116 Years!

January 17, 2009 · 8 comments

Today is the 116th anniversary of the illegal overthrow of the sovereign Kingdom of Hawaii, which occurred on January 17, 1893.

Here are some great blogs and websites to give you some background and continuing coverage of this and other issues important to Native Hawaiians and Native Hawaiian rights. While not all of them agree with each other, nor I with them, common ground exists in the belief that we should protect Hawaiian rights and raise the human condition of Native Hawaiians, and everyone for that matter.

To commemorate and highlight this event, a consortium of Hawaiian groups and agencies are coming together and encouraging others to attend a Ku I Ka Pono march on Waikiki. While specific concerns exist regarding a Ceded Lands case before the U. S. Supreme Court, the march and rally is more generally about reaffirming, supporting, and protecting Native Hawaiian rights. This is the first time such a march has been held for several years, and organizers are expecting up to 50,000 marchers, who are asked to wear Ku I Ka Pono shirts, or any red shirt.

Here is additional information:

March starts at 10 a.m. from Saratoga Road and Kalakaua Avenue

Rally starts at 11:30 a.m. at Kapi’olani Park

Program includes speakers, hula, mele, food and information booths

Organizers are asking attendees to bring signs, Hawaiian flags and to wear red.

Protect Hawaiian Lands T-shirts may be ordered from the Pa’i Foundation web site , and will be available for pick up on Saratoga Road from 9 a.m.

For information, stopsellingcededlands.com or call Kaho’onei Panoke at 224-8068.

Parking and Transportation

Free bus transportation will be provided to and from Waimanalo and Nanakuli as follows:

Waimanalo

8:15am pickup at Waimanalo Beach Park. Drop off at Saratoga Road and Kalakaua Avenue
1:30 p.m. pickup at Monsarrat Avenue (Kapi’olani Park Bandstand parking lot). Drop off at Waimanalo Beach Park

Nanakuli

8 a.m. pickup at Butler Building. Drop off at Saratoga and Kalakaua Ave.
1:30 p.m. pickup at Monsarrat (Bandstand). Drop off at Butler Building.

Free parking and shuttle

Former CompUSA site (604 Ala Moana Blvd.) to Saratoga and Kalakaua Ave.

Shuttle pickups at 8 a.m., 8:40 a.m., 9:20 a.m.

Kapi’olani Bandstand Lot to CompUSA parking lot

Shuttle pickups at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Others are taking the opportunity to do a service project in Waianae. Whether you will attend the march or not, whether you are Native Hawaiian or not, please take this opportunity to learn more about this important issue. Then, when you go about your activities today, please keep the somberness of this date and what it means with you.

Mahalo!

Tagged as: ceded lands, Hawaii, Hawaiian, hawaiian rights, ilioulaokalani, keanu sai, kingdom, ku i ka pono, kupaaina, liliuokalani, native hawaiian, overthrow, rights, waikiki

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quilly

Capsun,

What makes me feel bad is that this even has to be an issue. All people, regardless of race, creed, color or national identity deserve equal respect and treatment under the law. No one should have to fight to have his or her identitity and value respeted or preserved.

History has brought us a long way, but as the seven deadly sins remain, can it ever take us far enough? Greed and power are the greatest detriments to the granting of basic rights and human diginity to ALL.

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quilly

My first introduction to this issue was about a two weeks after I moved here. I was sitting at a bus stop and was confronted by a good-sized teenage male who informed me that I am the reason Hawaii is a horrible place to live and if I and everybody like me would just leave -- and take our military with us -- Hawaiians could go back to living the good life.

Since then I have been given a much more level-headed and understandable explanation, but I will never forget my introduction and I automatically respond to this topic with fear. And I wonder how many others that pertains to.

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Capsun

quilly: Oh, quilly, I'm so sorry to hear that's how you were exposed to this issue. I take the opposite approach, believing instead that people such as yourself (non-Native Hawaiians, new to Hawaii) can be our allies, we just have to explain some of our history. While I neither condone nor agree with what that person told you, I hope you realize it was probably someone who feels powerless in his own homeland, and that anger and frustration is directed at anyone perceived to be the source of that marginalization (no matter how wrong or misplaced it might be).

I'm glad you got a more level-headed explanation. I'd be more than happy to chat with you about it, too. One thing I really like to do is show the DVD "Then There Were None" which uses the declining health of the Native Hawaiian population as the backdrop for a greater story on the effects of Westerners on society since contact.

I hope I've made you feel a little better, and not worse, which is not my intent. I know you are a great person with an even greater heart! You should be treated as such.

Aloha.

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