggles that people face with being a Hawaiian raised away from Hawaiʻi.

It must be hard to grow up as Native diaspora. I can relate on a small level, living away from [Hawaiʻi] for the past 7 years...Ultimately your choice, but claiming your right as an Indigenous person is liberating and freeing. I know I feel closer to my ancestors when I own my identity as a Native Hawaiian. Hope no one ever makes you feel that you are less Native because you are diaspora or because of your blood quantum. If that ever happened, remember that is not our ways.[8]

While there are countless more opinions to be unpacked and addressed with an academic eye, being a Hawaiian that returned to Hawaiʻi from diaspora has been both a blessing and a curse; a push-and-pull experience where the complexities of identity have been questioned on multiple occasions. Learning what pushes Hawaiians away from Hawaiʻi and addressing that directly, could be the first step in debunking the myth that Hawaiians do not exist outside of Hawaiʻi, and ending the shame within our own communities.

------------------------------------------

Notes

*all pictures used above are mine, courtesy of me*

[1]Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert, Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian-English-Hawaiian, Rev. and enl. Ed. (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1986), 127: Human, person; 240, native, indigenous, respectively. Together referring to an indigenous Hawaiian. See also: Jonathan Osorio, “What Kine Hawaiian Are You?”, (The Contemporary Pacific, 2001), pg. 361.

[2]Pukui and Elbert, Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian-English-Hawaiian, 179: right, concern, responsibility.

[3]Keli'i Akina, "Why People Are Leaving 'Paradise'," editorial, Hawaii Tribune Herald, June 28, 2019, accessed October 21, 2020, https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2019/06/02/opinion/why-people-are-leaving-paradise/)

[4]Pukui and Elbert, Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian-English-Hawaiian, 276: family, relative, kin group.

[5]Ibid., 21: Love, compassion, sympathy.

[6]Ibid., 190: Nation, race, a people.

[7]ʻIlima Long, Twitter post. March 6, 2019, 7:03 a.m., https://twitter.com/ItsIlima/status/1103340225609129984.

[8]Palakiko Chandler, Twitter post. December 5, 2019, 1:00 p.m., https://twitter.com/palakiks/status/1202724336144007168.

sources

Akina, Keli'i. "Why People Are Leaving 'Paradise'." Editorial. Hawaii Tribune Herald, June 28, 2019. Accessed October 21, 2020. https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2019/06/02/opinion/why-people-are-leaving-paradise/.

Chandler, Palakiko. “Twitter / @palakiks: It must be hard to grow up Native…” December 5, 2019, 1:00 p.m., https://twitter.com/palakiks/status/1202724336144007168.

Long, Ilima. “Twitter / @ItsIlima: I trip out when I think about…” March 6, 2019, 7:03 a.m.‏ https://twitter.com/ItsIlima/status/1103340225609129984.

Osorio, John Kamakawiwoole. “‘What Kine Hawaiian Are You?" A Mo'olelo about Nationhood, Race, History, and the Contemporary Sovereignty Movement in Hawai'i.” The Contemporary Pacific 13, no. 2 (2001): 359–79.

Pukui, Mary Kawena., and Samuel H. Elbert. Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian-English, English-Hawaiian. Honolulu, HI: Univ. of Hawaiʻi Press, 1986.

#HWST 343 #myth papahana

[honeytms]

hi  hello  peaches  🍑  !!  introductions  are  literally  my  weak  point  after  writing  in  general  asdj  so  please  bare  with  me  as  you  read  through  absolute  trash  .  i’m  gigi  ,  nineteen  from  the  est  timezone  and  go  by  she  &  her   .  i  am  super  duper  excited  to  bring  you  my  angel  love  honey  !!!   and  even  more  excited  to  write  with  all  of  you  !  under  the  cut  you  will  find  a  little  more  about  her !   i  promise  despite  my  plot  ideas  being  super  vague  i  have  ideas  for  all  of  them  (  mostly  based  off  songs  because  im  a  mess  )  so  please  dont  feel  afraid  to  ask  me  !!  

‘ the  amaranth   ╱  undying  ,  unfading  .  this  is  a  person  who  is  extremely  difficult  to  forget  .   ’ 

full  name  :  honey  mallory  d’angelo  . 

nickname(s) :  honeybee ,  bee  ,  &  hon  . 

birthday  :  november  third  ,  thus  making  her  a  scorpio  .

gender  ╱ pronouns  :  cis  female  ,  she  &  her  . 

occupation  :  singer  ,  songwriter  ,  business  heiress  ,  socialite   .

soundtrack  :  needy  by  ariana  grande   ,  therapy  by  khalid  ,  confirmation  by  justin  bieber  ,  r.o.d  by  a  boogie  wit  da  hoodie  ,  body  by  wet  ,  cry  baby  by  demi  lovato  ,  love  on  the  brain  by  rihanna  ,  mile  high  by  james  blake  ,  23  by  chase  atlantic  ,  heartless  by  the  weeknd  ,  moonlight  by  ali  gatie  ,  dance  by  selena  gomez  ,  me  and  my  guitar  by  a  boogie  wit  da  hoodie  ,  e.t.a  by  justin  bieber  ,  woods  by  mac  miller  ,  hurt  people  by  sabrina  claudio  . 

aesthetics  :  pretty  words  ,  pretty  words  . 

violent  roots  ,  bloody  hands  .

affluence  ,  intertwined  with  a  sovereignty  that  crowded  entitlement  .  the  financial  privilege  that  sprinkles  itself  over  chestnut  locks  ,  flesh  that  bleed  success  and  it’s  important  ;  honey  mallory  d’angelo  ,  the  youngest  child  to  the  respected  and  adored  d’angelo’s  .  the  pretty  girl  with  the  world  in  her  grasp  ,  declared  destined  to  do  great  great  things  ..  but   affluence  &    sovereignty    not  the  only  thing  tied  to  roots  ,   bloodshed  ..  darkness  that  devours  everything  that  could  even  touch  light  .   mobsters  ,  gang  activity  ,    warehouses  built  on  cocaine  and  marijuana  .    a  silent  fear  located  in  the  streets  of  las  vegas  .   locals  dodging  dangers  that  are  drowned  out  by  the  ignorant  happiness  brought  to  you  by  drunken  tourist  .     and  when  you  look  into  the  emerald  hues  that  blessed  the  angelo’s  ,  you  can  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  reality  of   supremacy   ,   prosperity  ,   exhilaration  ,  &   peril  had  a  habit  of  filling  your  lungs  and  causing  you  to  drown  in  it  . 

nineteen  ninety  nine  ,  the   year  of  the  rabbit  ;    and  the  birth  of  honey  and  ace  d’angelo  .  the  last  of  the  clan  ,  and  the  hope  in  their  mother’s  life  after  a  long  year  of  deaths  and  heart  ache  .    the  twins  handed  a  silver  spoon  ,  but  a  million  enemies  .  growing  up  ,   honey  lived  in  pure  innocence  .  was  what  her  mother  called  vehement  ,  ebullience  in  human  form  .    she  filled  the  house  with  laughter  ,  tiny  footsteps  constantly  hitting  hard  wood  floor  .   a  daddy’s  girl  at  heart  ,  constantly  sat  by  him  whether  it  was  watching  him  do  paper  work  or  taste  testing  his  cooking  .   and  when  she  was  not  glued to  her  father  ,  she  was  glued  to  her  twin  brother  .  climbing  into  his  bed  at  night  to  whisper  secrets  ,  or  pulling  him  into  her  tree  house  to  make  him  draw  her  pictures  .  

athletic  ,  outgoing  ,  and  intelligent  .  she  excelled  in  school  work  and  mostly  everything  she  did  .  played  a  numerous  amounts  of  sports  growing  up  ,  took  karate  and  boxing  lessons  (  forced  upon  her  by  her  father  )  ,  could  speak  her  father’s  native  language  (  italian  )  by  the  time  she  was  seven  and  her  mother’s  (   hawaiian  )  by  the  time  she  was  eleven  .   adored  english  class  the  most  ,  read  like  she  could  leap  into  the  pages  and  become  the  story  if  she  tried  hard  enough  ,  and  wrote  beautifully  (  penmanship  and  creatively  )  .  but  nothing  spoke  to  her  the  way  music  did  ..  she  begged  and  begged  to  take  piano  lessons  ,  and  then  guitar  lessons  ,  and  soon  drum  lessons  .  her  mother  ?  loved  this  in  her  little  girl  .  watching  most  of  her  children  follow  one  creative  root  (  the  one  their  father  painted  out  for  them  )  that  always  ended  at  one  main  goal  (  one  day  helping  him  run  his  business(es)  )  she  was  filled  with  love  at  the  fact  that  ,  honey  embraced  something  that  did  not  destine  her  for  death  and  a  life  time  filled  with  heart  break  . 

the  older  honey  got  ,  and  the  more  she  realized  that  she  no  longer  had  to  fear  the  monster’s  under  her  bed  but  more  so  the  monster’s  that  wear  human  faces  ,  the  more  she  realized  that  the  only  thing  she  wanted  from  this  lifestyle  was  distance  .  something  that  pained  her  more  then  she  could  think  was  possible  ,  being  a  daddy’s  girl  and  wanting  nothing  more  then  to  make  him  proud  she  could  not  bare  the  fact  that  she  could  break  his  heart  ..   but  the  more  she  involved  herself  ,  the  more  holy  the  title  and  the  fear  made  her  ,  the  more  guilt  and  fear  that  followed  . 

