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History of efforts to create a Hawaiian tribe from May 1, 2024 through August 31, 2024; including efforts to create a state-recognized tribe and efforts to get federal recognition through Dept. of Interior regulation, executive order, or Congressional legislation; and efforts to get local and international recognition of an alleged continuing independent nation of Hawaii.

INDEX OF NEWS REPORTS AND COMMENTARIES FROM MAY 1 THROUGH AUGUST 31, 2024

May 13, 2024: Leon Siu, who imagines himself to be Foreign Minister of a still-living Kingdom of Hawaii, publishes two Ke Aupuni [the Government] Update proclamations each month. This time he complains that empty or insincere apologies are insulting and offensive to the recipients when not followed-up with reparations, such as the U.S. and United Church of Christ apologies to Native Hawaiians for the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893.

May 14: Hayden Burgess [alias Poka Laenui] describes a version of Hawaii's history portraying the 1893 overthrow of Hawaii's monarchy as a U.S. invasion, 1898 Annexation and 1959 Statehood plebiscite as illegal under international aw; and therefore "No action should be taken by the State of Hawaii or by the U.S. government to proceed under the domestic laws of the United States until the issue of the international legal question is first resolved. All land issues [such as the Army's proposal for the renewed lease of lands at Pohakuloa] as well as the exercise of American jurisdiction, should be held in abeyance. There is now an attempt to bring this question of jurisdiction to the U.N. for clarification on this matter, and until the matter is resolved, no action should be taken by the State or the Feds to dispose of the title of Hawaii's lands."

May 24: Emmanuel Macron, President of France, flew to the remote French-ruled Pacific island of New Caledonia to outline his latest foreign policy plan. His visit was in response to rioting by Melanesian natives protesting French government's legislation to change voter eligibility to allow (White) French citizens to vote even if they moved here as recently as 10 years ago.

May 25: Leon Siu, who imagines himself to be Foreign Minister of a still-living Kingdom of Hawaii, summarizes creation of private land ownership through the Mahele (mid-1800s) and says "land fraud in Hawaiʻi is massive, pervasive and ongoing. Deprived of their inheritance, Hawaiians have been impoverished and driven off the islands by greedy foreigners, their corrupt judges and US puppet governments" but this will soon be changed by international action at United Nations.

June 8, 2024: Leon Siu, who imagines himself to be Foreign Minister of a still-living Kingdom of Hawaii, describes "Hawaii is currently hosting a massive ten-day event called the Pacific Festival of the Arts and Culture (FestPac), bringing together delegations of artists, dancers, musicians and cultural practitioners from 28 Pacific Island nations celebrating the peoples of Moananuiakea (the Pacific Islands), Polynesians, Micronesians, Melanesians and Austronesians. ... The organizers of FestPac fastidiously steered clear of any mention that this is really the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands, not the State of Hawaii, USA. It's okay, though, because now we have a great template for the next time we have an international celebration of such magnitude — the celebration of the restoration of the Hawaiian Kingdom."

June 11: Maui county government establishes Dept. of 'Oiwi [race-defined Hawaiian] Resources

June 12: Hawaii Business Magazine describes hotels owned by ethnic Hawaiians and the political purposes of a new effort to greatly expand such race-based ownership

June 22: Leon Siu, who imagines himself to be Foreign Minister of a still-living Kingdom of Hawaii, says "The massive ten-day event called the Pacific Festival of the Arts and Culture (FestPAC), served as a reminder of both our glorious past and the potential for a glorious future. ... during the Nineteenth Century, Hawaii was a sovereign country, and all the other Pacific Islands were captive nations under colonial rule. Today, nearly all the Pacific nations are independent or enjoy some form of autonomy, but Hawaii is a nation in captivity. Hopefully, FestPAC will be a step toward rejoining our Pacific Island Family."

June 24: The Protecting Oceania Hui, a group of environmental and cultural Pacific organizations, has released a statement calling for an end to the multinational RIMPAC military exercise ... 29 nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, and more than 150 aircraft ... It is said to be the world’s largest international maritime exercise. "We oppose turning Hawaiʻi’s lands and waters into training grounds for imperial and genocidal regimes ... We stand committed to a free and liberated Oceania and will remain steadfast in our commitment until these exercises cease to exist."

July 6, 2024: Leon Siu, who imagines himself to be Foreign Minister of a still-living Kingdom of Hawaii, notes that USA celebrated the 248th anniversary of its independence on July 4, but says "Hawaii is ancient. It has been sovereign and self-governing since time immemorial. No people other than Hawaiians ever ruled over Hawaii. That is what makes America’s rule in Hawaii so wrong and such an anomaly ... despite the United States’ ruling our Islands for the past 126 years, Hawaii’s sovereignty is still intact."

July 20: Leon Siu, who imagines himself to be Foreign Minister of a still-living Kingdom of Hawaii, notes that "Next weekend Hawaiian Nationals will be celebrating the 181st anniversary of Lahoihoi Ea, “Sovereignty Restoration Day”", describing what happened in 1843 and how the holiday has been revived by modern activists.

July 25: Honolulu County Council Committee on Planning and the Economy chaired by Esther Kia'aina considers written & oral testimony on proposal created by Esther Kia'aina to give away a ten-acre parcel of land in Kailua to the racially exclusive Department of Hawaiian Homelands, presumably for them to develop housing. Ken Conklin's detailed testimony describes the proposal as racist, in line with Kia'aina's entire career serving Bishop Estate (Kamehameha School), OHA, policy advisor to Rep. Ed Case and Sen. Dan Akaka pushing Akaka bill 2000-2012, Asst. Sec of Interior under Obama 2012-2016 creating regulation 43CFR50 to facilitate creation of Hawaiian tribe with federal recognition. Testimony shows city would pay for water, sewage, police, fire, roads while race-defined homeowners in DHHL racial enclaves pay zero property taxes for 7 years by law and then mere token $100 per year; DHHL could choose to use land for profit-making businesses or even gambling casino if Hawaiian tribe gets federal recognition.

August 10: Leon Siu, who imagines himself to be Foreign Minister of a still-living Kingdom of Hawaii, notes that August 15 will be 65th anniversary of Hawaii statehood, with state holiday celebrated on Aug 16 (3rd Friday of August by state law). Siu notes the holiday is not "celebrated" with actual events, unlike the Kingdom independence and restoration holidays; he says this is because Hawaii is ashamed of the history of overthrow and annexation. "The Republic of Hawaii, being an illegal insurgency, acquired no territory from the Hawaiian Kingdom."

August 24: Leon Siu, who imagines himself to be Foreign Minister of a still-living Kingdom of Hawaii, says "Like many other small countries, Hawaii can function very nicely as an independent nation. As a pre-existing sovereign country, the Hawaiian Kingdom’s structural foundations for self-governance are still intact with its constitution, treaties, session laws, civil codes, etc. … currently operating as the so-called “State of Hawaii” ... Think of it as [merely] a change of management."

August 27, 2024: Hawaii Tribune-Herald republished an article from "The Fulcrum" published August 20. Tony McAleer, a former White supremacist, says "In the days when I was driven by an extremist agenda, our movement recognized the need and opportunity to increase broad-based support among the North American middle. To normalize extremist ideas, we attempted to take a position previously considered radical and make it palatable enough for the public to get behind. If we could repackage a concept that only 1 percent of people supported in a way that 5% would accept, we could expand our outer edge of extremism while simultaneously moving where the center lies. ... Endorsements for extremism don’t have to be outright calls to arms; they’re usually far more casual. ... The most extremist members of society, those bent on exclusion, hatred and suffering, are ready and waiting to seize upon our words to accomplish their destructive agendas. ..." Ken Conklin comments that "Here in Hawaii we do not have White Supremacists -- what we do have is ethnic Hawaiian race-supremacists who use the concept of "indigenous rights", and the apology resolution of 1993, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to make their race-supremacism and demands for racial entitlement programs seem palatable to the majority of well-meaning citizens of Hawaii."

