Sept. 4, 2012

Declaration of Independence - Kana'ka ele'u, Imua!

The Kana'ka Maolis, Hawai'i's stout-hearted, honorable indigenous people, have never recognized the jurisdiction of the United States over our lives, lands, seas, customs, and our fortunes. Many Kana'ka Maolis have been destroyed attempting to free themselves from the cruelty and the injustices of an American government that cares nothing for the rights of the indigenous people of Hawai'i, but only for the richness of the lands and seas and Hawai'i's strategic military potential. Many Kana'ka Maolis have been molested, raped, beaten, imprisoned, and murdered in the furtherance of American imperialism.

Yet we live..

We, as with the many Peoples of Oceania with whom we share a common heritage, feel it is eminently indisputable, based upon all evidences extant, that the unlawful overthrow of the kingdom of Hawai'i and the forcing of the Kana'ka Maolis into servitude cannot be denied.

Historical records, particularly those concerning biography and genealogy, document a general consensus affirming Hawai'i's independence. Tradition, history, literary analysis, and, above all of these, the test of prayerful research and truth-seeking investigation unite to demonstrate the authenticity of the facts proving that the kingdom of Hawai'i was destroyed by the United States government.

The culture of the United States is inimical to our ancestral traditions and customs. For nearly 2,000 years we determined our lives under the laws of our kingdom and by the sanctity of our lands, but the United States imposed its will on us through deceit, fraud, theft, conspiracy, and military force.

We, the indigenous people of Hawai'i, emphatically reject incorporation into the United States of America, and hereby announce secession. We do this with clarity of mind, good conscience, and a determined will. We are ready to sacrifice our worldly assets and our very lives to see the kingdom of Hawai'i restored. So say we all.

May Almighty God's will be done. Aei'a Ke Akua Mano Lo'a Kauo'ha ha'na, ho'oko

I am Edmund Kelii Silva, Jr., Ali'i Nui (Sovereign) of the kingdom of Hawai'i. On my mother's side I am the direct lineal descendent of King Kamehameha the Great, and heir to the throne. And, on my father's side I am the direct lineal heir to King Kamehameha Nui of the kingdom of Maui before King Kamehameha the Great unified the lands. On November 22, 2002, the prime minister of the Hawaiian kingdom, along with the Council of Regency, Na Kupuna Council O' Hawai'i Nei, the Na Kupuna Council Hawai'i Moku of the legislative body of government, and the Royal Kupunas of the House of Nobles, proclaimed that I am the lawful successor to Ali'i Nuis (High Chiefs) of ancient Hawai'i.

My islands have always been alive in the sacred blessing of a paradise on earth. At one with the land, the Kana'ka Maolis have always known God in the beauty of their lives, in the strength of their humanity, and in their faith in the goodness of their fellow man. At one with the timeless seas, we have always known power in the force of life and in the force of all the earth's treasures. At one with the winds, the rains, and the sun, we have always known the wonder of nature. And, at one with the stars, we have always revered the mystery of creation.

In harmony with the lands, the seas, and the skies of our birth, ours is a duality of spirit. We value greatly compassion and charity, while we are capable of powerful response against threats to our lands, culture, and families. We are proud of our beauty while we esteem humility as among the most precious of virtues. Youthful in play, we are an ancient culture respecting the dignity of elder wisdom. We live our lives in open joy, seeking perfection in obedience to God. We are Kana'ka Maolis. We are Hawaiians.

For centuries, we have lived in harmony with nature and each other. My people were free of disease and corruption, and our laws and customs were just and noble. In 1778, the arrival from England of Captain Cook and his crew changed everything. Welcomed openly and mistaken for gods, Cook and his men left behind the catastrophe of venereal diseases, chicken pox, and measles, along with their accompanying madness, suffering, and death. What did we know of deceit? What did we know of know of Western diseases and corruption? What did we know of greed? Had we known more, our relations with this alien society would have certainly taken a different course.

Word of the beauty and riches of our islands spread quickly among the haole (foreign) nations. Our lands were torn apart. American missionaries, businessmen, and politicians came to the islands in great numbers, promoting their various agendas. They introduced private land ownership, money, and other hallmarks of western culture. Hawai'i's sugar cane crop and its strategic location were of particular interest. American incursions continued to erode Hawaiian values throughout the 19th century.

In 1810, King Kamehameha the Great unified the Hawaiian islands under a monarchial government. The Kana'ka Maolis ratified the Hawaiian constitution in 1839 and 1840. The United States recognized the independence of the kingdom of Hawai'i and extended full and complete diplomatic recognition to the Hawaiian government until 1893. In 1826,

1842, 1875, and 1887, the United States and the kingdom entered into treaties governing commerce and navigation.