at  seventeen  ,  twenty  sixteen  honey  posted  like  many  other  children  covers  on  vine  ..  along  with  a  few  stupid  stupid  videos  .  never  did  she  expect  that  ,  she  would  gain  an  entire  singing  career  from  six  second  videos  .  but  with  chasing  dreams  her  younger  self  wished  on  every  star  for  ,  came  with  disapproval  from  her  father  ..  and  soon  an  estranged  relationship  .  but  life  away  from  a  darkness  that  ate  you  alive  ,  was  more  then  refreshing  ..  and  soon  ,  she  made  the  decision  to  completely  disconnect  herself  from  her  father’s  name  by  just  going  by  honey  mallory  to  the  public  .  

is  this  all  i  really  am  ?   

ebullient   in  human  form  is  an  accurate  representation  of   honey  .  she  is  someone  who  has  more  energy  then  one  should  be  able  to  have  ,  constantly  has  a  smile  attached  to  plump  lips  and  rambles  of  meaningful  and  meaningless falling  out  of  them  . 

 goofy  ,  and  adores  teasing  people  like  an  annoying  little  sister  .  she  can  not  escape  her  ways  . 

affectionate  ,  to  the  point  of  annoying .  loves  simple  acts  of  affection .  hand  holding  ,  resting  her  head  against  your  shoulders  ,  running  her  fingers  up  and  down  your  arm  ..  is  the  friend  that  is  constantly  jumping  all  over  you  ,  will  make  you  carry  her  four  blocks  as  she  whispers  comments  in  your  ears  and  giggles  .  there’s  a   open  seat  right  next  to  you  ?  oh  well  ,  she  rather  sit  right  on  your  lap .  definitely  her  love  language  . 

an  adrenaline  junkie  ,  has  definitely  had  some  scandals  from  street  racing  in  italy  or  almost  getting  arrested  in  hawaii .   

writes  her  own  checks  just  like  she  writes  what  she  sings  asdfg  

clumsy  ?  constantly  falling  .  her  fans  fear  for  her  life  when  she  wears  heels  (  which  she  always  does  )

has  the  worst  tendency  of  forgiving  the  people  she  loves  .  she  likes  to  consider  it  loyalty  but  she  knows  it’s  her  fear  of  losing  people  .

loves  being  surrounded  by  people  ,  like  hates  being  alone  .  cannot  fall  asleep  if  she  does  not  have  someone  sleeping  beside  her . 

is  passionate  ,  loves  being  involved  with  everything  she  does  .  which  makes  her  tour  visuals  crazy  amazing  .

with  that  being  said  ,  she  has  a  lot  of  darkness  from  just  her  family  and  the  thing  she  has  seen  ..  refuses  to  let  her  not  so  pretty  parts  of  her  (  jealous  ,  stubborn  ,  vengeful  ,   detached  )  define  her  . 

but  she  can  be  hard  to  understand  ?  hard  to  please  ..  she  wants  you  she  needs  you  and  then  she  wants  nothing  to  do  with  you  ..  

  feels  everything  way  too  deeply  .  

constantly  feels  like  she  only  disappoints  people  . 

who’s  going  to  save  me  from  me  ?

best  friends  ,  platonic  soulmate  ,  confidant  ,  partner  in  crime  ,  bad  influence  ,  good  influence  ,   a  group  of  friends  ,  first  loves  ,  summer  flings  ,  on  and  off  relationship ,   friends  with  benefits  ,  ex  friends  with  benefits  ,  childhood  friends  ,  family  friends  she  considers  cousins  because  thats  how  close  they  are   .  ex  friends  who  refuse  to  speak  to  each  other  .  ex  flings  that  stopped  because  they  got  bored  or  one  caught  feelings .  toxic  friendships  and  i  mean  one  day  they’re  friends  and  one  day  they  aren’t  .  first  loves  .  love  /  hate  relationship  !  unlikely  friends  .  one  sided  friendships  .  on  and  off  relationship  . ex  best  friends  who  miss  each  other  like  crazy  .  friends  who  only  get  along  when  they’re  both  drunk  .  actual  cousins  .  ex  boyfriends  .  girls  she  experienced  with  .   ANYTHING  !!!  

#excess:intro #tw: drug mention #tw: gang mention #forgive me for being ugly #but please plot with my baby

[rabbi-brian]

RUNNING FOR MY LIFE

TODAY’S MEDITATION:

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who HEALS all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your YOUTH is RENEWED like the eagle's.

TODAY’S REVELATION:

I woke up this morning saying, “I can’t take another day cooped up in this house! It is beautiful weather, it is not too windy, the sun is out, it’s not raining, guess what?… It’s time to run for my life! It’s time to move this BLESSED ASSURANCE around the block a few times! Bless the Lord O my soul, and bless this body too, Lord! Since our body is the “temple of the Holy Spirit,” we must consecrate our physical life for a renewed spiritual life. We desire for God to renew our youth the way the eagles renew their strength. This current crisis in our communities and around the world should not control or cripple us. We have to create a sense of normalcy in the midst of instability. How do you create a schedule that is consistent and effective? How do you end your day with feeling accomplished? The greatest example in the Bible is from the Creator Himself. This makes the Bible God’s BLUEPRINT for us to build our lives upon its pattern. Remember that the problem is never really the “problem,” but rather the pattern!

That day was not complete until a capable ruler was given dominion over every aspect of Creation. When God created Adam, along with his helpmate, Eve, His perfect plan began to unfold. The Almighty needed someone to take charge of the world He spoke into existence. He needed someone to steward and guard the garden of His presence. Didn’t God make the world for Adam and Even to walk with Him in the cool of the day, feel the breeze of the Holy Spirit, and hear the voice of their Creator? Has God changed in His desire to have an intimate relationship with His sons and daughters that are formed by His own hands? The Bible is very clear that He has not changed, will not change, and better yet, cannot change! he is the eternal and infinite God who created the whole world for his pleasure and for us to enjoy. He wanted man to have dominion over His divine domain. He wanted to trust the earth that he created to those who would be meek in spirit, yet powerful in authority. So we can see that the domains created in days 1-3, coincide perfectly with days 4-6, establishing an appropriate ruler to reign in dominion over each domain. While six days completed the creation, only day seven, the Sabbath, established the Sovereign Ruler over all His creation, and that is the Lord of the Sabbath, God Himself. Our God wanted a day set apart for Him and His people. There’s not a day of legalism or obligation, but rather for regeneration and devotion. The Sabbath is designed to refresh us ant renew us! This day set apart for perfect union between God and man brings Him pleasure and allows us to experience perfect peace from His presence. It should be a pleasure and not a performance of ritual or religious observance.

Can you imagine what God’s garden must have been like, to experience the pleasure of being in total union with Him? Eden, which means a “pleasurable place,” was more beautiful than the Hawaiian islands, more lush with green foliage than Ireland in springtime, more sublime and divine than a day spent in the rain forest of Brazil, with its comforting moisture that balanced the summer heat of its tropical humidity. With an exotic environment like Eden, who would need a honeymoon vacation? Who were the recipients of this wonderful reward? Who did God have in mind, to run His earthly resort, and perfect paradise? Instead of thinking of our self isolation in lockdown as a curse of quarantine, let’s embrace it as a set-apart time to cocoon ourselves in the secret place of the Most High God! King David said that the Lord is our ROCK, our FORTRESS, our DELIVERER, and our STRENGTH. He is our SALVATION and STRONGHOLD, in the midst of this fear of death that surrounds us!” He has promised us that He hears our prayers, as we cry out to Him, and that He will save us from every enemy, including this viral enemy.

1 I will love You, O Lord, my strength. 2  The Lord is my ROCK and my FORTRESS and my DELIVERER; My God, my STRENGTH, in whom I will trust; My SHIELD and the horn of my SALVATION, my STRONGHOLD. 3  I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. 4  The pangs of death surrounded me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. 5 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. 6  In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears. - Psalm 18:1-3 (NKJV)

We need to focus on the Bible’s BLUEPRINT on how to have six effective workdays, so that we can enter into His perfect rest on the Sabbath. The Genesis account unfolds from that Sixth Day, after the creating of mammals and land creatures. God went back to the “drawing board,” and formed a masterpiece from a lump of clay. The Potter placed His loving hands on the lifeless substance, and squeezed its form into a vessel that met His approval. The “center of His Wheel” was like the “center of His Will,” to make a mold that He could pour Himself into. This work of art would be the masterpiece that would display His outstanding creativity, skill, and workmanship. His final paint stroke, of this amazing creation, would reveal the multifaceted character. His invisible attributes and unimaginable abilities would reveal all of His divine qualities. While the Creator of the Universe is Himself beyond comprehension, His revelation of His personhood could somehow be on display through the man that reflected His Divine image, and creative potentials. Even God, in all of His Sovereignty, stood back and watched His first created son, ingeniously name everything that the Almighty had spoken into existence. Nothing in Creation reflected His power and authority more, than the royal son that He crowned with His own glory and honor. Remember, as a part of God’s creation, and the work of his hands, we were made for moments like this! We can endure the test of time and overcome this temporary obstacle! This virus will not delay or discourage our victory! We are more than conquerors because of the invincible and unconquerable love that God has for us. we thrive in the midst of tragedy, and we excel beyond average and always strive for excellence! The first thing we will start with is overcoming this obstacle with the spirit of excellence and a great attitude in our hearts. Today we have an attitude of gratitude as we think the Lord for protecting and providing for everyone of our needs. We will use the six days strategically to finish the goals that we have set for our family and those we are connected to, so that we can experience a genuine Sabbath rest. If God can rest and so should we because we are His sons and daughters. So let’s not let this day overwhelm us, or let this virus have victory over us. Instead, we will enter into the Sabbath rest of the Lord as we work diligently to finish our daily tasks and trust God for our daily bread. So put your faith into action, go for a run today, breathe in some fresh air, and experience the breeze of the Holy Spirit and the presence of God!#NoRona #Run4YourLife #MakeitHappen #Exercise4Energy

TODAY’S APPLICATION:

1. Bless the Lord today for renewed youth as you take a prayer walk or a praise run around the block and enjoy some fresh air in the midst of this lockdown.

