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Native Hawaiians Seek Self-governing Body
Sen. Akaka quote: Bill Could Mean Eventual Independence for Hawaiians
By National Public Radio, 8/17/2005 8:22:38 AM

Editor's Note: Here is the complete National Public Radio transcript from Aug. 16, 2005 with Anchor Steve Inskeep, Reporter Martin Kaste and various guests.

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

Congress is considering legislation that would give native Hawaiians their own government. It would essentially grant them political status similar to that of Native American tribes. Here's NPR's Martin Kaste.

(Soundbite of surf; birds)

MARTIN KASTE reporting:

You'll find no more potent symbol of Hawaiian independence than 'Iolani Palace, a Victorian-style mansion in downtown Honolulu.

Ms. ZETA KUPCHOY(ph) (Tour Guide): 'Iolani Palace is the last official residence of the monarchs who ruled Hawaii.

KASTE: When Zeta Kupchoy gives tours of the palace, she points out the corner suite where Hawaii's last monarch, Queen Lilioukalani, was imprisoned after her overthrow in 1893. The coup against the queen was organized by American businessmen backed by the US Marines. Kupchoy says the palace is a reminder of what was lost.

Ms. KUPCHOY: We were an independent nation, recognized internationally by over 70 different nations, and that's the symbolism, that we were a proud country all our own. We were our own country.

KASTE: Today, the old Hawaiian national flag, which is now the state flag, flies again from the palace roof. The US flag is conspicuous by its absence, and the palace grounds have become a rallying place for native Hawaiians.

(Soundbite of man chanting)

KASTE: Earlier this month, thousands came out to protest a recent appeals court decision striking down the Hawaiians-only admissions policy at a prominent private school. Illegal racial bias, the judges said. The problem is favoring natives is the whole point of the Kamehameha Schools, which are funded by the estate of a 19th-century princess who wanted to help her fellow natives.

And she wasn't the only one. After the overthrow, the old Hawaiian royalty often used its lands to set up institutions to benefit natives, but in 21st century America, this ethnic exclusivity has come under attack in the courts. Natives, who are now only about 20 percent of the state population, worry that their special institutions are in danger of being swallowed up, and that's where the Akaka Bill comes in.

Senator DANIEL AKAKA (Democrat, Hawaii): It creates a government-to-government relationship with the United States. KASTE: Democratic Senator Dan Akaka, himself a native, wants Congress to let Hawaiians re-establish their national identity. He says his bill would give them a kind of legal parity with tribal governments on the mainland, but he says this sovereignty could eventually go further, perhaps even leading to outright independence.

Sen. AKAKA: That could be. As far as what's going to happen at the other end, I'm leaving it up to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

KASTE: The native Hawaiian bill leaves many important details unresolved. Once established, the new governing entity is supposed to negotiate with the U.S. to settle major issues such as legal jurisdiction and land ownership. It even puts off defining who would qualify as a citizen of the native nation. The bill's vagueness alarms some non-natives such as Dick Roland.

Mr. DICK ROWLAND (The Grassroot Institute): It's empty, and it's got an enormous sucking machine in it that is going to ****** in there all these people and all this land and so forth.

KASTE: Rowland, who moved to Hawaii three decades ago, is the president of a local public policy group called The Grassroot Institute which has opposed the bill. One of his collaborators is attorney Bill Burgess, who's argued in court against the preferences for natives.

Mr. BILL BURGESS (Attorney): Creating a new nation and giving the citizens of that nation political privilege that other citizens don't have, not to mention assets and all kinds of other privileges, that's all about inequality.

(Soundbite of birds)

KASTE: But for some native Hawaiians, the Akaka Bill doesn't go far enough.

Mr. BUMPY KANAHELE (Native Hawaiian): My Hawaiian name is U'u Koanoa(ph). Of course, the American name I've got, it's Bumpy Kanahele.

KASTE: Kanahele is a burly man who calls himself the head of the Nation of Hawaii. At the moment, his domain consists of a small village nestled in the shadow of green mountains on Oahu. The village also flies the flag of Hawaii, but it flies upside down as a sign of distress over what residents see as the illegal occupation by the United States. Kanahele is a prominent figure in the independence movement, which received a boost in 1993 when Congress formally apologized for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Kanahele says that apology opened what he calls a can of worms for the United States.

Mr. KANAHELE: They never thought that Hawaiians would take the road to restoring their independence. Well, what do you expect? You just admitted to a crime -- Right? -- the crime of the overthrow. KASTE: After the congressional apology, Kanahele says, native Hawaiians started to think seriously about independence, and he says the Akaka Bill is an attempt to divert natives toward more tribal-style sovereignty.

In Washington, the bill's prospects are unclear. The House passed a version back in 2000, but in the Senate, the bill has been stuck in an open-ended debate. Leaders say they'll try to get a vote on the legislation in September. The Justice Department has recommended a few changes, such as a safeguard for the U.S. military presence on the island, something the bill's supporters see as a positive step. They believe it means the White House is willing to accept some version of native Hawaiian self-government.


