Feds finalize rule to re-establish government-to-government relations with Native Hawaiians

[The Sushi Bandit]

Source: Hawai'i News Now

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Friday morning that Native Hawaiians are eligible for form a sovereign government that would have the same rights as Native American tribes.

The proposed rule would make Native Hawaiians eligible for federal recognition. Officials say it’s not “automatic” federal recognition, but lays out the path to receive direct relations if they so choose. The so-called rule -- known as “Part 50” – leaves it up to the Native Hawaiian community to determine what a government, if any, would look like and what its agenda would be.

“This final rule provides the Native Hawaiian community with the opportunity to exercise self-determination by re-establishing a formal government-to-government relationship with the United States,” U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said in the announcement.

Opponents, however, wasted no time in blasting the rule. "It's not self-determination, and it undermines our right to self-determination, and it undermines the Hawaiian community voices that have loudly said 'no,'" said Healani Sonoda-Pale, one of the founding members of the group Protest Na'i Aupuni. Based on previous draft rules, Native Hawaiians would be able to form a sovereign government with rights similar to those given to Native American tributes. At least 50,000 Native Hawaiians would have to support such a government before it could negotiate with the federal and state governments for land and other benefits.

"That's a joke, because basically the only form of government is a federally recognized tribe that is managed by the Department of the Interior," said Sonoda-Pale, adding that she doesn't trust the department.

Read more: http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/33164612/feds-finalize-rule-to-re-establish-government-to-government-relations-with-native-hawaiians

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Watch the video... Native Hawaiians are not a "Tribe"

[Equinox Moon]

1. American businessman & US military overthrew the Hawaiian Monarchy in 1893

This is a great movie telling a little known story of the tragic overthrow of Princess Kaiulani and the Hawaiian Nation. She was the last recognized Monarch. American businessman & US military stole Hawaii from the the Hawaiian Nation. Princess Kaiulani died of a broken heart at age 23.

In 1893, the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown and the new government attempted to become a part of the United States. The news arrived to Kaʻiulani on January 30, 1893 in a short telegram that said: "'Queen Deposed', 'Monarchy Abrogated', 'Break News to Princess'".

Kaʻiulani then made a statement to the press in England:

"Four years ago, at the request of Mr. Thurston, then a Hawaiian Cabinet Minister, I was sent away to England to be educated privately and fitted to the position which by the constitution of Hawaii I was to inherit. For all these years, I have patiently in exile striven to fit myself for my return this year to my native country. I am now told that Mr. Thurston will be in Washington asking you to take away my flag and my throne. No one tells me even this officially. Have I done anything wrong that this wrong should be done to me and my people? I am coming to Washington to plead for my throne, my nation and my flag. Will not the great American people hear me?"[11]

[HAB911]

3. Hawaiians fighting terrorist since 1893

Native Americans fighting terrorists since 1492

[Judi Lynn]

4. Can't imagine a bigger terror than genocide. Welcome to D.U., HAB911.

[HAB911]

7. Thank you

Been visiting for years for breaking news, but never joined. My old haunt, Ragingbull, just shut down, so here I am!

[niyad]

11. welcome to du

[The Sushi Bandit]

13. Wonderful film!

[Equinox Moon]

2. Thank you for posting this about Hawaii

[The Sushi Bandit]

14. Mahalo!

[Odin2005]

5. Thet certainly weren't a tribe, they were a well-centralized kingdom.

[Igel]

10. Only because of Europeans.

They provided the weapons in the 1800s that allowed for the conquest that provided the first single government that the islands had, and the trade that allowed the weapons to be purchased and gave more incentive for forcing the islands to be unified, which served the Europeans' interests. They provided the structure, for the most part, of the kingdom and its "constitutions". And, in the end, the desire to finally kick out their patrons caused the Europeans to turn on them, and some internal wranglings over power weakened the local government, and the US desire to have the HI islands not be beholden to European powers all took their toll.

But for most, the only thing that matters is that for thousands of years the indigenous population had a centralized kingdom and it was overthrown by Americans. (Actually, Europeans have been in the New World for nearly as long as the Hawaiians had been on those islands before becoming unified; the islands were uninhabited before that. It's the same with numerous indigeous peoples in the US--they've been there since forever, but in some cases it's documented by Europeans when they kicked out the former inhabitants by conquest and "since forever" means "since 1700", or the archeological record shows when the current populations arrived. That creates less empathy and guilt so they're inconvenient facts conveniently overlooked and the moral line that determines evil from good is established retroactively only back to the time that pale faces arrive on the scene. It's only genocide if there's a racial context to establish at least cross-racial blame: Chinese and Tibetans, Sudan, S. Sudan, no big deal. Tsutsi and Hutu, not so bad except because it's really Belgium-Frances-UN-US's fault.)

[virgogal]

6. Just curious---what percentage of Hawaiian blood would be

needed to be considered a Native Hawaiian?

[Xithras]

8. Only current legal definition is 50%

The federal government set 50% as the threshold for qualifying as a Native Hawaiian for land benefits, and AFAIIK it's the only legal definition that exists. Of course, if the Hawaiian people reconstituted a formal government of their own, they could change that number to anything they wanted.

[virgogal]

9. Thanks-----my son-in-law's mother qualifies---but he won't.

[Coventina]

12. Too little, too late.