2. Bless the Lord for all the benefits that you have, as you live in abundance and not lack.

3. Bless the Lord for His provision and protection, as you enter into the perfect rest of His presence and fulfill all of your goals these six days until the Sabbath.

#Run4YourLife

[restorerjourney]

Week 6: Discipleship and a special testimony

-Aloha~

This week we were supposed to have speakers who teach us about discipleship and identity but one of the speakers was not able to come due to the pandemic so we had a very special guest pastor speak to us instead about his time in North Korea.

We had Pastor Jay Park from Grace Covenant Chapel located in New Jersey come and speak for 3 days. Pastor Jay Park....I’m not gonna lie...at first glance looks like a gangster leader. He is a big man with a deep voice but he is so animated that when he impersonates a korean woman encountering a cockroach while on outreach, I burst out laughing. He really is a gifted speaker and I was so blessed by what he had to share. Here are some key points that I took away from the lecture

- There is a new 10-40 window we need to focus on and that is the age group between 10-40 year olds Christians who are losing their faith. This in effect is causing a decrease number of Christians that will ultimately affect our future generation. One of the key solution to this issue that resonated with me is the need for discipleship.There is not such thing as an “instant disciple”. Like the word, it takes discipline. Disciples are made, not something you are born with.Justification helps instantly with God’s mercy, but sanctification takes discipline, in community, and is a life long process. To make disciples, it requires obedience. 

““Only he who believes is obedient, and only who is obedient believes. You can only learn what obedience is by obeying. It is no use in asking questions; for it is only through obedience that you come to learn the truth” -Deietrich Bonhoeffer

When I hear of church planting, sometimes I wonder why we do it. Why is there 3 churches in the same intersection. Is it because they have their own agenda and they can’t seem to agree. Pastor Jay opened my eyes to see that church planting is one of the most powerful evangelistic tools God uses to advance His kingdom. Also he helped us discern that the struggles that we’ve experience in the church whether if it’s drama within members, financial issues, gossip, or leaders who abuse their power, they are not the church’s fault but those who are causing the problems in the church. He revealed in the bible that Jesus warned his disciples about those who are like weeds, wolves in sheep clothing, and infant believers who only complain about their selfish needs and not mature are those who misrepresent the true nature of what the church is supposed to look like. I have generalized the blame against the church without realizing and this truth really helped me to forgive, love, and fight for the church again. 

Thursday and Friday we had Pastor Kenneth Bae from South Korea come and speak to us about his experience being arrested and detained in North Korea for 2 years. If you guys look him up on the internet, you can find him in CNN because this happened a few years ago. It’s crazy that he was speaking to us. He is a fellow Ywamer back in the early 2000s and he did his outreach in China where he stayed for a few more years. He started a Ywam base there and started doing ministry to North Korea. While he was there he was caught with digital information of gospel work in North Korea by one of North Korean security guards and was detained in their concentration camp for two agonizing years. It was eye opening to hear his experience of how they tortured him, but also how God used him to share the North Koreans guardsmen who Jesus is whom they never heard of. The North Korea government is fearful of Christianity and call it a “virus” that can overrule their government. Even though there are a few “churches” there, the name of Jesus is never used and was erased from every document. So when they spoke with Pastor Bae, it literally was their first time hearing about Jesus. It was also amazing how God provided and held his hand through the difficult times. It is evident that through the concentration camp, because he feared for his life, he was desperate for Jesus’s comforting presence and has encountered Him daily. After he was freed, God gave him a vision to start a non-profit organization called NK relief and NGI ( Nehemiah Global Initiative). NK Relief’s mission is to rebuild North Korean refugees’ lives (nkrelief.org). NGI’s mission is dedicated to rebuilding the lives of North Korean refugees through holistic education. They are focusing equipping North Korean youths resettled in South Korea with the critical skills they need in their education to fulfill their path to a successful future as leaders and contributors in this world (https://ngikorea.org/eng). He also created a platform, pray4nk.org, where you can partner with them in praying for the nation and the people every day. His story made me really learn about North Korea and their struggles and how we as a body need to pray and advocate for them.

Work duty at the farm has been the same except we have our staff’s kids come and help! They don’t really have access to their phones which forces them to play outside but they are so bored they want to help out at the farm so it’s been a blessing. There are moments when they do get out of control, but it’s so refreshing to see such wholesome kids wanting to be part of something, even if it involved seeing a bunch of cockroaches, cleaning dirty rocks, or helping out at the aquaponics.

This weekend was something I was looking forward to. Pastor John and his wife Grace, who are two of the staff members in our team, offered to drive my roomies and I around the entire island and show us some cool places. We went to South point which is the southern most tip of the island. We went to Black sand beach where there are a lot of sea turtles. We went to a macadamia nut farm, the national volcano park, Hilo ( although it rained so we didn’t see much), Queens market at Waimea, and Akaka falls. We left at 9am and came back around 7pm. We mostly munched on macadamia nuts (they were so delicious and crunchy, homemade spam musubi, traditional and guava malasadas from Punaluʻu Bake Shop and apples which were all graciously provided by Pastor John and Grace. It was such a blessing to be served and loved by them as they sacrificially gave their time, energy, and finances to show us a good time. I hope that when I too retire, use that time to give back to the younger generation like them. 

On Sunday, one of our staff leaders, Pastor Sunny gave us a tour on the history of Kona, God’s sovereignty over the people, our Korean ancestor’s experience and hardship, and last but not least, some fun facts about Kona coffee. It was amazing to see how Christianity allowed the Hawaiian people here thrive and prosper. I love the Hawaiian culture here and their respect towards nature and what they have been given to steward. It was heart breaking to hear how our Korean ancestors that immigrated to Kona for work ended up being in the bottom of the food chain amongst the Portugese, Chinese, and Japanese immigrants especially when Korea were overtaken by the Japan during the Korean war. Many of our Korean ancestors had to do the hard labor not only in the sugar plantations but also building roads by using dynamite to break apart the lava rocks. When you buy Kona coffee here make sure to verify if it is 100% Kona coffee. To me it’s the smoothest coffee I’ve ever tasted. Technically if you have coffee that has 10% Kona coffee, they can sell it as “Kona Hawaiian coffee” so make sure to check the labels! 

After church, we had an ice cream party provided by one of our staff leader, Pastor Jimmy. Then some of us did zumba together and had a wonderful time. I picked up some of the other girls to go eat dinner while watching the sunset at Queen’s bath. It was so beautiful and vast! Something I never want to forget in my mind. Later when we got home, Pastor Timmy’s wife, Yina, made us rose ddukboki which is like a vodka ddukboki. It was so thoughtful of her because Pastor Timmy asked earlier if there was one thing we could eat, what it would be and he surprised us with our wish. 

I feel well rested and full. Time is going by too fast and I’m trying to take it all in. 

Praise report:

-Even without taking my medication for my hormonal acne, my skin did not breakout AT ALL. 

Prayer request

-My neck, back, and shoulders are still really stiff and painful in the morning.

-Endurance and strength to take in this upcoming lecture which is on freedom. I pray to have more freedom from my fears of the future, freedom from the fear of man, freedom to live the way that God has called me to live

Mahalo,

Alicia Kim

[bigislandbigdreams]

It is a common thing for us to imagine visiting the burial place of a person, but how common is it for us to visit the birthplace of a person? What does it say about the importance of a person if even their birthplace is commemorated? The birthplace of King Kamehameha I is marked on the West Side of Hawai’i and often visted. King Kamehameha I, likely born 1758 during the passing of Haley’s comet, is revered by many as one of the most important figures in Hawaiian history. He is most known for being the first king to unite and rule of all of the Hawaiian Islands. 

A little back story: Kamehameha I sought to unite the Hawaiian Islands from 1782, the battle of Mokuʻōhai, until 1810, the concession of Kaumualiʻi. This all began in 1781 after the death of the then Aliʻi nui, Kalaniʻōpu (great king of Hawaiʻi Island). After his death the island was divided in their support for a new king. The previous kingʻs  first born son, Kīwalaʻo, was seen as the most appropriate heir, but many saw him as weak. Kamehameha defeated him in the Battle of Mokuʻōhai in 1782. 

Another son of the previous king, Keōua Kūʻahuʻula, was also supported as the successor to Kalaniʻōpu. He was seen as a great warrior, and he also challenged Kamehameha I. Although he escaped from the battle of Mokuʻōhai, his armies went through battles for power for many years, and even lost two thirds of their manpower to an eruption of Kīluea in 1790. His last trip to the West side of the island was by invitation of King Kamehameha I. During what was to be a peaceful meeting, we was killed and Kamehameha took the title Aliʻi Nui (great king) of Hawaii. Some Hawaiians living in the area are still supporters of Keōua as they see him as a more rightful heir and see his kiling as an assassination. Kamehameha went on to battle for the sovereignty over the rest of the Hawaiian islands for the next 19 years.

