ALOHA!

If this is your first visit to FREEHAWAII.INFO, welcome!

FREEHAWAII.INFO is dedicated to restoring independence and sovereignty to the Hawaiian Islands. In 1893, the independant nation of Hawai'i was illegally overthrown by rich American sugar barons and the US marines.Then President Cleveland condemned it by calling it "an act of war."

Did you know?

OVER 98% OF ALL NATIVE HAWAIIANS AND MOST NON-NATIVE SUBJECTS OF THE HAWAIIAN KINGDOM WERE FULLY OPPOSED TO THE ILLEGAL OVERTHROW.

Today, those decendants of the Nation carry forth the voices of their ancestors and still oppose the illegal occupation of the US government in Hawai'i.

Hawai'i was a free nation - but never free for the taking!

DID YOU KNOW THE EFFECT OF OVER A CENTURY OF US OCCUPATION ON NATIVE HAWAIIANS ?

The Hawaiian people, have suffered since the first Western contact in 1778.

Western diseases, to which Hawaiians had no immunity, decimated their numbers. At the time of western contact, some 800,000 people inhabited the Hawaiian Islands. By 1805 that number had been halved. By 1853 there were only 71,000 Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian people in the islands. Within 100 years of western contact, the Hawaiian population had been reduced by nearly 90 percent.

According to the 2000 census, the numbers of people who claim some native Hawaiian ancestry have increased to over 400,000. But only 239,000 live in Hawaii and they are the poorest, most locked-up population in the state.

Although they only make up about 20 percent of the state's population, in June 2001 they made up 39 percent of the state's prison population, according to the state Department of Public
Safety. They make up 37 percent of the state's homeless population, according to a 2003 survey.

TODAY IS KA LA HO'IHO'I EA - RESTORATION DAY - IN HAWAI'I

What is Restoration Day?

Ka La Ho'iho'i Ea (Restoration Day), on or about July 29 each year, celebrates the 1843 British withdrawal from their 5-month military occupation of our homeland.

The observance of this event was revived at Thomas Square in Honolulu in 1985. Thomas Square is named after the British military commander who withdrew the British military occupation from Hawai'i in 1843.

Since then, we yearly call upon the US to withdraw from its illegal occupation of our homeland.

It took the British only five months to realize their mistake.

Why are we still waiting over one hundred years later for the United States to realize theirs?

Hawai'i was a free nation - but never free for the taking!

THE OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS IS CAUGHT ONCE AGAIN  FABRICATING THE TRUTH ABOUT FEDERAL RECOGNITION VS INDEPENDENCE
 
Akaka Bill Survey's Claim Unsupported
Honolulu Advertiser - Tuesday, July 27th 

Mr. Clyde Namu'o's assertion that there is not overwhelming opposition to the Akaka bill in Hawai'i is weak and supported with statements that to the un-analytical reader can seem to be reasonable claims (Letters, July 17).

Namu'o states: "The most recent statewide survey conducted by an independent research firm shows there is overwhelming support for the effort to provide federal recognition for Native Hawaiians, as the Akaka bill would do."

Well, what "independent" firm, how many people were surveyed, what area of the island(s) was the research conducted within, and was the overwhelming support for "recognition" via the Akaka bill or for simple re-"recognition" of the inherent sovereignty of the Hawaiian Islands? Pretty crafty way of glazing the donut for the un-analytical reader of his letter.

I believe the vast majority support recognition of the truth by the U.S. government if that is the federal recognition that is being spoken of here. I suspect it is not. I would like to know exactly the questions asked in this alleged survey. The question still remains, do those surveyed actually support the pseudo-recognition that is being sold to them via the Akaka bill or recognition of the truth by the U.S. government?

Namu'o stated: "It shows the vast majority of people in Hawai'i believe an injustice was committed by the U.S. government, and it is time now to help Native Hawaiians regain our sovereign right of self-determination."

Namu'o's last sentence is the most truthful sentence in his whole letter. The problem is that his concept of the sovereign right of self-determination is incomplete. He needs to look up those words in a dictionary and then re-examine exactly what it is the Akaka bill is about. But he won't because he is being paid to tell it the way he does.

Patrick Fishell
Kanaka Maoli, Arizona

WHO WINS IN A FREE AND INDEPENDENT HAWAI'I ? - EVERYONE !

One of the biggest lies perpetuated today is that when Hawai'i achieves nationhood once again it will be at the expense of everyone else.

But no one will be kicked out; their businesses seized or their homes and property confiscated. Instead, everyone, Hawaiians and all others, will be citizens of the sovereign and independent Nation of Hawai’i. The Hawaiian Nation included people of many ethnic backgrounds that were loyal citizens before the illegal overthrow and it will be so again.

The truth is a sovereign Hawaiian nation will need the contributions and talents of all of its citizens to remain viable in the world. Hawaiians would be no better than the very supremacists that overthrew and occupied them were they to divide people by race.
Hawaiians have always been inclusive, not exclusive.

How would this be accomplished politically given a civil war resulted the last time a state tried to leave the US? Unlike the southern US states, the Kingdom of Hawai’i and its citizens never agreed to become part of the United States in the first place. Therefore a move for Hawai’i to secede from the US would be both unnecessary and inappropriate.

Much like removing the top coat of paint to reveal the one underneath, the US Congress, after consultation between Hawaiians and the US at the level of state to state, could simply enact a US federal law that dissolves the entity known as the “state government” in Hawai’i. What would be left in its place is what has existed all along anyway without interruption – the Nation of Hawai’i.

