On January 17, 1893, U.S. Marines overthrew the last ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii, then an independent nation recognized by the United States and others.
One hundred years later, Native Hawaiians, who comprise nearly 20 percent of the state's population, are the only indigenous people in the United States still not recognized by the federal government--and they are the poorest, least educated, and unhealthiest of Hawaiians.
A movement for Native Hawaiian sovereignty has burgeoned as the the anniversary of the overthrow nears, some calling for a "nation within a nation" approach similar to that granted American Indians and Inuits (Eskimos), and others working for complete independence and "decolonization."
Rev. Kaleo Patterson, a Native Hawaiian, was a United Church of Christ pastor on the island of Kauai and president of the Hawaii Ecumenical Coalition when this article appeared.
-The Editors
Hawaii's last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani, made a passionate plea as she yielded her constitutional authority to a group of 13 white men bent on a U.S. annexation and pro-business venture following the 1893 coup:
To prevent the shedding of the blood of my people, natives and foreigners alike, I oppose armed interference, and quietly yield to the armed forces brought against my throne and submit to the arbitrant of the government of the United States the decision of my rights and those of the Hawaiian people. Since then, as is well known to all, I have pursued the path of peace and diplomatic discussion, and not that of internal strife.
Shortly after the overthrow of the queen, President Grover Cleveland sent James M. Blount to Hawaii to assess the situation. After three months in Hawaii, Blount reported to the president that the revolution stemmed from the dissatisfaction of white businessmen, and that without the interference of U.S. Minister John Stevens there could not have been a revolution. Only a small minority of the people of Hawaii, Blount said, approved of the "oligarchy" of the new provisional government that had been instituted after the overthrow. A majority of native and white favored a return of the monarchy.
As a result of Blount's report, President Cleveland attempted to restore the monarchy, but--incredibly--his order was refused by the provisional government. To enforce his order would require congressional action, but Congress hesitated to become involved. Meanwhile, the provisional government insisted on eventual U.S. annexation, which finally occurred in 1898.
From the time annexation had been suggested, the president wrote later, he had been "utterly and constantly opposed to it. Our interference in the Hawaiian Revolution in 1893 was disgraceful." After Hawaii was annexed Cleveland wrote in a letter, "I am ashamed of the whole affair."
CLEVELAND'S WORDS might as well express the sentiments of the United Church of Christ (UCC), the descendant denomination of the first missionaries sent to Hawaii and of the subsequent churches established there. At its July 1991 governing board meeting, the UCC passed a resolution supporting the rights of Native Hawaiians to self-governance and self-determination, including a request that the president of the UCC issue a formal public apology to the Native Hawaiian community.
On January 17 at Honolulu's Kaumakapili Church, UCC President Paul Sherry will convey a public apology for the church's complicity in the 1893 overthrow and its role in subsequent oppression of Hawaiians--a first step in a process of reconciliation between the UCC and the Native Hawaiian community. The apology event may well set the tone and substance for the involvement of the church in the Hawaiian sovereignty movement.
Four years ago a broad church-based movement in Hawaii was begun by the Hawaii Ecumenical Coalition to support and protect the sovereign, civil, and human rights of Native Hawaiians. Mainline denominations and religious organizations in Hawaii have pledged support for Native Hawaiian self-determination. This support will be expressed in various events, including a 1993 March for Hawaiian Sovereignty, co-sponsored by the Hawaii Ecumenical Coalition, which will bring together on Kauai key Hawaiian leaders in the movement.
Many other events and activities will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian government--which many Hawaiians describe as an "act of war" and an "armed invasion by the United States"--including re-enactment dramas, mass marches and demonstrations, worship services, and educational programs.
The movement for the restoration of the Hawaiian nation is as strong as ever. The Hui Na'au'ao, a coalition of more than 60 Hawaiian organizations, was formed a year ago to set into motion a three-year plan to educate the Hawaiian people regarding Hawaiian sovereignty. Ka La Hui Hawaii, with more than 12,000 members, has drafted a constitution that has gone through three constitutional conventions. Both the Democratic and Republican Parties in Hawaii have endorsed resolutions supporting Hawaiian self-governance; nationally, the 1992 Democratic platform supported sovereignty.
There is much re-education that needs to take place in Hawaii, and on the mainland as well. In that, the church is called upon to play a key role.
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