My Open Letter to Self-Anointed Kingdom Groups and Sovereignty Leaders

To the Leadership of Certain Kingdom Groups Too Numerous To Mention:

I have thus far tried to limit my comments to history, culture, and Hawaiian values since my retirement from the domestic "sovereignty" politics of our Homeland some years ago. However, I find it impossible at this time to remain entirely mute as certain groups sow the seeds of disunity and bigotry among the people of our Nation.  I address this to you not in the name of my kūʻauhau aliʻi or lineage--the Kina'u, the Luanu'u, the Paki, the Kinimaka, the Kekai, the Kawa'a, and the other ēwe--but simply as a concerned countryman speaking to another countryman, from aloha 'āina to another.

I do not like to comment on the internal affairs of a group especially in public but when that group acts in a manner so shameful to the cause of the Nation, then it is the obligation of every citizen to speak out. That is how mature democracies operate. I understand some Kingdom groups believe that democracy belongs to a limited and selected few who are often related to each other and to representatives of such groups who have less of an electoral mandate than a Lincoln Elementary class president, but my experience with democracy is that every citizen has a voice.   If the Kingdom still exists, as we contend, then Kanaka Maoli are still subjects of that Kingdom and are entitled to fundamental rights guaranteed to them since the time of King Kamehameha (Mākua o ke Kumukanawai or the Father of Hawaiian Constitutionalism) III.  However, I find that some groups deny our own people the following rights:

• Kanaka Maoli, who are living in the United States and Abroad, are denied rights to citizenship in contradiction to Hawaiian Kingdom laws, Supreme Court rulings, Executive Orders signed by Kings Kamehameha III and V, and to three US-Hawaiian Kingdom treaties;
• Hawai'i-born locals are denied the access to citizenship in contradiction to Hawaiian Kingdom Laws, Supreme Court rulings and several treaties; 
• The lack of recognition of Kanaka Maoli rights based on an inadequate understanding that terms aboriginal, aboriginal stock, and native found in the Hawaiian Constitution and Civil Code are 19th century terms for the  modern word "indigenous" which was coined from 3rd World and anti-colonial struggles in the 20th century;
• The lack of free speech, freedom of religion (guaranteed by the Edict of Toleration), and mature discourse on political, social, and economic issues. 

There is also something very odd and almost cultish and Bush-era like in the movement. I have observed a certain "with us or against us" siege mentality among kingdom groups that I only have observed in conservative repressive Muslim societies in the Middle East and Malaysia and certain sectarian religious and political groups like Iglesia ni Cristo, Dating Daan, Scientology, and the Tea Party.  Dissenting and open discussions are not allowed. People get unceremoniously banned from groups, not told of meetings, registrations are "lost", called petty names, accused of being "state agents" and their private lives are spied on simply because they have a different opinion and different a worldview from these kingdom groups. I find that mentality abusive, inhumane, and undignified not only to Hawaiians but to humanity at large.  At a time when humanity is moving closer due to the internet, cellphones, and planes, it seems odd to me to be promoting an insular mentality.  As a Hawaiian historian, I also find that such a mentality goes against everything the Monarchy had tried to promote since the time of King Kamehameha V.  In addition, we have enough institutions oppressing Hawaiians, must we have Orwellian thought police within the movement as well? Must we oppress our own people? Are the leaders so scared of no'ono'o or pondering? Hawaiians, we deserve a leadership that is thoughtful, introspective, and democratic. There is no shame is saying "I do not know but I can check it out later. What is your suggestion to the problem?" It is the attribute of a true ali'i--nay, a true Kanaka Maoli--when they can listen to others, continually educate themselves and to treat everyone as their family according even strangers their humility and respect. Leaders should be like 'Umi-a-Liloa who rose to power due to his honesty, intelligence, his love of the land and his down-to-earth demeanour  Leaders should not be like Hakau who tired his people with his greed, jealousy, arrogance and vanity. Sadly, many in the movement are acting like Hakau.  We must do better in the future. Our ancestors and the generations to follow demands it of us to do better and be better. So let us brush aside all brush aside our egos  and self-interest and show the world the goodness of our people and our culture. Let us make Hawai'i proud of herself once again.  E hiki nō kākou. We can do it.

Furthermore, simply because Kanaka Maoli have moved abroad it does not mean that they are "less" Hawaiian than those that live there. Contrary, I know many Kanaka Maoli who become more Kanaka Maoli living abroad because they saw the contradictions within their host society and within our own Nation and continue to seek paths to alleviate our suffering country.  By your own imposed standards, Her late Royal Highness, Princess Victoria Ka'iulani, the last Heir Apparent, would have been stripped of her citizenship for having lived in England for almost ten years.  Did living in England for such a long period of time make Her late Royal Highness less Hawaiian? Have we learned nothing about the evils of the blood quantum system which excludes members of our blood from their inheritance? Kanaka Maoli living abroad are like red feathers to the yellow lei hulu (feather lei) of our country. They add the color of their experience to our national body and conscience. They are our 'ohana and our kuleana. Many of them have brought us honor as a people and a nation, just as Princess Ka'iulani once did.     

