(Note: This is the final installment of a three-part series discussing recent legal and political challenges to the Kamehameha Schools and other institutions designed to benefit the native Hawaiian people. Read parts 1 and 2.)

With all the challenges to the Hawaiian community, is there any hope for its survival? I think the answer is a definite yes. The solution, which is currently being debated in both houses of Congress, is Senate Bill 344, introduced by Senator Daniel Akaka and co-sponsored by the other representatives of Hawai’i’s congressional delegation, Senator Inouye (as well as senators from Nevada and Alaska), and Representatives Abercrombie and Case^* (plus a representative from Virginia).

The bill is an effective compromise between the Native Hawaiians who have been defrauded of their rightful land for so long, as well as for people who have legitimate reasons to be concerned. It does not immediately create a new Hawaiian government; rather, it defines a structure to begin doing so. Most importantly (for the attorneys defending the state of Hawai’i in lawsuits) is that it firmly establishes that the Hawaiian people are an ancestral group. By doing so, it provides a strong legal basis in the assertion that institutions that support Hawaiians are not engaging in discrimination by race.

Kamehameha Schools was founded by a member of the nation of Hawai’i’s royal line, using her personal real estate and financial resources, during a time in which Hawai’i was not the subject of a U.S. annexation treaty – legally, as Kenneth Conklin, an anti-sovereignty activist, asserts, or otherwise. Therefore, to require it to admit non-Hawaiians against its founder’s wishes, if not illegal, seems at least patently unfair. As an alumnus, I can say with confidence that despite rumors to the contrary, Kamehameha Schools does not attempt to teach its students how to take back the ‘aina [land] from the unclean haole [foreigners, often derogatory] immigrants. Rather, the school continuously emphasizes the importance of core values held by its students’ ancestors:

• Pono – To be moral and proper
• ‘Imi ‘Ike – To seek knowledge
• Laulima – To work cooperatively
• Lokomaika’i – To share
• Na’au Pono – To possess a deep sense of justice
• Malama – To care for each other
• Ha’aha’a – To be humble

It was these exact values that caused Hawaiians to be so welcoming of the visitors to their country – many of whom would later betray them in order to protect the profits of American sugar companies.

It is clear to me that the Hawaiian people, from their first western contact in 1776 until today, have been exploited by many (but certainly not all) non-Hawaiian inhabitants of Hawai’i. While I don’t agree with the politically aggressive stance that many activists take in attacking U.S. policy dealing with Hawai’i, I certainly can’t blame them either. I am convinced that the actions of the U.S. in annexing Hawai’i, and later admitting it to the Union, were unjust and immoral. I therefore strongly support the efforts of Hawai’i’s congressional delegation in introducing what is fondly called the “Akaka Bill.”

If you are a United States citizen, you can help preserve the legacy of the Hawaiian people, who have never asked for anything but the sovereignty they are rightly entitled to. Please write your senators or representative and ask them to support the Akaka Bill for federal native Hawaiian recognition.

Before I conclude this entry, I want to acknowledge that the missionaries to Hawai’i and their descendants, while corrupt in many ways, made an important contribution to the Hawaiian people: they shared the love of Jesus Christ with them. It is this love that allows me to pray that God will protect people attacking the Kamehameha Schools, OHA, and other Hawaiian benefit programs, rather than to be disgusted by them.

These are trying times. My Hawaiian and Christian heritage both cause me to long for peace, not only in the Middle East, but also in the middle of the Pacific. Only Ke Akua (the Lord) has the ability to make lasting peace a reality.

^* LINK TENDING 1/11 – Relinked Representative Case’s web site to the new location.