When did Hawai'i become part of the USA?

We’ve all heard of Hawai’i being the USA’s 50th state. And some of us know that Hawai’i officially became a state in 1959. But did you know that Hawai’i was annexed by the United States over 60 years prior to it becoming a state - and that it was not a peaceful transition, in fact it was a coup d’etat?

Welcome to Not Trivial! A podcast that takes a deeper dive into the stories behind the trivia questions you might’ve heard at the pub. My name is Liz, and I’ve been a trivia nerd since I was young. My parents and I would play Trivial Pursuit often. Still do. I’ve hosted pub trivia, I’ve played pub trivia, and I’m a collector of random history, language, and world culture facts. One of my greatest passions is sharing what I’ve collected with others. I’m hopeful this podcast makes the trivia questions feel less trivial, and more important to understanding how the past creates the present, and subsequently the future. Let’s get started…

Hawai’i is a newsreel highlight currently, it’s true. Not just for the devastating fires on Maui, but for the subsequent viral videos of native Hawaiians fighting for their voice to be heard. Many of the protesters' words center around land and water rights, which may surprise non-Hawaiians. Why would Hawaiians need to protest? Perhaps it’s not surprising to many who understand how colonial powers have treated indigenous people for centuries. But Hawaii’s story is a bit more complicated than a simple one of a colonial invasion.

To understand more fully, let’s start our story today with King Kamehameha the Great in the year 1795. This is the year when the Kingdom of Hawai’i was formed. Kamehameha was born at a time when each island in the archipelago was independent and had its own ruler. Kamehameha was born on the island of Hawai’i to a chiefess, who was the niece of a usurper to the throne of the big island. Already at the time of his birth, there’s a long history of a ruling class and royal lines. He was raised in the court of his uncle, and after the death of his uncle, his cousin inherited the throne. However, the two cousins didn’t see eye to eye as young men.

As is true the world over when it comes to power, it’s rarely acquiesced willingly. The two cousins began a war that would last 15 years and culminate in Kamehameha uniting all islands of the archipelago. His rule would alter Hawai’i forever. This is because Westerners were already in contact with multiple Polynesian island chains like Hawai’i. A constitutional monarchy over a consolidated area of land was a Western idea and it changed ancient Hawaiian traditions in many respects. Other Polynesian cultures followed suit and established kingdoms with the help of Western arms and aid.

Kamehameha I settled his capital city in Waikiki initially, but the capital quickly moved to Hilo. In 1802, the capital city of the kingdom moved to Lahaina. It stayed a capital city for 35 years total. Kailua-Kona also became the capital for 8 years. And in 1845, the capital moved for the last time to Honolulu. Kamehameha I, the unifier of Hawai’i, died in 1819 and his son inherited the throne. Since the kingdom was established in conjunction with Westerners like the British, the kingdom established foreign relations with outside powers. Foreign advisors were sometimes stranded, treated exceedingly well, and then became Hawaiian citizens through their roles within the royal court. There were, of course, multiple clashes with foreigners, often cultural, religious, and economic.

For example, when Catholicism was made illegal, to the benefit of Protestantism, France threatened Hawai’i with war, if they did not provide recompense to the Catholic missionaries being pushed out of the country. A subsequent edict proclaimed that Catholicism was free to remain on the islands and payment was made to each priest who had already been exiled. Another threat happened in 1843, when a British Royal Navy warship sailed into Honolulu Bay and demanded that King Kamehameha III cede the islands to the British Crown. However, this was one warship without any official mission to occupy the islands. During the five month occupation, an Hawaiian emissary was secretly sent to the US, France, and to Britain. In each location, diplomacy prevailed. American warships ultimately arrived to defend Hawaii’s sovereignty. Just six years later, in 1849, a French admiral with two ships at his command, invaded Honolulu harbor. Battles ensued and many properties and government buildings were raided or destroyed. This French attempt was also unsuccessful though.