Only at that point, would it be appropriate for the citizens of Hawai’i to decide their future as it relates to a relationship with the United States. Those possibilities would include –

Full Independence - Joining once again the family of nations in the world.
 
Free Association – Much like Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia.
Independence.

Integration with the US – Becoming a state again or a tribe of the US under federal recognition.

Did you know that when Ronald Reagan was president, one of the most conservative US presidents in recent times, his administration actually granted the Marshall Islands independence in 1986, which then lead to a free association relationship with the US?

Precedent for Hawaiian independence exists right now within US law as outlined above. There are no laws that exist today within the US to prevent the US federal government from dissolving a state government. It is only fear and ignorance that holds the status quo in place.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE OF HAWAI'I LOOK LIKE ?

The Akaka bill (S.344) and Department of Interior are not the answers, so what are? Can the United States really help us create a bright future for the Hawaiian Nation? What solutions will benefit all residents of Hawai’i?

Hawaiians want and deserve freedom just as much as US citizens do. They want freedom restored to Hawai’i. Some people say, “the illegal act of war that overthrew your Queen can’t be erased . . . like it or not, you’re all Americans now.”  But, every day we see people around the world fighting for, and winning back their native and national rights.  Their quest, and ours are totally legitimate and very real.

Like everyone else, Hawaiians want four basic things –

FREEDOM – The freedom to decide their own future for themselves. That “freedom” was taken away when the sovereign Nation of Hawai’i was overthrown in 1893. It was taken away again by illegal annexation to the United States in 1898. And, it was taken away a third time by the so-called statehood vote in 1959. According to international law, a new vote must to be taken that offers three options – 1) Independence, or 2) Free-Association or 3) Integration (nation within a nation.)

RIGHTS – The rights of the independent Nation of Hawai’i were never relinquished. The destruction and denial of these rights must cease. Everyone who descends from citizens of the Hawaiian Nation prior to 1893, Native Hawaiians and all others, are entitled to these rights.

IDENTITY – The political identity of Hawaiians must be acknowledged by the United States. Hawaiians will decide their own future, without interference by the US.  Also, only those with any measure of indigenous blood may define Native Hawaiians. A blood quantum imposed by others is an unacceptable means to divide and conquer.

LAND BASE - Hawaiians love their country and lands just as much as US citizens love the US. Therefore, it is only fair and just to take into consideration the ramifications of the overthrow of a people who have never relinquished their rights or abandoned their desire to control their land and resources through their own representative government. Hawaiians want ALL their land back, not just some of it.

To Be Continued Tomorrow...

WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE ON THE WAITING LIST FOR DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOMES LANDS LEASES IF HAWAIIANS BECOME FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED ?

THEY KEEP WAITING...THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS!

"30,000 people are on the waiting list  housing in tribal areas" -  Chester Carl, National American Indian Housing Council Chairman and Executive

Meanwhile,  reservation residents , face years on waiting lists. About 100,000 Indian families nationwide live in shabby, often overcrowded quarters, some without plumbing or electricity. (The American West) 

Alaska...For the last two years the waiting list was at 200 percent of the available units However this year the rate has dropped to 30 percent . The Rural Housing Authority attributed this drop to residents moving away due to lack of jobs

Tribal members interested in applying for this home ownership program need to be aware and cautioned that the Housing Authority does have an extensive waiting list of more than 4,200 for homeownership,” said Ron Qualls, executive director, HACN. (Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation)

Paiute Housing Authority---Currently there are over 300 applicant families on the waiting list in desperate need of housing. There are many who have become discouraged after being on the list for years who have not renewed their applications. In southwestern Utah there is a desperate need for new homes to accommodate a very long waiting list of Native American families

I have a waiting list with 1,000 people on it,” Victor Velasquez (White Mountain Apache Housing  Authority) says. “It doesn’t take a math genius to figure out that if you just depend on NAHASDA money you're never going to get your people housed." 

 These are not isolated examples, they are the norm....federal wardship is not the cure for long waiting lists as some might like people to believe.   

FREEHAWAII.INFO PRESENTS THE FINAL SEGMENT OF A SPECIAL SERIES IN THREE PARTS -    
 
THE UNITED STATES OCCUPATION OF THE HAWAIIAN KINGDOM
Here's Part Three Of What Actually Happened That's Still In Place To This Day

An independent neutral nation, the Hawaiian Kingdom, was invaded and overthrown by a foreign state, the United States of America.
 
The United States then committed fraud against the Hawaiian People. They said they annexed the Hawaiian Islands with the Newlands Resolution. That was impossible because only treaties of annexation between the de jure governments of two states can agree to an annexation.
 
It was a fraud upon the Hawaiian People because neither the people nor the sovereign Hawaiian government agreed to any so-called annexation. Neither under international law nor under United States law do thieves obtain lawful title to their ill-gotten gains.
 
Nevertheless, the US took control of the Hawaiian Islands and declared Hawaiian nationals were now US citizens.
 
Hawaiian nationals never consented to their nation of Hawai’i being ceded to the United States, to the loss of their Hawaiian nationality, nor to becoming US citizens.
 
The US government subsequently imposed US laws upon all Hawaiians. Thus, Hawaiians right to self-determination was, and is to this very day, being violated by the United States by their unlawful occupation of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

FREEHAWAII.INFO PRESENTS THE SECOND PART OF A SPECIAL SERIES IN THREE PARTS -  
 
THE UNITED STATES OCCUPATION OF THE HAWAIIAN KINGDOM
Here's Part Two Of What Actually Happened That's Still In Place To This Day

Until January 16, 1893, the United States recognized the Nation of Hawai'i as a sovereign and independent nation equal to other recognized nations in the world. Hawai'i had many treaties with many nations, including the United States.
 