On March 8, 1892, John L. Stevens, the American minister to the Hawaiian islands, sent a letter to the American president. In this letter, Minister Stevens described his plan to subvert the lawful Hawaiian government by staging a false rebellion amongst the inhabitants of Hawai'i. In the face of this "rebellion," Minister Stevens would call upon American military forces to occupy the island and "protect" American interests. Thus, Minister Stevens could invade a foreign country without the approval of congress. Moreover, he could occupy the kingdom and set up a provisional government to advance American interests exclusively. This would give America complete control of the lucrative Hawaiian agricultural industry.

On January 14, 1893, Minister Stevens and a small group of non-Hawaiians staged a "rebellion" on the island of Hawai'i. By design, American naval forces invaded the kingdom and imprisoned Hawaiian monarch Queen Lili'uokalani and high-ranking representatives of the Hawaiian government in the Iolani Palace. On January 17, 1893, a Committee of Safety representing American and European sugar planters, descendants of missionaries, and financiers deposed the Hawaiian monarch and declared the establishment of a provisional government. On February 1, 1893, Minister Stevens proclaimed Hawai'i to be a protectorate of the United States.

On December 18, 1893, President Grover Cleveland addressed the United States congress and acknowledged the deceitful work of Minister Stevens, saying, " The ownership of Hawai'i was tendered to us by a provisional government set up to succeed the constitutional ruler of the Hawaiian islands, who had been dethroned, and it did not appear that such a provisional government had the sanction of either popular revolution or suffrage."

Queen Lili'uokalani was imprisoned in the Iolani Palace under military guard as her people suffered the robbery of their self-determination, the theft of their lands, and the devastation of disease brought to the islands by the haole capitalists. She died broken-hearted, her prayers for justice and the redemption of her lands unfulfilled.

In the wake of the manufactured coup, the Kana'ka Maolis were reduced to a pitiful handful of survivors. As our numbers dwindled, the American government secured a stranglehold on our stolen lands and sold them off to the highest bidders. This exploitation was foreign to us and we were defenseless against it. Soon there was little left to steal or subvert. Nothing was left of our laws and our government. We were a conquered people. World War II reminded the American government that the Hawaiian islands were a strategic resource as well as an economic one. Upon conclusion of the war, America began a campaign of propaganda and political pressure to absorb the wondrous islands of my kingdom into the American empire. On August 21, 1959, the American government completed the destruction of Hawaiian culture by incorporating our lands into the United States. In a political maneuver, the Kana'ka Maolis were offered only the options of choosing American statehood or continuing as an American territory. Our numbers were too few, our spirit too battered, and our political acumen too undeveloped for us to make a statement in opposition.

A look at Hawai'i today illustrates America's contribution to our lands; there is destruction and desecration of a scope unparalleled in contemporary history. Once, ours was a pristine kingdom lovingly maintained by my people. We understood the sanctity of life with the environment. We lived in harmony with nature. We lived our lives within the rhythms and seasons of the seas and the lands. Now the land reeks with the smell of internal combustion engines, and suffers the ravages of unchecked greed and the monstrosity of monolithic "progress." Asphalt ribbons bind the land between concrete monuments to hedonism. Zealous developers trample the rich and fertile soul underfoot, hurrying to build another shopping mall.

Tourists in the shadows of ATM machines eat processed ice cream shipped from the mainland, while coconut trees are uprooted and replanted to shade American hotels designed in Los Angelos. American soldiers seek ribald pleasures on the back streets of Oahu. Organized crime in epic proportions threatens the sanctity of homes, schools, churches, and work places. Whatever became of the true beauty, the spiritual quietude, our peaceful culture? Their loss is the legacy of Minister Stevens.

Albeit grievously wounded by the American invasion, the Hawaiian soul remains alive. Though forced into dormancy by the relentless pressure of American threats and demonstrations of violence, our dual spirit now quickens. Those who would annihilate us have mistaken our open and inviting countenance for weakness. We have learned. Our soul was tempered in the crucible of nearly two centuries of haole indecencies.

Seeds of understanding and activism in the kingdom began to be seen in the

1970's. In a resurgence of spirit, the Kana'ka Maolis began to resurrect their traditional arts, culture, and modes of expression. There was once again energy and pride among the people.

In the 1980's, seeking redress, we brought our grievances before the United States congress. Time and again, we were offered platitudes and meaningless gestures. There was little, if any, evidence of the rights and privileges purportedly attendant upon citizenship in the United States. In our anger, we responded.

In 1991, The Hawaiian state legislature voted for a resolution encouraging debate on the restoration of the Hawaiian nation. In 1992, the legislature voted for a much stronger resolution stating that "the citizens of the state of Hawai'i recognize the inherent right of the indigenous Hawaiian people to sovereignty and self-determination."

In 1993, United States Senators Inouye and Akaka introduced and successfully campaigned for Public Law 103-150, "The Apology Bill." Facing significant political pressure, President William J. Clinton signed the bill on November 23, 1993. As expected, the American congress acknowledged the injustices perpetrated against my people but made no effort to take responsibility for, or action to right, the wrongs of so many years.