But let’s backtrack… Why would America want to defend Hawaii’s sovereignty? It had to do with the various relations the kingdom had with Western powers. In 1842, a delegation was dispatched to the US and Europe to secure the recognition of Hawaiian independence. And the delegation was successful. Hawai’i became the first non-European indigenous state whose independence was recognized by major powers of France and Britain. The US recognized Hawaii in 1849, after they had come to its aid. Many treaties were signed between Hawai’i and major powers like the US, the UK, France, Denmark, Belgium, Spain, Italy, city-states in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Russia, and Japan. American diplomats started as ambassadors in 1842, a total of six held the position until 1893.

During the 1850s and 60s, other islands became part of the kingdom. Islands like Necker Island and Midway Atoll. Some of the islands conquered by Hawai’i were islands the US had previously claimed under what was known as the Guano Islands Act of 1856. This is a very interesting sidetrack, but I can confirm that the Congress of the United States of America passed legislation enabling US citizens to take possession of unclaimed islands that contained guano deposits. Why? That’s a great question! Guano was a prized element in the creation of gunpowder in the 1840s. Technically, it was a valued ingredient in creating saltpeter, but guano of course, like other animal excrement is also commonly used as agricultural fertilizer. The US imported over 700k tons of guano a year by the 1850s. Clearly, it was in high enough demand for Congress to pass this legislation.

The kings and queens of Hawai’i lived a good life. Mostly. Coastal towns like Hilo and Lahaina were vital to the kingdom’s governance. King Kamehameha III built a royal palace in Lahaina, and it was here that the first Hawaiian Constitution was proclaimed and signed in 1840. A banyan tree was planted in 1873 on the site where the first palace of King Kamehameha I had existed. When the capital was moved to Honolulu, and Hawai’i was recognized by foreign powers, larger palace grounds were built. One building was named Ali’iolani Hale, which means “the house of heavenly kings”. It was used as the seat of government. It currently houses the Supreme Court of the state of Hawai’i. ‘Iolani Palace was also built and was used as the main royal residence. It is currently a museum. Some houses for members of the royal family that were built towards the late 1800s still stand today. Like Queen Emma’s Summer Palace and Washington Place, where Queen Liliuokalani resided for most of her reign.

Native Hawaiians developed a subsistence culture from their very beginnings. Their systems of protecting, preserving and restoring the land and oceans helped sustain their people. There was no concept of private land ownership. This evolved into a type of feudal system, and the kanaka (or commoners) were the ones to tend and farm the land, while the ali’i nui (or high chiefs) oversaw things. There were kapu (or laws) in place prohibiting desecration or abuse of resources. Hawaiians understood their resources were limited and respected nature’s ability to both give or take. This also meant everyone was entitled to a share of the bounty of the land and ocean. With the arrival of Westerners though, the idea of private land ownership emerged. It didn’t necessarily take hold, but it was understood as a concept.

By the time the first Constitution was signed in 1840, there was already a Bill of Rights, which guaranteed that people’s lands would not be taken from them. There had been a shift, and there was a clear understanding that people valued land as property over the produce of the land. By 1845, King Kamehameha III created a Land Commission to award land claims, but was hampered due to the feudal-style system in place. A system where no one person held title to land. In 1848, the Great Mahele (or land division) took place. This was the start of official private land ownership. Instead of a feudal system, a system of land tenure began. Under this new system, the kanaka’s rights to own land were suddenly an issue. Not only that, but now land as property is something of market value. A Western idea, which foreign investors and businessmen understood and would begin to exploit. More on that a little later.

There were five King Kamehameha’s that ruled Hawai’i, a strong dynasty. In 1872, however, when Kamehameha V died, no heir had been named. This forced the legislature to elect a new monarch. There was a ceremonial popular vote and a unanimous legislative vote. An initial candidate triumphed: William Lunalilo, who was the grand-nephew of Kamehameha I. Sadly, Lunalilo died prematurely at age 39 from tuberculosis, also with no named heir. Another campaign began, and this one was more intense. Queen Emma, the widow of Kamehameha IV, was nominated, as was David Kalakaua, who was of royal blood through his ancestry. Emma and Kalakaua involved themselves in mudslinging and negative campaigning against each other. Kalakaua ended up winning, although it was contested.