Under international law, treaties in existence between the Nation of Hawai'i and the United States of America were binding on each other on January 16, 1893.
 
On January 16, 1893, in violation of the treaty of Friendship. Commerce, Navigation and Extradition of 1850, between the Nation of Hawai'i and the United States of America, the United States committed acts of aggression by landing troops on Hawaiian soil.
 
On January 17, 1893, the Committee of Safety, protected by the armed forces of the United States, read their proclamation and took over the de jure government of the Hawaiian Islands.
 
The United States established occupational governments in Hawai'i. First, they were called the "Committee of Safety," and later the "Provisional Government," and finally the "Republic of Hawai'i." They were made up of the very same traitors. They were despotic governments, not governments of the people. They remained in power only by the presence and threat of the United States military. They were not de facto governments, only occupational governments. The United States still has an occupational government over the Hawaiian Kingdom. It is called the "State of Hawai'i." 
 
All treaties between the Nation of Hawai'i and the United States of America including the treaty of Friendship, Commerce, Navigation and Extradition of 1850 have never been lawfully terminated.
 
The Organic Act of April 30, 1900, ch.339, 31 Stat 141, presumptively extending US citizenship to Hawaiian citizens and descendants of them, as well as asserting jurisdiction of the United States over the Hawaiian Kingdom, is based on the fraudulent joint resolution of annexation known as the Newlands Resolution which had, and still has, no force of law outside the boundaries of the United States, nor even inside, since it contravenes even United States law according to the US constitution.

The Conclusion Tomorrow...

FREEHAWAII.INFO PRESENTS A SPECIAL SERIES IN THREE PARTS -
 
THE UNITED STATES OCCUPATION OF THE HAWAIIAN KINGDOM
Here's What Actually Happened That Is Still In Place To This Day
 
The United States of America has unlawfully occupied the Hawaiian Kingdom, a neutral nation, for over 111 years.
 
In January 1893, John L. Stevens, the United Sates ambassador to Hawai'i, Captain Wilkes of the USS Boston, and other government leaders conspired with 13 civilian businessmen to seize control of the Hawaiian Islands.
 
On the morning of January 16, 1893, the 13 businessmen tried to back out. They would be committing treasonous acts and under Hawaiian law they would be facing the death penalty. John Stevens promised them the protection of the United Sates and said it was too late to back out; they had to go through with it.
 
He then proceeded to have 164 marines, armed with rifles and canon, disembark from the USS Boston. They camped and set up their canon to direct fire against Queen Lili'uokalani's Palace.
 The next day, January 17, 1893, the 13 businessmen, known as the Committee of Safety, read their proclamation from the steps of the government building.

Tomorrow - Part Two...

VOICES OF TRUTH TO AIR THROUGHOUT ALL HAWAI'I

We are pleased to let everyone know that in addition to 'Olelo on O'ahu, Voices of Truth will soon be airing on Ho'ike Television on Kaua'i and Akaku on Maui.
 
Our shows this weekend on 'Olelo are, "From Fisherman To Activist" - an interview with Isaac Harp airing Saturday evening, the 24th at 8 PM and then "An Academic Artist's Journey" - an interview with Dr. Lynette Cruz, PhD at 10 PM.
 
Starting July 28th, Voices of Truth will air regularly on Akaku ,Visions - Channel 53 on Maui, Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. On the 28th it's "Build A Canoe - It Takes A Community," an interview with Leon Siu.
 
And then starting July 29th, Voices of Truth will air regularly on Ho'ike, channel 52 on Kaua'i, every Thursday at 8:30 PM. "Who Are The Real Hawaiians?," an interview with Isaac Harp will start the series off on the Garden Island on the 29th.
 
Next week, we'll announce air times for Na Leo, local access viewing.on Hawai'i Island. 

Voices of Truth , produced by the Koani Foundation, interviews activists in the Hawaiian Independence movement to discover what made them go from armchair observers to active participants in the hopes of inspiring viewers to do the same.

Those not in Hawai'i wishing to view the series may do so by visiting www.olelo.org and then clicking "NATV-Channel 53.” A screen should then display allowing you to see the show via live streaming.

WHAT DO HAWAIIANS WANT ?
HERE IS WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT THEMSELVES, THEIR COUNTRYMEN AND THE UNITED STATES -
 
The most common sense thing is for total independence. 
 
We were a progressive modern nation of our time and recognized as a friendly, neutral nation within the Family of Nations, the predecessor of the League of Nations and the United Nations.  

We had a democratic form of government, a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral legislative assembly.  The works and legacies of our monarchs are legendary and noteworthy.  Today under the American system, they are tearing away at them.  We are concerned about our lands, culture, people and lifestyle which has been under attack for over a hundred years.  This gets us angry and more Hawaiians are desiring total independence  as a result.
 
Some Hawaiians are conditioned in the American WASP society that they lack the confidence of the Kingdom to survive in this day and age and have been convinced that the only way to preserve their rights are to be tribal Indians under the plenary authority of the US Congress within the DOI and subject to the abuse and dictates under the BIA.
 
The US involvement to destabilize the Hawaiian government began to form an oligarchy pretty much as the US is today.  Being aware of this tactic and how detrimental it is to our society, we are capable to deflect such control here in the islands; as it stands, we are a voiceless group in these islands and those in control call the shots despite our protests. 
 
