Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 19, Number 11, 1 November 2002 — Path to oblivion [ARTICLE]

Path to oblivion

We have mueh aloha for Rod Farreira of IVIUA. However, his letter of Sept. 24, "Hawaiians are not claiming to be a tribe," reflects the confusion in the Hawaiian eommunity. Federal recognition of Native Ameiiean Nations or indigenous nations relegates these governments to the status of "domestic dependent nations" meaning that the United States government would hold the ultimate power, the plenary power. Domestic nations would have only the powere given tothem by the federal government. Vloreover, such dependent nations are established undar the Indian Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution and Indian

case law. Why does the committee report explaining S. 746 devote pages 4 through 34 of the 46-page report to Indian recognition if that is not the process we Hawaiians are expected to follow? The first step in federal recognition under S 746 is the confiscation of our lands and Hawaiian acquieseenee to the U.S. actions in Hawai'i. In other words, the United States will have clear title to the lands that they acquired illegally from Dole and his gang via the Newlands Resolution; those lands were then given to the State of Hawai'i in a public trust. Why are Hawaiians so bent on the path to oblivion? Since we made treaties with the nations of the world and had all the trappings of true nationhood, the United States must create a unique recognition process whieh restores the governmentthe U.S. destroyed. That isjustice. Lani Hubbard Pūpūkea