If you want to visit the birthplace of King Kamehameha I and pay your respects to this powerful warrior king, head to Hawi. Near mile marker 20 on Akoni Pule Hwy (270) there is a makai (toward ocean) turn off on Upolo Airport Road. Follow the road down to the coast and turn left at the airport. Then continue along the coast on a 4x4 worthy road. I would not take my little Hyundai Elentra, but I cannot make your decisions for you. This road is rough, but it will pass the Moʻokini Heiau and continue on to King Kamehamehaʻs birthplace. After feeling the power of this place I recommend taking lunch just a little further down the road. There is a small turn of with three trees for nice shade and a peaceful ocean view.

If you do not have 4x4 capabilities there is another option listed online, but I am not 100% sure about the legality of it. If you take Old Coast Guard Rd (near mile marker 18 on Akoni Pule Hwy 270) down to the coast and park in a small rough lot. Facing the ocean from this parking lot you will see a trail off to the right. If you follow this trail one and a quarter miles past homes and abandoned buildings you will reach King Kamehameha Iʻs birthplace from the other side. Please note that there is a sign on the return trip marking part of this path as property of the state and passing on this side would be trespassing. However, while guide books may recommend this route, I do not. Please Kokua and walk from Upolo Airport road if you do not have 4x4.

Non-negotiables: Hat, closed-toe shoes Recommended: At least 2 liters of water if hiking, sunscreen, snack to eat at the beach.

Hike Difficulty: 1.5/5 (can be hot, but it is basically on a flat rough road) Hike Length: 0-4 miles (depending on your 4x4 capability) Hike Enjoyability: 3.5/5 (very pleasant on a nice day with the wind on your back) Destination Enjoyability: 3/5 (powerful presence, but not a lot to see) Field Trip Worthiness: 2/5 (kids would likely have to hike, worthwhile for a small group of Hawaiian history buffs)

As always, if you notice any inaccuracies in my posts, please let me know so that I can remedy them - [email protected]

#kohalahikes

[waikikimamua]

Waikīkī, Ka Wahi Aloha: Once a Native Hawaiian Paradise

23 September 2020 | HWST 356

Waikīkī; the picturesque beachscape portrayed to be full of beautifully slim brown women, soft white sand, shady palm trees and the clear blue crashing waves in the distance. Truly a tourist’s dreamscape paradise. Countless movies, television shows, songs, and music videos were created with this very place in mind. But how did it come to be this “pristine” nirvana that has social media influencers raving over the sunsets? What stories lie buried beneath the white sandy beach at Waikīkī and what can be learned about its history and pilina (relationship) with the old Hawaiʻi? In the 1940s, Andy Cummings wrote a song telling of what he remembered as the beautiful Waikīkī, ending it with the following lines:

Waikīkī 

My whole life is empty without you

I miss that magic about you

Magic beside the sea

Magic of Waikīkī

Within the last five decades, after the rebirth and renewed interest of Hawaiian culture and traditions that came as a cultural renaissance, the recognized value for native practices, such as voyaging, plant farming, and fishing has increased. For the purpose of this paper, I will be focusing on loko iʻa fishing sites, and their ties to that magic of Waikīkī, the Waikīkī of the old Hawaiian days.

Moʻolelo and the Loko Iʻa of Waikīkī

The history of loko iʻa (Hawaiian fishpond systems) is both rich and extensive. With the help of both written and oral histories, Hinapukuiʻa, whose name translates to “Hina who gathers fish,” is an akua (spiritual entity) that guards fishermen. She is the wahine (wife) of Kūʻulakai and mother to ʻAiʻai. Kūʻulakai, is also an akua for fishermen, and is said to have built the first loko iʻa at Lehoʻula (Maui). In the moʻolelo of Kūʻulakai and Hinapukuiʻa, they were living at Lehoʻula on Maui. Kūʻulakai had devoted all his time to his fishing. His first project was to build a loko iʻa close to his house and near the aekai, where the surf breaks. When he found his spot, he stocked the pond with various kinds of fish. Upon a rocky platform, he also built a house, which he called by his own name, Kūʻula. There, he made it tradition to offer the first fish caught to the fish god. Because of his knowledge and skill, fish became obedient to him, and were plentiful during his life. His son ʻAiʻai had later picked up the practice, teaching people to find fish and how to utilize the loko iʻa system. It had since been a Hawaiian practice and cultural necessity for life in ancient Hawaiʻi.

 More than a century ago, most of the Waikīkī shore was a narrow, thin ribbon of carbonate sand that lay between wetlands, mudflats, duck ponds, fishponds, and a gently sloping reef a few thousand feet wide. There wasn’t the long stretch of hot sand on the beach as you see now, nor the thin patches of sand on the reef. In fact, there were several small streams flowing into the sea from the mountains. This Waikīkī, with that old time magic, is not the Waikīkī photographed on vintage postcards. Nor is it the romantic landscape of an isolated paradise with spacious beaches and crashing crystal waves. Kānaka Maoli, Native Hawaiians, born and raised at Waikīkī are descendants of ancient Polynesians and Pacific Peoples who traveled across Oceania to the Hawaiian islands in waves. Those who had settled in Hawaiʻi brought with them ancient knowledge and items, creating working systems for food and water—the loko iʻa being one of the most innovative. Wakīkī’s waters not only made the the area a rich farming ground, but also a sacred place frequented for physical and spiritual renewal. Aliʻi Nui, divine rulers, favored Waikīkī not only because of its fruitful nature, but because it was an ideal dwelling site; Waikīkī had freshwater, bountiful agricultural and ocean harvests, as well its ready access to the culturally Pacific practice of sea transportation. It was truly a sacred Native Hawaiian paradise, infused with the mana (spiritual power) of these rulers who, in their relationships with their people and the ʻaina (land), watched over the different loʻi kalo (taro patched) and loko iʻa that were established in the area.

Unique to Hawaiʻi, the loko iʻa system is considered one of Hawaiʻi’s most significant traditional resources. They are biocultural articulations of Hawaiian innovation in the areas of engineering, education, hydrology, aquaculture and biology. Loko iʻa demonstrate traditional Hawaiʻi’s proficiency in not only sustainability, but in food security and sovereignty, and natural resource management. Research shows that more than 400 fishponds once functioned across Hawaiʻi, being an important and sustainable food source for the Hawaiian people, with a pre-contact population estimated to be nearly one million. Increasing immigration and western influences during the 19th and 20th centuries, along with increased industrialization, urbanization and overdevelopment would prove to have a devastating impact on the traditional Hawaiian resource management systems in Hawaiʻi. As a result, most Hawaiian fishponds fell into disrepair. The case today is that there are nowhere near as many loko iʻa in operation, and those that weren’t completely destroyed, are not fully functional. 

Loko iʻa are considered sacred because of their spiritual power, and their inviting the presence of akua and ʻaumakua (ancestral spirits and guardians). They were things that beautified the land, and a land with many loko iʻa was called ʻāina momona, a fruitful land. Waikīkī is named to be reflective of it’s waters, wai being a general term for water, and for any type of water besides the saltwater of the ocean (kai). Kīkī means to spout or spray, so Waikīkī is named as a place of spouting water. When looking at the structure of loko iʻa systems (as well as loʻi irrigation systems), they connect from mauka (the mountains) to makai (the ocean), the physical place where freshwater and saltwater mix (muliwai). Utilizing that connected space dates back over half a millennium, as cultivation and propagation centered on many different fresh and saltwater plants and animals, with the primary species being the prized ‘ama‘ama (mullet) and ‘awa (milkfish). Waikīkī’s location was no exception to this optimal climate.

Development and Urbanization of Waikīkī

Many loko iʻa were created in the brackish waters of Wakīkī. Approaching the twentieth century, much of the Hawaiian lifestyle had begun to wane under the pressure of a perpetually growing tourism. In the late 1800s, the first developments began, solely with the purpose to bring forth visitors, hotels being some of the first constructed buildings. It is reported that the first marine structures—sea walls, groins, and piers—began appearing along the beach during this time. By 1906, the President of the Board of Health of the Territory of Hawaii, Lucius Pinkham, was endorsing full development of the Wakīkī district. Pinkham had declared the wetland of the Waikīkī "deleterious to public health...not drained at all and is incapable of effectual drainage and is in an unsanitary and dangerous condition". So, local loko iʻa were destroyed. Legacies of fishponds and cultivation, cultural places and practices were gone. With the intent to “improve” conditions, Pinkham had proposed to create a canal (ala wai)  through the district that would drain and divert streams away from Waikīkī.

Aside from canal dredging, there’s spoken moʻolelo about the swamp areas that used to call Waikīkī home. There were mangrove trees, and with their removal came surpluses of makika (mosquitoes) which caused a lot of pilikia (problems) for those wanting to develop this space. With the coming of the 1910s, seawalls too became a problem for development and they were quickly done away with as the concern was “beach erosion”. Additionally, large quantities of sand were removed many years ago from Waikīkī. In 1910, the Pacific Commercial Advertiser reported on a meeting of the Hawaiʻi Promotion Committee—the article’s headline was: “Spoiling the Waikiki Beach. How Honolulu’s World-famous Bathing Resort is Being Ruined. Heavy Removal of Sand”. 

Now, when you sit on a beach chair at Wakīkī, mai tai in hand, watching a slim brown woman gracefully dancing a hula to the strums of an ʻukulele, you smile at the beautiful scene as the sunsets behind her. It’s nearly impossible to imagine that water, power, life, magic, fulfillment and happiness that have been drained from the Wakīkī of old Hawaiʻi (a Hawaiian’s Hawaiʻi). 