END OF INDEX

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FULL TEXT OF ITEMS IN THE INDEX FROM MAY 1 THROUGH AUGUST 31, 2024

http://freehawaii.blogspot.com/2024/05/ke-aupuni-update-may-2024-empty.html
Free Hawaii blog Ke Aupuni Update Monday May 13, 2024

Empty Apologies

On January 17, 1993, coinciding with the solemn observance of the 100th anniversary of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, the United Church of Christ (UCC) formally apologized for the role that its leaders played in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893. The apology was publicly announced and presented by representatives of the national leadership of the UCC.

That apology prompted the Hawaii delegation to the US Congress to convince their colleagues to pass a Joint Resolution of Congress that was signed into law as US Public Law 103-150 by US President William Jefferson Clinton on November 23, 1993. By this public law the US also apologized for its involvement in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893.

What has become of these high profile public apologies? The UMC Apology was followed a year later with pledges of millions in money and property as compensation from the UCC to the Hawaiian people for the wrongful act.

The US Apology pledged to initiate reconciliation between the US and the native Hawaiians who suffered the consequences of the wrongful taking of their nation.

In the 31 years since the issuance of these apologies, there has been no measurable or noticeable movement toward reconciliation. In fact conditions have grown worse. The US and the UCC have demonstrated by their inaction not only lack of follow-through but no intention of ever correcting the wrongs they admitted they committed.

Years ago, a friend said to me, “The trouble with people today is they think… if we say it; we have done it!” This is so true. Apologies today mean nothing as people do not seem to think they need to do anything to repair a wrong or offense. No acts of repentance, no making things pono. Just say sorry, then move on.

In April, a resolution was adopted by the General conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC) apologizing for the role its pastors and churches of that denomination played in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893 and after. Announcement of this recent apology by the UMC is pending. The resolution calls for “Acts of Repentance.” Will this prove to be sincere? Or will it go the way of the UCC’s “compensation” and the US’ “reconciliation”?

Hopefully, this will not be another empty apology that makes no difference except to give self-serving offenders a platform to absolve themselves of their own guilt and move on.

Insincere apologies are not only empty words. When issued with no effort to repair the wrong, they are insulting and more offensive to those to whom the apologies are addressed… and to all fair minded people in this world.

“Love of country is deep-seated in the breast of every Hawaiian, whatever his station.” — Queen Liliʻuokalani

Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono. The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

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.

"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
All proceeds are used to help the cause. MAHALO!
Malama Pono,
Leon Siu
Hawaiian National

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/605307049601602/user/1010675515
Hayden Burgess [alias Poka Laenui] Facebook page Tuesday May 14, 2024

Jim Albertini asked for thoughts on the Army's proposal for the renewed lease of lands at Pohakuloa. This matter deals with lands in many other areas of Hawaii as well. Here are my thoughts.
POKA LAENUI

There are two legal regimes under which this question of future Hawaii land use could fall into; the first is the American domestic law, and the second is the international law under which the principles of decolonization would apply. Which is the appropriate legal regime? The American domestic law gains its advantage by denial of its own history of the aggression against Hawaii in 1893 and applying its own acts of aggression and its step-by-step justifications for the taking of Hawaii's sovereignty. It is successful in the buildup of its "legal case" by its self-proclaimed assertion of legitimacy and precedent, essentially bootstrapping itself, with always the silent presence of U.S. military behind it to back its conclusion.

The international law legal regime has reared its head up against the American domestic law regime over the past 50 years, from a new-found awareness that we come from a history that predates Hawaii's "Statehood" and American "territorial" era to a time of Queens and Kings and of a time of proud nationhood of Hawaii. That was when the Hawaiian nation stood as an equal among all other nations before the international legal regime.

The United States violated the independence of Hawaii in a sneak attack upon the shores of Hawaii and, through a set of step-by-step transactions with mainly American businessmen, took over the reins of Hawaii's government.

In 1945, anticipating the end of the 2nd World War, nations of the world set out to develop a "New World Order" by which international law would be respected by all nations large and small. These nations formed the United Nations, and realizing many violations of basic principles of international law, set up a special place within the United Nations for areas with its rights to self-determination violated, calling these places "non-selfgoverning territories". In somewhat of an admission of the treatment of Hawaii under U.S. regime, the U.S. submitted Hawaii as a non-self-governing territory entitled to exercise self-governance by being presented in the future options for self-determination. 1959 became the appointed time for the exercise of self-determination. The United States used a "statehood act" as a tool to determine self-determination. But the U.S. cheated in the employment of self-determination for those suppossed to practice self-determination. The U.S. did so in the following ways. It committed an international fraud by altering the "self," the who, the people who were entitled to self-determination. Rather than the people entitled to be the "self," the Hawaiian people who were the original people who lost their identity as Hawaiian nationals by American colonization, the U.S. identified the 'self" in the 1959 referendum as only American citizens who have lived in Hawaii for at least 1 year. In switching the definition of the 'self,' the U.S. also included its military within this definition, another violation of international law for an occupying force to allow its military to join in such an exercise of self-determination.

The second fraud of this "double fraud" was the U.S. limiting of choices, which should cover "determination." There should have been 3 options for determination, independence from the colonial power (U.S.), free association, or integration, such as becoming a "State" of the United States. The second fraud was carried out by the U.S., which failed to provide other choices besides Statehood. Thus, we were simply not given the choices of independence or free association. Therefore, this act of self-determination was denied to the people of Hawaii.

How is this pilikia or trouble to be unraveled? No action should be taken by the State of Hawaii or by the U.S. government to proceed under the domestic laws of the United States until the issue of the international legal question is first resolved. All land issues as well as the exercise of American jurisdiction, should be held in abeyance. There is now an attempt to bring this question of jurisdiction to the U.N. for clarification on this matter, and until the matter is resolved, no action should be taken by the State or the Feds to dispose of the title of Hawaii's lands.

Poka Laenui, (Hayden Burgess) Attorney
www.hawaiianperspectives.org

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https://www.staradvertiser.com/2024/05/24/breaking-news/in-restive-new-caledonia-macron-sees-pacific-power-and-influence/
Honolulu Star-Advertiser May 24, 2024

In restive New Caledonia, Macron sees Pacific power and influence

By Layli Foroudi and Juliette Jabkhiro, Reuters

PARIS >> In 2018, a year after becoming France’s president, Emmanuel Macron flew to the remote French-ruled Pacific island of New Caledonia to outline his latest foreign policy plan. With China’s regional ambitions growing, a new Indo-Pacific strategy was needed to prevent it from becoming hegemonic, he said. New Caledonia would be a key French anchor of that plan. “I believe in the future of this territory, and I believe in the place that this territory occupies in a broader strategy,” he said. “The Indo-Pacific is at the heart of the French project.”

Six years later, Macron’s Indo-Pacific aspirations are facing their toughest test yet after days of deadly unrest on New Caledonia. At least seven people have died in protests against a constitutional amendment that would expand New Caledonia’s electorate to include recent French arrivals. Some indigenous Kanaks believe the change will dilute their vote.

Macron reacted with a firm hand, dispatching 3,000 security officers to quell unrest that he called “an unprecedented insurrection”. Although he delayed ratifying the voting reform to reach a settlement, he said the measure has “democratic legitimacy”. He also appeared to extinguish some islanders’ hopes of independence, saying the results of a disputed 2021 referendum, in which an overwhelming majority on New Caledonia voted to remain French, were valid.

Aides and experts said Macron’s tough stance underlines his commitment to a doctrine that gives France a foothold in a geopolitically important region where the United States and China are jostling for power. New Caledonia “sustains France’s role as a great power in the world,” said Denise Fisher, Australia’s former consul-general on the island. It is one of five French island territories across the Indo-Pacific, a “string of pearls” that bolsters Paris’ claim to have the world’s second largest exclusive economic zone, largely thanks to its maritime control of waters around those islands, Fisher said.

Set in the warm waters of the southwest Pacific, some 1,500 km (930 miles) east of Australia, New Caledonia is home to 270,000 people, including 41% Melanesian Kanak and 24% of European origin, mostly French.

The protests are the latest flashpoint in a decades-long tussle over France’s role in the island. Named by British explorer Captain James Cook in 1774, New Caledonia was colonised by France in 1853 and became an overseas territory in 1946.

