Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 2, 1 February 1993 — Rep. Neil Abercrombie's message [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Rep. Neil Abercrombie's message

It is an honor to convey my heartfelt aloha to everyone gath-

ered for this sacred occasion. Today we mark the 100th anniversary of the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, a sovereign state, a recognized member of the family of nations. Of all the

wrongs eommmea against the Hawaiian people as a result of the overthrow, none was more painful than the loss of Hawaiian lands. A bitter fate for a nation whose motto is Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka 'ina I Ka Pono - The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness. Now it is time to correct that injustice. The solution is obvious: return Hawaiian lands to Hawaiian hands.

Hawaiians today are pressing for sovereignty, reparations and

recognition of fed- ■ eral trust responsiS bility. Implicit in j those goals is the I restoration of the 1 land base so imporJ tant to sustaining I Hawaiian culture. As a member of the | H a w a i ' i I Congressional dele- ® gation, you will

eonunue to nave my full support in the effort to achieve those goals. As Hawaiian lands are returned to the Hawaiian people, their rightful owners, so will justice be served. Hawaiian lands in Hawaiian hands: let these words be our touchstone. They will be the measure of our success. Let us move forward united in hope, united in our determination to see justice done.