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Aloha March on Saturday, August 8. "The vision for the Aloha March began many years ago, with John "Butch", and his uncles Charlie and Nathaniel Koani. (Bailey) Both uncles have since passed on, and now Butch continues the dream with the support of friends and family. The Aloha March is born out of frustration with the system in the State of Hawai'i. Frustration with fighting in the courts regarding land rights, homestead issues, sovereignty, and self-determination. Frustration with the fighting amongst the state legislature and the state agencies serving Hawaiians. Frustration with sovereignty groups fighting the State, the military, developers, tourists, and each other. While our elders die on the homestead list from the worst health conditions of any ethnic group in Hawai'i, the struggle continues. Many more struggles have forced thousands of Hawaii's indigenous peoples to be homeless in their own homeland. As a result, these sons and daughters of Hawai'i have no choice but to uproot themselves and go overseas in hopes of finding better economical opportunities. 1. Bring out the facts of annexation to the United States on the 100th Anniversary, August 8, 1998. 2. Reach out to our Kanaka Maoli, especially those who reside on the mainland. Educate non-Hawaiians about the Aloha March and its surrounding issues so that our relationships will continue to grow and build in solidarity. Over one third of all Hawaiians live on the continent. 3. Be visible as a people. Wherever we might be living and whatever we might be doing, we are a people with a homeland that we cherish and want to protect. We are a dignified people with a language, a culture, and a way of living which must be preserved and perpetuated. We are a people with discrete injustices that have not been addressed. We feel that this march is not about numbers, its about purpose...going there in the right way, the pono way, to plant seeds through our ho'okupu, mana'o, culture, spirituality and mana. We will know success by the feeling in our na'au (heart, gut), not by reading about our numbers in the newspaper. This march is just one more step in the overall movement, a chance to rally our people and supporters to "walk the talk, with Aloha" 4. A people's initiative with an open forum is our focus for the Aloha March. It is our kuleana (responsibility) to provide this forum and bring information to the people and the United States Government. The Aloha March has no political agenda. Although we bring the message of injustice, we leave it to our people to choose their representative(s) who, in good faith, will negotiate the making right of these wrongs. A good example of such is the consensus building process occurring within the Ho'omalu ma Kualoa gatherings of sovereignty groups, Hawaiian organizations, and na'ohana (families). 5. Follow-up on the 1993 Apology Bill, Public Law 103-150. To focus in on its "commitment to acknowledge the ramifications of the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i, in order to provide a proper foundation for reconciliation between the United States and the Native Hawaiian people; ...the indigenous Hawaiian people never directly reling1quished their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people or over their national lands to the United States, either through their monarchy or through a plebiscite or referendum"...signed into law by the House, the Senate, and President Clinton on November 23, 1993. The people of Hawai'i need your Aloha now! Please Kokua (help) if your heart tells you! Mahalo. (Thank you.) " IT CAME, IT WAS, IT CONTINUES: The story of the Aloha March |
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This page was established June 24, 1998. |