Saturday, June 03, 2023

DID POLYNESIAN VOYAGERS REACH THE AMERICAS BEFORE COLUMBUS?


 

History.com - May 25, 2023

According to science, voyagers from Moananuiākea reached America around 800 years ago. “A 2020 study found that Polynesians from multiple islands carry a small amount of DNA from indigenous South Americans, and that the moment of contact likely came some 800 years ago…”

Polynesian voyagers sailed without a compass or any other nautical instruments. Yet by reading the stars, waves, currents, clouds, seaweed clumps and seabird flights, they managed to cross vast swaths of the Pacific Ocean and settle hundreds of islands, from Hawaii in the north to Easter Island in the southeast to New Zealand in the southwest. Evidence has mounted that they likewise reached mainland South America—and possibly North America as well—long before Christopher Columbus.

“It’s one of the most remarkable colonization events of any time in history,” says Jennifer Kahn, an archeologist at the College of William & Mary, who specializes in Polynesia. “We’re talking about incredibly skilled navigators [discovering] some of the most remote places in the world.”

Tracing Polynesian Ancestry

Based on linguistic, genetic and archeological data, scientists believe that the ancestors of the Polynesians originated in Taiwan (and perhaps the nearby south China coast). From there, they purportedly traveled south into the Philippines and further on to New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago, where they mixed with the local populace. By around 1300 B.C., a new culture had developed, the Lapita, known in part for their distinct pottery.

These direct descendants of the Polynesians rapidly swept eastward, first to the Solomon Islands and then to uninhabited Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, and elsewhere. “The Lapita were the first ones to get into remote Oceania,” says Patrick V. Kirch, an anthropology professor at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, and author of On the Road of the Winds: An Archeological History of the Pacific Islands before European Contact. “It was really a blank slate as far as humans were concerned.”

By the 9th century B.C., the Lapita had made it as far as Tonga and Samoa. But then a long pause ensued without further expansion. Researchers note that, beyond Tonga and Samoa, island chains are much further apart, separated in some cases by thousands of miles of open ocean, and that the winds and currents generally conspire against sailing east.

Perhaps Lapita boats simply weren’t up to the task. Moreover, as Kirch points out, the closest coral atolls had not yet stabilized by that time. “It’s possible that there was some voyaging past Samoa,” he says, “but they would have found just coral reefs and not actual land they could settle.”

Double-Hulled Canoes Accelerate Expansion

During the long pause, a distinct Polynesian culture evolved on Tonga and Samoa, and voyagers there gradually honed their craft. In time, they invented double-hulled canoes, essentially early catamarans, lashing them together with coconut fiber rope and weaving sails from the leaves of pandanus trees. These vessels, up to roughly 60-feet long, could carry a couple dozen settlers each, along with their livestock—namely pigs, dogs and chickens—and crops for planting.

“They now had the technological ability and the navigational ability to really get out there,” Kirch says.

Though the exact timeline has long been disputed, it appears the great wave of Polynesian expansion began around A.D. 900 or 950. Voyagers, also called wayfinders, quickly discovered the Cook Islands, Society Islands (including Tahiti), and Marquesas Islands, and not long after arrived in the Hawaiian Islands. By 1250 or so, when they reached New Zealand, they had explored at least 10 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean and located over 1,000 islands.

“You can fit all of the continents into the Pacific Ocean,” Kahn explains. “It’s a huge, huge space to traverse.”

Even the tiniest and most remote islands, such as Pitcairn, did not escape their notice. As Kirch points out, no one else in the world was remotely capable of such a feat at that time. “Around 1000 A.D., what were Europeans doing?” Kirch says. “Not much in the way of sailing.” He adds that, as late as the 15th century, even the most accomplished European seamen, like Vasco da Gama, were merely hugging the coast.

Easter Island Among Many Inhabited by Polynesian Voyagers

The Polynesians did not have a system of writing to record their accomplishments. But they did pass down stories orally, which tell, for example, of how Hawaiian settlers came from Tahiti, more than 2,500 miles away. “Where the sun rises, in Hawaiian understanding anyway, is a place where the gods reside and our ancestors,” says Marques Hanalei Marzan, cultural advisor at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. “To get to that place is probably one of the reasons why the migration east continued.”

(As an April 2023 study confirms, Polynesian voyagers sometimes sailed west as well into what’s commonly referred to as the Polynesian Outliers.)

Each island chain developed its own unique characteristics. On Easter Island, for instance, the inhabitants constructed giant stone statues. Yet all Polynesians spoke related languages, worshipped a similar pantheon of gods, and built ritual sites with shared features, Kahn explains.

The various islands also maintained at least some ties with each other, particularly during the heyday of Polynesian expansion. “It’s not just that they came from a place and left and never made their way back,” Marzan says. “They actually continued those relationships.”

Evidence that Polynesian Sailors Reached Americas
Most experts now believe the Polynesians crossed the entire Pacific to mainland South America, with Marzan saying it happened “without question.” Stanford University biologist Peter Vitousek has similarly told HISTORY that “we’re absolutely sure,” putting the odds of a South American landfall in the 99.9999 [percent] range.”

For one thing, experts note that Easter Island (also known as Rapa Nui) lies only about 2,200 miles off the South American coast, and that Polynesian voyagers, capable of locating a speck of rock in the vast Pacific, could hardly have missed a giant continent. “Why would they have stopped?” Kahn says. “They would have kept going until they couldn’t find any more.”

Genetic evidence backs up this assertion. A 2020 study found that Polynesians from multiple islands carry a small amount of DNA from indigenous South Americans, and that the moment of contact likely came some 800 years ago (not long after the Vikings, the best European sailors of their era, made landfall on the Atlantic coast of the Americas).

Archeologists have likewise found the remains of bottle gourds and sweet potatoes, both South American plants, at pre-Columbian Polynesian sites. Some scientists speculate that the sweet potato could have dispersed naturally across the Pacific, but most agree that the Polynesians must have brought it back with them. “Try to take a sweet potato tuber and float it,” Kirch says. “I guarantee it won’t float very long. It will sink to the bottom of the ocean.”

Poultry bones from Chile appear to show that Polynesians introduced chickens to South America prior to the arrival of Columbus, though some scientists have disputed these findings. Meanwhile, other researchers analyzing skulls on a Chilean island found them to be “very Polynesian in shape and form.”

Less evidence ties the Polynesians to North America. Even so, some experts believe they landed there as well, pointing out, among other things, that the sewn-plank canoes used by the Chumash tribe of southern California resembled Polynesian vessels.

What Happened to Polynesians in Americas?

No Polynesian settlement has ever been unearthed in the Americas. It therefore remains unclear what happened upon arrival, particularly since, unlike the Pacific islands, these landmasses were already populated. Perhaps, Kahn says, “they got up and left and went back.”

When Captain James Cook explored the Pacific in the late 1760s and 1770s, thus ushering in a wave of Western imperialism, he recognized the Polynesians’ exemplary sailing skills. “It is extraordinary that the same nation should have spread themselves over all the isles in this vast ocean, from New Zealand to [Easter Island], which is almost a fourth part of the circumference of the globe,” he wrote.

Eventually, however, as they colonized the islands and suppressed native languages and cultures, Western powers began to downplay Polynesian achievements, according to Marzan, who says they assumed “that the people of the Pacific were less than.”

Some falsely claimed, for instance, that Polynesian sailors had merely drifted along with the winds and currents. (It didn’t help that, at the time of European contact, many Pacific Islanders no longer used large, oceangoing canoes. Some, like those on Easter Island, had already chopped down all the tall trees needed to produce them.)

Worst of all, European diseases decimated the Polynesian population. “It was this massive, devastating loss,” Kirch says. “And when you have that, your society really falls apart.”

Before long, most remaining Polynesians began sailing with Western techniques. More recently, though, the old traditions have been revived, starting around 1976, when the Polynesian Voyaging Society sailed, without instruments, from Hawaii to Tahiti. They have since embarked on numerous other expeditions, including a worldwide voyage from 2013 to 2017.

“The Polynesian Voyaging Society has really inspired many cultures across the Pacific to reconnect with their traditional practices,” Marzan says. Once again, double-hulled canoes are plying the ocean.

Friday, June 02, 2023

JUNE FREE HAWAII NEWS - WHY OHA DROPPED NATION BUILDING

Also Legal Action To Stop A Second Wave Pool, The Cultural Cost Of Name-Stripping, Hawaiian Progress At The UN & “Pacific Way” - A New Movement
 

The June “Free Hawaii News” show reveals details regarding why the Office Of Hawaiian Affairs has dropped its nation-building efforts.

“For years the Office of Hawaiian Affairs attempted to sell its phony nation-building plan via federal recognition to Hawaiians,” states Free Hawaii News co-host Leon Siu. “In the process, OHA wasted many millions of Hawaiian beneficiary dollars. We hear from OHA Trustee Mililani Trask who explains who was behind it, why it failed and if a day of reckoning is coming.”