Tensions between the indigenous Kanaks and Paris erupted into violent conflicts in the 1970s, and rumbled along until they were finally settled in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which outlined a path to gradual autonomy via three referendums. In all three, independence was rejected. However, many Kanaks refused to participate in the 2021 vote due to health concerns during the COVID pandemic, leaving lingering resentment over the result.

This month’s protests, which came as lawmakers in Paris passed the voting reform, have left a trail of burned buildings, barricaded roads and looted businesses.

Brenda Wanabo, a spokeswoman for the Field Action Coordination Cell (CCAT) which helped organize the protests, said Paris was particularly interested in New Caledonia’s nickel. The island is the world’s No.3 miner of a metal used in electric vehicle batteries, but the sector has been struggling for years and required bailouts from the French government. She accused Macron of ramming through the 2021 referendum and criticized the planned change to voting eligibility as having been cooked up between Paris and local lawmakers. “We see that the state has become biased since Macron came to power,” she said.

Macron’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

FRANCE’S GLOBAL REACH

France’s Indo-Pacific territories give it bragging rights over its European Union peers. It is the only EU country to have territories in the Indo-Pacific, which are home to over 1.6 million French citizens and 7,000 soldiers. “This is something that others don’t have,” said a Macron aide.

The importance of these territories rose after the 2021 collapse of a multi-billion-dollar submarine deal between France and Australia, experts said. Australia scrapped its French order in favour of a U.S.-UK deal, enraging Paris and triggering an unprecedented diplomatic crisis. The submarine deal, a cornerstone of Macron’s 2018 Indo-Pacific strategy, would have deepened French military influence in the region. After its collapse, Paris sought to build deeper ties with Pacific nations. France and Japan agreed this month to start formal talks on a reciprocal troop access deal, which would create frameworks to facilitate military cooperation.

Rene Dosiere, a former socialist lawmaker who was one of the architects of 1998 Noumea Accord, said that despite its geopolitical interest, Paris showed little day-to-day concern for the island. “I don’t see the interest, apart from the fact that it’s a former colony,” he said. Macron’s interest in New Caledonia, he said, stemmed from a “desire to have a territory that allows you to say, ‘The sun never sets on the French empire.’” (Additional reporting by Elizabeth Pineau, John Irish and Kirsty Needham Writing by Gabriel Stargardter Editing by Frances Kerry)

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** Ken Conklin's online comment(s):

Remember that France formerly "owned" Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia in north Africa, incorporating them into France with seats in Parliament. France is famous among comedians for its quick surrender to the Nazis and establishment of the puppet Vichy government which also "governed" the 3 north African nations with lots of intrigue over European refugees -- remember the movie "Casablanca" starring Humphrey Bogart & Ingrid Bergnan. Important battles in WW2 took place there. After WW2 local Arab tribes and Muslim activists pushed out the weakened French. The "indigenous" Melanesians in New Caledonia seek independence just like Algeria, and have renamed their island nation "Kanaky" (sounds like "Kanaka" [maoli]). This news report leaves out these important details.

Many parallels exist to the politics of sovereignty in Hawaii, including struggles over whether White citizens of European ancestry, & Asians, should have the right to vote and hold government offices: Note the year 2000 U.S. Supreme Court decision 7-2 in Rice v. Cayetano which decided that Hawaii citizens with no "Kanaka" blood have a right to vote in the previously racially segregated elections for board members of OHA, and the followup federal District Court & 9th Circuit Court decisions in Arakaki v. Hawaii that citizens with no "Kanaka" blood have a right to be candidates and hold seats on the OHA board (an ethnic Japanese actually won a seat in 2000). The "Akaka bill" in Congress 2000-2012 tried to create a phony Indian tribe for "Kanakas" and give it federal recognition to re-establish race-based government which Rice & Arakaki had desegregated. Note how Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement & race-focused "Hawaii Strong" took over Lahaina recovery despite being minority.

*Hanalei395 wrote:
After looking into the "fine print" of the Akaka Bill, Hawaiians were insulted: Hawaiians are NOT Indians. There was a near riot at a meeting during the Obama era when the Bill was brought to light.

*Conklin replied:
The Akaka bill did not "come to light" during Obama era. Akaka bill introduced July 2000, finally died when Inouye died & Akaka retired end of 2016. Schatz gave Senate "maiden speech" Summer 2017 devoted entirely to pushing Akaka bill which had not yet been introduced and never has been present in Congress after 2016. "Bill" you're talking about emerged during Obama's second term and nearly led to rioting was not a bill at all, but a Dept of Interior "regulation" providing a procedure for ethnic Hawaiians to create an Indian tribe and get the Interior Dept. to give it recognition. Obama appointed racist EdCase aide Esther Kia'aina (now on City Council) as Asst. Sec of Interior to write the reg and push it thru public hearings; got proclaimed on October 14, 2016 and became law Nov. 14 barely before Obama was finished. NatHwn gang OHA-funded wrote "Constitution" Feb 2017 to start process but U.S.SupCt said no-no. Dangerous reg still there: 43CFR50 see my website for content & history.

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http://freehawaii.blogspot.com/2024/05/ke-aupuni-update-may-2024-hawaiis-lands.html
Free Hawaii blog, Ke Aupuni Update Saturday May 25, 2024

Hawaiʻi’s Lands

Hawaiʻi’s monarchs understood international law. Which is why Kamehameha III saw that the way to protect his Kingdom’s sovereignty was to be recognized as a sovereign country. This was accomplished in 1843 when two of the most powerful colonizer nations in the world, Great Britain and France recognized the Hawaiian Kingdom as a sovereign state.

Even with that in place, just in case: King Kamehameha III wanted to further safeguard the lands of the Kingdom from foreign take-over. As the Monarch, he was not only the ruler, he “owned” all the lands of the Hawaiian Kingdom. But he realized that in the event Hawaiʻi got conquered by another country (or an internal regime change) the monarch’s lands, i.e. government lands, would be susceptible to takeover by conquest.

Under international law, the lands owned by the government would become the lands of the conqueror as spoils of war. But, privately owned lands would remain in the hands of the private owner. Aha!

Learning of this, King Kamehameha III initiated the Great Mahele, the major land redistribution, to move the vast majority of Hawaii’s land out of harm’s way. He converted most of the monarchial/government lands of Hawaii into private ownership, leaving only those lands necessary for government operations as government lands.

Private titles to lands were given to chiefs and commoners, with the largest portion to the King. Furthermore, much of the lands came with allodial titles to ensure these private lands would only be passed down to the person’s designated heirs, in totality and in perpetuity. These lands could not ever be sold or alienated from the heirs.

Unfortunately, when the puppet governments of the US took over in 1893, they began to help themselves to Hawaiian lands, carving them up and selling off pieces in complete disregard for Hawaiian Kingdom laws and international laws concerning private land titles.

It got worse over the years. Using their crooked judges, the US occupation and its local business and political collaborators wantonly plundered the lands of the Hawaiian people — even the allodial-titled lands of heirs of Kamehameha III and other Aliʻi (chiefs) — by ignoring the continuity and inviolability of private, allodial-titled lands.

The land fraud in Hawaiʻi is massive, pervasive and ongoing. Deprived of their inheritance, Hawaiians have been impoverished and driven off the islands by greedy foreigners, their corrupt judges and US puppet governments.

The good news is that is about to change. Along with the campaign to rescind UNGA Resolution 1469 at the UN, questions about the Lāhainā fire, Hawaiians who have been injured by these ongoing land thefts have been raising international challenges and seeking remedy for those abuses.

“Love of country is deep-seated in the breast of every Hawaiian, whatever his station.” — Queen Liliʻuokalani

Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono. The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

"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."

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http://freehawaii.blogspot.com/2024/06/ke-aupuni-update-june-2024-pacific.html
Free Hawaii blog, Ke Aupuni Update Saturday June 8, 2024

A Pacific Celebration

Hawaii is currently hosting a massive ten-day event called the Pacific Festival of the Arts and Culture (FestPac), bringing together delegations of artists, dancers, musicians and cultural practitioners from 28 Pacific Island nations celebrating the peoples of Moananuiakea (the Pacific Islands), Polynesians, Micronesians, Melanesians and Austronesians.

