This blog is about Hawaii's status as an independent country under prolonged illegal occupation by the United States, and the history, culture, law & politics of the islands.
This year, 2018 is the 175th anniversary of an historic moment… when the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands was recognized as a sovereign state — an equal among the major powers of the world.
This is the amazing story of how an enlightened Hawaiian monarch kept his kingdom from being colonized.
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But over the past two decades Hawaiians began to uncover what really happened to their country — that it is not a state of the United States; that the sovereign status of the kingdom was never relinquished or extinguished; that the Hawaiian Kingdom still exists as a sovereign state in continuity; that international law supports the correction of international wrongful acts; that the United States claimed that Hawaii had been adopted when in reality, Hawaii had been abducted… kidnapped… by the U.S.
In the tradition and spirit of King Kamehameha III and the other patriots who established Hawaii as an enlightened, sovereign country, contemporary Hawaiian patriots have been engaged in many fronts to free their country from the grasp of the kidnapper… to rebuild the nation and the lives of the people … to reactivate the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands as a fully functioning independent country.
As the campaign to free and restore the Hawaiian Kingdom blossomed, so has the celebration of Lā Ku’oko’a, Hawaii Independence Day. The holiday has been revived and its observance is steadily growing in popularity, evidence of the reawakening and reactivation of the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands!
Teen Vogue has recently earned a reputation for some quality reporting and substantive articles, and this is a pretty thorough, mostly accurate recount of the history including the overthrow, richly linked with sources.
A Hawaii politician has refused to attend months of meetings because she believes Hawaii may not actually be a part of the US.
Jennifer Ruggles has served two years as the Hawaii county councilwoman for the district of Puna – the same part of the Big Island that was devastated by the eruption of the Kilauea volcano earlier this year. In August, Ruggles caused a stir at a routine committee meeting when she announced she was concerned that Hawaii was not a part of the US, but instead an occupied foreign country.
“What I’m asking challenges the foundation of everything that we believe to be true in Hawaii,” Ruggles told the Guardian.
“A new book is out celebrating the role of women in the Hawaiian Renaissance movement. Their actions being seen as especially relevant in this #MeToo era of women’s empowerment. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this story.”
The Hawaii State Archives is showing off rare documents in an upcoming open house.
The items, which have never been displayed, are in recognition of the 175th Anniversary of the signing of the Anglo-French Declaration.
This acknowledged the Hawaiian Kingdom as a diplomatic equal to the world powers of the time with a “government capable of providing for the regularity of its relations with foreign nations.”
The recognition brought a blossoming of diplomacy. International treaties were signed and over 110 Hawaiian Kingdom consulates were opened around the world, the state said.
Some of the highlighted documents on display will include:
• The Journal of Diplomatic Mission to Europe, 1842-1844, that resulted in the Anglo-French Declaration of 1843
• Hawaii’s copy of the Anglo-French Declaration
• Proclamation of Neutrality, 1854, by the Hawaiian Kingdom regarding the ongoing Crimean War that laid the foundation for the development of international laws on state neutrality
• Original documents showcasing how the event, La Kuʿokoʿa, was celebrated throughout the years
• International treaties signed with Great Britain, Japan, and Italy
• Original diplomatic seals from the Hawaiian Kingdom consulates abroad
• Correspondence between the Hawaiian Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Hawaiian Kingdom consulates
The displaying of the documents is a part of the “Year of the Hawaiian” celebration initiated by Gov. David Ige.
The open house is scheduled for November 28 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kekauluohi Building on the grounds of Iolani Palace.
Prior to the open house in the Kanaina Building, a lecture will be held on Timoteo Ha’alilio, one of three Hawaiian Kingdom delegates who negotiated with the European powers to achieve the historic recognition. The lecture begins at 11:45 a.m. and will be followed by a walk to Pohukaina in front of the building to pay respects at his grave.
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