Aloha pumehana kakou.
January 17 marked the 107th year after the independent Hawaiian Kingdom was illegally overthrown by the armed forces of the United States and the actions of U.S. minister John Stevens. On Monday, Jan. 16, 1893, at 4:25 p.m., over 150 U.S. Marines landed in the fully armed gunship U.S.S Boston to occupy the area just opposite the royal Palace grounds. The queen of the Kingdom, Lili'uokalani, had been in the process of rescinding the constitution of 1887, a document manufactured by a predominantly white, underground, pro-American political party (misnamed the "Hawaiian League"), which the former regent had signed under threat of force. The "Bayonet" constitution, well-known to have been signed under duress, had severely limited the power of the Hawaiian people and monarchy while consolidating U.S. business interests in Hawai'i, including provisions such as land ownership qualifications for voting eligibility and the exclusive use of Pearl Harbor by the U.S. sugar business. U.S. minister Stevens, upon hearing the Queen's wish to condemn that constitution, claimed the need to protect American lives in the Islands and called for American military intervention. The gunship and 163 Marines, arriving to the empty streets of downtown Honolulu, proceeded not to places of American residence, but towards the Palace. It was clear that they had landed for the expressed purpose of overthrowing the friendly government of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Lili'uokalani yielded under duress to the forces of the United States, wishing no further bloodshed to a native Hawaiian population that had already experienced a 90 percent drop since contact due to foreign disease, confident that the U.S. would right the wrongs of its representatives. The underground league of U.S. business continued its assault on the people and monarchy, declaring a de facto provisional government and attempting to derecognize the true Kingdom. Annexation to the United States was pursued by this same faction, failed and was attempted again. Hawaiian subjects, confident a united front to the U.S. Congress would block all further attempts at annexation and lead to the righting of wrongs, presented the U.S. Senate with petitions signed by a simple majority of all citizens of the Hawaiian Kingdom against annexation. The U.S. Senate, in response to the petitions, failed to ratify a treaty of annexation, but managed to pass a joint resolution of annexation, an act violating not only the U.S. Constitution, but international law and the self-determination of the subjects of the Hawaiian Kingdom. President Bill Clinton in 1993 (P.L.103-150) recognized that none of these events directly relinquished the sovereignty of the native people, the Kanaka Maoli. As a corollary, statehood was also illegal; the Kanaka Maoli of today continue to fight for everything ranging from basic human rights, to the return of ceded lands, to federal recognition and even the total independence of Hawai'i.
If you are the typical Dartmouth student, you may still be asking yourself how or why this is relevant to you or Dartmouth. The answer is absolutely everything. Dartmouth students lack a knowledge of these historical events, and it clearly translates into the way they continue to construct and present their ideas about Native Hawaiian people, cultures local to Hawai'i, and Hawai'i itself. These constructs have manifested themselves in events such as the class council sponsored "Wacky Hawaiian Wedding" to last year's canceled alcohol bash themed "lu'au party," which received national media attention. The clear connection of a potential problem drinking activity to the Hawaiian culture made in the "lu'au party" advertisements, in addition to references implying that the ability to make such connections were okay because "Hawai'i is a state!" were intellectually and emotionally insulting to native Hawaiians and others on campus. Aside from tacky and insulting overtones, these types of events have promoted historically inaccurate perceptions of Hawai'i Nei, as is clear to the people intimately associated with that history. In such a prestigious learning environment, it is extremely disappointing that Native Hawaiians have had to face a constant barrage to their identities and the accurate portrayal of their history.
Hokupa'a has worked hard to hold an annual lu'au for the past four years, feeling the lu'au was a part of that Native Hawaiian cultural heritage that could be given and received on this campus in the spirit of Aloha. This past week, Hokupa'a, in place of the lu'au, put on "Kulia I Ke Ea- 2000 Panel on Hawaiian Sovereignty," to invite the campus to witness the social and political reality of the Hawaiian people -- from the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. in 1893 to the Feb. 23, 2000 Supreme Court decision of the Rice v. Cayetano. With the support of sponsors from Hawai'i to Dartmouth, active discussion was stimulated through video presentations, panel speakers and a lu'au style dinner designed to give the two-day presentation a personal feel. Despite a modest turnout, the event was most certainly a success, and both students and faculty in attendance reported learning on a positive emotional and intellectual level.
My point is not to condemn thoughtless acts, but to petition you (student, faculty or administrator) to look at your mission here and the mission of the organizations in which you are involved, and recognize wherein the heart of each lies. Choose and take part in programming that reflects the very core of your mission. Live with the Aloha (love) to carry your goals out. Learn to listen and ask questions in all aspects of your life. Challenge and integrate your world-views of history, ethnicity, culture, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, gender and transgender issues with academics. They are linked. And that is the type of institution I think we would all like to attend.
Aloha mau no.