As the sun sets on the horizon, it tips billowing clouds with rose and golden light, and the ocean deepens to a majestic azure. Soft trade winds blow perfumed air across the faces of tourists and locals who smile warmly and chat as they glory in the perfect early evening and relish the gracious entertainment. It is a magical moment that seems to capture the essence of Wakīkī’s charm; its natural beauty, cultural richness, and warm hospitality.

But we, as Hawaiians, are familiar with the grim history upon which this paradise was built on. The stark contrast of loss and gain is especially powerful in this place of spouting waters, of Wakīkī. While her beauty, the magic of Wakīkī is still very much present, it is through research, listening, and learning of the past does one really get to learn of the fruitful ʻāina momona that Hawaiians had built as the historic Wakīkī.

There's a feeling deep in my heart

Stabbing at me just like a dart

It's a feeling heavenly

I see memories out of the past

Memories that always will last

Of the days that used to be (Of a place beside the sea)

Waikīkī

Sources

Cummings, Andy. Territorial Airwaves. Atlantic Music Corp. 73, 1947.

Feeser, Andrea, and Gaye Chan. Waikiki: A History of Forgetting and Remembering. University of Hawaii Press, 2006.

Honua Consulting, and Conservation International Hawaii Fish Trust. Loko-Ia-Final-EA1. PDF. Honolulu: Department of Land and Natural Resources, October 2013.

Kawaharada, Dennis., and Esther T. Mookini. Hawaiian Fishing Legends : with Notes on Ancient Fishing Implements and Practices Honolulu, Hawaii: Kalamaku Press, 1992.

Laymon, Julie Wooddell. "NA LEO 'ĀINA: LAND VOICES." PhD diss., UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII, 2005. 

Miller, Tara L. and Charles H. Fletcher. "Waikiki: Historical Analysis of an Engineered Shoreline." Journal of Coastal Research 19, no. 4 (2003): 1026-043.

Pualani Kauila (professor) on loko iʻa of Waikīkī, in discussion with the author, July 2018.

Wiegel, Robert L. "Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii: History of its Transformation From a Natural to an Urban Shore." Shore and Beach 76, no. 2 (2008): 3.

#pepa

[historywithmsmariah]

Identity, Relationship, and Sovereignty: a Comparative Essay

Hannah Hadner

NDW4M

Mrs. Moyle

18/01/25

 In this essay, I compare the identity, relationships and sovereignty of both the First Nations Peoples of Canada and the Aboriginals of Hawaii. All of these show the importance of progress and also, challenges of Aboriginal people.

First Nations of Canada: Identity

 First Nations people identify themselves by the Nation to which they belong. For example, Mohawk, Cree, Oneida, and so on. "Aboriginal" is a term that includes First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples (Aboriginal and Indigenous peoples). Aboriginal identity encompasses an enormous diversity of people, groups, and interests located within varying socio-political, economic, and demographic situations. In modern times, the Canadian Government mainly recognizes three specific groups such as; First Nation, Inuit and Metis; and within those sub-groups such as; Red River Metis, Western Metis, Inuvialuit, Munaut Cree, Ojibwa, etc. (Frideres) The Aboriginal identity being partially defined  by settlers and the Government of Canada is nothing new. A brief history of this is explained in this timeline.      

    In 1850 the Canadian Indian Act deemed any person to be “Indian” if they had [Aboriginal] blood, belonged to a particular band or body of [Aboriginals] and any person who married an [Aboriginal] or was adopted by [an Aboriginal].  (Reclaiming Our Identity Band Membership)

    In 1869 the Act was changed as it applied to women. “Provided always that any Indian women marrying any other than Indian shall cease to be an Indian within the meaning of this Act nor shall the children of such marriage be considered Indians”. (Reclaiming Our Identity Band Membership). Women were therefore lost their “Indian” status if they married a non-aboriginal individual.

    In 1876 the Act redefined an “Indian” as; “Any male person of Indian blood reputed to belong to a particular band  Any child of such person, Any person who is or was lawfully married to such person”. (Reclaiming Our Identity Band Membership) This meant that Aboriginal women who had children with non-Aboriginal men could not pass their “Indian” status to their children.

    In 1951, the Indian Act was changed to include the creation of an “Indian Register”. Therefore, a person was only considered Aboriginal if they registered for Indian Status. The Indian Register has a complex sets of rules and steps in order to confirm Indian Status. The emphasis on male lineage was maintained and many persons lost status because of the discrimination aimed at Indian women and illegitimate children. (Reclaiming Our Identity Band Membership)

    By the end of 1985, Bill C-31 : An Act to Amend the Indian Act was passed as an attempt to bring the Act into conformity with the Equality Rights section of The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) which stated;

15. Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability. (Reclaiming Our Identity Band Membership)

Aboriginals of Hawaii: Identity

    Aboriginal people of Hawaii are descendents of Polynesians. They migrated to Hawaii in two waves; the first are from Marquesas Islands, estimated to have arrived around 5th century C.E. . The second wave is from Tahiti in the 9th or 10th century C.E.. They numbered about 300,000 at the time of Captain James Cook’s arrival in 1778. (HawaiiHistory)

   The Aboriginals of Hawaii’s identity was strongly tied to their role in society as it connected to the land. Ahupua’a is an old Hawaiian term for the large traditional socioeconomic subdivision of land and work. The shores,mountains, and the sea gave the Aboriginal peoples all their supplies for survival. The sea for fish; the littoral for coconuts; the valley for taro, their principal food; the lower slopes for sweet potatoes, yams, and bananas; and the mountain for wood. (Encyclopaedia Britannica). Aboriginal Hawaiian’s sense of identity would have been strongly linked to what they farmed.

    Aboriginal Hawaiians were also skilled tradespeople. Without metals, pottery, or work animals, the people made tools, weapons, and utensils of stone, wood, shell, teeth, and bone, and great skill was displayed in arts and industries. Houses were of wood frames and thatched, with stone floors covered with mats. Food was cooked in holes in the ground, called imus, by means of hot stones; but many foods, including fish, were often eaten raw (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

First Nations of Canada: Relationship

  As of 1982 Aboriginal peoples connection to the land is constitutionally recognized and legally protected under Section 35 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

(1) The existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the aboriginal people in Canada are hereby recognized and affirmed.

(2) In this Act, “Aboriginal Peoples of Canada “includes the Indian, Inuit, and Métis Peoples of Canada.

(3) For greater certainty, in subsection (1), “treaty rights” includes rights that now exist by way of land claims agreements or may be so acquired...

    Similar to Aboriginal Hawaiian The Aboriginal Peoples of Canada have had a similarly respectful, spiritual, and protective relationship with the land. Aboriginal Peoples of Canada  traditionally feel a great sense of responsibility for the land, sea, and all creatures that inhabit it with them. Traditional knowledge, languages, cultural practices and oral traditions built over time are connected to the land. Certain sites are considered sacred. These sites, which include buffalo jumps, sweat lodges, first ancestor sites, and whaling shrines, are so high in spiritual value that they are key to the survival of Aboriginal culture. (Joseph)

    The Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) constitutionally recognized this connection to the land under Section 35.

(1) The existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the aboriginal people in Canada are hereby recognized and affirmed.

(2) In this Act, “Aboriginal Peoples of Canada “includes the Indian, Inuit, and Métis Peoples of Canada.

(3) For greater certainty, in subsection (1), “treaty rights” includes rights that now exist by way of land claims agreements or may be so acquired...

    Previous to the Charter, Aboriginals legal connection to the land was mostly dictated by the Royal Proclamation signed in 1763 by King George III. The Proclamation “[referred] to Nations or Tribes of Indians", and recognizes them as owners of their lands when it says "ceded to [Aboriginals] or purchased by [Aboriginals]" and sets out what today are sometimes called “special” hunting rights.  (Joseph)

These rights were not changed by the Charter.

(1) The existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the aboriginal people in Canada are hereby recognized and affirmed.

Aboriginals of Hawaii: Relationship

“What happens to the land happens to the people”, is a common phrase used by the Hawaiian people.. All natural and cultural resources are interrelated. The ‘äina (land), wai (water), kai (ocean), and lewa (sky) are considered the foundation of life and the source of the spiritual relationship between Hawaiians and their environment.  Aboriginal traditions describe the formation (the birth) of the Hawaiian Islands and the presence of life on, and around them, in the context of genealogical accounts.The skies,mountain peaks, valleys, and plains, are considered the embodiments of Hawaiian gods and deities. (Maly).

First Nations of Canada: Sovereignty

 Sovereignty is the authority of a state or people to govern themselves. Section 51 of the Indian Act states “(1) Subject to this section, all jurisdiction and authority in relation to the property of mentally incompetent Indians is vested exclusively in the Minister”. This can be messy, as there is no definition to ‘mentally incompetent’ and is only defined by what the government feels fit.

(2) Without restricting the generality of subsection (1), the Minister may

(a) appoint persons to administer the estates of mentally incompetent Indians;

(b) order that any property of a mentally incompetent Indian shall be sold, leased,  alienated, mortgaged, disposed of or otherwise dealt with for the purpose

This means land can be compromised at any point if and when the government wants it by simply stating an Aboriginal who is in possession of property is mentally incompetent and denounce said property. (Indian Act)

 Under the Indian Act, seeking rights was, and continues to be, a very hard thing to do for Aboriginals. Some setbacks include differences of language, education, income, and perhaps most importantly until 1951, after sections of the Indian Act were repealed, Aboriginals could not legally hire a lawyer) (Gryer).  Furthermore, the language of the Indian Act is written in complicated language, which makes even reading, let alone understanding the Act very difficult. For instance, in section 52 under Guardianship it states:

52.1 (1) The council of a band may determine that the payment of not more than three thousand   dollars, or such other amount as may be fixed by order of the Governor in Council, in a year of the share of a distribution under paragraph 64(1)(a) that belongs to an infant child who is a member of the band is necessary or proper for the maintenance, advancement or other benefit of the child.

