The Roots of Suppression -Nā Aʻa o ke Kīpaku
(Hawaii History Stamp: Captain Cook, 1778)
In 1959, Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state; however, struggles over sovereignty and identity marked its path to statehood. The Hawaiian League, a secret group of American and European elites formed in 1887, aimed to control Hawaii by weakening the monarchy. They pushed for the 1887 Bayonet Constitution, which stripped political power from Native Hawaiians and placed governance in the hands of non-Native elites.
(Anglican missionaries in Hawaii, circa 1867)
"In an overwhelming expression of dissent, nearly 38,000 Native individuals out of 40,000 across the Hawaiian Islands—or 95 percent—collectively signed two Kū’e petitions that rejected annexation and called to restore the monarchy, according to Silva".
By Nakamura, Kelliy Y. / May 10, 2023
(American Forces in Hawai’i, retrieved from nea.org).
“United States annexed Hawaii, viewing the islands as both a rich agricultural resource and a strategic perch in the Pacific. And in 1959, the U.S. legislature voted to make Hawaii America’s 50th state. During that time, colonizers confiscated lands and militarized parts of the island. They suppressed traditional cultural and spiritual practices. And they banned the Hawaiian language in schools and government”
By: Kelli Y. Nakamura / May 10, 2023