Non-Kanaka Maoli who were born in Hawai'i, have lived in Hawai'i all of their lives or have children who are part Kanaka Maoli are part of our society and should be incorporated meaningfully. They are now kama'āina or children of this land. As long as if they are blood ties and or was born in this land and embrace our island values, then let us bring poi and let them bring mea 'ai and, together, let us sit on the moena (mat) as kama'āina.  The Kumulipo afterall is not simply a Hawaiian genealogical chant, but it is a chant that embraces all of the children of humanity but places the Hawaiian people as the kia'i, the guardians, of this piece of the honua, of this part of the earth.  Non-Kanaka Maoli kama'āina have rights guaranteed to them since the time of the Father of  Constitutionalism. Some non-Kanaka Maoli families have been in Hawai'i for over 200 years and know no other land but our own.  These people are our friends and our family.  Mai haʻalele iā lākou (Let us not forsake them). Many of their ancestors too were jailed for their love of the Monarchy in 1895 and suffered with no country to truly call their own. They have their kuleana and we have our own. As long as we may work humbly together, then let us use our combined hands to rebuild Hawai'i nei again and let them be added to our lei hulu. 

While tough choices will have to be made in the near future in regards to our country's political status, democracy should not be something we choose to toss like a pair of puka underwear.  Our democratic and secular traditions are not something to disregard because a certain minority of vocal leaders do not want to show their ignorance and lack of vision in public. Nor to share their "power" or "glory" at the expense of other voices within our nation. To deny kama'āina their voice and to deny your own kindred people legal, political, and voting rights is repugnant and denigrates the work of the great King Kalākaua who pushed for an open, democratic and secular society. Eia nei ka momi pūlama pau mai ke Aupuni Mōʻī (Herein lies the final treasured heirloom pearl from the Monarchy).   E pono noho'i kākou i ho'okūkulu hana: he aupuni na ka lehulehu; he aupuni a ka lehulehu; he aupuni no ka lehuhelu; a me, he aupuni me ka lehulehu (We must work to build and achieve: a government by the people, a government of the people, a government for the people, and a government with the people).

There is also another issue I wish to lament on.  I have seen in statements and comments from some of these groups that make personal attacks against individuals and against other groups. I particular take offence to comments that echo the sexism and homophobia of our colonizers.  Sexism and homophobia have no place in Hawaiian culture and in the movement.  They are foreign prejudices.  Wāhine (women), Māhū (transgender), Wahine pili (lesbian), Hoʻokāmaka (homosexual/bisexual), Moe Kane (bisexual), and 'Aikane (homosexual partners) are important members within our society. Without these members, hula and much of our traditional culture would have been lost forever.  To mock them in public forums or to deny them the dignity that they deserve is fundamentally un-Hawaiian. Indigenous rights are human rights. Women's rights are human rights.  LGBTQ rights are human rights--as our sister country Aotearoa has shown us this week. Human rights form the paepae (platform) of every Hawaiian constitution. Human rights therefore are very much Hawaiian. 

Therefore, I plead with the various groups to act and speak responsibly as what is being said is negatively affecting the public perception of the movement and disregards the legacy of the Monarchy. Not to mention, it teaches our keiki a set of values which has no roots within our culture and history. If you truly believed in the Hawai'i that our last Queen tried to build, then continue her work of acceptance, of social justice and equality, of listening to those with dissenting views, of her adherence to the framework of a constitutional democracy, and above all service above self-interest.  

So let all the children of Hawai'i build a better country together.

Language and State Elections

I have relatives who speak Hawaiian and who were asking me about voting. I thought that since Hawaiian is supposed to be an official language that I could just download and send materials to them in Hawaiian, 'a'ole pilikia. So I decided to visit the Office of Elections website and I discovered something odd.

While voter information is not available is available in Chinese, Ilocano, and Japanese but its not in Hawaiian--an official language of Hawai'i!

There is another irony with this situation. Voter information is available in Ilocano including ballots. I have no problem with voter information being in Ilocano. My grandfather was born in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. I'm proud of my Ilocano roots. But there is a certain irony at work here.

A ballot specimen from Hawai'i

The irony is that Ilocano language is not used in elections in the Philippines--not even in Iloco, the homeland of  the Ilocano language.   English and Filipino (Tagalog) are the languages used in Ilocos when it comes to election information.  Why? The Philippines constitutionally only has two official languages, Filipino (Tagalog) and English. Filipino is considered also the national language while English is thought of as being the international language.  Although there are a lot of issues with some Filipinos regarding Tagalog especially those from the central and southern parts of the Philippines, the Philippine government is only following its own constitution.  Ferdinand E. Marcos, better known to many Ilocanos in Hawai'i as "Apo", "Bong" or "McCoy" and by Hawai'i residents as "the dictator who is married to that shoe lady", the first Ilocano president of the Philippines actually promoted the use of Filipino (then called Pilipino).

A ballot specimen from the Philippines

So on one hand, the State of Hawai'i's Office of Election has voter information in three languages including a regional Philippine language which is relevant to a size-able chunk of Hawai'i's population including former governor and mayoral candidate, Benjamin Cayetano. I applaud inclusion. I think that the Office of Elections should try to ensure that people be properly informed so that they will vote correctly and not waste their ballot because they could not understand it. But on the other hand, while in the Philippines their Commission on Elections produces official information in one or both of its two official languages, shouldn't Hawai'i's Office of Election follow the State's own constitution and ensure that material is likewise produced in its two official and constitutional languages--Hawaiian and English? Shouldn't they also be making sure that the Hawaiian language, one of the constitutional languages (yes, I'm repeating that point) and the indigenous language of the land, have election material be put up for the voters, too? Or is our indigenous language worth less than the other languages?

For those who still vote in Hawai'i State elections, I humbly also submit to you that if you still vote and can understand basic Hawaiian, please start requesting the ballots and election materials in Hawaiian in order to show the State that there is a need for such materials and that the number of Hawaiian speakers and/or those who love the Hawaiian language are growing.