The prelude to FestPac was the gathering of the famous voyaging canoe, Hōkūleʻa, and dozens of her offspring since being launched at Kualoa 49 years ago. Just as ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’ Hōkūleʻa had a profound impact in awakening not only the voyaging traditions but raising up the strength, skills, spirit and dignity of peoples of the Pacific. That was evident as thousands gathered to welcome and celebrate the crews and builders of these amazing vessels, like those that our ancestors used to shrink the vast reaches of their watery home.

On June 6, the opening ceremonies of FestPac welcomed the most amazing parade of the myriad faces, smiles, sounds, dances and regalia of our Pacific Islands ʻOhana (family).

The festival continues for the next 7 days at the Hawaii Convention Center with presentations, seminars, and discussions of the issues facing Pasifika. Also, in the exhibition hall there is a fantastical village featuring the cultures of the various islands. To register to attend this event go to:
www.FestPacHawaii.org

This is the 13th FestPac, and the first time it is being hosted by Hawaii… that is, the “State of Hawaii, USA”. Governor Josh Green is the official host. The huge budget for this massive event comes from the State and its agencies, the US Federal government, US non-profit organizations, American businesses, etc.

The organizers of FestPac fastidiously steered clear of any mention that this is really the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands, not the State of Hawaii, USA. As the U.S. presumes to be the gatekeeper to determine who could come and go from our country (the Hawaiian Kingdom), all “foreign” delegations, and participants had to go through stringent U.S. Customs, FBI and Homeland Security clearance to enter the “US State of Hawaii”.

It's okay, though, because now we have a great template for the next time we have an international celebration of such magnitude — the celebration of the restoration of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

“Love of country is deep-seated in the breast of every Hawaiian, whatever his station.” — Queen Liliʻuokalani

Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono. The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

"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."

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https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2024-06-11/maui-county-mayor-new-department-of-oiwi-resources
Hawaiʻi Public Radio Tuesday June 11, 2024

Maui County mayor appoints director of new Department of ʻŌiwi Resources

By HPR News Staff

Kaponoʻai Molitau has been appointed the director of Maui County's new Department of ʻŌiwi Resources. Molitau is the founder and CEO of Native Intelligence, a Hawaiian cultural resource center and retail business in Wailuku.

A news release said he has trained in Hawaiian protocols for the past 32 years. “Kaponoʻai has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to preserving and perpetuating the knowledge and traditions of our Hawaiian culture,” Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said in a statement. “His deep connection to Hawaiian traditional practices will be invaluable in leading and developing this groundbreaking new department.”

The appointment is subject to confirmation by the Maui County Council.

The Department of ʻŌiwi Resources was created in 2022 to ensure proper management of cultural resources, including Hawaiian language, cultural sites, burials and natural resources. The department will be officially established on July 1.

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https://www.hawaiibusiness.com/native-hawaiian-hotel-ownership-tourism-industry-future/
Hawaii Business Magazine article published online June 11, 2024
[This article appears in the June/July 2024 issue of Hawaii Business Magazine]

Native Hawaiians Don’t Own Many Local Hotels. Here’s Why That May Change.
While the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and ali‘i trusts collect land rents from 18 hotels, some Hawaiian groups are aiming for ownership.

by Noelle Fujii-Oride

** Note from website editor Ken Conklin: This article is extremely lengthy as published. I have provided excerpts focusing on the political sovereignty-related aspects, retaining the order in which they appear in the article.

From his east Kapolei office, Kūhiō Lewis leans toward his computer screen, quickly clicking from webpage to webpage. His eyes brighten as his screen flashes to a Google search page filled with hotels and condos in Maui’s Nāpili area. A few minutes later, his screen shows a street view of properties along Waikīkī’s Beach Walk.

The CEO of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement is looking for a boutique hotel to buy. If he’s successful, it would be the first for the nonprofit, which aims to enhance the cultural, political, economic and community development of Native Hawaiians.

Hotels are the foundation of Hawai‘i’s largest industry. In 2023, hotels statewide brought in $5.7 billion in revenue. But it’s not common for Native Hawaiian families or organizations to own these properties. Hawaii Business Magazine found only one hotel still owned entirely by a Native Hawaiian family. The state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and three ali‘i trusts own land that 18 hotels stand on, but they are not hotel owners themselves. Instead, they use lease revenues to support their missions.

“One thing that’s very prevalent is we are not engaged meaningfully in the economics of the tourism industry as a people that call this place home,” Lewis says. “We get the 9-to-5 jobs, we get capped wages, but we’re not making the kind of money that the owners or the ownership structures are making. We’re not part of the curation of the story that’s being told or how people are presented with what Hawai‘i looks like.”

Some Native Hawaiians view a Hawaiian entity owning a hotel as a step toward economic justice for the Islands’ Indigenous people.

Hotel ownership is one goal of many Hawaiians. Another is that hotel owners and leaders, no matter their ethnicity, embrace Hawaiian values, educate themselves about Hawai‘i’s culture and history, and seek cultural guidance when appropriate. Several hotel leaders already do this, and many properties have cultural directors or advisors to guide their activities and, in some cases, influence property-level decision making.

Hawaiian-Owned Hotels The Hawaiiana Hotel opened on what is now Waikīkī’s Beach Walk in February 1955. A newspaper article the following month described it as “capitalizing on every inch of its theme – everything Hawaiian.” Woven calabash baskets and kapa hung in every apartment-style guest room. The hotel’s staff was all local, and its bellboys were accomplished musicians who would perform Hawaiian music several times a week. The hotel owners sought to provide each guest with personalized attention and “genuine old island hospitality,” wrote the author of the March 1955 Honolulu Advertiser article.

Kepoikai Aluli and his partners built The Mauian and Nāpili Village Hotel as cooperative hotels. The Mauian’s lease returned to Aluli in 1996; he converted the property into a traditional hotel that his family members owned until 2003. The Nāpili Village Hotel’s ground lease returned to the Aluli family a few years ago; today, the family continues to own and operate the property as a hotel.

The Kimi family has also owned hotels across the state. Richard Wassman Kimi built the Kaua‘i Sands and the Kona, Hilo and Maui Seaside hotels in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s for budget-conscious travelers. He also owned the Waikiki Biltmore for a time. And his brother, William Kimi Jr., built and owned Uncle Billy’s Kona Bay and Hilo Bay hotels. The Neighbor Island hotels remained in their family for decades; the last ones were sold in 2021 and 2022.

Another Native Hawaiian-owned hotel was the 318-room Keauhou Beach Hotel. Amfac opened the hotel in 1970, and it was the first hotel in Kamehameha Schools’ 1,100-acre Keauhou resort and residential complex.

Kamehameha Schools acquired the Keauhou Beach Hotel in 2006. Greg Chun was the president and manager of the KS subsidiary charged with implementing its Keauhou Resort master plan. He says KS did not originally plan to become a hotel owner, but it saw an opportunity to turn the hotel and its neighboring parcel into a cultural destination with educational programming. The hotel was situated among some of Hawai‘i’s most significant cultural sites. To the north was Po‘o Hawai‘i, a pond with an underground connection to the ocean, where ali‘i would bathe. And to the west were Kapuanoni, Hāpaiali‘i, Ke‘ekū, Hale o Papa and Mākole‘ā heiau. The intent was to have reciprocal relationships with the surrounding land, cultural sites and local communities. KS engaged in conversations with longtime area residents and restored three of the nearby heiau. Hawaiian families were also invited to record family stories and connect with one another and the broader Kahalu‘u and Keauhou ahupua‘a. KS closed the Keauhou Beach Hotel in 2012 in the aftermath of the Great Recession and the estate’s growing concerns about the hotel being incompatible with the site: It had been built on and around several heiau, and it jutted out over the ocean, Harman wrote. The hotel was demolished in 2017 and 2018, and the area is now a gathering place and educational complex called Kahalu‘u Ma Kai.

