Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 12, 1 December 2012 — KŪʻĒ ON THE MALL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

KŪʻĒ ON THE MALL

Perhaps the most compelling speakers at the AOHCC's 53rd annual convention were the 2,300 Hawaiians who raised their voices on the National Mall in a unified "A'ole!" as part of the Kū'ē name sign display by Ka Lei Maile Ali'i HCC. The foam-board name signs, or "kūpuna" as called by club members, represented more than 21,000 Hawaiians who in 1897 signed the Hui Aloha 'Āina (Hawaiian Patriotic League) petition opposing the treaty of annexation of Hawai'i to the United States. It wasn't the first time they'd journeyed to the U.S. capital, having originally eome in 1897, when the petition was hand delivered by leaders of the hui to Queen Lili'uokalani just as the U.S. Senate was on the verge of approving the treaty. Carrying the weight of a nation, the petition turned the tide. Support for annexation declined. The treaty was defeated in the Senate. (The next year, however, Congress would pass the Newlands Resolution, effecting the annexation of Hawai'i.) Delegates who visited the display walked among the signs searching for ancestors and knelt beside them, adding photos and small Hawaiian flags. The display grew out of the 1996 recovery of the original Kū'ē Petitions from the National Archives by Noenoe Silva, University of Hawai'i professor of political science and an early supporter and member of the club. Miles Matsumura, a Hilo native who eame from New SEE KŪ'Ē ON PAGE 12

Velma "Aloha" Kekipi, pelekikena of Hawaiian Civic Club of Wahiawā, makes a ti leaf rosefte for one of the "kupuna" in the Kū'ē Petition name sign display. Kekipi and other volunteers made more than 2,000 miniature ti leaf lei to adorn the name signs during the twoday display on the Nahonal Mall. The lei were later rewoven into a long strand to decorate Prince Kūhiō's portrait at the convention.

KŪ'Ē

Continued from page 5 Jersey to see the sign display, found himself aeting as a doeent as a steady stream of visitors kept elub members busy fielding questions.

"Those who are Europeans seem to be attraeted by our flag, beeause they sort of reeognize it and they also sort of don't reeognize it, and that helps give an introduetion to Hawai'i," said Matsumura. "Then I share the story of these petitions and they fully understand, beeause they know, as Europeans, their eountries were eolonizers." Matsumura, who joined Ka Lei Maile Ali'i HCC while in Washington, said Amerieans, espeeially older folks, were less open to the history, while younger people, with their "skeptieism of the government," were quite open to it. "It's been helpful for them to learn, and I ask for their support, should the question eome up, that they help support the deseendants of these people." Ka Lei Maile Ali'i Pelekikena Lynette Hi'ilani Cruz, says the display, whieh has been to 'Iolani Palaee, MeKinley High Sehool and other strategie loeations,was headed to Hilo and will eontinue to travel "as long as the kūpuna want to." ■

Henry Curtis of Ka Lei Maile Ali'i HCC shares the history of the Kū'ē Petition with a group of visitors to KLMA's Kū'ē name sign display on the Nahonal Mall.