The Kingdom of Hawaii is not only Native Hawaiians but subjects of non-Hawaiian blood who were legitimate subjects of the Kingdom.  This racial argument is an American thing and not a Hawaiian thing.  So our concerns are well within our scope to protect all our subjects of the Kingdom.  We do expect reparations and restitution from the US for the injurious damages to
our nation, land and people.  The US government is well aware of this and is trying to offer a piecemeal to settle this. 
 
Other options are still on the table and we are beginning to take a stand on which option is the right thing to do.  If the tables were turned around; which would you do?  I'm sure it wouldn't be a hard decision.
 
Remember, the Hawaiians never hated Americans; but only those that did harm to us and the US government for its complicity and deceit.  We were never afraid that another country would take us over; we had over twenty-four treaties with various countries but the US is the only country that broke their treaties with us.  That should tell you something. 
  
 

AN ALASKAN NATIVE WARNS THE NATIVES PEOPLES OF CANADA ABOUT FEDERAL RECOGNITION -  
 
IS THIS THE FUTURE FOR HAWAI'I ?  
 
"There was an aboriginal settlement in Alaska and it was done without consensus.   There's not even 500 signatures on that Alaska native claim settlement act - and what it did was strip us of our land and strip us of our customary and traditional rights to fishing and hunting.   It actually put us into a state of taxation. This is not protection of your land. I do not want to see the first nation people of Canada walk into the same traps that we walked into in Alaska.   There has got to be a different process going on because you have title, and Canada, like the United States, never perfected title to your lands.   This is something the first nations people have to understand - that if they do not have a perfected title, they cannot have an aboriginal claim on you."

"THERE YOU GO AGAIN!" - THE OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS RESPONDS WITH MORE LIES AND PROPAGANDA!

From Yesterday's Honolulu Advertiser -

Mr. Kai'opua Fyfe's assertion that there is "overwhelming" opposition to the Akaka bill in Hawai'i is wrong (Letters, July 12).

In fact, the most recent statewide survey conducted by an independent research firm shows there is overwhelming support for the effort to provide federal recognition for Native Hawaiians, as the Akaka bill would do.

What "independent" firm, how many people were surveyed, what area of the island(s) was the research conducted within, AND was the overwhelming support for "recognition" via the a-KAKA bill or for simple RE-"recognition" of the inherent sovereignty of the Hawai'i islands???.......pretty crafty way of glazing the donut for the un-analytical reader of his letter. Does this Namuo guy writes his own stuff or does he hire someone smarter  to write it for him?

The telephone survey, conducted one year ago by Ward Research, polled both Native Hawaiians and non-Hawaiian residents. Among Native Hawaiians, 72 percent were familiar with the Akaka bill.

If you are still in Hawai'i you gotta be six feet under or close to it for the last 10 years to have not heard of the aKAKA bill.

An overwhelming 86 percent said they support federal recognition and only 7 percent said they did not. Among non-Hawaiian residents, 78 percent said they support federal recognition and 16 percent said they did not. These numbers are similar to a survey done in 2000.

What were the questions asked in this alleged survey? The question still remains, do those surveyed actually support the pseudo recognition that is being sold to them via the aKAKA bill or recognition of the fact that a wrong was committed by the US government ?

Support for the Akaka bill is both broad and deep, and includes civil rights, cultural, educational and ethnic organizations. Gov. Linda Lingle has joined Sens. Akaka and Inouye in lobbying the Bush administration and members of Congress. The overwhelming support is more than just a statement on federal recognition and the Akaka bill. It shows the vast majority of people in Hawai'i believe an injustice was committed by the U.S. government, and it is time now to help Native Hawaiians regain our sovereign right of self-determination.

Clyde Namu'o - Administrator, Office of Hawaiian Affairs 

The last sentence is the most truthful sentence in the whole letter. The problem is that Namuo's concept of the sovereign right of self determination is incomplete. He needs to look up those words in a dictionary and then re-examine exactly what it is the aKAKA bill is about. Being a shill, he won't because he is being paid to tell it the way he does. 

The simple truth is, who would be for the aKAKA bill if it contained no US federal dollars ?  NO ONE, THAT'S WHO!!

Coming Tommorow - An Alaska Native Speaks Out On What A Settlement With The US Government Did For Them!
 

DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FEDERAL RECOGNITION AND INDEPENDENCE FOR HAWAI'I ?

 

An independent Hawai'i is a sovereign state with dominion, the right to join the UN, and fly it's own flag. More important, independent states have a well-defined set of rights under constitutional law, such as the right not to be invaded and belligerently occupied.

 

On the other hand, as a semi-autonomous native Hawaiian governing entity, Hawai'i would technically become an insular enclave of the US - meaning that international law could not prohibit the US commencing aggression and total extermination of its indigenous Hawaiian population.

 

Native recognition is conditional only after extinguishment of Hawaiian Kingdom Citizenship political status, (your right to exist,) and vested alodial title and laws. US law would not grant full autonomous self-rule and would in fact destroy territorial integrity which continues to exist right now, even as you read these words.

 

The US uses "autonomy" as a means of containment.

 

Why reject "native recognition" for Independence? Independence is a formal recognition of Hawai'i's territory and laws. It's subjects are not under US jurisdiction. Hawai'i still has its own bill of rights, constitution and comprehensive complied laws.

 

Moreover, Hawai'i would like to sell its products by conducting foreign commerce and Independence is a prerequisite.

 

Only by the assertion of our Dominion and Hawai'i Territorial Authority can we protect our beloved homeland with international support.

HOW DID HAWAIIANS BECOME OUTCASTS IN THEIR OWN LAND ?

