Synopsis: When we talk about “self determination” why is it that we are always talking about a group of selves as if they are a united whole and there are no individual differences?
Synopsis: When we talk about “self determination” why is it that we are always talking about a group of selves as if they are a united whole and there are no individual differences?
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E nā hoa ʻimi ea o ka ʻāina e hoʻoluʻu ʻia nei naʻe ke poʻo i lalo o ka ʻiliwai, ke ‘olāʻolā aku nei kahi puka ihu i ka hāʻawi aloha aku iā ʻoukou.
E kala kahiko ke kāʻili ʻia mai o ko kākou ea, ka ʻāina, ka ʻōlelo, a me ia mea aku ia mea aku, a ma hope o ka hoʻomanawanui paupauaho ʻole ʻana i ka noho ʻīnea ma lalo o ka mana o ʻAmelika, ke ʻae mai nei ua aupuni kalaʻihi nei iā kākou e kūkulu i aupuni hou no kākou ponoʻī iho nō. I ʻole hoʻi e kapa ʻia mai au i ka mahalo ʻole, eia nō au ke hāʻawi aku nei i koʻu mahalo piha i kēia hāwaʻe ʻiʻo ʻole a ʻAmelika e hānai mai nei iā kākou.
ʻO ka nīnau nui e kupu mai ana, ʻo ia hoʻi, he aha ke ʻano o kēia aupuni hou? He aupuni kūʻokoʻa paha a he aupuni hoʻopunipuni paha e hoʻomanawanui nei i ka noho luna ʻana mai a kahi aupuni hoʻokolonaio? ʻO ka nīnau nui, pehea e hoʻihoʻi ʻia ai ia mea he kuʻokoʻa, ʻaʻole nō ia i haʻalele iā kākou? ʻO ka pilikia, ʻo ia ka noho paʻahao ʻia o kākou Hawaiʻi ma ko kākou ʻāina ponoʻī. ʻEā, i loko nō o ia noho hewa ʻia, mau nō ke kūʻokoʻa. Mau nō hoʻi ke ea o ka ʻāina. Eia ka mea ʻāpiki, ʻo kākou ke hewa i ke kali ʻana o ka ʻae mai a ʻAmelika i kā kākou hana. He ʻai pala maunu anei kākou no ʻAmelika? Aia ka lanakila a noke aku kākou i ka paio ʻana no ka pono.
ʻO ke kaʻina o ka hana i kēia manawa, e mālama mua ʻia ke koho pāloka no ke koho ʻana i nā ʻelele nāna e kūkākūkā e pili ana i ke ʻano o ke aupuni e kūkulu ʻia ana. Ua ʻike ʻia he 209 moho e holo nei no nā noho he 40 wale nō. A pau ke koho pāloka ʻana a me ka ʻaha kūkā, e ʻāpono ʻia ana ke ʻano o ia aupuni hou. Wahi a kekahi luna o Naʻi Aupuni, ka hui nāna e mālama nei i kēia koho pāloka ʻana, ʻaʻole kona hui he “state agency” a ʻaʻole ia e noho nei ma lalo o ka mana o kekahi “state agency”. Eia naʻe, ke kākoʻo nei ʻo OHA, kekahi “state agency”, ma ka hoʻolako ʻana i ke kālā e mālama ai i kēia mau papahana. Eia hou hoʻi, ʻo ke keʻena nāna e ʻohi i nā inoa o ka poʻe hiki ke koho pāloka, ʻo ia hoʻi ka Roll Commission, ua “based on valid and constitutional state and federal laws”, a ma muli o nā kānāwai he nui o ia ʻano, “Native Hawaiians have a special political and legal status under state and federal law.” He aha lā ko lākou manaʻo no ia mea he kūʻokoʻa?
Eia hou kekahi, ua hemahema ka hana a ka poʻe kūkala nūhou. Ua kūkala mai lākou no nā nīnau pili i kēia kūkulu aupuni hou a me ke kūʻā ʻana o ka poʻe Grassroots, he hui e paipai nei i nā pono o kēlā me kēia kanaka hoʻokahi o ʻAmelika e koho i kona ala e hele ai, ʻaʻole naʻe i hōʻike ʻia nā manaʻo o ka poʻe paipai kūʻokoʻa maoli a e manaʻo nei hoʻi aia ka hōʻea ʻana mai o ia kūlana a haʻalele loa ʻo ʻAmelika.
ʻO ka “self” e lohe ʻia nei ma ka huaʻōlelo “self determination”, ʻo wai lā ia?
The weekly Hawaiian language column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawaii.