Decolonial monarchism! This jives well with Bioregionalism and indigenous clan/band/village level sovereignty. A fellow member of my tribe commented that “sovereignty should not be defined at the whim of U.S. congressional mood swings.” I agree entirely but would add that the US would never allow for any genuine, self defined sovereignty for indigenous nations within it’s borders. I theorize that the only conditions under which that might happen are when the US is weak and badly in need of winning the support of indigenous peoples, Native Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and First Nations to maintain its legitimacy. But at that point why would we need such a weak ally? Until then, the only acceptable level of “sovereignty” will be that of a client state at best, but more likely we’ll remain as just another colonial administrative unit of the bureaucratic empire.

Kanaka Maoli to Feds: ‘Get Out of Our House! Go Home!’

Civil Beat
by Chad Blair

Leona Kalima shares her manao with the Department of Interior about a government-to-government relationship with Hawaiians, Hawaii State Capitol, June 23, 2014. PF Bentley/Civil Beat

To help the U.S. Department of the Interior understand how some Native Hawaiians view federal recognition, DeMont R. D. Conner offered this analogy:

Your car is stolen. The person who stole the car later apologizes and offers you a bicycle.

The only proper response to such an offer, said Connor, is to insist that the stolen property be returned to its rightful owner.

“Go back and tell your boss, ‘Give ’em back da car!’” he told a panel of Interior officials as the audience that packed the Hawaii State Capitol Monday morning erupted into laughter and hearty applause.

Connor’s point was that the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893 was a theft.

For federal officials to offer recognition, a 121 years later, to Kanaka Maoli as an indigenous people entitled to government-to-government status with the United States is like giving them a bike. Not just any bike, either, said Conner: a Schwinn.

He was one of 143 people who testified — and shouted, cried, pleaded, prayed, chanted and sang — for more than three hours Monday before Interior officials. It was the first of 15 public meetings in the islands scheduled over the next two weeks.

The hearings are part of a “listening tour” being conducted by Interior to solicit comments and feedback on “whether and how” the process of reestablishing a government-to-government relationship should proceed.

The answer from nearly everyone who testified Monday was that it should not. In their view, Hawaii is still a nation and the Americans are occupiers — like the U.S. military — who should leave.

Continued…