Queen Emma was a popular choice for the people, but she also had pro-British sentiments. By this point, Americans were very involved in the legislature of Hawai’i. To have a ruler who leaned towards the economic opposition would have been a disaster. American investors and businessmen had strong relationships with Hawaiian legislators. They preferred Kalakaua, who was favorable to the growing power of American business. On election day, as Kalakaua won in a vote of 39 to 6, hundreds of Queen Emma’s supporters had gathered at the courthouse. Upon hearing the results, a riot broke out. There was no reliable militia at the time, and the police force actually joined in the unrest, depending on their political sympathies.

There just so happened to be two American sloops-of-war harbored in Honolulu. They had been sent on a mission to negotiate for duty-free sugar exports to the US, but they were quickly requested to help quell the fighting, which had spread throughout the city. 150 American sailors and marines came ashore, guns in hand, and placed guards at the courthouse. They also occupied the city armory, treasury, and jail, which was full of Queen Emma’s supporters by the end of things. Several people were killed and many others injured, including many foreign citizens. It was widely touted that Queen Emma supported the riot, even though she denied ever taking part. Kalakaua took the oath ten days later. The legislature requested the American military men stay another week, to ensure peace and safety. This is the origin of the American military being stationed in Pearl Harbor.

Kalakaua immediately proclaimed his sister Liliuokalani his heir, so the kingdom could avoid any further incidents of unrest. He went even further than to name his sister, in fact he created an entire line of succession. However, according to laws of his own kingdom, this line of succession laid out in his will would be unofficial. Kalakaua faced multiple threats to his power, like what’s known as the Bayonet Constitution. In 1887, Kalakaua was forced into signing a new constitution. Close to 3,000 on-lookers, including armed militia members, were in the room when it was signed. The new constitution stripped the king of some of his powers, established a cabinet in the government, and empowered the legislature. For example, the new constitution enabled Hawaiian citizens to elect candidates into the House of Nobles, denied voting rights to Asians, and increased the value of property a citizen must own in order to be eligible to vote. This guaranteed that wealthy Hawaiians and Europeans would have more political power - a near monopoly.

In 1891, when Kalakaua died, his sister Liliuokalani inherited the throne as expected. She would become the last monarch to reign over the Kingdom of Hawai’i. But we have to pause at this point and take a look at when and how Americans become such a strong influence in the kingdom. How is it that the penultimate monarch of a kingdom recognized by multiple Western powers would be forced into signing many of his powers away? How is it that the average native Hawaiian was disenfranchised and marginalized in their own country? Well, the answer very simply, is the intersection of racism and an American belief known as Manifest Destiny.

The phrase “manifest destiny” is most commonly thought of when referring to the westward expansion of America across the North American continent during the 19th century. It gets its start with the War of 1812. The Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war, provided a statement from America that stated: “The United States are fully determined, progressively, and in proportion as their growing population may require, to reclaim from the state of nature, and to bring into cultivation every portion of the territory contained within their acknowledged boundaries.” I’ve abridged this statement, I’ll admit. It’s a version sometimes referenced or used when teaching about this period of American history. This version is shorter, and it also excludes a lot of language used towards “Indians”. America saw the Indians as “savages” and used the word liberally. The end of the statement I’ve abridged states: “They will not suppose that that Government will avow, as the basis of their policy towards the United States a system of arresting their natural growth within their own territories, for the sake of preserving a perpetual desert for savages.” This statement was given by America towards the British. And one British negotiator at the treaty signing, commented: “Till I came here, I had no idea of the fixed determination which there is in the heart of every American to extirpate the Indians and appropriate their territory.”

