NATIVE HAWAIIAN EXPERT SAYS "NO" TO AKAKA BILL
Respected Professor Interviewed In Indian Country Today
Indian Country Today - April 20, 2007
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Why should Native Hawaiians who have never relinquished their inherent sovereignty settle for the lesser status of federal recognition that is being put forward in the ''Akaka Bill''?
They shouldn't, says J. Kehaulani Kauanui.
Kauanui, a Native Hawaiian and an assistant professor of anthropology and American studies at Wesleyan University in Middletown, presented a short history of Hawai`i/U.S. relations and her views of the Akaka Bill in a talk called ''The Politics of Native Hawaiian Self-Determination: U.S. Federal Policy v. International law'' at Yale University on April 4....
...A compelling argument against federal recognition is how federally recognized tribes are treated now, Kauanui said....
''...Why should we do that? It seems a more critical time than ever for Hawaiians and all U.S. citizens to critically question why there should not be a Hawaiian embassy in Washington, D.C. Instead of negotiating with the Department of the Interior, Hawaiians have the un-extinguished right to negotiate instead with the U.S. Department of State,'' Kauanui said.
Here's Where To Read The Entire Story -
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096414877