Guest Editorials...
© 2005 Hawaii Reporter, Inc.

After the Marines took over the island

The Apology Resolution distorted historical truths. It falsely claimed that the U.S. participated in the wrongful overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani in 1893. The U.S. remained strictly neutral. It provided neither arms, nor economic assistance, nor diplomatic support to a band of Hawaiian insurgents, who prevailed without firing a single shot, largely because neither the Native Hawaiian numerical majority nor the queen's own government resisted the end of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The queen authored her own ouster by planning a coup against the Hawaii Constitution to recapture monarchical powers that had been lost in a strong democratic current. She later confided to Sen. George Hoar that annexation to the U.S. was the best thing that could have happened to Native Hawaiians.

HAWAII'S LAST QUEEN



THE PROGRAM

On January 16, 1893, four boatloads of United States Marines armed with Gatling guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition came ashore in Honolulu, capital of the independent Kingdom of Hawaii. As the Royal Hawaiian band played a concert at the Hawaiian Hotel, 162 troops marched through the streets of Honolulu, heading for the palace. The Queen of Hawaii, Lili'uokalani, looked down from her balcony as the troops took up their positions.



The following day, she surrendered at gunpoint, yielding her throne to the government of the United States. A provisional government led by wealthy white sugar growers assumed control of Hawaii and petitioned the US for annexation.

Born in 1838, Lili'uokalani was trained by missionaries in Western academic disciplines and the ways of polite American society. She was well-travelled and even attended Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887. Yet she never forgot her native language, was fiercely proud of Hawaiian traditions and was always loyal to her people. A talented composer, Lili'uokalani wrote more than 165 songs, including "Aloha Oe," probably the most widely recognized Hawaiian song.

In 1881 her brother, King Kalakaua, went on an extended journey around the world, leaving the 43-year-old Princess in charge. Although she had no experience governing, she soon had the chance to display her mettle when an epidemic of smallpox erupted, killing many Hawaiians. The source of the disease was Chinese laborers, brought by ship to work in Hawaii's sugar cane fields, the island's economic mainstay. To protect the Hawaiians, Lili'uokalani immediately closed the port, an act that infuriated the wealthy sugar growers.

"The outpouring of protest by the business community was tremendous," says historical researcher Glen Grant. "But she stood her ground. I think she clearly demonstrated that the welfare of her people was far more important than the profits for the business community."

Following her succession to the throne after her brother's death in 1891, Lili'uokalani would work secretly to frame a new constitution that would restore power to native Hawaiians. But two months into her reign, the US government effectively revoked Hawaii's favored position on the American sugar market and Lili'uokalani's kingdom was on the brink of economic collapse. The sugar growers were convinced there was only one way to survive-annexation to the United Sates.

The clash of interests that ensued drew plantation owners, native Hawaiians, the US government, and the Queen's cabinet into the fray. Eventually, Lili'uokalani would lose her throne and the Hawaiian people would lose their kingdom. Hawaii was recognized as part of the United States in 1898 by President William McKinley.


Production credits
Hawaii's Last Queen was written and produced by Vivian Ducat.
Editor: Susan Fanshel
Narrrator: Anna Deavere Smith
Cinematography: Robert Hanna
Original Music: Brian Keane

For THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Executive producer: Margaret Drain. Series host: David McCullough.

American bluejackets and marines debarking from the U.S.S. Boston on January 17, 1893. They landed in Honolulu at the request of U.S Minister John Stevens to protect American lives and property and supported the American businessmen in overthrowing the Hawaiian monarchy. President Grover Cleveland and Congress later declared the overthrow with the help of the American military to be illegal and ordered the return of sovereignty to Queen Liliuokalani.

(Hawaii State Archives, Folder 36-3 Historic Events: Overthrow)

Bluejackets from the USS Boston occupy above Arlington Hotel grounds in Honolulu. Commander Lucien Young USN in charge. This was the childhood home of Queen Liliuokalani who the Americans under the guise of "protecting American lives" would illegally aid American businessmen in Honolulu to overthrow. January 1893.

Click on photo to retrieve large view (164K). (Hawaii State Archives, Record Group: 36-3, Historic Events: Overthrow; file: 259)

Captain Wiltse of the USS Boston (far left) with President Sanford Ballard Dole, president of the provisional government watching a parade of the American bluejackets and marines after overthrowing the Hawaiian Monarchy in 1893.

Click on photo to retrieve large view (121K). (Hawaii State Archives, Folder 36-3 Historic Events: Overthrow file# 280)

Photo #: NH 56555

USS Boston (1887-1946)

Fine screen halftone reproduction of a photograph of the ship's landing force on duty at the Arlington Hotel, Honolulu, at the time of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, January 1893. Lieutenant Lucien Young, USN, commanded the detachment, and is presumably the officer at right.
The original photograph is in the Archives of Hawaii. This halftone was published prior to about 1920.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

Online Image: 115KB; 740 x 475 pixels