Date: 	Fri, 13 Sep 1996 19:32:14 -1000
Subject: Re: Hawai`i Plebiscite Results




To Kaona, Lydia, and the list,

It is with great interest that we have seen the Native Hawaiian
Sovereignty Movement come to this point in history.  The plebiscite has
proposed a very general question that simply asks, shall we begin the
process of articulating the formation of a nation, or words to that
effect. This is extremely interesting in terms of then nature of 
discussions we generate on this list.  It seems as though very
post-colonial minded Hawaiians who have been involved in this process for
some time, are now attempting to decolonize themselves.  The interesting
thing to watch is America which continues to colonize Hawai'i 100 years
after it overthrew the Hawaiian Monarchy and instituted, along with
missionaries, an illegal government--to be superceded by the United States
of America.  The U.S. owns large tracts of land here and has numerous very
important military bases here including Pearl Harbor, which figures
significantly in American history.

Certainly the issues; decolonization issues are never easy. And
independence struggles have been waged in bloody wars.  But we hope that
Hawai'i's independence can be handles in a manner similar to
ho'o'pono'pono.  Ka Lahui, the largest sovereignty organization (it is
claimed) has strongly argued for a nation-within-a-nation status.  It has
consistently opposed the plebsicite claiming that the illegal State of
Hawaii must not, should not engage in Native Hawaiian sovereignty issues.

The Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawai'i, the
intellectual center for the articulation of Hawai'i's politics and future
is pro Ka Lahui, and have made known their intents to agitate against the
vote and its objectives.  This is an independence movement to watch as
America, the so-called "freedom"-loving, "justice"-creating nation is the
colonizer, with important military interests at stake in the contemporary 
global order, and an activist Indigenous people crying for more freedom.
Will American be reduced to only 49 states?

The stakes are high, but pono must be the way.  We hope all will be well
here as this new process begins.  Aloha and mahalo for the interest in
this list.

Richard Salvador
University of Hawai'i at Manoa
Honolulu, Hi



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