HERE'S WHAT THE HISTORY BOOKS WON'T TELL YOU -

 
Western diseases, to which Hawaiians had no immunity, decimated their numbers. At the time of western contact, some 300,000 people inhabited the Hawaiian Islands. By 1805 that number had been halved.
 
By 1853 there were only 71,000 Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian people in the islands.
Within 100 years of western contact, the Hawaiian population had been reduced by nearly 90 percent.
 
According to the 2000 census, the numbers of people who claim some native Hawaiian ancestry have increased to over 400,000. But only 239,000 live in Hawai'i and they are the poorest, most locked-up population in the state.
 
Although they only make up about 20 percent of the state's population, in June 2001 they made up 39 percent of the state's prison population, according to the state Department of Public
Safety.
 
Sadly, they make up 37 percent of the state's homeless population, according to a 2003 survey
by SMS Research and Marketing. 
 

ON JULY 9TH, FREEHAWAII.INFO ASKED - "WILL THIS LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE HONOLULU ADVERTISER GET PUBLISHED?"

IT WAS THIS LAST MONDAY, JULY 12TH!

Editor,

Regarding the July 8 article "Akaka Bill In Danger of Failing", the bill will continue to fail, as it has for the past 5 years, and, in different forms under Senator Inouye, for more than a decade, because now, more than ever, the Washington, DC powers-that –be know there is overwhelming opposition here at home.

With much aloha and all due respect to our Congressional Delegation, and all federally funded supporters of federal recognition, we must denounce the desperate and futile attempts to tag this pono`ole, unacceptable, bill onto major legislation that needs to be passed.

The reality, revealed during our recent visit to Capitol Hill, is that the Akaka bill, S.344 has been, and is going nowhere this session.

Koani Foundation directors, and many other Native Hawaiians, traveled to DC in May, in conjunction the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. We met face-to-face with numerous Congressional offices and the US Departments of Justice and Interior. We successfully shared the huge opposition that exists to the bill at home in Hawai`i and we got more than we anticipated.

Everyone aware of the “Native Hawaiian Reorganization Act”, staffers for Senators Frist, McCain, Kyle, Domenici and many others, agreed there is absolutely no chance of passage this session.

During the visit, we were informed, despite heavy propaganda in Hawai`i to the contrary, that: The bill has not been heard on the Senate floor; Senator Kyle’s hold remained in place, would not be lifted and could not be circumvented by any number of votes; Senator Frist has no intention of scheduling it even if the hold were lifted; - and - Indian Affairs Chair Senator McCain, himself, does not support the bill.

Even some of our own Congressional staff people had to concede that little or nothing will be achieved during this pre-election session, including the Akaka bill. To them, we repeated our continuing opposition to dysfunctional federal recognition. We also repeated our continuing dedication to working together, with the stakeholders, towards an appropriate governance form - one that we can support.

Kai’opua Fyfe, Director
The Koani Foundation
Lihu’e, Kaua’i

ANTHROPOLOGY AND HAWAIIAN ACTIVISM?
DISCOVER THE LINK THIS WEEKEND ON VOICES OF TRUTH

We are pleased to let everyone know that due to numerous requests, The Koani Foundation's Voices of Truth will soon be airing on all local access television throughout Ka Pae 'Aina (Hawai'i.) Stay tuned for announcements and schedules coming soon.

Our show this week on 'Olelo is entitled, "Anthropology and Hawaiian Activism,” an interview with retired University of Hawai'i professor Steve Boggs. Professor Boggs' interview is a fascinating one not to be missed.

The show will air this Saturday evening, the 17th at 8:00 PM, HST.

Voices of Truth interviews activists in the Hawaiian Independence movement to discover what made them go from armchair observers to active participants in the hopes of inspiring viewers to do the same.

Those not on the island of O'ahu wishing to view the series may do so by visiting www.olelo.org and then clicking "NATV-Channel 53.” A screen should then display allowing you to see the show via live streaming.

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF THIS HAPPENED TO YOU ?

Let's pretend I visit your house. You offer me food and rest. I decide to stay.

Then, I order you and your family around, use your things and rearrange the rooms. I take down your photos and religious symbols, replace them with my own and make you speak my language.

One day, I dig up your garden and replace it with crops that I can sell. You and your family must now buy all of your food from me.

Later, I invite my father and his buddies over. They bring guns. We take your keys. I forge a deed and declare my father to be the owner of your house. I bring more people. Some work for me. Some pay me to stay in your house. I seize your savings and spend it on my friends. You and your family now sleep on the porch.

Finally you protest. Being reasonable, I let you stay in a corner of the house and give you a small allowance, but only if you behave. I tell you, "Sorry, I was wrong for taking the house." But when you demand your house back, I tell you to be realistic.

"You are part of this family now, whether you like it or not," I say. "Besides, this is for your own good. For all that I have done for you, why aren't you grateful?"

Now Do You See Why Hawaiians Want Their Independence Back And Nothing Less?

WHY DO NATIVE HAWAIIANS WANT THEIR NATION AND LAND BACK?

- Because today Native Hawaiians are at a criical juncture to survive as a people.

- Because for foreign business interests it's a matter of profit and loss. For Native Hawaiians it's a matter of life and death.

- Because we seek to protect our natural resources.

- Because while Native Hawaiian families are struggling to survive, their water is being shipped to the other side of the island so that housing and resorts can be built by rich foreigners.

- Because it is our national inheritance - never given away by either native treaty or by native vote.

CAN IT BE ANY PLAINER THAT THE AKAKA BILL - FEDERAL RECOGNITION FOR HAWAI'I IS THE WORST WAY TO GO ?