The June Free Hawaii News also airs an important segment on the practice of name-stripping  - changing the original Hawaiian names of places to english names.

“Name-stripping is an insidious practice everywhere colonialism and illegal occupations of countries occur,” remarked Free Hawaii News co-host Hinaleimoana Wong. “Itʻs a simple way to make native peoples strangers in their own homeland and in Hawai`is case force kanaka maoli to identify themselves the way the US dictates. We explain exactly how name-stripping has sown its deliberate confusion in Hawai`i.”

Our June show also includes Kumu Hinaʻs Mana`o, an update on progress for Hawaii at the United Nations as well as a report on the “Pacific Way,” a new movement gaining steam throughout Oceania.

Brought to you by the Koani Foundation, Free Hawaii News airs the first Friday evening of every month on channel 53 of `Ōlelo Television on O`ahu at 6 PM and on all neighbor islands. Check local listings for times.

The purpose of the show is to present Hawaiian or kanaka maoli perspectives on a broad range of topics and issues affecting the Hawaiian Islands, the Pacific and the world. The hosts of “Free Hawaii News” are Hinaleimoana Wong and Leon Kaulahao Siu.

Hinaleimoana Wong is a kumu hula, filmmaker, cultural activist, Hawaiian language speaker, preservationist and community leader. She has served as a member of the O`ahu Island Burial Council.

Leon Siu has for many years served as Foreign Minister of the Hawaiian Kingdom. He is active in that role at the United Nations in both New York City and Geneva, Switzerland. Besides being a diplomat, he is also an award-winning musician, composer and political analyst.

“Free Hawaii News” is online at FreeHawaiiNews.com, Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites.

Thursday, June 01, 2023

DOGGONE RIGHT



Wednesday, May 31, 2023

FREE HAWAI`I TV
THE FREE HAWAI`I BROADCASTING NETWORK

 

"WHAT IAM TONGI & THE NEW YORK TIMES SAID ABOUT HAWAI`I“

 

Itʻs The Elephant In The Room.

It Told The World Thereʻs Something Very Wrong In Hawai`i.

It Points To The Thing In Hawai`i That Has To End.

Watch This To See What They Said & What Must Go.

 

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

2ND TOURIST FOLLOWING GPS DRIVES CAR INTO HAWAI`I HARBOR 


Hawai`i News Now - May 30, 2023

A tourist swam to safety on Monday after she mistakenly drove her vehicle into the water at the Honokohau Small Boat Harbor in Kailua-Kona.

The driver told police said she was following GPS directions when she took a turn down a boat ramp.

She apparently thought the water was a big puddle.

Hawaii Island police said the incident happened about 8 p.m. and the 2020 Ford Edge ended up in “deep water” by the time the driver was able to get out. Officials added the driver said “she was using a GPS that lead her to take that route.”

While her vehicle was slowly submerging into the water, a witness recalled being surprised by the woman’s slow reaction.

“She did take some time. She ended up grabbing her backpack or purse, all of her belongings that she could grab before she got out,” said the witness.

“And I’m kind of frustrated with it because I know that as soon as it starts to actually go underwater she’s in trouble.”

A good Samaritan was able to bring her to safety on a nearby boat after tossing her a floating device. No injuries were reported.

The vehicle was subsequently pulled out of the water.

The incident comes just a few weeks after another pair of tourists said they were following their vehicle’s navigation system when they drove right into the same harbor.

They also got out safely.

Monday, May 29, 2023

BECOME A FAN OF "VOICES OF TRUTH - ONE-ON-ONE WITH HAWAI`I'S FUTURE" ON FACEBOOK 

See Behind The Scenes Shots Of Our Shows



 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click HERE To Become A Fan

Sunday, May 28, 2023

CARING FOR OUR OCEAN ON “VOICES OF TRUTH - ONE-ON-ONE WITH HAWAI`IʻS FUTURE"

"Hui Malama O Ke Kai - A Visit With Alohilani Maiava" 

Hui Mālama O Ke Kai is Hawaiian for “the caring group of the ocean” and no one knows that better than Alohilani Maiava. When Alohilani was in grade school, the ocean waters of Waimanalo called to her and thatʻs what led her as a fifth grader to Hui Malama O Ke Kai. Today as a staff member, she teaches Hawai`iʻs keiki, or children, the very same principles and skills she was also taught there when young. Join us in our deeply inspiring visit with Alohilani as she explains how Hui Malama O Ke Kai changed not only her own life, but how it can change the world - Watch It Here

 

Now you can become a fan of Voices Of Truth on Facebook by clicking Here and see behind the scenes photos of our shows and a whole lot more.  