Even at the start of the idea of Manifest Destiny, racism is woven in. Other treaties followed during the 19th century, including extending the border with Canada west until the Rocky Mountains, extending the border with Mexico west to the Pacific Ocean, as well as transferring Florida from Spain to the US. The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 effectively warned Europe that North America was no longer open and available for their colonization. The building of the transcontinental railroad, the settlers bound for the Oregon Trail, the declaration of Texas as an independent republic, the Homestead Act of 1862, and the acquisition of Alaska in 1867 are all mile markers in American history alongside Manifest Destiny. All to the detriment of Native Americans, of course.

By the 1880s, America comprised 38 states and 9 territories, six of which would become states by the end of the century. In the 1892 US presidential election, the Republican party platform proclaimed: “We reaffirm our approval of the Monroe doctrine and believe in the achievement of the manifest destiny of the Republic in its broadest sense.” The Republicans lost the election, but the idea of manifest destiny was clearly ingrained into the American psyche by this point. And as there were no more lands to expand to within the continent itself, the US looked to expand beyond the oceans. It had already begun that process with the Guano Islands Act of 1856. But many of the islands previously claimed by the US under this Act were being ceded to the British or to Mexico or other powers by the 1880s and 90s.

The US was experiencing rapid economic growth at this time. The US was outpacing Britain in manufacturing goods. It was suddenly very important for the US to manage its exports, rather than its imports. In the 1840s, Hawai’i had been a reliable and strong supplier of sugar to the US. Sugar plantations were a stronghold on the islands. The US government had passed tariff laws that improved trade relationships with countries like Britain, but favored Southern states and brought big amounts of revenue into the treasury. There would continue to be a back and forth over tariffs, North vs South, with the US always looking east towards Europe. Relationships with countries like Hawai’i would feel the impact of this back and forth throughout the 19th century.

Sugarcane plantations in Hawai’i were tightly controlled by missionaries and businessmen from America. The businessmen involved, and their businesses, came to be known as the “Big Five”. These five companies exerted political power in Hawai’i as much as any oligarchy. All amidst an era of Christian colonialism, Republican party economic prowess, and American imperialism overseas. Americans, quite literally, held the idea that native Hawaiians were inferior. And that paternal protector America would be the best decision-maker for a country like Hawai’i. The Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 was a free trade agreement between Hawai’i and the US. The treaty gave free access to the US market for sugar and other products grown in the kingdom of Hawai’i. In return, the US gained lands near what would become the Pearl Harbor naval base.

This treaty did not go over well in southern states, where sugar production was also occurring. They felt it unfair to give refiners in San Francisco an advantage. These refiners had a monopoly on sugar imported from Hawai’i. A tariff act passed in 1883 became concerning to the Hawaiian government. This act lowered sugar tariffs imposed on products imported from all nations, which left Hawai’i at a disadvantage. Even though sugar production exploded in Hawai’i through the 1880s and 90s. The revenue coming from sugar exports was just over $1 million in 1874, but was over $13 million by 1891. Another tariff passed in 1890 by President McKinley increased the duty on foreign imports by 50%. This act was designed to bolster domestic products and protect domestic workers from foreign competition. But in Hawai’i, it was American investors and businessmen who had the most to lose when Congress passed unfavorable tariff laws. Why be subject to the whims of their own Congress, when Hawai’i itself could become subject to their governance?

Let’s return to Queen Liliuokalani in the year 1891. She inherited a kingdom in economic disarray due to the McKinley Act. The Queen attempted to raise money for the government through a lottery system, and even proposed an opium licensing bill. Her advisors and cabinet members tried to dissuade her, and these failed attempts would ultimately be used against her. But the main desire she had for her kingdom was to supply a new Constitution. Kalakaua’s Bayonet Constitution left native Hawaiians out of favor and disenfranchised altogether. Queen Liliuokalani supported the population by writing a new Constitution that broadened suffrage by reducing the property requirements to be eligible to vote, essentially disenfranchising the non-citizen Americans and other foreigners of Hawai’i. She rode on horseback throughout the islands, gathering support for this document from her people. But her legislature was cautious. They knew how American businessmen would react.