Read What Someone Who Knows Has To Say -

I'm Dora Chang, email akekua@ yahoo.com. I just read the thing about the 4th of July by N.S. and the part about the Akaka bill and becoming like Native Americans is disturbing.

I quote you from a Worldwatch Institute, Paper 127:Eco-Justice by Aaron Sachs.

"Approximately 65 percent of North America's uranium deposits lie inside Native American reservations. But these reservations have been home to 80 percent of all uranium mining and 100 percent of the processing, largely because reservations fall outside the jurisdiction of most state and federal environmental laws, and reservation residents have no authority to make their own protection regulations.

With such large reserves of the valuable ore, and given the federal government's historical commitment to nuclear development, many Native American communities should by now have become quite wealthy. But thanks largely to federal land managers, whose goal was to provide preferred companies with the cheapest possible exploitation rights, Native Americans have tended to receive as little as 3.4 percent of the market value for uranium extracted from their lands. Native Americans also have the lowest per capita income of any demographic group in America and the highest per capita rate of malnutrition, disease and infant mortality.

The Navaho community in particular has suffered from cancer, respiratory ailments, miscarriages and birth defects caused by radiation. In almost all cases, the people who worked the mines never received protective clothing or medical checkups or even basic information about the risks of exposure to uranium, and virtually no victims have ever gained any type of compensation. To this day, many Native American communities have to live with illegally high levels of lead, thorium, radium and other toxins that have seeped into their water and soil from tailings ponds and processing plants."

This isn't to say that Hawaiian lands might have uranium, but that apparently if the Akaka bill succeeds in giving Native Hawaiians Native American status, than it seems that all control over the land goes directly to the bureaucracy in Washington, "the federal land managers" and none of the federal and state ecology laws would apply and the Native Hawaiians wouldn't be able to institute their own laws. Does Akaka know this? What if the federal bureaucracy decided the make Kaho'olawe into the depleted uranium dumping site of the entire US?

What could any of the people of Hawai'i do about this? If all of the above is true, then absolutely nothing. And what could anyone do about Makua valley? You wouldn't have to have any environmental impact statements. I find all this very disturbing, and can only hope that the Akaka bill never passes and dies a deserving death.

WILL THIS LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE HONOLULU ADVERTISER GET PUBLISHED?

July 09, 2004

Editor,

Re: the "Akaka Bill In Danger of Failing" (July 8, 2004), the bill will continue to fail, as it has for the past 5 years, and, in different forms under Senator Inouye, for more than a decade, because now, more than ever, the Washington, DC powers-that –be know there is overwhelming opposition here at home.

With much aloha and all due respect to our Congressional Delegation, and all federally funded supporters of federal recognition, we must denounce the desperate and futile attempts to tag this pono`ole, unacceptable, bill onto major legislation that needs to be passed.

The reality, revealed during our recent visit to Capitol Hill, is that the Akaka bill, S.344 has been, and is going nowhere this session.

Koani Foundation directors, and many other Native Hawaiians, traveled to DC in May, in conjunction the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. We met face-to-face with numerous Congressional offices and the US Departments of Justice and Interior. We successfully shared the huge opposition that exists to the bill at home in Hawai`i – and - we got more than we anticipated. Everyone aware of the “Native Hawaiian Reorganization Act”, staffers for Senators Frist, McCain, Kyle, Domenici and many others, agreed there is absolutely no chance of passage this session.

At that time we were informed, despite heavy propaganda in Hawai`i to the contrary, S.344 has not been heard on the Senate floor; Senator Kyle’s hold remained in place, would not be lifted and could not be circumvented by any number of votes; Senator Frist has no intention of scheduling it even if the hold were lifted; - and - Indian Affairs Chair Senator McCain, himself, does not support the bill.

Even some of our own Congressional staff people had to concede that little or nothing will be achieved during this pre-election session, including the Akaka bill. To them, we repeated our continuing opposition to dysfunctional federal recognition. We also repeated our continuing dedication to working together, with the stakeholders, towards an appropriate governance form; one that we can support.

Kai’opua Fyfe, Director
The Koani Foundation
Lihu’e, Kaua’i

HAWAIIAN INDEPENDENCE TELEVISION SHOW TO INTERVIEW EDUCATOR AND ACTIVIST.

We are pleased to let everyone know that someone very near and dear to all our hearts and who has been at the forefront of the Hawaiian Independence movement for some time will be the featured guest on this weeks' Voices of Truth television series.

The show, "An Academic Artist's Journey,” features educator, artist and activist Lynette Cruz, PhD.

The show will air this Saturday evening, the 10th at 8:00 PM.

Voices of Truth interviews activists in the Hawaiian Independence movement to discover what made them go from armchair observers to active participants in the hopes of inspiring viewers to do the same.

Also next Wednesday the 14th ‘'Olelo will air “Who Are The Real Hawaiians?,” an outstanding segment with Isaac Harp at 9:00 AM.

Those not on the island of O'ahu wishing to view the series may do so by visiting www.olelo.org and then clicking "NATV-Channel 53.” A screen should then display allowing you to see the show via live streaming.

AS YOU READ THE CONCLUSION TO HAWAI'I - THE DARK SIDE OF PARADISE, IS IT ANY WONDER THAN MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WANT THE ILLEGAL U.S. OCCUPATION OF HAWAI'I TO END?

Native Hawaiians constitute roughly 20 per cent of the state population, but they represent 54 per cent of the prison population.

Not coincidentally, they also have the lowest per capita income, the highest poverty rate and the shortest lifespan of any ethnic group in Hawai'i.

