There was joy and disappointment in front of Hawai'i television sets yesterday morning as residents watched senators narrowly defeat a motion that would have cleared the way for debate on the Native Hawaiian recognition bill.

But the response among supporters and opponents was muted, even as one of the most closely watched issues in the state played out on a national stage on Capitol Hill, nearly 5,000 miles away.

Native Hawaiian attorney Beadie Kanahele Dawson, long a supporter of federal recognition, was among those up at dawn to watch the coverage of the proceedings on C-SPAN 2.

Dawson said the vote was a wake-up call for Hawaiians about the political climate in Washington, D.C.

"I think the vote was really a pretty grim indicator of the attitude of so many in the Congress toward Native Hawaiians," she said.

While she is optimistic that a version of the so-called Akaka bill could still be heard by Congress at some point, "there may be other approaches to what the Hawaiians need and want."

Supporters of federal recognition have long held that it is necessary to stave off legal claims against programs that give preference to Native Hawaiians.

Ikaika Hussey of the group Hui Pu, which opposes the bill, arguing that it does not go far enough in addressing the harms caused to Native Hawaiians by U.S. rule, applauded the vote.

Hussey believes opposition to the bill by Hui Pu and other Hawaiians played a role in the vote. At least one senator, during yesterday's debate, mentioned the split in the Hawaiian community.

But Hussey also was philosophical in victory. "Now's the time to heal our wounds, and come together to advance the cause of justice and reconciliation, together."

Former Advertiser publisher Thurston Twigg-Smith, a longtime opponent of federal recognition, also was pleased with the vote, but on very different grounds. Twigg-Smith and groups such as the Grassroot Institute of Hawai'i and Aloha For All believe special treatment of Hawaiians comes at the expense of everyone else.

While bill supporters believe Hawaiians should receive compensation for coming under U.S. control, Twigg-Smith said, "without the revisionism, the history looks pretty good for Hawaiians, certainly not the way they explained it in the Akaka bill."

Hawaiians, he said, have never been treated as second-class citizens.

Others offering comments yesterday: