From the na'au: equality, unity, brotherhood, aloha

By Ken Conklin

On Feb. 25 local writer Alani Apio wrote the first of three planned articles on the loss of Hawaiian culture and the emergence of Hawaiian self-determination. The article generated a great deal of comment, both positive and negative. In this article, retired educator Kenneth Conklin, a participant in lawsuits against Hawaiian-only programs, responds.

Alani Apio writes from his na‘au (deep feelings) to support race-based sovereignty. Well, I have strong feelings, too. What follows this paragraph is from my na‘au.

History, law, and scholarship are also important — for those, please visit this Web site: www.angelfire.com/hi2/hawaiiansovereignty.

There is no historical, legal, or moral justification for race-based political sovereignty for ethnic Hawaiians.

I first began visiting Hawai‘i in 1982. In 1992 my body returned to permanently join my soul, which had never left. The magical ‘aina made the gods easily visible here. I loved Hawaiians and their language, hula, music, ideals of aloha, lokahi, ha‘aha‘a, ‘olu‘olu, etc., explained by George Kanahele.

I spent several years full time (teacher’s pension) studying Hawaiian language, history, and culture, at first naively assuming that activists like Apio are right. But study, thought, conversation and gut-wrenching spiritual struggle convinced me otherwise.

Studying the culture and language has not made me an expert, but shows sincerity. Some activists oppose my learning these things. Because if everyone can share culture and language, then the only thing the activists can claim as unique is a gene or two. "Eh brah, you got da koko, you Hawaiian. You no got da koko, you no Hawaiian."

It grates to hear highly educated, highly paid, Hawai‘i-born university professors speak about loss of culture and language which they themselves haven’t bothered to learn. It is insincere, patronizing demagoguery.

Some activists get upset when I, a haole malihini, dare to speak "their" language, or say a prayer in Hawaiian when helping restore a heiau. They forget where the written language came from, and that many prayers and chants survive only because they were written down. Much of the culture today has been learned from books or special-purpose workshops rather than from routine upbringing.

Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians alike acquire cultural or linguistic authenticity through sweat-equity rather than blood-equity. I am not a "wannabe" Hawaiian. I am saying that some blood-Hawaiians have only the blood, and may be merely wannabes in any cultural or spiritual sense.

I believe all persons are inherently equal. I believe we should all be equal under the law, unlike some activists who think ethnic Hawaiians are entitled to racial supremacy, superior voting rights, and special property rights.

I believe Hawaiian culture deserves special respect as first among equals, a great treasure of the world, and a unique defining characteristic of Hawai‘i. But it grates to hear someone say ethnic Hawaiians are the hosts, and everyone else is merely a guest.

Equal partners

Newcomers to Hawai‘i became full partners. John Young’s expertise enabled Kamehameha to destroy his enemies. Young was given chiefly status, the governorship of Kamehameha’s home island, a homestead near the great heiau of Pu‘ukohola, and marriage into the family (becoming grandfather to Queen Emma).

Newcomers brought written language, Christianity and the rule of law, all eagerly embraced by Hawaiians. Gerritt Judd almost single-handedly saved Hawai‘i’s independence in 1843. Tens of thousands of Japanese and Chinese came to work on the sugar plantations. Filipinos came to work on plantations, in healthcare, and hotels.

We are all equal partners in Hawai‘i, and it is morally wrong for any sovereignty activists to claim racial supremacy.

It grates to hear that this is the only homeland for Hawaiians, but everyone else has some other homeland. Tell that to a person of ethnic Asian or Euro-American ancestry whose family has lived in Hawai‘i for five, six, seven generations. Telling a multigeneration Japanese family they can look to Japan as a homeland is like telling an African American to go back to Africa. Indeed, telling this malihini I can go back to Boston is grossly improper, because Hawai‘i is my homeland, adopted in my heart through struggle and tears.

Apio says that nonethnic Hawaiians asserting equal rights is a form of cultural genocide. Nonsense. In the early decades of the territory, with equal voting rights for all citizens, Hawaiians dominated the Legislature. But at the same time Hawaiian culture and Hawaiian-language newspapers (freely published contrary to claims the language was illegal) declined.