Financial Resources Needed

The Aluli family sold The Mauaian in 2003. Nane Aluli, who has served as the hotel’s general manager since 2000, says the family didn’t have the financial resources needed to renovate the hotel and make it competitive. “When you talk about the old Maui (Seaside) and Kaua‘i Surf properties, those were all owned by local families,” he says. “We didn’t have offshore owners, and then it got to a point the local families couldn’t keep it up.”

Keith Vieira, principal of KV & Associates Hospitality Consulting, says that’s largely why Hawai‘i’s ali‘i trusts and other major Native Hawaiian organizations have stayed away from owning hotels. Those organizations instead look for guaranteed, steady income from their leasehold tenants. He adds that the cost to acquire a hotel will vary depending on the property, but it’s hard to find something for less than $500,000 a room. It’s also common for hotel acquisitions and renovations to be funded through debt, and not everyone wants to take on that risk.

While Native Hawaiian families have owned hotels here, Vieira says that, to his knowledge, no Native Hawaiian organizations have owned major hotels in the Islands. He adds that he can understand the appeal of having Native Hawaiian groups own hotels and be able to influence employees and the surrounding communities, but he thinks it’ll be difficult to break into the traditional resort space.

That’s a concept that Hilo designer Kūha‘o Zane explored about 10 years ago. His plan was to submit a proposal for an ‘āinabased hotel on Hawai‘i Island where guests would get a luxury hospitality experience and help grow the food they’d eat. The land he had his eye on became unavailable, so he never submitted his proposal. Such experiences would connect visitors with the ‘āina, he says, “so that when you leave Hawai‘i, you feel like you have more of a connection to ‘āina. And that would be more of a goal of Hawaiian-owned hotels.”

Broken Barriers

It’s an anomaly for a hotel to have a Native Hawaiian general manager or director, says Mālia Sanders, luna ho‘okele (executive director) of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association. She can only count a handful of them in the Islands, so having a Native Hawaiian-owned hotel would be a significant breakthrough, she says. “To have that representation is critical as the industry should be reflective of the community,” Sanders says. “Who knows Hawai‘i better than kānaka?”

Lewis, the CEO of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, says he’s been “hunting high and low” for a hotel for about four years. “I feel like even if you start with a 12-unit or 15-unit or 20-unit hotel, you provide exceptional Hawaiian hospitality and they experience Hawai‘i, whether it’s being greeted by a hula dancer or having an enriching experience, then the other hotels will start to follow,” he says. “From a cultural lens, it means the elements of Hawaiian culture that are often commodified and sold, maybe they look more like intentional incorporations into the way in which the hotel does business,” says Tyler Iokepa Gomes, chief administrator of Kilohana. “And I think the intentionality is sort of the highlight there.”

“These hotels have kuleana, the businesses that are benefiting from the visitor industry, our culture,” Lewis says. “And the truth is Hawai‘i’s tourism industry is on the backs of Hawai‘i’s cultures, on the backs of our land. You need to contribute to that in order for it to continue to thrive. And that’s just not happening meaningfully. It’s going to shareholders.” Lewis recognizes that the hotel industry has made progress in incorporating Hawaiian culture and hiring locals for leadership positions but says there’s too much focus on profit and not enough focus on providing genuine hospitality. The way to shift it back, he says, is for Native Hawaiian organizations like his to force themselves to the decision-making table, which is what CNHA has done by creating the Kilohana Hula Show. The show, a reimagining of the Kodak Hula Show that ran for 60 years, is an effort to revive authentic hula in Waikīkī. “I’m not OK with the status quo,” he says. “I’m not OK with the trajectory that we’re currently on. And if there’s something we can do about it, then I’m going to try, at least.”

Hotels on Hawaiian Trust Lands

Queen Emma Land Co. Owns the Land under These Hotels:
White Sands
Romer House Waikīkī (formerly Pearl Hotel Waikiki)
Ohia Waikiki
The Laylow
Ohana Waikiki East
Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber
Outrigger Waikiki
Hilton Garden Inn Waikiki
Hyatt Centric Waikiki (Portion of the land)

Kamehameha Schools Owns the Land under These Hotels:
Kona Village
Four Seasons Hualālai
Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa
Royal Hawaiian
Pagoda Hotel
Kahala Resort

Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Owns the Land under These Hotels:
Hilton Garden Inn Wailua
Hampton Inn & Suites Kapolei

Lili’uokalani Trust Owns the Land Under:
Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

Embracing Hawaiian Values

Kepoikai Aluli, the co-op pioneer, sold his interests in the Hawaiiana Hotel in 1956 to Harry Meyer, who ran the property for 20 years. Maile Meyer is Harry Meyer’s daughter and Aluli’s niece. She says her father, who was from the Midwest, was mentored by Outrigger founder Roy Kelley and ran the Hawaiiana with a Hawaiian sense of place and hospitality. She grew up with her parents inviting hotel guests for dinner at their Kailua home. Their relationships would be so close that her family would visit the guests at their homes in the continental U.S.

Maile Meyer’s father is an example of how non-Hawaiians in the industry can adopt a Hawaiian way of thinking. Kainoa Daines, senior director of destination education at the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau, says it’s important for hotel owners and leaders to have that mindset. He adds that just because a hotel owner is Native Hawaiian doesn’t guarantee he or she will embrace Hawaiian values. “When you see hotel general managers who may be from elsewhere but embrace and understand local values and they’re not just lip service, but they are living that lifestyle and making decisions based on that, then it really makes a difference,” he says.

He served on a cultural advisory committee when Disney’s Aulani resort was being planned. He saw members of Disney’s creative team, called Imagineers, come to Hawai‘i to learn about the language and culture. They also listened when cultural consultants pointed out elements of the resort that were inappropriate. “When you go to Aulani, you do feel the Disney feeling,” he says, but when you look around, “you feel like they really applied their time by investing in the thinking process.”

The Kā‘anapali Beach Hotel is another example where nonHawaiian management embraced Hawaiian culture and values, he adds. That hotel is often called Hawai‘i’s “most Hawaiian hotel.” Its former longtime GM, Mike White, studied under Hawaiian cultural authority George Kanahele and created a training program in the 1980s for employees to learn about Hawaiian values, language, geography, food, music and history.

Major Landowners

The 18 hotels located on land owned by the three ali‘i trusts and the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands include some of the Islands’ most prominent hotels, among them the Royal Hawaiian, Four Seasons Resort Hualālai, the Kahala Hotel & Resort, and Outrigger Waikiki. Two of the trusts and DHHL plan to allow additional hotels to be built on their lands.

The Lili‘uokalani Trust plans to allow others to build two hotels with a combined 200 rooms in its planned 70-acre Makalapua Project District in Kailua-Kona. The trust was created in 1909 for the benefit of orphans and destitute children, with preference given to Native Hawaiians. It owns the land under the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. Representatives from the Lili‘uokalani Trust declined to be interviewed for this story.

DHHL Director Kali Watson says his department is exploring whether a 41-acre parcel in Wailua on Kaua‘i is a good fit for a master planned development that could include a hotel, as well as opportunities to support beneficiary businesses and farms and to integrate Hawaiian culture. He likens the idea to the Polynesian Cultural Center on O‘ahu. “The reality is that tourist dollars are very instrumental in supporting our economy, and if we do it right, we can provide more than just a site for tourists to visit,” Watson says. The 41-acre parcel is adjacent to the Hilton Garden Inn Wailua, which generates about $366,000 a year in lease revenue for DHHL. The department also owns the land under the Hampton Inn & Suites Kapolei.

Watson says the amount of lease rent the department receives from the Hampton Inn’s sublease is confidential at the hotel owner’s request, but the Ka Makana Ali‘i general lease overall brings in about $4.7 million a year. The department’s lease revenues support homestead development and the homestead associations around the state. The Hampton Inn primarily serves visitors from the Neighbor Islands, and its owners are considering building a second tower, he says.

