Native Hawaiians
The indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands is Hawaiians. They are one of the peoples of the Polynesian group. Hawaii, located far from the mainland, is now the only US state that is the Pacific island and in which there is frequent intermarriage. The indigenous people of Hawaii reflect the tensions between the two nations, which is expressed in the cultural and ethnic issues, as well as ethnic and social stratification. Studying this issue in the article “Expressing "Local Culture" in Hawai'i”, the author used Jonathan Okamura's 1981 model of situational ethnicity. (Miyares I.M., 2008, p.513) The identity and culture of the people of Hawaii and its genealogy, social, political and historical communications of the land and the sea is considered in many studies. However, due to the displacement and migration of representatives of the Native Hawaiians, which is associated with the fall of the Kingdom of Hawaii, one way or another affect the identity of the indigenous people and its culture. The ecology of the homeland of the indigenous people is spoiled, and the question of the place of indigenous people of Hawaii raises. Place of the people closely linked to his identity. It binds the indigenous people of Hawaii together. The place is an essential condition for the existence of the people, the culture, its past and present. The rich heritage and originality of Hawaiian culture can be stored in full only on the ground of the Hawaiian people. Their values and cultural practices are associated symbolically with land and sea. (Kana’iaupuni S. M., & Malone N., 2006, p.290) However, the indigenous people of Hawaii lost their independence and caused damage to its cultural integrity, when it became part of the US. It was the overthrow of the monarchy, and only in 1898, after much debate and signing the resolution of only one chamber of the Senate, the Congress decided to join the Hawaiian Islands to the US. The clear catalyst the solution was the beginning of the war with Spain in 1898 and willing of the US to strengthen its position in the Pacific Ocean. In 1898, at the height of the Spanish-American War, the United States annexed Hawaii in 1900 and granted them the status of a self-governing territory. When President William McKinley signed a contract for the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands, the local population could derail its entry into force, presenting 38,000 signatures on a petition of protest; finally, the annexation was approved only the adoption of the corresponding Resolution of Newlands in both houses of Congress, July 4, 1898.
The situational ethnicity of the people is manifested in the political and socio-economic status of the people's representatives. (Okamura, J.Y., 1981, p.454) An important step was the establishment of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, better known as OHA, 1978. OHA is a semi-autonomous government body in charge of the nine members of the board of trustees, elected by the people of the State of Hawai'i by popular vote. Initially, the right to vote for trustees were limited to Hawaiians. However, United States Supreme Court ruled that the election should be opened to all residents, regardless of their ethnicity. (Benjamin S.M., 1996, p. 555) Thus, the choice of Hawaii continued to be held under the US control. The peak of the national movement of the people of Hawaii is Senator Akaka’s bill on recognition of Hawaiians sovereign ethnic group. This status descendants of the Native American tribes that inhabited America have. Under the bill, the recognition of indigenous Hawaiian islanders must give the people the right to control an autonomous territory, and as a consequence, the receipt of income from these lands. (Kauanui J.K., 2005, p.2) However, until now, in Hawaii is clearly not resolved the political issue of sovereignty.
Works Cited
Benjamin, S.M. Equal Protection and the Special Relationship: The Case of Native Hawaiians. The Yale Law Journal, Vol. 106, No. 3, pp. 537-612. 1996.
Kana’iaupuni, S. M., & Malone, N. This land is my land: The role of place in native Hawaiian identity. Hülili: Multidisciplinary Research on Hawaiian Well-Being, 3(1), 281-307. 2006.
Kauanui, J.K. Native Hawaiians and US Federal Recognition. The Contemporary Pacific, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 1-27. 2005.
Miyares, I.M. Expressing "Local Culture" in Hawai'i. Geographical Review Vol. 98, No. 4, pp. 513-531. 2008
Okamura, J.Y. Situational Ethnicy. Ethnic and Racial Studies, Vol.4, N. 4. 1981.
