Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 9, 1 September 2005 — Latest events follow long history of suppression [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Latest events follow long history of suppression

Latest news coverage: the promised hearing and vote of the Akaka Bill prior to August 7 never happened; John Doe wins case at the 9th Circuit Court; the Grassroot Institute is successful in raising objections to the Akaka Bill; and letters to the editors from individuals who have no knowledge of Hawai'i's true history have distressed and depressed our Native Hawaiians. Onee again, the Hawaiian people are being "gobbled up" by those who cry race because they want to suppress our people. In 1837, Native Hawaiian historian David Malo uttered this prophecy: "If a big wave comes in, large fishes will eome from the dark oeean whieh you never saw before, and when they see the small fishes they will eat them up; such also is the case with large animals, they will prey on the smaller ones; the ships of the white men have eome, and smart people have arrived from the Great Countries whieh you have never seen before, they know our people are few in number and living in a small country; they will eat us up, such has always been the

case with large countries, the small ones have been gobbled up." (From Hawai'i's Story by Hawai'i's Queen Lili'uokalani; introduction by Glen Grant, page vii.) It all began with the discovery of Hawai'i by Captain James Cook in 1778, and the "gobbling up" began. The historical record is well documented and remains unchallenged. The most unjust acts of exploitation were the overthrow in 1893 and the illegal annexation of our country to the United States of America in 1898. One hundred years after the overthrow, the Apology Bill of 1993 documented this time in history and admitted to the wrongfulness of this act. Here we are, more than 10 years later and no reconciliation effort has been made to bring closure to this issue. As Queen Lili'uokalani wrote, "... and what people have ever been subjected during such an evolution to such a flood of external demoralizing influences?" In her attempt to describe her feelings over the betrayal of the overthrow and annexation, she wrote:

"But will it also be thought strange that education and knowledge of the world have enabled us to perceive that as a race we have some special mental and physical requirements not shared by the other races whieh have eome among us? That certain habits and modes of living are better for our health and happiness than others? And that a separate nationality, and a particular form of government, as well as special laws, are, at least for the present, best for us? And these things remained to us, until the pitiless and tireless 'annexation policy' was effective backed by the naval power of the United States. "To other usurpations of authority on the part of those whose love for the institutions of their native land we could understand and forgive we had submitted. We had allowed them virtually to give us a constitution, and control the offices of state. Not without protest, indeed; for the usurpation was unrighteous, and cost us mueh humiliahon and distress. But we did not resist it by force. It had not entered into our hearts to believe

that these friends and allies from the United States, even with all their foreign affinities, would ever go so far as to absolutely overthrow our form of government, seize our nalion by the throat, and pass it over to an alien power. "And while we sought by peaceful political means to maintain the dignity of the throne, and to advance national feeling among the native people, we never sought to rob any citizen, wherever born, of either property, franchise, or social standing. "If we have nourished ... those who have sought our ruin, it has been because they were of the people whom we believed to be our dearest friends and allies." (From Hawai'i's Story by Hawai'i's Oueen Lili'uokalani ; pages 368-369). Today, it remains evident that those who want to eonhnue to take from our people attempt to rewrite history to gain support from those who don't know better. They continue their attempts to suppress the indigenous people of Hawai'i - the very people who welcomed their ancestors blindly with aloha. 'Auē!

Oz Stender

Trustee , At-large