Kamehameha Schools is considering building a culturally appropriate boutique hotel as part of its Keauhou Bay Master Plan. Harman wrote that 150 units of low-impact lodging would enable KS to generate funds, improve stewardship of the area, create economic opportunities for Kona kama‘āina, and encourage the community to enjoy and better appreciate the wahi pana (sacred places) of Keauhou and Kahalu‘u. Current plans, which are not yet final, call for a heritage management corridor to protect the birth site of Kamehameha III and to link to other significant sites along the Kona Coast. It would also be used to promote Native Hawaiian identity.

KS currently owns the land under six hotels on O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island. Jeff Mau, director of asset management for KS, declined to say how much revenue those land holdings generate but wrote in an email that the revenue supports the estate’s educational mission, and that KS is open to investments that can benefit that mission.

The Queen Emma Land Co. is a nonprofit that was created to support and advance health care via The Queen’s Health System. It owns the land under nine Waikīkī hotels. Bruce Nakaoka, VP of the Queen Emma Land Co., wrote in an emailed statement that the company supports The Queen’s Health System by managing and enhancing the income-generating potential of the legacy lands on O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island left to The Queen’s Hospital by Queen Emma in 1885, “balanced by our efforts to environmentally restore and sustain” the ‘āina. “QELC continues to look for opportunities to work with the community to be good stewards of the lands.”

Demand for Native Ownership

Visitors want the option of staying at Native Hawaiian-owned hotels, Sanders, of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association, says. It’s hard to tell them that option doesn’t exist, she says. And she explains to them that some hotels are situated on Native Hawaiian-owned land, and that by staying at those hotels, some of their money goes to support Native Hawaiian programs.

Sanders, a board member of the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association, sees Native Hawaiian-owned hotels as a way for Hawaiians to exercise sovereignty. She says Indigenous groups elsewhere in the U.S. have built and owned casinos and hotels to support their members and to help build and repair hospitals and other infrastructure in those communities.

Other examples include the aloha wear and hula industries, where Native Hawaiians have been able to flourish economically and share their unique stories. In those industries, Native Hawaiians have claimed part of the state’s economic pie, he says. “If we were to have Native Hawaiian-owned hotels … economic justice would be at the top of the page of that, but at the same time, I think the authentic product of what is Hawai‘i would be so unique at that point, that you wouldn’t be able to get that anywhere else,” Zane says. “Like no Hilton, Rosewood, Four Seasons would be able to duplicate that product. And I think that also ensures our economic viability.”

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http://freehawaii.blogspot.com/2024/06/ke-aupuni-update-june-2024-rejoining.html
Free Hawaii blog, Ke Aupuni Update Saturday June 22, 2024

Rejoining Oceania

The massive ten-day event called the Pacific Festival of the Arts and Culture (FestPAC), served as a reminder of both our glorious past and the potential for a glorious future.

The fact that our ancestors traversed this great ocean and settled hundreds of tiny islands, not only surviving, but thriving, is a testament to our people’s resilience and genius. And they did this with boats made of wood and leaves a thousand years before Christopher Columbus was even born.

Although there are many variations, we are basically one people… those who knew how to live as people of the sea.

In the Nineteenth Century, however, nearly all the Pacific Islands were colonized by foreign powers like the UK, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Japan and, at the very end of the century, the United States. The imposition of colonial ways with its exploitative practices seriously undermined and wrecked island communities and lifestyle, causing slavery conditions and other severe hardships many for native peoples.

The Hawaiian Kingdom, as a sovereign independent state, protested against these acts of imperialism and sought to form a confederation of Oceania, to band together against the onslaught of colonialism, an to uplift the welfare of our Pacific family.

Unfortunately, imperial/colonial forces persisted and eventually Hawaii too was taken in the coup d’etat of 1893, backed by American armed forces seeking to carve out their piece of the Pacific. It wasn’t until the formation of the United Nations when the decolonization process was instituted and many nations and territories began to gain independence.

The irony is: during the Nineteenth Century, Hawaii was a sovereign country, and all the other Pacific Islands were captive nations under colonial rule. Today, nearly all the Pacific nations are independent or enjoy some form of autonomy, but Hawaii is a nation in captivity.

Hopefully, FestPAC will be a step toward rejoining our Pacific Island Family.

“Love of country is deep-seated in the breast of every Hawaiian, whatever his station.” — Queen Liliʻuokalani

Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono. The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

"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."

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https://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2024/06/24/pacific-organizations-calling-for-end-to-rimpac/
Big Island Video News, Monday June 24, 2024

Pacific Organizations Calling For End To RIMPAC * Excerpts

(BIVN) – The Protecting Oceania Hui, a group of environmental and cultural Pacific organizations, has released a statement calling for an end to the multinational RIMPAC military exercise. The 29th biennial RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific), will start this week. The military exercise involves 29 nations and more than 25,000 personnel. RIMPAC will run from June 27 to August 1, in and around the Hawaiian Islands. The exercise will involve 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, and more than 150 aircraft, the U.S. Navy reported. It is said to be the world’s largest international maritime exercise.

Here is the statement from the Protecting Oceania Hui:

As the members of Protecting Oceania, representing the peoples of Hawaiʻi, Aotearoa, West Papua, Papua New Guinea, Kanaky, Vanuatu, Fiji, Rotuma, Solomon Islands, First Nation peoples of Australia and the Torres Strait Islands, and South Sea Islanders, Guåhan and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Pohnpei, Palau, Banaba, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Tahiti, Liu Chiu and our allies.

We stand together, in order to fulfill our sacred duty to be good ancestors, and firmly oppose the militarization of our islands and oceans. Specifically, we oppose the upcoming 29th Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises that will be held from June 27th to August 1st in and around the Hawaiian Islands. These exercises threaten our sovereignties and our communities, human and other-than-human alike, here in Hawaiʻi, across Moananuiākea, and throughout the world.

We oppose the biennial desecration of our sacred oceanic spaces by the 29 countries who will be playing war games during RIMPAC: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom and the United States.

We oppose turning Hawaiʻi’s lands and waters into training grounds for imperial and genocidal regimes that will engage in ocean, ground, and amphibious assaults. We stand against the violence RIMPAC will bring to the islands as well as the imperial violence it has and will continue to promote and naturalize around the world.

We who love and value life oppose these exercises without equivocation and for the sake of every oppressed community in every corner of the earth. We stand committed to a free and liberated Oceania and the will remain steadfast in our commitment until these exercises cease to exist.

** The statement listed numerous supporting organizations and individuals.

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http://freehawaii.blogspot.com/2024/07/ke-aupuni-update-july-2024-independence.html
Free Hawaaii blog, Ke Aupuni update Saturday July 6, 2024

Independence

A couple of days ago, on July 4, the United States of America celebrated its Independence Day — the 248th anniversary of the issuance of the Declaration of Independence, in which the 13 Colonies laid out their reasons for their rebellion against British rule. The war had already started the year before, in 1775, and would not conclude until 8 years later. So, it wasn’t until they won the war in 1783 that the 13 Colonies actually became independent and formed the United States. Nevertheless, July 4 is celebrated as America’s Independence Day.

The Hawaii Kingdom also celebrates an Independence Day. We call it Lā Kuʻokoʻa, commemorating the day, November 28, 1843, when two important countries, Great Britain and France formally recognized the Hawaiian Kingdom as a sovereign, independent state. So how old does that make the Hawaiian Kingdom? Most people would do the math and say the Hawaiian Kingdom is 181 years old this year. But they would be wrong.

The country known as the Hawaiian Kingdom did not start 181 years ago. That was only the point in which Great Britain and France recognized the Hawaiian Kingdom as an existing sovereign independent state. They were not creating a new country or granting independence. They were simply acknowledging a fact: that the Hawaiian Kingdom is a sovereign country just like themselves.

The Hawaiian Kingdom did not suddenly materialize because of that recognition. No, indeed. The roots of the nation go much further back than 1843.

Hawaii is ancient. It has been sovereign and self-governing since time immemorial. No people other than Hawaiians ever ruled over Hawaii. That is what makes America’s rule in Hawaii so wrong and such an anomaly.

Yes, the colonies won their independence from Britain but where did Britain get those huge territories from? Why, the Brits just barged in, stole, killed, pillaged and colonized the lands from the Indigenous sovereign nations (since-time-immemorial) of Turtle Island. Such is the cruel legacy of colonialism.