Voices Of Truth interviews those creating a better future for Hawai`i to discover what made them go from armchair observers to active participants. We hope you'll be inspired to do the same.
 
Voices Of Truth airs throughout Hawai`i on all islands and reaches over 24 million households across the US and throughout the world. Check your local cable TV listings.

For news and issues that affect you, watch Free Hawai`i TV, a part of the Free Hawai`i Broadcasting Network.
 
Please share our Free Hawai`i Broadcasting Network videos with friends and colleagues. That's how we grow. Mahalo.

Saturday, May 27, 2023

KE AUPUNI UPDATE - MAY 2023


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does the Hawaiian Kingdom still exist?

YES! The truth is, despite outward appearances, according to established international standards, the lawful, sovereign entity -- the Hawaiian Kingdom — still exists!

Over the centuries, certain criteria developed regarding the nature and character of a nation-state*, so that once a nation-state has been lawfully established, it is extremely difficult to extinguish.

There are only two ways an established nation-state can be extinguished:
1) by Conquest: involving the military defeat and subjugation of its people, along with the physical seizure of its territory and assets by the victor; or
2) by Consent: the un-coerced, free-will choice of its people to merge their country’s sovereignty to another’s.

Even the unconditional surrender of Japan and Germany after World War II, did not extinguish their sovereignty. They became occupied states but still retained their national identity. They were still Japan and Germany and the occupying forces administered and enforced the laws of Japan and Germany respectively (though Germany was partitioned for 45 years).

Even the absorption of the Eastern European states by the Soviet Union after World War II did not extinguish their sovereignty. Despite decades of complete domination by the USSR during the “Cold War,” when the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s states like Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, Czechoslovakia, and so forth, reemerged as sovereign and independent countries in continuity.

In the case of Hawaii, after the illegal seizure and fake annexation, the political status of the Hawaiian people (referring to nationals, not aboriginals) remained intact and inviolate. Neither a vote nor plebiscite was ever conducted to gain the consent of the Hawaiian nationals to dissolve their country, the Hawaiian Kingdom. At no time did the Hawaiian Kingdom or Hawaiian nationals surrender sovereignty or consent to a merger with the United States. On the contrary, there was ardent and vociferous opposition to the 1893 seizure and to both U.S. efforts at annexation (1893 and 1897), as evidenced by the Kūʻē petitions, protests and resistance by Hawaiians.

The hearing of the case of Lance Larsen vs. the Hawaiian Kingdom at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague, Netherlands in 2000, positively confirmed the continued existence of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The acceptance of this case by this body of the World Court was based on the court’s determination that the Hawaiian Kingdom still exists and that both the Hawaiian Kingdom and the Hawaiian Kingdom national (Larsen), had standing in the World Court.

The fact-finding recommended after the proceedings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, produced a study by professor of international law, Dr. Matthew Craven titled, The Continuity of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Craven confirmed that, according to the standards of international law, the Hawaiian Kingdom continues to exist. It did not expire. It survives even having been buried alive under the layers of U.S. deception and fraud. This has been confirmed numerous times by experts and institutions of international law.
“Love of country is deep-seated in the breast of every Hawaiian, whatever his station.” — Queen Liliʻuokalani

* The word “state” in international legal terminology, refers to a nation-state, a recognized nation, a country.
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Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono. The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

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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. 

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"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: info@HawaiianKingdom.net

• Other – To contribute in other ways (airline miles, travel vouchers, volunteer services, etc...) email us at: info@HawaiianKingdom.net 

“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

Friday, May 26, 2023

NEVER GIVE UP



Thursday, May 25, 2023

OLA I KA WAI



Wednesday, May 24, 2023

FREE HAWAI`I TV
THE FREE HAWAI`I BROADCASTING NETWORK

 

"YOU WONʻT BELIEVE THE US NAVYʻS PLAN FOR RED HILL“

 

The US Navy Has A Little Surprise For You.

It Explains Why They Havenʻt Shut Down The Red Hill Tanks.

But Wait, Because We Also Explain What You Can Do About It.

Watch This For Details & How You Can Help.
 

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

YOUNG HAWAIIANS & PACIFIC ISLANDER ADULTS WITH HIGHEST CANCER RATES


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NBC News - May 19, 2023

New research shows that Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders between the ages of 20 and 49 have the highest death rates from any type of cancer among all racial groups of that age bracket. 

The findings, published last month by the National Cancer Institute, weren’t immediately apparent in previous research because federal data has traditionally grouped together those of Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander descent, concealing the disparities, the report said. 