Hawai'i public school students receive a very poor education by any standard of measurement. They consistently rank among the lowest of any state in test scores.

Education reform has been talked to death by every governor and legislature of the past 30 years, but nothing substantial has been done. This has led to a "brain drain" in the islands. Most of the bright students who manage to learn something in spite of the handicapped school system leave Hawai'i for foreign colleges and careers.

In the 1980s, Hawai'i gained the enviable reputation of providing medical insurance to the highest percentage of residents of any state. A decade after the state ended dental cover, toothless smiles are commonplace among the poor. Tens of thousands of residents have no medical insurance at all.

Despite higher profits for many businesses, jobs are scarce and most of the available work pays minimum wage or close to it...

In some cases, the lives of the working poor are worse than the unemployed. Among other things, they don't qualify for state financial assistance or full food stamp benefits.

Even during the height of the hotel building boom in the 1980s, workers in the upscale South Kohala district of the Big Island were forced to sleep in their cars or public parks because they couldn't afford the high rents on hotel pay.

Today most of the Island of Hawai'i (Big Island) as well as the islands of Molokai, Lana'i and Kaua'i are economic wastelands with little opportunity to make a decent living.

On Kaua'i workers often share apartments or small houses with several other workers because rents are too expensive for one or two individuals to afford. On every island married couples with children often work two jobs each to make ends meet - if they are fortunate enough to find that many jobs, even at minimum wage.

Aside from housing, transportation and food expenses contribute heavily to Hawai'i's staggering cost of living. The prices of gasoline, mandatory auto insurance, used cars and repair work are considerably higher than the mainland.

And only the city of Honolulu has reliable public transportation. On the other islands owning a car is a necessity to be able to work or look for jobs.

Hawai'i imports two-thirds of its food from the mainland and locally-grown food is expensive due to high land prices. Although a relative scarcity of farmable land exists in the islands, some economists have concluded that land prices are artificially inflated through manipulation by the Big Five, giant land-holding companies owned by descendents of the five most influential missionary families who settled in Hawai'i two centuries ago.

But critics argue that even the food imported from the mainland shouldn't cost as much as it does.

One supermarket manager admitted candidly that Matson Navigation shipping adds an average of only 18 per cent to the cost of imported food. Yet prices range between 30 and 40 per cent higher than California where the Matson ships pick up the food for delivery to Hawai'i...

Meanwhile, the situation grows worse daily for the vast majority of people in paradise and it's unlikely to reverse direction anytime soon...

In the past, Hawai'i was known for its aloha spirit and laid-back lifestyle.

But by the early 1990s tourism, by then underpinning the state's economy, was under threat from cheaper competition.

The Gulf War and early 1990s recession lost Hawai'i its status and a lot of its visitors. The end of the Cold War saw cutbacks in military spending...

Now aloha is difficult to find as various ethnic groups vie with each other for the last crumbs of the once-large economic pie. And the pace of life has become frenetic in too many ways.

As one long-time resident commented: "Hawai'i is turning into one of those Caribbean tourist islands where you have fancy hotels and a tiny rich neighbourhood and the rest of the island is a shantytown of poverty and crime."

IS HAWAI'I BETTER OFF WITH OR WITHOUT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ?

Hawai'i - The Dark Side Of Paradise
By William Starr Moake

After three decades of economic growth and prosperity, Hawai'i took a downturn 15 years ago and the Aloha state has never fully recovered. In most respects things are getting worse every year. The effects have been devastating to those living on the margins of island society, particularly native Hawaiians.

Other ethnic minorities have also been forced to bear the burden. At the same time, however, many hotels and other big businesses in Hawai'i are reaping record-level profits today.

The statistics tell a story the Hawai'i Visitors Bureau would rather not see in print:

In a state that has the most expensive cost of living in the US, one-in-10 residents lives under the federal poverty level. A conservative estimate is that 30,000 people are homeless, but the actual number is likely to be far higher.

Hawai'i has one of the worst hard drug problems of any state. The state and federal government spent hundreds of millions of dollars on three decades of helicopter raids on rural marijuana growers and doled out prison sentences equal to murder convictions in some cases.

Marijuana is now scarce and prohibitively expensive. The drug of choice is the much-cheaper crystal methamphetamine, a highly-addictive stimulant that causes violent behavior.

The meth epidemic and widespread poverty has resulted in a state prison system that is bursting at the seams, corrupt and inhumane.

Unable to afford the cost of building new prisons, Hawai'i at first assigned three or four prisoners to cells built for two with the extra inmates sleeping on floors besides the toilet.

Later the state shipped several hundred inmates to mainland prisons where incarceration expenses were cheaper.

The Conclusion Tomorrow...

HAVE YOU CLICKED ON ONE OF THE LINKS TO THE RIGHT LATELY?

All four of the links on the upper right hand side of this page contain valuable information about the struggle for Hawaiian Independence.

Native Hawaiian Rights Info
Stop The Akaka Bill Info
Hawaiian Kingdom Info
CNHA Exposed

Take a moment today and visit one of the links. Then pass along and share the links with your friends all over the world.

Your Influence Counts - Use It!

AS AMERICA CELEBRATES ITS' INDEPEDENCE TODAY, AMERICANS SHOULD ASK THEMSELVES,

"IS INDEPENDENCE FOR HAWAI'I AND LOVE FOR THEIR SACRED LAND ANY LESS IMPORTANT TO HAWAIIANS?"