Queen Liliuokalani’s attempt to give Hawai’i governance back to its native people and more power back to the throne was the straw that broke the camel’s back. A 13-member group known as the Committee of Safety planned to overthrow the Queen. This committee was formed in 1887 and had always been committed to the annexation of Hawai’i. This same committee was affiliated with the militia that forced Kalakaua to sign the Bayonet Constitution. On January 16 1893, the kingdom’s Marshal was tipped off that the Committee of Safety was planning to overthrow the Queen. He immediately requested arrest warrants for all the Committee members and to place the kingdom under martial law. But these requests were denied by the Attorney General and the rest of the cabinet. They feared the arrest would escalate the situation. The Marshal rallied men to form a protection force for the Queen, knowing there would be a confrontation with the Committee. Pro-monarchist leaders met at the palace square and gave speeches in support of the queen and her government. The Queen tried to appease her opposition by abandoning her attempts to promulgate a constitution.

The next day, January 17th, a native policeman was shot while trying to stop a wagon of weapons from being sent to the Committee members. This initiated the Committee into action quicker than they planned. They rallied their own forces of armed non-native men, a majority of them American sailors. They never fired a shot, but their presence effectively intimidated royalist defenders who were present. The Committee and its men garrisoned Ali’iolani Hale to await a response from the Queen. When none came, the chairman of the Committee addressed the crowd that assembled in front of the palace. He formally proclaimed that Queen Liliuokalani would be deposed, the Hawaiian monarchy would be abolished, and a provisional government would be established.

The provisional government’s president would be Sanford Dole, a pro-annexation leader and son of American missionaries who had moved to Hawai’i from Maine. Queen Liliuokalani temporarily relinquished her throne to the US, not to the Dole-led provisional government in Hawai’i. She hoped that the US would restore Hawaii’s sovereignty. After this coup d’etat and abolishment of the Hawaiian monarchy - in the eyes of the Americans - the provisional government sent a delegation to Washington D.C. to ask for immediate annexation. Until annexation was made real, Hawai’i was proclaimed a protectorate of the US by co-conspirator John Stevens. Stevens, the sitting US ambassador to Hawai’i, had always supported America’s efforts to annex Hawai’i. He ensured the flag of the US was raised over the palace and that martial law was enforced. He, along with the Committee, placed Queen Liliuokalani under house arrest in the palace.

The American president at the time was Benjamin Harrison. The annexation treaty had only just been presented to him, which the Queen protested in a letter to Harrison. But it was January, and back then newly-elected presidents were inaugurated in March. All parties involved knew that Grover Cleveland was about to be sworn in soon. For his second non-consecutive term as president. Cleveland was a Democrat, who had supported free trade with Hawai’i during his first term. Harrison’s support for annexation had been quickly put before the Senate for approval. However, there was controversy surrounding it from the start, as many politicians knew that US Marines had been present in Honolulu when the coup occurred. Even from far away Washington D.C. some Americans understood the context of armed American sailors being present. Five days after Cleveland took office, he withdrew the annexation treaty from the Senate and sent an investigator to Hawai’i.

This investigator, former Congressman James Henderson Blount, interviewed those involved with the coup, as well as many native Hawaiians. His report back to Cleveland was damning: “the military demonstration upon the soil of Honolulu was of itself an act of war; [...] the existing government, instead of requesting the presence of an armed force, protested against it. There is as little basis for the pretense that forces were landed for the security of American life and property. If so, they would have been stationed in the vicinity of such property, instead of at a distance and so as to command the Hawaiian Government Building and palace [...] When these armed men landed, the city of Honolulu was in its customary orderly and peaceful condition.”

Cleveland delivered a message to Congress in December of 1893, rejecting annexation and encouraging Congress to continue the American tradition of non-intervention. He stated outright that the presence of US forces during the coup was a “substantial wrong” and an “act of war”. He disavowed the actions of Minister Stevens, and went further, stating that the incident was a “subversion of the constitutional government of Hawai’i”. He argued that “it has been the settled policy of the United States to concede to people of foreign countries the same freedom and independence in the management of their domestic affairs that we have always claimed for ourselves.”

The House adopted a resolution against annexation and voted to censure the US minister. But the Senate commissioned their own report, which contradicted Blount’s report. This report stated that “the action of the Queen in an effort to overturn the constitution of 1887 amounted to an act of abdication on her part”. It also stated that the troops in Honolulu gave “no demonstration of actual hostilities”. Referring to them never having fired a shot. With this counter report providing backing for pro-annexation politicians, plus the already-established presence of Americans in Hawai’i via the Pearl Harbor naval base, Cleveland couldn’t maintain his stance for very long. Eventually, he recognized the government established with Dole as its president and began diplomatic relations with the new Republic of Hawai’i. Dole took office as the Republic’s official president in July of 1894.

Six months later, supporters of the Queen and the monarchy launched a rebellion. It failed and many of the participants and its sympathizers were arrested. Firearms were found at Washington Place, a residence of the Queen, and she was also arrested. During imprisonment, she formally abdicated her throne in exchange for the release of her supporters. She was tried and initially sentenced to five years of hard labor and a $5000 fine. But this sentence was commuted to imprisonment in the palace. Almost 18 months later, Liliuokalani was pardoned in full by the Republic of Hawai’i and given back her civil rights. She felt compelled to travel abroad, likely because Hawai’i was a place of conflict and sadness for her now. In 1897, during time in Massachusetts, she wrote and published her memoir Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen.

The fight for a re-establishment of the monarchy was over, but Liliuokalani still fought. The initial treaty presented for annexation to the US would have issued Liliuokalani monetary compensation. Instead, she sought indemnity from the US. This is a mainstay of contract law, essentially seeking obligation by one party to compensate the loss incurred by another party. While the annexation treaty would compensate her briefly as part of the annexation process, indemnity would render the US culpable and legally at fault for her loss of the Kingdom of Hawai’i. She was going for much more than simply her share of the prize, as the Americans saw it. Other efforts from Hawaiian delegations were also a consideration as annexation was debated in the Senate. The Ku’e Petitions were submitted by a commission of native Hawaiians, causing the annexation treaty to fail to pass in June of 1897. Over 21,000 signatures were collected opposing the treaty. This was evidence of strong grassroots opposition.

But then came the Spanish-American war in 1898. What started in Cuba, resulted in the US acquisition of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. And the Republic of Hawai’i, initially following US President McKinley’s aversion to the war, decided not to support the war effort and declared neutrality. However, Hawai’i was a decidedly vital stopover location for American marines on their way to Guam and the Philippines. This incredible value as a naval base during wartime weakened any opposition to annexation in political circles. The Newlands Resolution was passed by Congress in July 1898, officially annexing Hawai’i. Queen Liliuokalani again sent a strongly worded letter to the House of Representatives in protest, stating her homeland and throne had been taken illegally. On August 12, 1898, a ceremony was held on the steps of ‘Iolani Palace to signify the transfer of Hawaiian state sovereignty to the United States. None of the Hawaiian leadership attended, nor did any native Hawaiians.

Sanford Dole’s cousin, James, came to Hawai’i in 1899 and founded the Hawaiian Pineapple Company, initiating the ultimately devastating environmental impact of the monocrop on the islands. Queen Lilioukalani died in 1917 at the age of 79, having spent the last decades of her life in pursuit of holding the United States legally responsible for their coup d’etat. Ironically, Liliuokalani is the composer of the most famous song known in Hawai’i today: Aloha Oe. She composed the song in 1878 while still a princess. The lyrics hauntingly recall a tender farewell between two lovers. Aloha Oe translates into English as “farewell to thee”.