I personally couldn’t understand a word that was written. It feels as though this may be the point so sovereignty and advocating for their own rights for the Aboriginal peoples is almost impossible to achieve.

Aboriginals of Hawaii: Sovereignty

 Throughout most of the nineteenth century, the United States recognized the independence of the Kingdom of Hawaii, though economic relations were increasing between the two countries. In 1893, the United States Minister assigned to the sovereign and independent Kingdom of Hawaii, John L. Stevens, conspired with a small group of non-Hawaiian residents of the Kingdom, including citizens of the United States, to overthrow the indigenous and lawful government of Hawaii. (Dyke) Queen Lili‘uokalani, the monarch of Hawaii, representing the Aboriginal citizens of Hawaii, petitioned against the United States’ wrongdoings and for the restoration of the Indigenous government of the Hawaiian nation. The aboriginal Hawaiian people actively opposed the annexation of Hawaii, a petition was signed by 210,269 people.

  In 1893, Queen Lili’uokaliani ceeded the Hawaiian islands to the United States through The Joint Resolution to Provide for Annexing the Hawaiian Islands to the United States. She did so under great protest. She was afraid of Hawaiians dying in a war against the United States.

I Liliʻuokalani, by the Grace of God and under the Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen, do hereby solemnly protest against any and all acts done against myself and the Constitutional Government of the Hawaiian Kingdom...I yield to the superior force of the United States of America…

Now to avoid any collision of armed forces, and perhaps the loss of life, I do this under protest and impelled by said force yield my authority until such time as the Government of the United States shall ... reinstate me in the authority which I claim as the Constitutional Sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands. (Wikipedia)

 Through the 1898 Joint Resolution and the 1900 Organic Act, the Aboriginals of Hawaii received 1.8 million acres of lands, formerly Crown and Government Lands under the Hawaiian Kingdom. and took these lands from the existing public land laws of the United States by stating the revenue and proceeds from these lands be “used solely for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands for education and other public purposes,’’ This created a trusting relationship between the United States and the inhabitants of Hawaii. These lands are referred to as the “Ceded Lands”.  (Dyke)

 In 1921, The United States Congress passed the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act 25 in recognition of the deteriorating condition of the Hawaiian people, setting aside about 200,000 acres of ceded lands for a homesteading program to provide residences, farms, and pastoral lots for native Hawaiians of fifty percent or more Hawaiian ancestry. (Dyke)

 In 1959, Congress admitted Hawaii as the 50th state of the United States. This enacted an Admission Act, which required the new state to accept responsibility as a condition of statehood for the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.  (Dyke)

    In 1980, the Hawaiian Legislature determined that OHA (official Hawaiian Affairs) should receive 20% of the revenues generated from the ceded lands held in trust by the State. This revenue has already allowed OHA to accumulate more than $300 million in assets. (Dyke)

   In the 1970s, Congress has enacted over 160 statutes providing separate programs for Native Hawaiians or including them in laws and benefit programs that assist other aboriginal people. Examples of separate Acts benefiting Native Hawaiians are the Native Hawaiian Healthcare Improvement Act providing programs and services designed to improve the health status of Native Hawaiians, the 1994 Native Hawaiian Education Act (reauthorized in 2000) establishing programs and funding for educational initiatives, 37 and the Hawaiian Homelands Homeownership Act of 2000 relating to affordable housing for Native Hawaiian families. 38 Native Hawaiian languages? have been included in the Native American Languages Act protecting native languages, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act protecting native burials and calling for the repatriation of human remains and funerary objects, and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act expressing the federal policy protecting native religions. (Dyke)

   1993 U.S. Apology Resolution, one of the most important recent Congressional enactments is the 1993 Apology Resolution acknowledging the “special relationship” that exists between the United States and the Native Hawaiian people. Congress confirmed in the Apology Resolution that Native Hawaiians are an “Indigenous people,” which is the key characterization that establishes that a “political” (rather than “racial”) relationship exists between the Native Hawaiian people and the United States government. This is important because United States courts have given preferential treatment for Indigenous people. (Dyke)

  As you can see, both First Nations and Aboriginals of Hawaii have had minor successes in claiming identity, relationships, and sovereignty. Both of these Aboriginal groups make up a large population in both Canada and the United States yet, they stand alone. Just recognizing these challenges is a step towards progress of the injustices that the Aboriginal people face.

 Citation

Aboriginal and Indigenous peoples. Institut Historica. Government of Canada. (18/01/25)

https://www.historicacanada.ca/1812/PDF/1812_aboriginal_guide.pdf

Bauknight, Catherine. Hawaiian Sovereignty Connection to the ‘Aina. HuffingtonPost. (13/11/13). https://www.huffingtonpost.com/catherine-bauknight/hawaiian-sovereignty-connection_b_4269222.htmlDyke, Jon M. Van. An Introduction to the Rights of the Native Hawaiian people. (06/07)

https://www.law.hawaii.edu/sites/www.law.hawaii.edu/files/content/Faculty/NHRts-HSBJ806.pdf

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Hawaiian People. (18/01/24) https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hawaiian

Frideres, James.  Aboriginal Identity in the Canadian Context. (18/01/24) http://www3.brandonu.ca/cjns/28.2/05Frideres.pdf

Gryer, Allison. Aboriginals Lawyers Stride in Footsteps of Legal pioneer. The ThunderBird.  (13/03/25). https://thethunderbird.ca/2013/03/25/aboriginal-lawyers-stride-in-footsteps-of-legal-pioneer/

HawaiiHistory. Captain Cook arrives in Hawai`i. (18/01/25)

http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&PageID=265

Indian Act. Mentally Incompetent Indian. Sec. 51. The Government of Canada. (18/01/25) http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/i-5/page-7.html#h-24

Joseph, Bob. Working Effectively With Indigenous people Learning Centre. First Nation Sacred Sites. (15/05/20). https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/first-nation-sacred-sites

Joseph, Bob. Working Effectively With Indigenous people Learning Centre. Royal Proclamation Recognized Aboriginal Rights 250 Years Ago. (13/10/01). https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/royal-proclamation-recognized-aboriginal-rights-250-years-ago

Maly, Kepä. MÄLAMA PONO I KA ‘ÄINA- AN OVERVIEW OF THE HAWAIIAN CULTURAL LANDSCAPE. (2001) http://www.kumupono.com/Hawaiian%20Cultural%20Landscape.pdf

The Government of Canada. First Nations.  (18/01/24) http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/first-nations/

Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Wikipedia.  (18/01/20)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overthrow_of_the_Kingdom_of_Hawaii

Reclaiming Our Identity Band Membership, Citizenship and the Inherent Right. National Centre for First Nations Governance. (18/01/24) http://fngovernance.org/resources_docs/ReclaimingOurIdentity_Paper.pdf

#essay #first nations #canada #hawaii #aborinals of hawaii #native hawaiian

[freehawaii]

KE AUPUNI UPDATE - JUNE 2023

June Celebrations in the Hawaiian Kingdom

One way to assert the Hawaiian Kingdom still lives is to remember and celebrate important days in our history. Here are three significant days to remember in the month of June.   June 11 – Kamehameha Day On December 22, 1871, King Kamehameha V proclaimed a national holiday to honor and celebrate his grandfather, King Kamehameha the Great, the founder of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Originally, Hawaiian subjects wanted to mark the legacy of Lot Kapūaiwa (Kamehameha V) on his birthday, December 11. But in humility he opted to honor his grandfather instead, choosing a date as far away from his (Lot’s) birthday as possible, hence the date of June 11.   Since 1872 the June 11 King Kamehameha Day celebration has steadfastly endured. Even through the upheavals of insurgency, usurpation, regime changes, occupation, “annexation” and “statehood”, the one constant has been Kamehameha Day. And rightly so. Through his life, Kamehameha Ekolu transitioned from fierce warrior to conqueror to unifier and founding father to peace maker to human rights advocate (The Law of the splintered paddle) to statesman.   June 7, 1839 The Hawaiian Kingdom Declaration of Rights Issued by Kamehameha III, the king’s Declaration of Rights profoundly improved on the American Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights from which it was fashioned. The Hawaiian Kingdom Declaration of Rights is written from a distinctly Hawaiian perspective. For instance, the American declaration famously says, “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal...” (but “equal” was not meant to include blacks, native Americans, Asians, etc.). In contrast, the Declaration of Kamehameha III says, "God hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the earth, in unity and blessedness.” Wow! The Hawaiian Declaration says we not only have equal rights, but that we are all related by blood! We are all family, meant to dwell in unity and blessedness... Our declaration says we must treat each other not just “equally” as defined in legal terms, but with aloha, as we would treat our relatives. From the highest to the lowliest, we are all ʻOhana.   June 17, 1897 The Kūʻē Petition is delivered to the U.S. Senate Queen Liliʻuokalani went to Washington, DC to lobby against the ratification of the McKinley Treaty of Annexation. To show their support for their Queen and country, Hawaiian patriots conducted massive petition drives throughout the Islands. One of them, with 21,000 signatures, was hand-delivered to the U.S. Senate by James Kaulia (president of Hui Aloha ʻĀina), David Kalauokalani (president of Hui Kālaiʻāina), William Auld, and John Richardson. Their mission succeeded in defeating ratification of the treaty. Because of this, still today, there is no treaty annexing the Hawaiian Islands to the United States.   “Love of country is deep-seated in the breast of every Hawaiian, whatever his station.” — Queen Liliʻuokalani   Correction: In the May 27, 2023 issue of Ke Aupuni Update I stated that hearing the case of Larsen vs. Hawaiian Kingdom at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague in 2000, constituted recognition by the court of the Hawaiian Kingdom as a State (sovereign country). It did not. The case was accepted by the PCA under rules that did not require one party to be a recognized State. Mahalo to renown international lawyer, Curtis F. Doebbler for that clarification.

