Who are the Hawai'i nationals? Those descendants of those who were Hawai'i nationals at the time of the U.S. invasion in 1893. The 1890 census show 84.4% were Kanaka Maoli and 15.6% were of non-kanaka maoli blood of foreign origins. These 15.6% embraced the Polynesian-Hawaiian mainstream society and supported the Queen during the following tumultuous years. Many also signed the Ku'e Petitions in 1893 with the Queen and again in 1897. Therefore, they also have a stake in this as well as the kanaka Maoli; for all are Hawai'i nationals.
How do we show our nationalism? Just by being active and letting our voices be heard when issues affect us is one criteria. We have to be involved and participate to make things happen. Self-responsibility in educating ourselves to the facts; disseminate the data, legal positions, and reveal the facts. Taking pride in who we are, being pono and taking on our kuleana with integrity.
How do we live it? Just by being the intelligent, hard-working, compassionate, loveable people that we are. Staying pono. Your personal life doesn't cease; you have personal kuleana to take care of; sustenance for your family and yourself; watch-dogging issues that affect your family's well-being; supporting our cause as a nation; being active and out-spoken for rights and justice. Participate in making our nation a great place to live in; and protect personal safety for all.
Enjoy life as a Hawai'i national and love your children enough to encourage their motivation to learn, work, and be culturally sensitive. Instill love and pride in who we all are as human beings in this stressful world of conflicts. Be good stewards of the land and a gracious host to visitors: local, from neighbor islands, and those from foreign lands. Love one another for who we are as a person and as an individual. Show respect to all others as with yourself.
I use the mountains to contemplate and be one with nature; similarly I do that by the ocean, and send all my troubles out to sea in a cleansing. I rejuvenate myself when I can. I enjoy the people around me and with whom I have contact and appreciate them for just being who they are. Each person makes a difference in life by just being there and being alive.
The vibrancy of our people is also amazing. How fortunate we are here in Hawai'i nei. God made so few of us because He didn't want to give the world too much of a good thing. He Hawai'i au, a o 'oe?
Tane
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Brother Tane's words are sobering. For me the most important thing is to motivate the young people, because whatever we do it will affect the future generation either to their advantage or disadvantage. Please, don't misunderstand me, I don't want to do the job that our children should do, but I want to be part of shaking them up to do something. This is the reason I push them to participate in any action furthering the future of the Hawaiian nation.
And the closing question: "He Hawai'i au, a o 'oe?" Aole Hawai`i wau i koko, akā he Hawai`i au i ka pu`uwai. I would like to complement what you wrote about the koko. We all expect a strong nationalistic feeling and actions from those whose blood is Hawaiian, but we need more. And we don't always get it. The reason is very simple. You choose your friend, but you don't choose your relatives. That's the reason you should have X-ray eyes - and see through the chest into the heart.
Don't judge those who married a non-Hawaiian, because you don't know their circumstances and they still may have a strong effect on their kanaka ē spouse. Look at the cause, watch those who take action and also those who talk only but don't take action. Don't judge too soon, because you may be able to convince those who had no courage to take an action to do so next time. We can win only if we unite.
Keoni
Tane > Janos (Keoni) SamuFebruary 13, 2009 at 11:48pm
I think you misread, He Hawai'i au. It means are you a Hawai'i national? It doesn't literally refer to ethnicity but to citizenry, nationalism. You'd have to put up a good fight with my Vovo who married a handsome, full-blooded kanaka Maoli to tell her she was not Hawaiian. LOL... I'd tell her she got Hawaiian through injection; then have to run like hell to avoid getting licking from her by being so crude. LOL... Her brother also married a full-blooded Hawaiian and pounded poi as she did like good Hawaiians and produced beautiful bi-racial children. Fortunate for me, my Mom married a part-Hawaiian of diverse ethnicity and raised eleven pupuka kids, well-educated and Hawaiian both in koko and nationality and to be proud of it. So, remember that expression is inclusive not exclusive.
Mahalo e Tane for the explanation. I thought you meant ethnicity. In that case my answer is a straight: `Ae, he Hawai`i au!
Keoni
Tane > Janos (Keoni) SamuFebruary 14, 2009 at 12:44am
Pololei no 'oe. We have to remember from whence we came and that without ALL our ancestors, we wouldn't be here. So, be proud of all of them and the fact that they embraced our nation, society, and culture by choice. That's what helped us become a beacon of aloha and continued success in our international status. We were and are a progressive nation with the mainstream society being Polynesian Hawaiian and not a WASP racist colony or of that nation. One cannot say that Mexico, Italy, China, Japan, Russia, etc. are WASP countries. We are Hawai'i!
Replies
Brother Tane's words are sobering. For me the most important thing is to motivate the young people, because whatever we do it will affect the future generation either to their advantage or disadvantage. Please, don't misunderstand me, I don't want to do the job that our children should do, but I want to be part of shaking them up to do something. This is the reason I push them to participate in any action furthering the future of the Hawaiian nation.
And the closing question: "He Hawai'i au, a o 'oe?" Aole Hawai`i wau i koko, akā he Hawai`i au i ka pu`uwai. I would like to complement what you wrote about the koko. We all expect a strong nationalistic feeling and actions from those whose blood is Hawaiian, but we need more. And we don't always get it. The reason is very simple. You choose your friend, but you don't choose your relatives. That's the reason you should have X-ray eyes - and see through the chest into the heart.
Don't judge those who married a non-Hawaiian, because you don't know their circumstances and they still may have a strong effect on their kanaka ē spouse. Look at the cause, watch those who take action and also those who talk only but don't take action. Don't judge too soon, because you may be able to convince those who had no courage to take an action to do so next time. We can win only if we unite.
Keoni
Keoni