Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 1, 1 January 2000 — Berry's messages open reconciliation talks [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Berry's messages open reconciliation talks

APOLIONA, DESOTO and MACHADO from page 6 "The goal of reconciliation is clear. From the mountain to the sea, the river of justice must flow freely. We must remove the past dams of injustice and

build a better future for the Native Hawaiian people while instilling a love of righteousness in eaeh of our hearts. "He 'ike 'ana ia i ka pono. This is the true spirit and work of aloha. "One has seen the right thing to do and has done it. "The history of the human race is often written by calloused and indifferent hands that leave mueh

pain in the wake of their creation. The history of Hawai'i is unfortunately, no different. Since 1778, with the first European contact, the native peoples of Hawai'i have endured mueh. One may argue whether the estimate of 300,000 to 800,000 people is the correct starting point for Hawai'i's native population, but what cannot be argued is the precipitous fall over the next 100 years that nearly led to the extinction of this noble people. "The path by whieh the govemment of Hawai'i was established in 1893 is not without blemish. Many arguments still rage over the details of this transition. It is clear to me, however, that the transition of power in 1893 could not have successfully occurred were it not for the intervention of the United States, both in the form of its loeal representative and its military. It is for greater scholars than me to argue the legality of such intervention. But what I beheve cannot be ignored is that such intervention was not consistent with the ideals of self-determination upon whieh our American Republic was founded. And, therefore, our role in supporting the overthrow of Hawai'i's govemment at gunpoint, and in pursuing our own nahonal interest in denying an opportunity to vote for the majority of residents of these islands, was an injustice, and its guilt continues to stain our honor today. "This fact was recognized by none less than the President of the day, Grover Cleveland, who said, 'By an act of war committed with the participation of a diplomatic representative of the . United States and without authority of Congress, the Government of a feeble

but friendly and confīding people has been overthrown. A substantial wrong has thus been done whieh a due regard for our nahonal character as well as the rights of the injured people requires we should endeavor to repair.' (Washing-

ton, Dec. 18, 1893, in a message to the Senate and House of Representatives) And its truth was reafFirmed as recently as 1993 by Congress and President Bill Clinton, in U.S. Public Law 103150, the Apology Resolution.

whieh stated. 'The Congress apologizes to Native Hawaiians on behalf of the people of the United States for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i on Jan. 17, 1893 with the participation of agents and citizens of the United States, and the deprivation of the rights of Native Hawaiians to self-determination and expresses its commitment to acknowledge the ramifications of the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i, in order to provide

a proper foundation for reconciliation between the United States and the Native Hawaiian people.' / / T here are "■ I those I who hold I that the I only true redress to this situation is through international law and tribunals. It is beyond my power to determine, but I would like to make it tl-»at T \i/i11

take no action to deter those who wish to pursue such a course. "As a Presidential appointee swom to defend the Constitution, I must work within its bounds. Therefore, our mission is more narrow and two-fold. First, as defined by the Apology Resolution, it is to begin a dialogue between Native Hawaiians and the United States with the goal of accomplishing a reconcilia-

tion between these parties for the injustice I described previously. Second, as nobly defined by Senator Daniel Akaka and Senator Dan Inouye, we are here to work together to secure a better fumre for Native Hawaiians. We eome with

open minds, open ears, and open hearts to pursue these tasks. And we eome with humble awareness of Queen Lili'uokalani's admonition that 'As the American people deal with me and my people, kindly, generously, and justly, so may the Great Ruler of all nations deal with the grand and glorious nation of the United States of America.' "It cannot be ignored that such a govemmental act as the overthrow of 1893 is not without nhvsical and eeonomie

consequences for the indigenous people of Hawaii. The statistics of today for the majority of Native Hawaiians are not good and they unfortunately parallel many of the problems facing the indigenous people of the continental United States. "Many Native Hawaiian students do not graduate from high school. The health of the native populations here suffers higher incidences of disease and mortality now than

the general population. Native Hawaiians make up 37.5 percent of the homeless in Hawai'i. Eeonomie development, land, and home ownership also continue to lag for Native Hawaiians. "Regardless of your past, your origin, or your position on the historical issues-the spirit of Aloha cries out that these statistics should not be allowed to stand. The future of the brightest cfor i n r\i it- far1(iro1

ouu ui eui l^UWUi constellation will not be as bright unless we eome together to reverse these trends. It is for eaeh generation to reaffirm the righteousness of this precious land. With true hearts and strong hands, we ean eome together to reconcile the past and build a better future. "Queen Lih'uokalani wrote, 'The world cannot stand still. We must either advance or recede.' Let us advance

together. 'Umia ka hanu i ho'okāhi ka > . umauma ke kīpo'ohiwi i ke klpo'ohiwi. Hold the breath! Walk abreast, shoulder to shoulder. "God bless the Native peoples of Hawai'i. God bless the State of Hawai'i. And God bless the United States of Ameiiea." ■

Īrustee DeSoto, Tmstee Machado and I are pleased to have shared these remarks with eaeh of you in order that you evaluate for yourselves the mana'o contained in them. We encourage all Hawaiians to stay informed on the path reconciliation takes through 2000. Descendants of those who signed the petitions against annexation in 1898 are in a unique position to give voice to their ancestors as we face the 21st century. As Sen. Akaka noted in his Nov. 8 statement, "I have three objectives that I would like to share with you regarding the reconciliation process. The first is to estabhsh permanency to this eontinuing dialogue. I am working to establish an office within the Department of the Interior to focus on Hawaiian issues. The estabhshment of an office will bring continuity to the federal govemment's working relationship with Native Hawaiians. My second objective is to help Native Hawaiians and the federal government establish a framework for addressing longstanding issues such as self-determination and ceded lands. My third objective is to take maximum advantage of the time left under the Chnton administration to focus on actions that will better the social eeonomie conditions of Native Hawaiians. "Mr. Berry and Mr. Van Norman are coming to Hawai'i to listen and to leam. The outcome of these public consultations depends largely on what the Native Hawaiian community shares with them. I could not ask for two individuals more willing to hsten to the Native Hawaiian community. I am confident tihat the outcome of these first efforts of reconcihation will be another positive step forward in providing a better future for Native Hawahans. Kūha i ka nu'u. Let us 'reach for the best' together." ■

"Our role in supporting the overthrow of Hawai'i's government at gunpoint, and in pursuing our own nahonal interest in denying an opportunity to vote for the majority of residents of these islands, was an injustice, and its guilt continues to stain our honor today." John Berry

'lanuali (lanuary) '00 jp ».'Hhiku

TRUSTEE MESSAGE S

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