---------- Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono. The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

------ For the latest news and developments about our progress at the United Nations in both New York and Geneva, tune in to Free Hawaii News at 
6 PM the first Friday of each month on ʻŌlelo Television, Channel 53. 

------ "And remember, for the latest updates and information about the Hawaiian Kingdom check out the twice-a-month Ke Aupuni Updates published online on Facebook and other social media." PLEASE KŌKUA… Your kōkua, large or small, is vital to this effort... To contribute, go to: • GoFundMe – CAMPAIGN TO FREE HAWAII • PayPal – use account email: [email protected] • Other – To contribute in other ways (airline miles, travel vouchers, volunteer services, etc...) email us at: [email protected]  “FREE HAWAII” T-SHIRTS - etc. Check out the great FREE HAWAII products you can purchase at... http://www.robkajiwara.com/store/c8/free_hawaii_products All proceeds are used to help the cause. MAHALO! Malama Pono,


Leon Siu


Hawaiian National

#ke aupuni #leon siu #free hawaii #hawaiian kingdom

[hist2000indigenousresistance]

Our History is the Future

Prior to reading this book, I hadn’t really approached Standing Rock from a historical perspective, and certainly not one that centered the sovereignty of the Oceti Sakowin before. It centered indigenous sovereignty from an indigenous perspective (being written, of course, by a native, sioux, person).

But I think that Nick Estes did a very good job recontextualizing historic events that I had heard about from settler perspectives and relating them to the continued fight for indigenous sovereignty that brought us to the events of the #NoDAPL movement. 

Old Wars

It recontextualized things like the “American Indian Wars.” According to Wikipedia’s “list of wars involving the United States”  there were 4 wars between the various Oceti Sakowin tribes and the United States; The Dakota War of 1862,  the Colorado War (1863-65), the Powder River War (1965) and Red Cloud’s War (1866-68) which led to the creation of the Treaty of Fort Laramine, which much of the book is based around. There were also 2 other wars after the treaty was signed: the Great Sioux War of 1876 (which seized the black hills that were given in the treaty), the Pine Ridge Campaign (which led to the massacre at Wounded Knee). In reading Estes's account of these events, I realized that the way that these wars are taught in my childhood history classes, was as if there weren’t real wars. They were not portrayed as sovereign nations resisting encroachment onto their territories by the United States. I mean, they were barely taught at all, because history class preferred to focus on the Civil War that was happening at the same time. 

When I was in Chicago at the cultural center, there was a sign that said: “The Civil War was also a settler colonial war.” This made sense to me in some way, because it was a war over land that belonged to neither group that was trying to claim it. The Indian Wars and the Civil War were both, as the sign said: “each part of the westward advance of the United States empire and the colonization of the west. The Civil War...was also a conflict over the way the United States empire would develop.” That sign, plus the realization that the dates of the American Indian Wars overlap almost completely with the Civil War made me realize just how wrong the United State’s history is taught. 

The history of the Oceti Sakowin - their origins to now - isn’t included in the curriculum. The United States gets to act like their expansion was inevitable, and ignore the historic wars that were waged against sovereign nations in a conquest for more land and resources. And ignore the modern war with the continued occupation of lands, breaking of treaties, and denial of modern sovereignty.  By simply thinking of the Oceti Sakowin Oyate/Great Sioux Nation as a nation it directly challenges the notion that it was inevitable. It recontextualizes the history and the supposed ‘greatness’ of the United States by proving that it is a nation built upon the destruction of other nations.

Ghost Dancers

Another thing that stuck with me from the book was the Ghost Dance. Settler history doesn’t portray it in the same way as Estes does. Its generally refered to as some kind of ‘crazy indian thing’ on par with the Dancing Plague of 1518 because of its mischaracterization by anthropologists. What isn’t mentioned is how much it makes sense in the true context of its time period. Estes calls it “an accumulation of prior anti-colonial experiences, sentiments, and struggles” and recontextualizes it as a true anti-colonial resistance movement, one that went against the US ‘concentration camp’ reservations, boarding schools, and the movement towards assimilation. A movement that posed a threat to US imposition of their sovereignty over the Oceti Sakowin, and was met with military force and violence. 

The title of the book, our history is the future was confusing to me at first, but the explanation of the ghost dance actually helped me to understand it. Estes description of the ghost dance as being “transported to a forthcoming world where the old ways and dead relatives lived” in contrast to the “horrors of their current reality” and that it offered “a reminder that life need not always be this way” to its participants, I was able to better understand (Estes 124). The idea of looking to our past in order to envision a future that is better than our current present makes sense. I think it’s a bit like envisioning the future that you want as the first step to making it a reality, like in Decolonization is not a metaphor, decolonization must first stop being a metaphor in order for “the very possibility of decolonization” to be real (Tuck & Yang 4). 

And similarly, I think, Standing Rock offered a similar window into the past and the future. Estes recounts Ladonna BraveBull Allard’s story from the Sacred Stone camp, seeing everyone working, roasting deer meat, kids playing, and people telling stories. “They were all speaking Dakota. I looked at them and I thought, ‘this is how we are supposed to live. This makes sense to me.’ Every day...I saw our culture and our way of life come alive.” (BraveBull Allard, via Estes pg 51-52)

Continued Resistance

There are so many “Standing Rocks” that have happened over and over again throughout Octei Sakowin history as their land has been taken, and dams have flooded their towns, their land, as police killed their people, and there has been resistance to all of these. Yet from my perspective, settlers see Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline as different from all these other events that the tribes didn’t want. 

But what really makes it different? Is it because there were other people involved? Because there were non-Sioux and non-native people who stood with them? What makes one act of resistance more important than another? Because all these acts of resistance are important to be recognized. “This Battle for native sovereignty had already been fought many times before, and that, even after the encampment was gone, their anti-colonial struggle would continue.” (From inside cover, Our History is the Future)

When I was considering those questions,  a quote came to mind from Pualani Case, a Native Hawaiian who is a leader of the Protect Mauna Kea movement to stop TMT. 

“When the Native people of a place say, ‘not this time’ ‘no more’ ‘you have taken almost everything we have, and if we allow you to build on the most sacred’ without attempting to stop that, we may as just lay down, as a native people and say ‘take everything’ if you take the most sacred what will we have left.” 

-Pualani Case, Source

When I first heard this quote, it made me uncomfortable, because I thought, ‘just because someone takes one thing doesn’t mean they should take all of it, but when I rewatched the video for the third-ish time, and after I read Estes’ book, I think I understand it better. That quote isn’t about the settlers taking the land, it's about the importance for the native people to defend the land, to try to stop settler imposition and construction on the land. Some of what makes them still have a right to the land are because they have never stopped fighting for it in one way or another. 

Chicago Cultural Center is built on land that “consists of both territory ceded through treaties that the U.S. government coerced Indigenous people to sign and unceded territory created by landfill after those coerced treaties were signed.” (Decolonizing the Chicago Cultural Center, pg 20 ) Many other places in the united states are built like that, Boston is like that. But coerced treaties and made land doesn’t separate Native people from the land, it’s still theirs and they are still of the land.

And therefore, every act of resistance, every existence as resistance, is important, even if some are more important because they deal with the most sacred, and the most important things, like the water, and the right to live. 

Modern Sovereignty

“Internationalism” was another concept from Our History is the Future that I thought was super interesting and recontextualizing. Because if you consider all the tribes to be their own nations that retain their sovereignty, then gatherings like the sacred stone camps at standing rock, organizations like the American Indian Movement, are international movements. And interactions between the United States and native nations are nation-to-nation, they are international relations, or at least, maybe they should be considered international relations.

A lot of my thoughts on this book are still scattered, even after the weeks that I’ve spent processing and connecting it to my interactions in my daily life. But there’s one paragraph that I really like that I think does a good job, a better job, of relating all these things I talked about down. 

“The Ghost Dance was not a monolithic movement, but  an accumulation of prior anti-colonial experiences, sentiments, and struggles that informed #NoDAPL. Each struggle had adopted essential features of previous traditions of Indigenous resistance, while creating new tactics and visions to address the present reality, and, consequentially, projected Indigenous liberation into the future. Trauma played a major role. But if we oversimplify Indigenous peoples as perpetually wounded, we cannot understand how they formed kinship bonds and constantly recreated and kept intact families, communities, and governance structures while surviving as fugitives and prisoners of a settler state and as conspirators against empire; how they loved, cried, laughed, imagined, dreamed, and defended themselves; or how they remain, to this day, the first sovereigns of this land and the oldest political authority.”

-Nick Estes pg. 131

#bookreflection #our history is the future #readingreflection

[homaikaike]

Waikīkī, Ka Wahi Aloha: Once a Native Hawaiian Paradise

HWST 356: Aloha Kanaloa | Fall 2020

taken from: Waikīkī, Ka Wahi Aloha: Once a Native Hawaiian Paradise (2020) unpublished by P-R, K.