But what is unique about Hawaii is: despite the United States’ ruling our Islands for the past 126 years, Hawaii’s sovereignty is still intact. You have often heard our scholars and advocates say, the Hawaiian Kingdom is a sovereign nation in continuity. How can they say that?

Because in 1842, King Kamehameha III implemented a brilliant strategy. He decided to safeguard his nation from colonizers by joining the colonizers exclusive sovereignty club. He sent emissaries to England to petition the Queen of the United Kingdom to recognize the Hawaiian Kingdom as an equal sovereign state. They succeeded when the United Kingdom and the the Kingdom of France issued the Joint Proclamation recognizing Hawaii’s sovereignty on the day we now celebrate as Lā Kuʻokoʻa.

This brought Hawaii into the special colonial insiders’ club where rules protect the members’ sovereignty and national interests. The only two ways a country can lose its sovereignty are: 1) by being conquered in war, or 2) by voluntarily giving it away. None of which happened in Hawaii. Thus, despite the United States’ rude annexation and prolonged military occupation, and despite the false narratives and ignorant actions by the international community (like the UN), the sovereignty of the Hawaiian Kingdom could not have been and was never lost or extinguished.

So when we say, the Hawaiian Kingdom is a sovereign, independent nation in continuity, it really is true! Not only since 1843, but going way, way back. In reality, Hawaii is a far older sovereign country than the United States.

It is this sovereign status won by King Kamehameha III in 1843 and invoked by Queen Liliʻuokalani in her diplomatic protest in 1893 that is, according to international law the key to the reinstatement of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

“Love of country is deep-seated in the breast of every Hawaiian, whatever his station.” — Queen Liliʻuokalani

Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono. The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

"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."

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http://freehawaii.blogspot.com/2024/07/ke-aupuni-update-july-2024-hawaiis.html
Free Hawaii blog, Ke Aupuni Update July 20, 2024

Hawaiiʻs First National Holiday

Next weekend Hawaiian Nationals will be celebrating the 181st anniversary of Lahoihoi Ea, “Sovereignty Restoration Day”.

On February 11, 1843 a British naval officer Captain Lord George Paulet arrived in Honolulu to investigate a land dispute complaint filed by Richard Charlton, the British Consul to Hawaii.

When negotiations with King Kamehameha III did not go his way, Paulet’s cavalier colonial response was to seize control of the Hawaiian Kingdom and place it under the British Crown. But unbeknownst to Paulet, three envoys from Hawaii — Timoteo Ha’alilio, William Richards and Sir George Simpson — were already in Europe negotiating with the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of France for formal recognition of the Hawaiian Kingdom as a sovereign nation. Upon learning of Paulet’s brazen action in Hawaii, they filed a protest with British authorities.

On July 26, 1843 British Admiral Richard Thomas sailed into Honolulu harbor on his flagship HMS Dublin to put an end Captain Paulet’s illegal occupation. Reserving the right to protect British citizens, Adm. Thomas clearly affirmed Great Britain’s respect for the sovereignty of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

On July 31, 1843 a ceremony lowering the British flag and raising the flag of Hawaii was held at a site now called Thomas Square in honor of the admiral and the occasion. The ceremony acknowledged Hawai‘i’s sovereign stature and restored King Kamehameha III as the rightful ruler. A phrase from the speech made that day by Kamehameha III at Kawaiah‘o Church, Ua mau ke eā o ka ‘āina i ka pono (The sovereignty of the land is preserved through righteousness), remains the official motto of the Hawaiian Kingdom to this day. Even the usurper State of Hawaii has adopted it as their state motto.

Lā Ho‘iho‘i Ea

For 50 years, from 1843 to 1893, Lā Ho‘iho‘i Ea, was celebrated as a week long national holiday marked by Hawaiian patriotism and all the best that our islands have to offer including music, crafts, games, food and community events.

In 1893, Hawai‘i once again came under illegal occupation (this time by the United States) and Lā Ho‘iho‘i Ea, was banned in Hawai‘i, along with other national holidays such as Hawaii Independence Day, Lā Ku‘oko’a. Unlike the illegal occupation of 1843, the one that began in 1893 continues until today.

However, Lā Ho‘iho‘i Ea experienced a rebirth in 1985 when Hawaiian national scholar, patriot and activist Dr. Kekuni Blaisdell resurrected this holiday to honor and celebrate our continued independence and sovereignty, despite the nearly century-long American occupation. This Hawaiian Kingdom holiday is now celebrated by a huge gathering at Thomas Square in Honolulu, and by numerous gatherings and activities throughout the islands.

Happily, this year, even the US-installed puppet government, the “State of Hawaii”, is recognizing Lā Ho‘iho‘i Eā and Lā Ku‘oko’a, as two of the Hawaiian Kingdomʻs most important national holidays. Another sign that a Free Hawaii continues to rise.

“Love of country is deep-seated in the breast of every Hawaiian, whatever his station.” — Queen Liliʻuokalani

Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono. The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

"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."

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Webpage provides links to full text of Kia'aina's proposal, county council committee agenda, and full text of written testimony by 2 bureaucrats in support and by Ken Conklin in opposition along with 8 other homeowners downslope complaining about long history of unstable soil and runoff onto their property.
https://www.angelfire.com/big11a/HonRes24151GiveLandToDHHL.html

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http://freehawaii.blogspot.com/2024/08/ke-aupuni-update-august-2024-where-is.html
Free Hawaii blog, Ke Aupuni Update Saturday August 10, 2024

Where Is the State of Hawaii?

Did you know that on August 15, 2024 the “State of Hawaii” will be “celebrating” the 65th anniversary of “Statehood”? Very few people in Hawaiʻi know this, and fewer still observe this holiday. It is definitely not like the celebration of Hawaiian Kingdom holidays like Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea (July 31) and Lā Kuʻokoʻa (Novembe 28) with days-long public gatherings of thousands, in numerous locations all over Hawaii and in many places around the world.

The State of Hawaii’s birthday is hardly noticeable. Except for a few “Statehood Day Sales” by a few retailers, the event is barely mentioned — and definitely not celebrated. Why is that? Because, the State of Hawaii is embarrassed and nervous. As each year passes, and we keep pressing the issue, it is becoming more obvious that Hawaii is not really a state of the United States.

In its 1993 Apology, the United States confessed to its wrongful acts that set the stage for the fake annexation in 1898; which set the stage for the fake “statehood plebiscite” in 1959; and the illegal platform upon which the U.S. and the “State of Hawaii” currently operate.

One of the items on the 1959 Statehood Ballot was intended to be a description of the boundaries ot the new State of Hawaii. In essence, it says, the boundaries of the State of Hawaii shall be the boundaries of the Territory of Hawaii. What were the boundaries of the Territory of Hawaii? Presumably the boundaries of the Republic of Hawaii. And what were the boundaries of the Republic? Zip, nada, nothing, mea ʻole.

The Republic of Hawaii, being an illegal insurgency, acquired no territory from the Hawaiian Kingdom. In fact, the US Apology of 1993 states:
“Whereas the indigenous Hawaiian people never directly relinquished their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people or over their national lands to the United States, either through their monarchy or through a plebiscite or referendum:”

In essence, no political or governing authority or lands of the Hawaiian Kingdom were ever transferred to the United States. Not only is this factual, but the US makes this quite clear in its Apology of 1993.

Under international norms and laws, the lands and seas of the entire Hawaiian Archipelago remains intact and under the jurisdiction of the Hawaiian Kingdom, not the United States or its corporate construct, the State of Hawaii. Neither of them have the lawful right to be in the Hawaiian Islands.

The so-called State of Hawaii is an entity created by the US Congress, but unlike its sister states, it has no land (other than what it squats upon) and it has no lawful authority (other than what was stolen). The truth is out. The fraud cannot be sustained for much longer.

No wonder the State of Hawaii is reluctant to celebrate its anniversary. To do so would only call more attention to its illegal presence, and the abuses it has inflicted and continues to inflict upon the people and lands of Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina.

