Synopsis: A recent decision in a Utah court, designed to grant American Samoans U.S. citizenship, was overturned by an appellate court Opens in a new tabin Denver. In what way will this affect the rights of American Samoans?
Aloha mai kākou. Eia nō māua ke lu‘u aku nei i loko o nei kai ‘ōlepolepo me ka ho‘omaopopo mua na‘e ē, ‘a‘ohe o māua kuleana i ka maha‘oi wale aku i loko o ko ha‘i ko‘a. He kumuhana na‘e kēia ma Kāmoa i ‘ike ‘ia kona pilina ma Hawai‘i nei. A no laila, e ho‘ohālike ‘ia ka hihia e kupu nei ma laila i kēia wā me ka hihia i kupu mai ma Hawai‘i nei i loko o ko kākou pilina me ‘Amelika.
Aia kauwahi po‘e Kāmoa e noho ana ma Utah ua koi aku nei i ke aupuni ‘Amelika e ho‘okupa iā lākou i mea e loa‘a ai nā pono a pau o nā kupa ‘ē a‘e o ua aupuni nei. Ua hānau ‘ia lākou i Kāmoa, a no laila, ‘a‘ole lākou he kupa maoli no ‘Amelika ma lalo o ke kānāwai. He “national” ko lākou kūlana, a no laila, he hapa mai nā pono o lākou i ko ke kupa maoli. Eia ho‘i kekahi mau la‘ana: ‘A‘ohe o lākou koho i nā moho no nā kūlana pekelala, e la‘a ka pelekikena. ‘A‘ole ho‘i e hiki ke holo pāloka. ‘A‘ole hiki ke lawelawe i ka hana kiule a me kekahi mau ‘oihana ‘ē a‘e ho‘i, a aia ko lākou kūlana he kupa a noi ma o ia hana he ho‘okupa ‘ana. ‘O ka mea ‘āpiki ho‘i, ua loa‘a kēia mau pono i nā kupa mai nā kelikoli ‘ē a‘e, e la‘a me Poko Liko, a ua hoka na‘e nā Kāmoa.
Ua kāko‘o ‘ia ke koi ‘ana a ua po‘e Kāmoa lā e noho ana ma Utah, eia na‘e, ua ho‘opi‘i kū‘ē ‘ia i kēia pule nei e ka ‘Aha Mana Ho‘okolokolo ma Denver a ua kāpae ‘ia no ka manawa. A eia nō ka mea hoihoi. Ma ke kū‘ē ‘ia e ka ‘Aha Mana Ho‘okolokolo, ua kū‘ē pū ‘ia e ke aupuni ma Kāmoa ‘Amelika. He ‘oko‘a loa ke ‘ano o ke kānāwai ma laila. ‘A‘ole wale nō ‘o ka ‘Aha ke ho‘okolokolo i nā hihia, aia nō ka fono o kēlā me kēia ‘aiga, a na ka mātai o ia ‘aiga ka ho‘okolokolo ‘ana. Inā e ho‘okupa ‘ia nā maka‘āinana a pau a lilo i kupa maoli no ‘Amelika, e pau ana paha kekahi mau hana ma‘a mau o ka nohona Kāmoa, ka fa‘aSāmoa ho‘i, e la‘a ke ‘ano o ia mea he “land ownership”. I kēia manawa, aia ka hapanui o ka ‘āina ma Kāmoa ma lalo o ka mana o nā mātai. Eia nō kekahi po‘e ke maka‘u nei o loli auane‘i ia ‘ano nohona ke lilo ka po‘e a pau i kupa no ‘Amelika.
Eia nō māua ke nānā aku nei mai kahi mamao aku me ka ho‘omana‘o pū i ka noho hewa ‘ia mai o Hawai‘i nei e ‘Amelika a me ka ho‘olilo ‘ia i moku‘āina no ua pōā nei. Mali‘a, ua kāko‘o ‘ia e kekahi po‘e a ua kū‘ē ‘ia e kekahi po‘e, e like me ka nīnau e hāpai ‘ia nei ma Kāmoa ‘Amelika. Ua ‘oko‘a nō na‘e kēlā wā a ‘oko‘a ho‘i kēia wā a kākou e ‘ike nei i ke kā‘ili ‘ia mai o ko kākou ‘āina i mea e kūkulu ai i kahi ‘ohe nānā nunui, i nāhi pela makani, i pāka kahakai ho‘i, ia mea aku ia mea aku, me he lā, ‘o ia ko lākou ‘āina pono‘ī.
No māua, e aho ka noho kū‘oko‘a ‘ana o ka po‘e ‘ōiwi o ka honua nei, a me ka mālama ‘ana i ko kākou mau loina i mea e mau ai ke ‘ano o ko kākou mau kūpuna. I kupu mai auane‘i ka mana‘o i loko o kekahi po‘e e noi i kūlana kupa no ‘Amelika, hiki nō iā lākou ke ho‘omanawanui mai i ia mea ‘o ka ho‘opihapiha palapala e noi ai i kūlana kupa pālua. Pēlā e hiki ai iā lākou ke fa‘a‘Amelika, inā pēlā ka pahuhopu.
E ho‘ouna ‘ia mai na ā leka iā māua, ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o Laiana Wong a me Kekeha Solis ma ka pahu leka uila ma lalo nei:
>> kwong@hawaii.edu
>> rsolis@hawaii.edu
a i ‘ole ia, ma ke kelepona:
>> 956-2627 (Laiana)
>> 956-2627 (Kekeha)
This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