Waikīkī; the picturesque beachscape portrayed to be full of beautifully slim brown women, soft white sand, shady palm trees and the clear blue crashing waves in the distance. Truly a tourist’s dreamscape paradise. Countless movies, television shows, songs, and music videos were created with this very place in mind. But how did it come to be this “pristine” nirvana that has social media influencers raving over the sunsets? What stories lie buried beneath the white sandy beach at Waikīkī and what can be learned about its history and pilina (relationship) with the old Hawaiʻi? In the 1940s, Andy Cummings wrote a song telling of what he remembered as the beautiful Waikīkī, ending it with the following lines:

Waikīkī 

My whole life is empty without you

I miss that magic about you

Magic beside the sea

Magic of Waikīkī

Within the last five decades, after the rebirth and renewed interest of Hawaiian culture and traditions that came as a cultural renaissance, the recognized value for native practices, such as voyaging, plant farming, and fishing has increased. For the purpose of this paper, I will be focusing on loko iʻa fishing sites, and their ties to that magic of Waikīkī, the Waikīkī of the old Hawaiian days.

Moʻolelo and the Loko Iʻa of Waikīkī

The history of loko iʻa (Hawaiian fishpond systems) is both rich and extensive. With the help of both written and oral histories, Hinapukuiʻa, whose name translates to “Hina who gathers fish,” is an akua (spiritual entity) that guards fishermen. She is the wahine (wife) of Kūʻulakai and mother to ʻAiʻai. Kūʻulakai, is also an akua for fishermen, and is said to have built the first loko iʻa at Lehoʻula (Maui). In the moʻolelo of Kūʻulakai and Hinapukuiʻa, they were living at Lehoʻula on Maui. Kūʻulakai had devoted all his time to his fishing. His first project was to build a loko iʻa close to his house and near the aekai, where the surf breaks. When he found his spot, he stocked the pond with various kinds of fish. Upon a rocky platform, he also built a house, which he called by his own name, Kūʻula. There, he made it tradition to offer the first fish caught to the fish god. Because of his knowledge and skill, fish became obedient to him, and were plentiful during his life. His son ʻAiʻai had later picked up the practice, teaching people to find fish and how to utilize the loko iʻa system. It had since been a Hawaiian practice and cultural necessity for life in ancient Hawaiʻi.

 More than a century ago, most of the Waikīkī shore was a narrow, thin ribbon of carbonate sand that lay between wetlands, mudflats, duck ponds, fishponds, and a gently sloping reef a few thousand feet wide. There wasn’t the long stretch of hot sand on the beach as you see now, nor the thin patches of sand on the reef. In fact, there were several small streams flowing into the sea from the mountains. This Waikīkī, with that old time magic, is not the Waikīkī photographed on vintage postcards. Nor is it the romantic landscape of an isolated paradise with spacious beaches and crashing crystal waves. Kānaka Maoli, Native Hawaiians, born and raised at Waikīkī are descendants of ancient Polynesians and Pacific Peoples who traveled across Oceania to the Hawaiian islands in waves. Those who had settled in Hawaiʻi brought with them ancient knowledge and items, creating working systems for food and water—the loko iʻa being one of the most innovative. Wakīkī’s waters not only made the the area a rich farming ground, but also a sacred place frequented for physical and spiritual renewal. Aliʻi Nui, divine rulers, favored Waikīkī not only because of its fruitful nature, but because it was an ideal dwelling site; Waikīkī had freshwater, bountiful agricultural and ocean harvests, as well its ready access to the culturally Pacific practice of sea transportation. It was truly a sacred Native Hawaiian paradise, infused with the mana (spiritual power) of these rulers who, in their relationships with their people and the ʻaina (land), watched over the different loʻi kalo (taro patched) and loko iʻa that were established in the area.

Unique to Hawaiʻi, the loko iʻa system is considered one of Hawaiʻi’s most significant traditional resources. They are biocultural articulations of Hawaiian innovation in the areas of engineering, education, hydrology, aquaculture and biology. Loko iʻa demonstrate traditional Hawaiʻi’s proficiency in not only sustainability, but in food security and sovereignty, and natural resource management. Research shows that more than 400 fishponds once functioned across Hawaiʻi, being an important and sustainable food source for the Hawaiian people, with a pre-contact population estimated to be nearly one million. Increasing immigration and western influences during the 19th and 20th centuries, along with increased industrialization, urbanization and overdevelopment would prove to have a devastating impact on the traditional Hawaiian resource management systems in Hawaiʻi. As a result, most Hawaiian fishponds fell into disrepair. The case today is that there are nowhere near as many loko iʻa in operation, and those that weren’t completely destroyed, are not fully functional. 

Loko iʻa are considered sacred because of their spiritual power, and their inviting the presence of akua and ʻaumakua (ancestral spirits and guardians). They were things that beautified the land, and a land with many loko iʻa was called ʻāina momona, a fruitful land. Waikīkī is named to be reflective of it’s waters, wai being a general term for water, and for any type of water besides the saltwater of the ocean (kai). Kīkī means to spout or spray, so Waikīkī is named as a place of spouting water. When looking at the structure of loko iʻa systems (as well as loʻi irrigation systems), they connect from mauka (the mountains) to makai (the ocean), the physical place where freshwater and saltwater mix (muliwai). Utilizing that connected space dates back over half a millennium, as cultivation and propagation centered on many different fresh and saltwater plants and animals, with the primary species being the prized ‘ama‘ama (mullet) and ‘awa (milkfish). Waikīkī’s location was no exception to this optimal climate.

Development and Urbanization of Waikīkī

Many loko iʻa were created in the brackish waters of Wakīkī. Approaching the twentieth century, much of the Hawaiian lifestyle had begun to wane under the pressure of a perpetually growing tourism. In the late 1800s, the first developments began, solely with the purpose to bring forth visitors, hotels being some of the first constructed buildings. It is reported that the first marine structures—sea walls, groins, and piers—began appearing along the beach during this time. By 1906, the President of the Board of Health of the Territory of Hawaii, Lucius Pinkham, was endorsing full development of the Wakīkī district. Pinkham had declared the wetland of the Waikīkī "deleterious to public health...not drained at all and is incapable of effectual drainage and is in an unsanitary and dangerous condition". So, local loko iʻa were destroyed. Legacies of fishponds and cultivation, cultural places and practices were gone. With the intent to “improve” conditions, Pinkham had proposed to create a canal (ala wai)  through the district that would drain and divert streams away from Waikīkī.

Aside from canal dredging, there’s spoken moʻolelo about the swamp areas that used to call Waikīkī home. There were mangrove trees, and with their removal came surpluses of makika (mosquitoes) which caused a lot of pilikia (problems) for those wanting to develop this space. With the coming of the 1910s, seawalls too became a problem for development and they were quickly done away with as the concern was “beach erosion”. Additionally, large quantities of sand were removed many years ago from Waikīkī. In 1910, the Pacific Commercial Advertiser reported on a meeting of the Hawaiʻi Promotion Committee—the article’s headline was: “Spoiling the Waikiki Beach. How Honolulu’s World-famous Bathing Resort is Being Ruined. Heavy Removal of Sand”. 

Now, when you sit on a beach chair at Wakīkī, mai tai in hand, watching a slim brown woman gracefully dancing a hula to the strums of an ʻukulele, you smile at the beautiful scene as the sunsets behind her. It’s nearly impossible to imagine that water, power, life, magic, fulfillment and happiness that have been drained from the Wakīkī of old Hawaiʻi (a Hawaiian’s Hawaiʻi). 

As the sun sets on the horizon, it tips billowing clouds with rose and golden light, and the ocean deepens to a majestic azure. Soft trade winds blow perfumed air across the faces of tourists and locals who smile warmly and chat as they glory in the perfect early evening and relish the gracious entertainment. It is a magical moment that seems to capture the essence of Wakīkī’s charm; its natural beauty, cultural richness, and warm hospitality.

But we, as Hawaiians, are familiar with the grim history upon which this paradise was built on. The stark contrast of loss and gain is especially powerful in this place of spouting waters, of Wakīkī. While her beauty, the magic of Wakīkī is still very much present, it is through research, listening, and learning of the past does one really get to learn of the fruitful ʻāina momona that Hawaiians had built as the historic Wakīkī.

There's a feeling deep in my heart

Stabbing at me just like a dart

It's a feeling heavenly

I see memories out of the past

Memories that always will last

Of the days that used to be (Of a place beside the sea)

 Waikīkī

[sources]

Cummings, Andy. Territorial Airwaves. Atlantic Music Corp. 73, 1947.

Feeser, Andrea, and Gaye Chan. Waikiki: A History of Forgetting and Remembering. University of Hawaii Press, 2006.

Honua Consulting, and Conservation International Hawaii Fish Trust. Loko-Ia-Final-EA1. PDF. Honolulu: Department of Land and Natural Resources, October 2013.

Kawaharada, Dennis., and Esther T. Mookini. Hawaiian Fishing Legends : with Notes on Ancient Fishing Implements and Practices Honolulu, Hawaii: Kalamaku Press, 1992.

Laymon, Julie Wooddell. "NA LEO 'ĀINA: LAND VOICES." PhD diss., UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII, 2005. 

Miller, Tara L. and Charles H. Fletcher. "Waikiki: Historical Analysis of an Engineered Shoreline." Journal of Coastal Research 19, no. 4 (2003): 1026-043.

Pualani Kauila (professor) on loko iʻa of Waikīkī, in discussion with the author, July 2018.

Wiegel, Robert L. "Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii: History of its Transformation From a Natural to an Urban Shore." Shore and Beach 76, no. 2 (2008): 3.

#honey studies #HWST 356