The Colonization of Hawaii and the Lasting Effects

Since learning about the colonization of Hawaii by the U.S. government and the impact colonization has had on Native Hawaiians for centuries, I have been doing a lot of reflecting on the topic, my previous visits to Hawaii, and why we aren't taught about the colonialist past of Hawaii. I started doing research on the colonization of Hawaii and how it effects Native Hawaiians. In my multicultural psychology class we watched parts of a documentary called "Hawaii the Stolen Paradise," I was shocked that I had never learned about the history of Hawaii before and so I watched the whole documentary and did some other research to further educate myself.

A Brief History of the Colonization of Hawaii 

Hawaii is an archipelago made up of eight islands. Native Hawaiians are Polynesian and are thought to have come from Tahiti or  the Marquesas Islands. By the 12th or 13th century Hawaiians were living on their own, and formed different kingdoms. In 1810, King Kamehameha united all of the kingdoms into one, the Kingdom of Hawaii. In 1843, the Kingdom of Hawaii was recognized as an independent nation-state, and a member of the family of nations through treaties with Great Britain, the United States of America, and 20 other countries, which was meant to secure the Kingdom's sovereignty. The Kingdom of Hawaii was the first non-European or American territory to be recognized as an independent state. The term "Hawaiian" originated in the 19th century as a term used to recognize people's membership or citizenship in the Kingdom of Hawaii. 

As Hawaii became an independent nation, immigrants from Europe and America settled in Hawaii. Many Americans settlers started sugar cane plantations, and used their economic power to pressure the government of the Kingdom to develop in ways that suited their businesses. In 1891, Queen Lili'uokalani took over the rule of the sovereign monarchy. In 1893, she created a new constitution for the kingdom which gave the right to vote to only Native Hawaiians. A group of 13 businessmen who called themselves the committee of safety with Minister Stevens, the U.S. minister to Hawaii, took it upon themselves to overthrow Queen Lili'uokalani because they were afraid they would lose their economic and political power under the new constitution. On January 17, 1893, U.S. troops landed in Hawaii arguing that they were there to protect the rights of the American settlers. Queen Lili'uokalani was arrested and forced to abdicate the throne. The American settlers took advantage of the downfall of the monarchy and created the Republic of Hawaii. The people of Hawaii did not want their government to be run by Americans and began to protest. Over 37,000 Hawaiians signed a petition asking the U.S. government to acknowledge Hawaii as an independent state and that the Hawaiian people did not want to be annexed. The U.S. government ignored the petition and in August 1898, the Kingdom of Hawaii flag was taken down and replaced with an American flag. On March 12, 1959, U.S. congress voted to grant Hawaii statehood.

How the Impacts of Colonization are Still Felt 

In 1993, the United States government passed Public Law 103-150 (informally known as the Apology Resolution), which acknowledged that the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii occurred with the active participation of U.S. agents and citizens and that Native Hawaiian people never relinquished their sovereignty over their lands. The apology might be a nice gesture, but it hasn't changed anything for the Hawaiian people. 

Annexation brought a process of Americanization to the islands. The new government imposed an educational system that forced public schools to teach only English. The U.S. government realized what a strategic location Hawaii is in and created a huge military presence on the islands, destroying sacred lands in the process. In 1920, the U.S. government defined what a Native Hawaiian is using blood quantum, which legally defined Native Hawaiians as those with 50% or more with "native" blood. The U.S. government's encouragement of tourism has exploited the Hawaiian land and people. 

Poverty, high cost of living, cultural alienation, and military presence are the largest effects of colonization felt by Native Hawaiians today. The military's presence is huge in Hawaii, as Hawaii is the headquarters of the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) which is made up of all of the branches of military - army, navy, and air force. Last year, the military industry contributed 7.7 billion dollars to Hawaii's GDP, making it the second largest economy in the state behind tourism. Tourism accounts for about 21% of the state's economy and brings in 16 billion dollars in revenue (pre-COVID-19 pandemic). Tourism does not serve the Native Hawaiian population. In 1989 a convention was held that looked at the negative impact of tourism on Native Hawaiians. Reverend Kaleo Patterson summed up the negative impact of tourism on Native Hawaiians saying,

       

Contrary to the claims of its promoters, tourism, the biggest industry in Hawaii has not benefited the poor and oppressed Native Hawaiian people. Tourism is not an indigenous practice, nor has it been initiated by Native Hawaiian people. Rather, tourism promotion and development has been directed and controlled by those who already control wealth and power, nationally and internationally. Its primary purpose is to make money. 

As such, tourism is a new form of exploitation. As a consequence, the Native Hawaiian people suffer the most; their culture, has been increasingly threatened, their beaches and even sacred sites have been taken over or intruded upon in order to build tourist resorts and related developments. 

Furthermore, tourism brings and expands the evil of an economy which perpetuates the poverty of Native Hawaiian people and which leads to sexual and domestic violence and substance abuse among the Native Hawaiian people. In addition, sexism and racism are closely interlinked with tourism. In short, tourism, as it exists today, is detrimental to the life, well-being, and spiritual health of Native Hawaiian people. If not checked and transformed, it will bring grave harm, not only to the Native Hawaiian people, but also to all people living on Hawaii.