Synopsis: When we talk about “self determination,” why is it that we are always talking about a group of selves as if they were a united whole with no individual differences?

E nā hoa ‘imi ea o ka ‘āina e ho’olu’u ‘ia nei na’e ke po’o i lalo o ka ‘iliwai, ke ‘olā’olā aku nei kahi puka ihu i ka hā’awi aloha aku iā ‘oukou.

E kala kahiko ke kā’ili ‘ia mai o ko kākou ea, ka ‘āina, ka ‘ōlelo, a me ia mea aku ia mea aku, a ma hope o ka ho’omanawanui paupauaho ‘ole ‘ana i ka noho ‘īnea ma lalo o ka mana o ‘Amelika, ke ‘ae mai nei ua aupuni kala’ihi nei iā kākou e kūkulu i aupuni hou no kākou pono’ī iho nō. I ‘ole ho’i e kapa ‘ia mai au i ka mahalo ‘ole, eia nō au ke hā’awi aku nei i ko’u mahalo piha i kēia hāwa’e ‘i’o ‘ole a ‘Amelika e hānai mai nei iā kākou.

‘O ka nīnau nui e kupu mai ana, ‘o ia ho’i, he aha ke ‘ano o kēia aupuni hou? He aupuni kū’oko’a paha a he aupuni ho’opunipuni paha e ho’omanawanui nei i ka noho luna ‘ana mai a kahi aupuni ho’okolonaio?

‘O ka nīnau nui, pehea e ho’iho’i ‘ia ai ia mea he kū’oko’a, ‘a’ole nō ia i ha’alele iā kākou? ‘O ka pilikia, ‘o ia ka noho pa’ahao ‘ia o kākou Hawai’i ma ko kākou ‘āīna pono’ī. ‘Eā, i loko nō o ia noho hewa ‘ia, mau nō ke kū’oko’a. Mau nō ho’i ke ea o ka ‘āina. Eia ka mea ‘āpiki, ‘o kākou ke hewa i ke kali ‘ana o ka ‘ae mai a ‘Amelika i kā kākou hana. He ‘ai pala maunu anei kākou no ‘Amelika? Aia ka lanakila a noke aku kākou i ka paio ‘ana no ka pono.

‘O ke ka’ina o ka hana i kēia manawa, e mālama mua ‘ia ke koho pāloka no ke koho ‘ana i nā ‘elele nāna e kūkākūkā e pili ana i ke ‘ano o ke aupuni e kūkulu ‘ia ana. Ua ‘ike ‘ia he 209 moho e holo nei no nā noho he 40 wale nō. A pau ke koho pāloka ‘ana a me ka ‘aha kūkā, e ‘āpono ‘ia ana ke ‘ano o ia aupuni hou. Wahi a kekahi luna o Na’i Aupuni, ka hui nāna e mālama nei i kēia koho pāloka ‘ana, ‘a’ole kona hui he “state agency” a ‘a’ole ia e noho nei ma lalo o ka mana o kekahi “state agency”. Eia na’e, ke kāko’o nei ‘o OHA, kekahi “state agency”, ma ka ho’olako ‘ana i ke kālā e mālama ai i kēia mau papahana. Eia hou ho’i, ‘o ke ke’ena nāna e ‘ohi i nā inoa o ka po’e hiki ke koho pāloka, ‘o ia ho’i ka Roll Commission, ua “based on valid and constitutional state and federal laws”, a ma muli o nā kānāwai he nui o ia ‘ano, “Native Hawaiians have a special political and legal status under state and federal law.” He aha lā ko lākou mana’o no ia mea he kū’oko’a?

Eia hou kekahi, ua hemahema ka hana a ka po’e kūkala nūhou. Ua kūkala mai lākou no nā nīnau pili i kēia kūkulu aupuni hou a me ke kū’ē ‘ana o ka po’e Grassroots, he hui e paipai nei i nā pono o kēlā me kēia kanaka ho’okahi o ‘Amelika e koho i kona ala e hele ai, ‘a’ole na’e i hō’ike ‘ia nā mana’o o ka po’e paipai kū’oko’a maoli a e mana’o nei ho’i aia ka hō’ea ‘ana mai o ia kūlana a ha’alele loa ‘o ‘Amelika.

‘O ka “self” e lohe ‘ia nei ma ka hua’ōlelo “self determination”, ‘o wai lā ia? 

This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.