So where is “The State of Hawaii”? It is not here in the Hawaiian Islands. It is a corporate/military team placed in Hawaii to manage the interests and agenda of the United States, and US corporations. And to financially and politically benefit its local collaborators.

The years of ku’e actions (and victories), challenges to the State’s authority and jurisdiction, public discourse, legal and academic research, cultural revival, petitions and appeals for justice, and other actions, have had a cumulative effect of exposing the fraud and building ka lāhui Hawaiʻi (the Hawaiian nation).

“Love of country is deep-seated in the breast of every Hawaiian, whatever his station.” — Queen Liliʻuokalani

Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono. The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

"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."

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http://freehawaii.blogspot.com/2024/08/ke-aupuni-update-august-2024-can-hawaii.html
Free Hawaii blog, Ke Aupuni Update Saturday August 24, 2024

Can Hawaii Function as an Independent Country?

Yes! Like many other small countries, Hawaii can function very nicely as an independent nation. As a pre-existing sovereign country, the Hawaiian Kingdom’s structural foundations for self-governance are still intact with its constitution, treaties, session laws, civil codes, etc.

Most of the systems, infrastructures, mechanisms necessary to run a modern, fully functioning nation are already in place, right now… currently operating as the so-called “State of Hawaii”. The lands and natural resources, although strained by abuses from foreign occupation, are still here. Best of all, Hawaii has a wealth of talented, motivated and loving people.

Think of it as a change of management — transitioning from being American-operated to being Hawaiian-operated. We would not have to re-build the entire operating system from scratch or even put it through major overhaul. The transition can be done with minor tweaks as a smooth and orderly change of management… with a friendly management style.

Management Hawaiian-style would be people-friendly, infusing values like Aloha Aina into the operations of governance, economics, education, food production, land management, security and other vital national functions.

YES! We can do this! Our kupuna crisscrossed the vast Pacific Ocean in great voyaging canoes made of wood and leaves! They operated a productive, fully sustainable agricultural system that would be the envy of the world today… and kept their people well-fed.

While the rest of the peoples and nations of the world were falling to colonialism and imperialism the Hawaiian Kingdom became a profoundly Christian nation, established a constitutional monarchy, had the highest rate of literacy in the world, established a public education system, and gained recognition and respect from all the great powers of the world as an enlightened, sovereign, independent, benevolent, peace-loving country.

So, YES! We can do this!

“Love of country is deep-seated in the breast of every Hawaiian, whatever his station.” — Queen Liliʻuokalani

Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono. The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

"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."

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https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/08/27/opinion/casual-extremism-and-how-language-in-the-middle-enables-the-extremes/
Hawaii Tribune-Herald Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Casual extremism and how language in the middle enables the extremes

By TONY MCALEER The Fulcrum

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** The original article was in "The Fulcrum" on August 20, 2024 at
https://thefulcrum.us/bridging-common-ground/extremist-language
McAleer is the author of "The Cure For Hate – A Former White Supremacist's Journey From Violent Extremism To Radical Compassion." He co-founded Life After Hate and is a founding partner of the Builders Movement.

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When I was a white supremacist who had infiltrated the Canadian military reserves, an officer who had spent two tours of Northern Ireland embedded in a British unit told me that the Irish Republican Army had only 75 active personnel who pulled triggers and planted bombs. Behind those combatants were 3,500 people who offered them safe houses and storage for their ammunition. Bolstering them was a much broader community of people who endorsed their efforts.

Ultimately, decades of sectarian violence were perpetrated by a small group of people on each side; but it was the broader public’s support that gave extremists permission to carry out their carnage.

Britain’s recent riots, instigated by anti-immigration protesters in cities across England following the stabbing deaths of three young girls, illustrate this point clearly. A violent eruption only spreads like wildfire when an environment of public support enables it to escalate.

In the days when I was driven by an extremist agenda, our movement recognized the need and opportunity to increase broad-based support among the North American middle. To normalize extremist ideas, we attempted to take a position previously considered radical and make it palatable enough for the public to get behind. If we could repackage a concept that only 1 percent of people supported in a way that 5% would accept, we could expand our outer edge of extremism while simultaneously moving where the center lies.

We paid close attention to public discourse in the middle, searching for signals of our efforts taking hold. Thankfully, we failed; but the lesson remains: Language of intolerance and dehumanization in the center ultimately enables radical extremism at the outer edges.

In the aftermath of the Oct, 7, 2023 attack on Israel, I participated in conversations with people on all sides of the conflict. Often, I was shocked by the extraordinary comments made by very reasonable people. When this happened, I would interrupt my company and ask them to repeat themselves while listening closely to their own words — to the gross generalizations, dehumanizing rhetoric and support for extreme acts of violence. Even having gone through the process of radicalization and deradicalization myself, I remain shocked by how quickly sentiment can turn; how extremist ideas rapidly become normalized; and how many people can quickly be swayed to justify hate.

In the current polarized political climate, I see this process occurring. Each side views the other through a binary lens and assumes moral superiority for their stances. To varying degrees, all of us have become influenced by a narrative of existential, all-or-nothing partisan crisis. Depending on which American friends and colleagues I speak to about the upcoming elections, the underlying assumption is that everyone will be doomed to either concentration camps or civil war.

Endorsements for extremism don’t have to be outright calls to arms; they’re usually far more casual. When celebrities and musicians display the severed heads of their political opponents and joke about how the shooter shouldn’t miss his target next time, they give their support to radical elements. When we reduce entire swaths of the population to names like “criminal,” “rapist,” “weird” or “extremist,” terms which stigmatize and dehumanize the “other,” we tacitly condone ideas that lie outside of political norms. These notions inform an increased sense that “the ends justify the means” and widen our windows of acceptance for radical means. When we equate politicians with Hitler, for example, should we be surprised when an assassination attempt is made?

The most extremist members of society, those bent on exclusion, hatred and suffering, are ready and waiting to seize upon our words to accomplish their destructive agendas. Almost universally, violent conflicts worldwide begin with slurs to denounce another group, painting them in a derogatory light. Through the gradual process of dehumanization through rhetoric, exclusion and microaggressions, each group frames “the enemy” as an existential threat to their value system, religion, way of life, privilege, culture and so on. Lazy language that defaults to stereotypes, generalizations and name-calling creates just enough fuel to light a fire in the outer fringes. With enough tacit support from the center, a spark can give way to an inferno with enough power to sustain itself.

It is essential that the majority of people in the center maintain our values and humanity. As Friedrich Nietzsche said, “Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster.” We cannot lend our voices to the cause of extremism, even if we are doing so unintentionally. How we choose to show up, particularly on divisive issues, recalibrates the norms. It sends a signal to those around us that we demand better from ourselves; that we will not stoop to carelessness, fear and judgment to comfort ourselves or win favor in challenging times. When we choose our words intentionally, we help guide others to do the same. With curiosity and courage, we can halt the slide.

Over this past year, I have traveled extensively throughout the United States, screening the film “The Cure For Hate – Bearing Witness To Auschwitz,” and implementing an accompanying curriculum that helps high school students explore the process of othering, dehumanization and polarization (then and now). We have gone from the bluest town in the bluest county in the bluest state — Battleboro, Vt. — to the reddest town in the reddest county in the reddest state — Rigby, Idaho.

On the surface, these places seem to be worlds apart; but, when I talk with the parents of our student participants, they all express similar concerns for their children. They long for their kids to grow up safe and healthy; they want them to have access to a promising future. They have different ideas on how to reach these goals, but they start from a common place.

When we adopt a mindset of “us vs. them,” we ignore this space where progress toward those shared goals can happen. When we break the pattern, that’s when we all stand a chance.

McAleer is the author of “The Cure For Hate – A Former White Supremacist’s Journey From Violent Extremism To Radical Compassion.”

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** Ken Conklin's online comment:

Excellent analysis. Here in Hawaii we do not have White Supremacists -- what we do have is ethnic Hawaiian race-supremacists who use the concept of "indigenous rights", and the apology resolution of 1993, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to make their race-supremacism and demands for racial entitlement programs seem palatable to the majority of well-meaning citizens of Hawaii.

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Send comments or questions to:
Ken_Conklin@yahoo.com

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