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Hawaiian nation
is back, group says

By Pat Omandam
Star-Bulletin

Henry Noa, Max Koko and others have a message for Hawaiians and others who wonder if there will be ever be a restored Hawaiian nation: It already exists.

"This is not Ha Hawaii. This is not Ka Lahui Hawaii. This is the government your ancestors created," stated a recent election pamphlet for the Reinstated Hawaiian Government/Nation.

Noa, director of the nation's Office of Communications, said yesterday the recent Rice vs. Cayetano decision adds credibility to the need for an independent Hawaiian nation, and not one of a nation-within-a-nation as supported by others in the sovereignty movement and by Hawaii's Congressional delegation.

He said the government ruled by Hawaiian monarchy more than a century ago was never destroyed but remained in exile following the 1893 overthrow. Using international law, the old Hawaiian Kingdom law and the 1993 U.S. Apology Resolution, members maintain they officially -- and legally -- brought the Hawaiian government out of its 106-year suspension on March 13, 1999.

Although this self-proclaimed reinstated government has received little attention from the mainstream media -- it even tried sign-waving in front of the newspaper building last fall -- it now has a citizenship of 1,500 people statewide who have renounced their American citizenship.

That membership has already elected 48 legislative officers to serve in its restored House of Representatives and House of Nobles. The goal of the legislature is to convene a constitutional convention so that a new government of Hawaii can be formed.

Noa said this effort began two years after President Clinton approved the Nov. 23, 1993 Congressional resolution that apologized to native Hawaiians for the role of Americans in the overthrow of the Hawaiian government. That apology, Noa says, was crucial because it acknowledged Hawaiians never relinquished their inherent right of sovereignty. Also, it required the United States to offer a remedy to that apology.

Ideally, Noa would like to see the United States recognize Hawaii as a sovereign country, as it did prior to the overthrow. But for now, he and others want the federal government to discuss reparations and redress to Hawaiians on a nation-to-nation level.

"We have fulfilled the obligation to the apology, and now they are responsible to addressing that fulfillment," Noa said.

Meanwhile, Koko said the ongoing federal reconciliation process supported by other Hawaiians is part of this redress, but said it cannot be done through the U.S. departments of Interior and Justice. Rather, the U.S. State Department should be the lead agency in discussing reparations with Hawaiians, he said.

Still, Koko said, the group has no animosity toward anyone seeking their own path toward self-determination and will not infringe upon that right.

Both he and Noa acknowledge there is confusion within the Hawaiian community over the various movements. And in the wake of the Rice vs. Cayetano decision, they said there is an urgent need for a greater understanding of the entire issue, as well as their position.

Koko said the Rice decision and other possible legal efforts to undo federal programs and funding for native Hawaiians has elevated the sovereignty issue, but that most Hawaiians remain "on the fence" on what effort to support.

"Everybody wants to take away our unique status," Koko said. "We were and still are a nation."

People can call 732-3849 for more information on the Reinstated Hawaiian Government/Nation or visit its Web site at: http://www.lava.net/~hawngovt

Holo I Mua Hawaiian Roundtable The Star-Bulletin gathered 10 Hawaiian leaders for a timely dialogue about what's next for Hawaiians in the wake of Rice vs. Cayetano. Representing various views within the Hawaiian community, the participants were provocative and candid during a 90-minute discussion on March 13, 2000. To read a full transcript of the discussion, Click Here You can also hear the audio recording of the discussion as well as view a panoramic photo of the participants.