“We have shown the importance of disaggregating Asian and NHPI individuals, as these groups have disparate cancer mortality rates that are hidden when analyzed together,” researchers wrote. “Policies aimed at equitable cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment, as well as disaggregation of data for racial/ethnic subpopulations are needed to address disparities in cancer mortality across racial/ethnic groups.”

Those of Asian descent, the manuscript pointed out, have the lowest cancer death rates across every age group and, when combined with data on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, the death rate largely ended up reflecting the low incidence of the disease among Asian Americans 

While the Office of Management and Budget disaggregated the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations from Asian Americans in 1997, the National Center for Health Statistics didn’t release single-race mortality data until almost two decades later, when all states implemented the new classification on death certificates, the report said. Therefore, data on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, who represent an estimated 0.4% of the U.S. population, remained “masked.”

The report, which also looked at cancer death rates across other racial groups, showed additional disparities. Data on cancer mortality rates among males showed Black men with the highest numbers, followed by whites and Latinos. In looking at women, the mortality rates were highest among Black women. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women came second, followed by white females. 

High cancer death rates in Black, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities are likely  due in part to unequal access to health care, the report said. Marginalized communities are also more likely to receive “suboptimal” cancer treatment that may not be consistent with the recommended clinical practice guidelines, and are less likely to be included in clinical trials, the report noted. 

Structural racism was another underlying cause of the racial and ethnic gaps in health. The American Cancer Society’s guidelines for cancer prevention, the researchers point out, focus on “modifiable lifestyle factors” like obesity and physical activity. However, Black, Latino, American Inuit, American Indian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities, which have high obesity rates, are more likely to live in communities with food deserts, high rates of economic insecurity and greater barriers to physical activity.

The legacy of U.S. colonization of Hawai`i and the long history of “Western interference” has also contributed to health disparities among the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations, Dr. Loïc Le Marchand, associate director for population sciences at the University of Hawai`i Cancer Center, told NBC News. 

“If we compare Polynesians in the South Pacific and Native Hawaiians, not only is the level of obesity higher [in Native Hawaiians], but the type of obesity is different,” Le Marchand said. “The distribution of fat is different. … It’s not just linked to eating more, but it’s also linked to composition of diet.” 

More disaggregated data and better information on specific populations are critical, Le Marchand said, as they can make a difference in the  decision-making.  And while there are some programs in place in Hawaii and across the country that address these gaps in health care, they are still limited.

“Native Hawaiians have been disadvantaged, understudied ... for many decades,” Le Marchand said. “Those health issues exist and need to be addressed.”

Le Marchand said that when it comes to treating Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations and other marginalized groups, it’s “not just funding a program here and there.” Integrating leaders from these communities is critical to dispense appropriate care and treatment, he said.

Monday, May 22, 2023

WHICH WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE?

Sunday, May 21, 2023

WAI`ANAE MOKU KUPUNA COUNCIL ON “VOICES OF TRUTH - ONE-ON-ONE WITH HAWAI`IʻS FUTURE"

"The Value Of Our Elders - A Visit With Lena Suzuki" 

Kupuna is the Hawaiian word for elder and Wai`anae on the west side of O`ahu knows just how valuable their kupuna are. Not only holders of great knowledge, kupuna are also a priceless link between those who have gone before and those who have yet to come. And as Lena Suzuki tells us, thatʻs why the Wai`anae Moku Kupuna Council was formed. For a taste of the real Hawai`i, join us in our visit with Lena as she shows us why kupuna are one of Hawai`iʻs most valued treasures - Watch It Here

 

Now you can become a fan of Voices Of Truth on Facebook by clicking Here and see behind the scenes photos of our shows and a whole lot more.  

Voices Of Truth interviews those creating a better future for Hawai`i to discover what made them go from armchair observers to active participants. We hope you'll be inspired to do the same.
 
Voices Of Truth airs throughout Hawai`i on all islands and reaches over 24 million households across the US and throughout the world. Check your local cable TV listings.

For news and issues that affect you, watch Free Hawai`i TV, a part of the Free Hawai`i Broadcasting Network.
 
Please share our Free Hawai`i Broadcasting Network videos with friends and colleagues. That's how we grow. Mahalo.

Saturday, May 20, 2023

AS SEEN ON FREE HAWAII NEWS - 

KUMU HINAʻS MANA`O -



"IS THERE A FUTURE IN HAWAI`I FOR HAWAI`IʻS KEIKI?"

WATCH ALL OF FREE HAWAII NEWS - FreeHawaiiNews.com