Time For Native Hawaiians To Step Forward Before It鈥檚 Too Late
Perhaps the “radicals” were necessary to reach this point, but it’s time for a silent majority to embrace the opportunity to establish our own government.
Editor’s note: Kealii Lopez is a candidate in this month’s election of delegates to a听Native Hawaiian constitutional convention, or ‘aha, that will determine if a reorganized Hawaiian government will be formed.
Like so many others I have a great love for our people, our heritage听and culture.
Whether you are a cultural practitioner or an avid听observer, the essence of who we are is within us.听No one can or has听taken that from us.听Who we are as Native Hawaiians is intrinsically听intertwined in every fiber of our being, our soul, and our na鈥榓u.
It听is who we are, and no matter how we each choose to live our lives,听it鈥檚 there.听 Even if it鈥檚 only a pinky鈥檚 worth of koko, it courses听through you and connects you to these lands and to the generations who听came before you.听 It鈥檚 beautiful, loving, nurturing, strong, vibrant听and connected.听 It shows in our aloha, our kuleana, and our 鈥榓no.
I believe we are at a crossroads for our people. We have been wronged,听but we cannot dwell on what might have been. We can continue to argue听over what we can become for another 120 years, or we can take action听today on a future that will have a starting point.
I believe there are听voices that have not been heard in the struggle for sovereignty. I听believe I represent that silent majority in believing that we can act on the best opportunity we have had for our people in more than a听century.
Working together with representatives of all points of view will only听make us stronger. Waiting until there is a 鈥減erfect moment鈥 will see听our 鈥榦hana struggle on without a nation for perhaps generations more.
I have been involved in community work for what seems my entire life.听I remember standing outside of Mel鈥檚 Market in Waimanalo asking our neighbors to sign petitions at the age of 13.听I have served on the听Winward Commnity College Konohiki Council to enhance and improve students鈥 college听experience and created educational videos for the Salvation Army to听help teen mothers while at UH Manoa.
I dedicated myself to helping听communities find and express their voice through 鈥極lelo Community听Television.听 I have been a public servant in state government, and听seeking ways to help families work, keep their homes, and put food on听their tables.听Like others, I have made service my life鈥檚 work, and it听results from the central Hawaiian ethic of fulfilling one鈥檚 kuleana.
I have never felt the pull of kuleana as strongly as I do today.听Many have been engaged in sovereignty, self-determination, and听self-governance efforts for decades, and in the beginning, there was听an absolute need to be 鈥渞adical鈥 to convert Hawaiian claims to Hawaiian rights.
Like so many of us in the middle, I have always听wanted better for our people, and recognized the importance of our听place in the heart of who and what Hawaii is today, but could not join听in on the anti-American radical messages that were perhaps needed to bring us to where we are today.
As we mahalo the 鈥渞adicals鈥 for their听important work in heightening awareness of our indigenous rights, it听is now time to begin the process of healing ourselves and our听relations to those with whom we now share Hawaii.听It is time for the听hard work of reconciling our past, present and future to begin.
While I am aware that there are still those within our community that听feel there are more rights to secure, I am concerned that the tone,听rhetoric and personal attack tactics that have become routine in these听circles have begun to eat away at the very essence of what makes us听Hawaiian, our aloha and our kuleana.
If we cannot be pono as we听advocate our claims, then securing the rights don鈥檛 matter, for who we听are will have been lost.听To them, I offer this gentle reminder:听True听na koa do not throw spears at the lahui they are sworn to protect, and听they do not insist that all na koa pick up the same weapon to achieve听the goal.
Much progress for our Hawaiian community has been made in the last 40听years because we stayed focused on our concepts of aloha and kuleana,听and the responsibility of each Hawaiian to contribute to the听well-being of our community with the tools, skills and opportunities听they each had in hand.
Sovereignty has been advanced through the work听of many over decades.听Some radical, some not.听Akaka, Aluli, DeSoto,听Helm, Kame鈥榚leihiwa, Kanahele, McGregor, MacKenzie, Silva, Trask 鈥 all听names who have contributed to the recognition of our indigenous rights听as a people.
There are so many others too.听They have served our听people in lo鈥榠 and halau, in community, in state offices and through听the universities, from mauka to makai.听They have served far away from听home, in the halls of Congress and the federal government agencies.
Each effort, layer upon layer, building up the understanding within听our own community, and a better understanding of us outside of it.
Last year, the U.S. Department of the Interior came out to hear our听thoughts on a federal rule that would finally resolve a disparity in听federal law that has prevented our people from accessing the same听powers of self-governance already in use by indigenous peoples on the听continent, powers that the indigenous peoples use to solve their own听challenges, overcome the effects of a terrible history, and promote a听more indigenous future for their future generations.
I saw the true听tension that exists within our people from all sides.听I saw Hawaiians听working for our people through their posts at the DOI.听I saw them bring along others who they thought could help.听I saw the 鈥渞adicals鈥澨and felt the sense of powerlessness that longstanding neglect has听created.听I saw the confusion many of us in the middle have felt, and听the fear of expressing our views at the risk of being called a traitor听or worse.
It was beautiful, awe-inspiring, promising, horrific, tragic and pilau听to see all at the same time.听I wrestled with these powerful emotions听at every hearing I attended or watched.听The beauty, promise and听inspiration came from the deep passion for our people, the knowledge听of our history, the high level of engagement, and the love for our听people.
The horror, tragedy and hewa came from the nasty name听calling, disrespect and efforts to silence through intimidation and听derision.听Too many in our lahui were made to feel it wasn鈥檛 safe to听share their mana鈥榦 by our own people.听It is this horror, tragic behavior and pilau antics that have compelled me in such a visceral way to step forward in a way that I would not have previously considered.
I was taught never to stand by while others are being bullied and to听stand up for each person鈥檚 right to their own sense of self. I understand the anger, frustration, hurt, anguish, humiliation, loss,听injustice, and so much more. It is a part of all of us, but so is our听aloha and our sense of kuleana.
We are not the first generation to be听confronted with the question of how to act when our na鈥榓u is so听conflicted, but we are the first to begin to take the lower road.听
This decision of how we will act, as a people, is a defining line听between whether we are victims of a tragic history, or strong survivors who thrive in spite of it.
I call upon the middle of our people, the important silent majority,听to get involved in making the future better for our lahui and all of听Hawaii nei. While we mahalo our na koa who have won so many battles听on our behalf, we can no longer expect they can carry us into the听future we want for our keiki and mo鈥檕puna.
For me our everyday听efforts, sacrifice and struggle is to build a beloved nation, not a听warring nation.听We must all accept our kuleana to step forward and听serve our lahui with the best of our talents, skills and听opportunities.听As our lahui rises, so does Hawaii.
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