And that was the very deep dive behind the trivia question: When did Hawaii become part of the United States? Stay tuned for a brief look at what has occurred since Hawai’i became a state in 1959.

The Hawaiian sovereignty movement gained traction in the 1960s and 70s, as other indigenous activist movements were happening in the US. The movement was spearheaded by native and local individuals and organizations who were critical of the islands’ urbanization and commercial development, the appropriation of native burial grounds and other sacred spaces, and the corruption in the Hawaiian Homelands program. The Hawaiian Homelands program provides native Hawaiians several benefits in securing a homestead, if they can prove they have a blood quantum of at least 50% Hawaiian. Extensive genealogical family trees must be substantiated by documentation.

One of these leaders of the sovereignty movement was Haunani-Kay Trask. She was an activist, educator, author and poet. Her book From A Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawai’i, was published in 1993, one hundred years after the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy. The book has since been described as “a foundational text about indigenous rights”. One quote from this book sets the premise quite well: “Hawai’i, once the most fragile and precious of sacred places, now transformed by the American behemoth into a dying land.”

In 1993, Trask was part of the leadership who held a march on the 100-year anniversary of the overthrow. Their march called for a return of native lands in Hawai’i. At the podium, in front of Honolulu’s ‘Iolani Palace, Trask proclaimed: “We are not American. We will die as Hawaiians. We will never be Americans.” Trask founded and directed the Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. It was the first of its kind and continues to seek truth in knowledge in the pursuit of keeping Hawaiian culture, language, traditions, and identity alive in the islands. The field of Hawaiian Studies did not exist until this center was founded. In the same year, 1993, a joint congressional resolution was passed, apologizing for the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, stating that it was illegal. But no further legal actions have gone towards any sense of recompense or indemnity resolution, as Liliuokalani sought. And yet the daily lives of native Hawaiians are akin to an affront of their history and heritage. Trask’s own words leave no room for interpretation on this topic. Here is an excerpt from an article she wrote in 2010:

“In Hawai’i, the destruction of our land and the prostitution of our culture is planned and executed by multinational corporations, by huge landowners, and by collaborationist state and county governments. [...] Nearly 40 years ago, at statehood, Hawai’i residents outnumbered tourists by more than 2 to 1. Today, tourists outnumber residents by 6 to 1; they outnumber Native Hawaiians by 30 to 1. A tourism economy encourages foreign investment, which drives up inflation, and thus the cost of living. Nearly one-fifth of Hawaii’s resident population is classified as near-homeless. [...] Beautiful areas, once sacred to our people, are now the sites of expensive resorts. [...] Hawaiians, meanwhile, have little choice in all this. Increasingly, Hawaiians are leaving, not by choice but out of economic necessity.”

There still exists controversy surrounding federal recognition of Native Hawaiians by the United States. In the same manner of sovereignty as other indigenous populations in the US, some feel this would interfere with efforts to reclaim independence as a constitutional monarchy through international law. There are many advocates who argue that Hawai’i is an independent nation under military occupation due to the fact that there is no official treaty of annexation between the Kingdom of Hawai’i and the United States. In 2009, the US Supreme Court gave a decision in the case of Hawai’i vs. Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The decision stated that federal legislation cannot retroactively invalidate land titles given as part of statehood, since the State of Hawai’i had not established title to all land transferred to it in 1959.

Yes, good listener, the Western idea of land as valuable property still supersedes the Hawaiian idea that no man can own land. And while some outsiders to the sovereignty movement might respond with: “Well, they have the protection of the United States government now that they are citizens. Hasn’t Hawai’i been included in our wins as a nation since statehood?” I would ask you to consider: at what cost? I hope you’ve been educated by today’s story - our last episode of the first season of Not Trivial is coming soon. Please subscribe and listen to the show wherever you find podcasts. Thank you!