Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 1, 1 January 1995 — Ka Wai Ola readers respond to sovereignty survey [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]
Ka Wai Ola readers respond to sovereignty survey
The September 1994 issue of Ka Wai Ola O OHA included a short survey that asked readers about their knowledge of, and position on, the sovereignty issue. The survey was also conducted at the recent convention of the Hawaiian Civic Clubs. This survey was conducted in order to gain some insight into what the general native Hawaiian population thinks about the issue of Hawaiian sovereignty. The survey was not designed to be a grandiose, scientifically designed project to predict the future (plus or minus 5 percent), nor to be an instrument to guide and shape the course of Hawaiian sovereignty. It was simply an attempt to hear from you - Hawaiians, the people whose voices are often lost among the discussion and debate of the "sovereignty celebrities." This survey is not "scientific" from the Western'perspective; it is an informal gathering of thoughts, opinions, and beliefs, and should be accepted as such. However, just because it is not "scientific" does not mean that it has no value or importance. When you kūkākūkā among your 'ohana, friends and neighbors, does someone pull out a laptop computer and say that your opinion is "statistically insignificant"
because its "T-Value" does not fall within an accepted "confidence interv al?" Does the 'ike of kūpuna depend on "chi-Square analysis?" We may not agree on what is said, but we do listen and give eaeh person's thought, opinion, and belief its proper consideration. It is hoped that as you read the results of this survey, you will grant the proper regard to the 'ohana and friends who saw fit to share their mana'o with all of us. The results The first two questions of this survey focused on Hawaiian sovereignty. The remaining three questions provided a demographic picture of the people who responded. There were 177 responses, whieh eame from all over the Islands, nearly a dozen states on the Mainland, and overseas. Of those who responded, a little more than half were female (52%). Sovereignty appears to be an issue that crosses the gender line. More than _ of the respondents were 45 years old or older, most of the remaining _ were in the 25- to 44-years-old age group. Most the responses eame from O'ahu (49%), followed by the Big Island (21%) and the mainland U.S./overseas and Maui (12% eaeh). The first of the two questions on sovereignty asked: "What do you
know about the subject of Hawaiian sovereignty?" Over 68% understood little or less
about sovere i g n t y . A 1 1 h o u g h nearly a third of the respondents were w e 1 1 .- informed, a little more than 16% supported a particular sovereignty model. It appears that a greater effort needs to be made to educate the H a w a i i a n people about sovereignty, so that the they ean make an informed decision. If the Hawaiian people are not e d u e a t e d about sovereignty and
cannot make an informed decision, then who will be making the decisions?
The second question asked was: "Where do you stand on the sovereignty issue?" Nearly 28% of the responses were against sovereignty to some measure or were not interested in sovereignty. H o w e v e r , many of these individuals did state that they could change their position if they had more information on sovereignty. A large precentage of the respondents did support
some sort of sovereignty depending on the model. The returned surveys and aeeompanying letters indicate that there is a segment of the native Hawaiian population who are very content being American citizens, enjoy the rights and privileges of American citizenship, and do not wish to do anything to compromise that situation. An unexpected consequence of the survey was the numerous letters accompanying the survey forms. Many felt that they needed to say more than what could be expressed by answering the questions. The letters provided great insight into what people think about sovereignty. The following is a short list of their major concerns and interests: • There is apprehension about eommitting to the process of sovereignty without knowing exactly what they are committing to. Although the numerous details concerning sovereignty - the model, citizenship, blood quantum, taxes, land usage, water rights, gambling, status of non-Hawaiians, etc. - will have to be worked out, many want answers to these questions before they make a commitment, not afterwards.
• There is eoneem about participating in, and giving consent to, the process of sovereignty, only to later lose eontrol to the pre-existing sovereignty groups and their interests. Will there be room for non-aligned individuals? Will sovereignty follow the wishes of the majority of Hawaiians or the organized minority? • Many are unsure how open the sovereignty development process will be since there are many who already elaim to be the "legitimate" Hawaiian nation. • Others were upset by those who use sovereignty as a justification for eonfrontation and "aggressive activism." They view these activities as disruptive and a hindrance to unity. These are a few of the opinions, ideas, and beliefs of people who are 'ohana, friends, or neighbors. Readers may or may not agree with them, but should get involved, get informed, and develop their own opinions. The issue of sovereignty is complex and farreaching. It appears that greater effort needs to be made to convince and ensure the native Hawaiian people that sovereignty will be a product of the majority of the Hawaiian people and not of special interests. It appears that an even greater effort needs to be made to educate the native Hawaiian people about sovereignty, so that they ean participate in informed discussions and make informed decisions.