SOVEREIGNTY FOR HAWAIIANS DEPENDS ON HAVING LAND
The Maui News - Letter to the Editor
Thursday, January 20, 2005
'Tis the season for treason. In remembrance of the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, I believe resistance to oppression is the highest form of culture and, in the case of the Hawaiians, this equals resistance against the ongoing theft of our most valuable cultural treasure, our aina (land.)
Crushed by America's impending neglect is the hope for meaningful change. Clearly, the neglect of Hawaiian rights has become the overriding factor in our removal from our ancestral lands.
America considers Hawaiians "wards of the state." By virtue of this so-called status, the state and federal governments assume the privilege of drafting legislation pertaining to our people without our consent, and in doing so continue to deny existing Hawai'i self-determination and land rights.
The state of Hawai'i, along with Hawaii's federal delegation is seeking to finish what began with the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom by passing the Akaka Bill.
Since forced under U.S. domination, Hawaiians have never relinquished their rights to sovereignty and to their land. While politicians plot the legalization of America's illegal occupation of Hawaiian national territory, so-called state and county authorities can incarcerate Hawaiians for trespassing on their own land.
Clarify our land rights, not re-create them, because the land is our social link broken by American imperialism. This is Hawai'i, our home.
You cannot promote freedom and at the same time look down your nose at it.
Kapali Keahi
Lahaina