"Mai Maka'u, e kupa'a ma ke aloha i ka 'aina, a e lokahi ma ka mana'o, e ku'e loa aku i ka ho'ohui ia o Hawai'i me Amerika a hiki ke aloha 'aina hope loa."

"Do not be afraid, be steadfast in aloha for your land and be united in thought. Protest forever the annexation of Hawai'i until the very last aloha 'aina (patriot.")

- James Keauiluna Kaulia
President, Hui Aloha 'Aina

SOVEREIGNTY IS LIKE PREGNANCY - YOU CAN'T BE A LITTLE BIT PREGNANT
YOU EITHER ARE OR AREN'T! - AND THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS LIMITED SOVEREIGNTY!

The Maui News
Letters to the Editor
Thursday, July 01, 2004

If Iraq, then Hawai'i - Sovereignty!

In praise of sovereignty for Iraq, I'd like to suggest that in spite of a lot of atrocious and self-defeating U.S. behavior, the idea, and hopefully the reality, of a sovereign Iraq is emphatically something to be proud of. It is also something for this hurting world to celebrate.

Sovereignty is intrinsically beautiful. Between individuals, it would be like me acknowledging you saying: "You may have some odd ways, but you are an individual with inalienable rights and value, and I will treat you with love and respect." Internationally, it is acknowledgment of the "cultural self," as if the individual rights and freedoms of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights were extended to the world's individual cultures.

If the U.S. is willing to invest its blood and reputation to rescue Iraqi sovereignty from Saddam's torturous hand, then surely the U.S. can maturely, and in great friendship, rescue the Hawaiian sovereignty taken from Queen Lili'uokalani's civil hand and from the Hawaiian people when she decided to save lives by yielding to an
occupying force in spite of near unanimous Hawaiian opposition to the takeover.

I hope the country I love will go beyond an admirable maturity of the Apology Resolution and on to the reality of restitution, making right its past "indiscretions." As surely as the U.S. reputation has soured with Iraq, it could be sweetened with Hawaiian sovereignty.

Imagine the world saying of the USA: "Now that's a country with integrity!"

Tom McKinlay
Pukalani

A UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I STUDENT SPEAKS OUT

Hawaiian History Complex And Should Be Studied

The Maui News
Letter to the Editor
Wednesday, June 30, 2004

I am a strong believer that everyone who lives in these islands should learn everything about Hawaiian history, not just a skim through a paragraph in an American history textbook.

King Kalakaua was not the best choice of a ruler (Letters, June 23). However, Kalakaua brought back a lot of cultural activities that were on the brink of being lost and he was the first world leader to travel around the world, visiting all the powerful countries as a representative of the Kingdom of Hawai'i. Yet, he had a bayonet
pointed at his head by his American-born Cabinet members and was forced to sign a constitution that gave them more power.

As for Queen Lili'uokalani, it is so evident that her whole heart was for her people. If that's not the only characteristic that a virtuous leader should have, then please tell me what is. It's sad to hear that an island resident feels that "the queen herself was weak, arrogant, and failed as a leader." I am a University of Hawai'i Hawaiian Studies major and of all the researching that I have done, on both sides of the story, there was not one account of the queen showing arrogance. No, America is arrogant.

I do support an independent nation of Hawai'i. As for Hawaii being better off under America, I must totally disagree. Tahitians still speak Tahitian, Samoans still speak Samoan, Maori still speak Maori. My people have yet to fully learn their mother tongue.

Better for who, Hawai'i or America?

Chadwick Nakagawa
Waiehu

WWW.FREEHAWAII.INFO SALUTES SCOTT CRAWFORD OF MAUI - ANOTHER HAWAIIAN INDEPENDENCE PATRIOT!

Cybersovereignty
Honolulu Weekly - June 30, 2004

"I support anyone working for independence," said Scott Crawford, founder of
www.HawaiianKingdom.info, the "Hawaiian Independence Weblog." Crawford, a self-described news junkie who is also the executive director of the Maui nonprofit Kipahulu 'Ohana, launched the blog last summer after eight years of circulating an e-mail news list dealing with sovereignty issues.

While the blog includes letters to the editor from publications like the Maui News, it
also tracks the major media coverage of Hawaiian issues, whether it's the Akaka Bill or local protest against the inaugural trip of Norwegian Cruise Lines' Pride of Aloha. Crawford also includes links to historical documents such as the 1864 Constitution and the 1897 Anti-Annexation Petition.

Crawford says as more people learn and become aware of the independence movement, they will need to have a place to research the issue.

"I saw this as a tool to make information available so they could find out about the
history and the legal aspects of issues and then make up their own mind about those issues." Crawford adds that he does not work directly or exclusively with one particular group.

While blog traffic increases each month, in January, the anniversary of the overthrow of
Queen Lili'uokalani, "there was a spike, then it went back down," Crawford said. "Most of the discussion forums tend to be pro-sovereignty and the discussion is more about strategy or about federal recognition versus independence."

Crawford also continues to circulate his e-mail list of sovereign-issue updates to 2,000 people around the world. "The e-mail lists tend to be overwhelmingly pro-independence."

But Crawford isn't just a media hound. Kipahulu 'Ohana works with Haleakala National Park to provide culturally based economic development for local residents. Local groups such as Maui Youth and Family Services, Hana Youth Center and Lanai Youth Center visit with his organization to restore ancient taro patches in the park. The group also works to preserve and restore native Hawaiian plants. Kipahulu 'Ohana's board members and founders include people who were born and raised in Kipahulu. Crawford says that helps to create a positive work atmosphere with their national affiliates and also enables them to provide visitors with an authentic part of Hawai'i.

-Roz Makaula