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On September 28, 2000, Na Kupuna Council Hawai'i Moku, under authority of Article 33 of the Hawaiian constitution ratified in 1839-1840 (under which Queen Lili'uokalani ruled), appointed Samuel Keolamauloa Kaluna, Jr., regent and lawful prime minister of the Hawaiian kingdom.

The American Declaration of Independence asserts that "governments are instituted among men, deriving their just power from the consent of the governed." The Kana'ka Maolis refuse to be governed by the United States. Moreover, the Kana'ka Maolis have never given their consent to be governed by the United States. The Kana'ka Maolis established a constitutional government, ratified in 1839-1840, which describes our government and sets the rights of the people, the responsibilities and structures of government , and the systems by which laws may be promulgated and enforced.

In keeping with our traditional heritage and culture, we approach this matter peacefully and with dignity. As we respect the dignity of those who have abused us, so do we expect that we shall receive the same respect in kind. We remember well the lessons we have been taught in our prior relationships with the American government. We shall no longer blindly trust the government of the United States. As we proceed, we shall do so under the supervision of international law agencies. We call on the United Nations to monitor these proceedings.

Toward resolution, we shall purchase our lands back from those who have benefited from their theft. As we do so, we shall return the lands to the paradisiacal state in which they existed prior to the destruction, devastation, and desecrations wrought in the name of "progress". We shall restore our stolen right of self-determination by setting up the government under which we will live. We shall no longer allow the United States government to dictate the laws under which we live.

We have taken our cause before the ministers and sovereigns of nations around the world. The response of civilized and honorable countries has been unilaterally supportive. The response of the United States has been disingenuous and dismissive. This response from the United States is not a surprise but a disappointment.

We call on all honorable and honest peoples of the world to support us in this just cause. We call upon these nations to recognize our government and our sovereignty, while we call upon those who have desecrated our seas, stolen our lands, and mutilated our bodies to hear our righteous plea. We call upon Almighty God to guide us as we proceed.

"Au'we, au'we!" Alas, my people cry for beloved Hawai'i. Their ceaseless laments are borne to heaven upon the restless winds. Their cries echo in the endless pounding of the surf on the shores of our islands. Their tears fall upon the asphalt and concrete of Americanized Hawai'i. "Au'we, au'we." The spirits of Hawai'i past walk the lands and grieve for our paradise lost.

The cries of my people are heard but not felt by the United States government, which acknowledges the unlawful taking of our lands but inappropriately offers as token compensation Native American status. The cries of my people are heard but not felt by the United Nations, which deigns to offer sympathy, but scant assistance.

The cries of the old and the young, the cries of my mother, my father, my children, Prime Minister Kaluna, the House of Nobles, the citizens of the kingdom, and the spirits of my ancestors, ring in my ear. I have heard their cries since childhood: "Au'we, au'we!" It breaks my heart. Now a man, I can no longer tolerate my people's pain, nor shall I.

I am Edmund Kelii Silva, Jr., direct lineal descendent of King Kamehameha the Great, direct lineal heir to King Kamehameha Nui of Maui, and Ali'i Nui of the people of Hawai'i. I come in the name of Almighty God and of my people, and under authority of the Hawaiian constitution in effect on January 17, 1893, and hereby declare Hawai'i to be an independent, sovereign nation. In the name of Almighty God and of my people, I hereby declare the nation of Hawai'i to be free and independent from the influence and authority of any and all other nations. In the name of Almighty God and of my people, I hereby declare the nation of Hawai'i to be a sovereign nation grounded in the noble culture of an old and honorable people.

(signed) ______________________________________________________ His Royal Majesty Edmund Kelii Silva, Jr. Ali'i Nui Nou Ke Akua Ke Aupuni O' Hawai'i

The House of the Royal Family

Edmund Kelii Silva, Sr., Father To the Ali'i Nui Direct Heir to King Kamehameha Nui Of Maui

Cecelia Ku'ulei Silva, Mother to the Ali'i Nui Direct Heir to King Kamehameha the Great

Prince Edmund Kelii Silva, III, Son to the Ali'i Nui Princess Gabrielle Leilani Silva, Daughter to the Ali'i Nui Princess Collette Maile Silva, Daughter to the Ali'i Nui

(signed) ____________________________________________________________

Regent, Prime Minister Samuel Keolamauloa Kaluna, Jr. Na Kupuna Council Hawai'i Nei, Na Kupuna Council Hawai'i Moku

 

CERTIFICATION OF MAILING

I, Samuel Keolamauloa Kaluna, Jr., do hereby certify that a true and correct copy of the foregoing Declaration of Independence was placed in the United States Mail, sufficient postage prepaid, correctly addressed to the following at their respective addresses as indicated, on the 23rd day of June, 2003.

 

George W. Bush President of the United States The Presidential White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 25500

 

Kofi Annan Secretary General, United Nations S-378 New York, New York 10017

(signed) ________________________________________ Samuel Keolamauloa Kaluna, Jr. Prime Minister-Kingdom of Hawai'i