Over the past 20 to 30 years there has been a great renaissance of language, hula, music, voyaging and archaeological restoration — all within the United States’ legal system of equal rights, and supported by all ethnic groups.

The population of Hawaiians fell to about 39,000 at annexation, but since then has multiplied sevenfold to about 200,000 inside Hawai‘i and perhaps 100,000 living elsewhere. Hawaiian population, health, language, and culture have improved enormously within the U.S. orbit compared to the final 40 years of the monarchy.

Of course some Hawaiians are poor. So are some Asians and Euro-Americans. If Hawaiians are worse off than other groups, they will get most of the government help under any system that gives help based on need alone.

There’s only one reason to give help based on race instead of need, and that is to divide people along racial lines. If some people prefer special culture-based health care, education, etc., then make such things available to all cultural groups. Let a variety of providers offer services, and let government help pay for services to needy people, who can choose whatever style they prefer.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs should help people, but instead spends millions on advertising to boost its own image. The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands was supposed to put Hawaiians "back on the land," but instead built ordinary suburban housing like Waimanalo and Papakolea — and recently completed the Kalawahine project providing upscale housing for stockbrokers and fire captains.

The theory in 1921 was that if Hawaiians were given fee-simple land they would sell it and fritter away the money. But Hawaiians today can care for themselves without oversight from paternalistic bureaucrats. Why not convert those leases to fee-simple?

Before DHHL there was a homestead program giving land to people without racial restrictions. The Barrett case seeks to end OHA and DHHL. Sovereignty activists stir up emotions by saying the elimination of DHHL would throw tutu out of her hale. Nonsense. Future homesteading leases could still be awarded to people based on need without racial restrictions, and OHA’s money would be well-spent to convert existing leases to fee-simple (neediest families first).

It grates to hear Hawaiian supremacists portrayed as underdogs. OHA has about $400 million. Bishop Estate (oops — Kamehameha Schools) has $6 billion to $15 billion (estimates vary). These two institutions have lots of lawyers, accountants and paid lobbyists. When OHA wants to oppose Rice or support the Akaka bill, it buys full-page ads in the newspaper, and commercials on TV and radio, sends lobbyists to Washington, and pays for glitzy cocktail parties.

When I and my friends want to support Rice or oppose the Akaka bill, we send e-mails and letters. That great propaganda factory in Manoa has taxpayer-funded professors, staffs, buildings and hundreds of students supported by tuition-waivers receiving good grades and degrees for toeing the party line, while I and my friends have to hustle to get a rare speaking engagement out in the community.

Unity supports diversity

All humans are inherently equal, and should be treated equally by government under the law. A colorblind society need not be colorless. Equality provides a guarantee of fundamental fairness, allowing multicultural pluralism to thrive. Political unity supports cultural diversity. Hawai‘i is a rainbow of colors and cultures, each beautiful and unique. Wouldn’t that rainbow look weird if the colors were placed as thin stripes in separate parts of the sky?

I am opposed to racial separatism. I am opposed to ethnic nationalism. And I speak on behalf of many ethnic Hawaiians who feel intimidated by the activists.

I get phone calls, e-mails and hushed conversation from Hawaiians thanking me for voicing their feelings. Some have considerable standing in the community; some are unknown. They ask me not to reveal their names. They are afraid. How sad. And also very understandable.

Because in his closing paragraph, Alani Apio echoes "Reverend" Uncle Charlie Maxwell, saying: "We were once warriors too, you know — and I hope for all our sakes we aren’t forced to using more than pens." A hint or threat of violence is itself an act of violence, and must be repudiated.

The African American civil rights movement succeeded, as my friends and I are now succeeding, by speaking truth to power, standing up for what’s right, and using the courts when necessary to obtain justice. Like Alani Apio, I too am descended from people who once were indigenous. My native, aboriginal ancestors practiced slavery and human sacrifice, and used clubs and spears against their opponents.

Some parts of history are best left in the past.

Kenneth Conklin is a writer and researcher. He ran unsuccessfully for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs board of trustees in the 2000 elections.

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