By Joan Conrow
...The bill aims to do what Sen. Daniel Akaka could not - turn kanaka maoli into a tribe that forever relinquishes all claim to sovereignty while keeping those pesky upstart Hawaiians firmly under the state’s thumb.
Worse, it does so by using a divide and conquer strategy that will serve only to tear the Hawaiians apart, which is quite an effective way to delay justice for another century or so....
...Consistent with the policies of the State of Hawai`i, the members of the qualified Native Hawaiian roll, and their descendants, shall be acknowledged by the State of Hawai`i as the indigenous, aboriginal, maoli population of Hawai`i.
While those who choose not to participate in this state-sanctioned charade, and those who are not added to the roll, for whatever reasons — say, petty political retribution — become what, exactly? Non-indigenous, non-aboriginal, non-recognized, non-members of the population? Or in other words, persons whom the state can ignore?
Once you get on the roll, then you can help organize the governing entity by participating in a convention that is bound to create exactly the sort of compliant, powerless, puppet government that the state wants.
Here's another insult upon injury - All of this will be funded by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, which gets its money from the so-called "ceded lands" revenues that are supposed to benefit ALL Hawaiians. In other words, kanaka will be charged for creating the government the state wants them to have.
And if you have any doubts about OHA's impartiality and fairness, consider this. When I attended a workshop on preparing a grant application to OHA, the representative told applicants they had to submit a list of their board members so trustees could ensure that they “played well in the sandbox.”
In other words, OHA will give you money so long as you’re willing to carry out its agenda, which is in large part directed by the state that gives it money and the many OHA trustees in the state Legislature.
And they’re the ones who are going to be determining the roll of qualified kanaka, shepherding the creation of a Native Hawaiian governing entity? What a farce. What a travesty.
Or as Hawaiian National Pilipo Souza wrote in an email -
July 4th is the real day of infamy of the Hawaiian Nation for on July 4th, 1894, The Republic of Hawai`i was created by the very thieves that stole the Hawaiian Nation.
Less than 3,000 foreigners and Hawaiian Citizens in convention created a new government by burying alive 98 % of the Hawaiian Nationals.
Fortunately, the graves were shallow but full with deceit and fraud.
More than 90% of those Hawaiian Nationals never left their homeland and have remained in protest for 118 years.
But the signing of SB1520, "First Nation Government" will pile on new dirt on the burial sites of those 40,000 plus Hawaiian Nationals.
We must not let the dirt stand and be compacted as the final resting place of the Hawaiian Nation.
We have a duty and responsibility just as good Americans believe they have on their July 4th.
