Hawaii Sovereignty Case: Indigenous Hawaiian Peoples

HAWAII, A CASE FOR SOVEREIGNTY of the Indigenous Hawaiian Peoples By Pua Ishibashi Photo of Keala

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Hawaii, A case for sovereignty of the Indigenous Hawaiian Peoples By Pua Ishibashi

 

I feel very, very, sad and often cry whenever I think of the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai’i and what happened to our People, our Land, and our Country.

When I see old pictures of our kupuna and the Keiki, when I see how they loved their Land and Country, how the Ali’i and leaders of the Nation worked so hard to develop the Country, uplift the People, and keep our small and friendly Nation independent and sovereign, I feel pain.

I feel very hurt, knowing what was done to my Country, my People, and my ‘Ohana, and all the generations that followed. Yes, I feel pain, I get hurt, then I get angry, very, very, angry!

What was done to the Nation of Hawaiëi was not pono, and America’s frailer to make right what was wrong was not Pono and based on greed, arrogance, racism, and ignorance. Today the Hawaiian Nation suffers from generational Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Those in psychology call this “Transgenerational Trauma”, I did not even know there was a word for this till just recently! This is at the root, the heart, and why Hawaiians continue to struggle 122+ years after the Overthrow.

It is common knowledge that Native Hawaiians have the worst (or among the worst) statistics among Hawai’i’s ethnic groups for income, education, incarceration, heart disease, diabetes, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and suicide.

Why is this? It all goes back to the Overthrow and subsequent Transgenerational Trauma, a trauma that was so deep that it continues to negatively impact us to this very day.

What our kupuna experienced was akin to being Raped, Kidnapped, Assaulted, Losing Faith in a system supposedly based on fairness and justice, and Shaken Faith in a Christian Religion where even many of the Church Leaders turned on the Ali’i and Hawaiian Nation.

The results . . . Hawaiian National depression, feelings of being overwhelmed, feelings of hopelessness and despair, feelings of inadequacy and inferiority, and general mistrust of the government, the political system, and process, and even mistrust of an educational system that was engaged in distorting the truth of events and subsequent history.

So how do we as a People move forward and beyond this Trauma and the terrible statistics that we are currently associated with?

I think the answer is simple and straight forward: Wrong must be made right, our hope and faith must be restored, restitution must be made, we must be given back what was taken! I believe our ability to heal and move forward as a People and Nation will be in direct proportion to making things pono once again.

For this reason, I will advocate for and accept nothing less than the restoration of an Independent and Sovereign Nation and Country of Hawaii, equal among the family of Nations of the World. Only this will satisfy justice and the desires of our kupuna.

Only this will mend the broken hearts and spirits of our People. Only this will heal us from the inside out. Hoëoponopono and Restitution, to make right what is wrong, and to return what was taken.

Only then will Pono return to the land, our People will be free once more, the Land and People will prosper, and our Country will once again be as a shining light upon a hill.î

So yes, be angry, but do something positive, anything, as long as it is legal and does not physically hurt anyone. From the mountains to the seas, from the courtroom to the classroom, from the voting booth to peaceful advocacy, press forward the fight and never give up! If we are righteous and stand in the light, we will prevail.

E Ho’okanaka

AJ+ Video of Hawaiian Fight for Sovereignty

 

Inside of you is a story…that the world needs to hear. We value your voice and would love to give it a platform to be heard. We personally invite you to join us on this journey of discovery and healing. Hawaii need you to Share Your Story.

SOURCE: HAWAII, A CASE FOR SOVEREIGNTY of the Indigenous Hawaiian Peoples By Pua Ishibashi

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Published by I Love Ancestry

I Love Ancestry is a global issue advocacy campaign that explores identity, diversity, heritage and culture, highlighting the experiences of marginalized people and Indigenous communities around the world.


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