Hawaii State Coalition for Native Hawaiian Rights

Hawaii State Coalition for Native Hawaiian Rights
Name	Hawaii State Coalition for Native Hawaiian Rights
Formation	1970s
Type	Nonprofit advocacy coalition
Status	Active
Headquarters	Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
Region served	Hawaiian Islands
Leader title	Executive Director

Hawaii State Coalition for Native Hawaiian Rights is a statewide advocacy coalition formed in the late twentieth century to coordinate legal, political, cultural, and community responses to land, water, and sovereignty issues affecting Native Hawaiian people. The coalition brought together Native Hawaiian organizations, community groups, legal advocates, and cultural practitioners to pursue policy change, litigation, and public education across the Hawaiian Islands. It operated in the context of broader movements involving the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Hawaiian Homes Commission, the Royal Hawaiian Band, and numerous iwi kūpuna and ahupuaʻa stakeholders.

History

The coalition emerged amid activism linked to the Hawaiian Renaissance, including connections to key episodes such as the 1970s Makahiki revivals, the 1978 Kūʻē Petitions legacy, and protests like the Waiāhole-Waikāne struggle and the Kahoʻolawe occupation. Influences included leaders associated with organizations such as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, the Bishop Museum, and the Queen Liliʻuokalani Trust. Early collaborations involved legal counsel from attorneys linked to cases before the United States Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit, intersecting with issues raised in lawsuits analogous to those handled by the Native American Rights Fund and by advocates around the Mauna Kea telescope controversies. The coalition coordinated with community entities across Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kauaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island, and engaged with institutions like the University of Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi State Legislature, and municipal agencies in Honolulu.

Mission and Goals

The coalition aimed to protect and restore Native Hawaiian rights concerning land tenure, water allocation, cultural sites, language revitalization, and political recognition. It pursued statutory remedies under laws enacted by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and advocated for federal actions connected to statutes similar to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, while aligning with initiatives promoted by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Kamehameha Schools. Policy goals included securing equitable resources through entities such as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and influencing administrative decisions involving agencies like the U.S. Department of the Interior. The coalition also supported cultural perpetuation through partnerships with institutions like the Bishop Museum, ʻIolani Palace, Hoʻokūpono programs, and immersion schools modeled after Pūnana Leo.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

The coalition comprised representatives from a broad spectrum of organizations including civic clubs, nonprofit legal firms, cultural trusts, and community councils. Leadership typically included an executive director supported by a board with members from the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi, Hui ʻĀina Momona, and other community-based groups. Advisory roles were filled by kūpuna and practitioners associated with hula halau, ʻike kūpuna programs, and academic centers at the University of Hawaiʻi and the Kānaka Maoli Studies departments. The coalition worked in concert with attorneys experienced in litigation before the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and federal agencies such as the National Park Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Major Campaigns and Legal Actions

The coalition engaged in litigation and policy campaigns over land rights, contested development projects, water rights, and cultural preservation. Campaigns included coordinated responses to development proposals affecting wahi pana and puʻu sites, advocacy around water adjudication cases echoing issues in the Ala Wai and East Maui watersheds, and interventions similar to those in Mauna Kea permit disputes. The coalition supported legal strategies informed by precedents from cases involving the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and landmark decisions considered in the U.S. District Court and appellate courts. It collaborated with organizations like the Native American Rights Fund, the Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi, the Environmental Law Institute, and conservation groups active in Haleakalā and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

Partnerships and Community Outreach

Partnerships spanned civic, cultural, academic, and legal institutions including the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, Bishop Museum, Kamehameha Schools, Queen Liliʻuokalani Trust, University of Hawaiʻi, Pūnana Leo immersion programs, Hawaiian cultural centers, and community health organizations. The coalition hosted workshops with scholars and elders from institutions such as the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, ʻIolani Palace Trust, and academic units at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. It coordinated outreach with environmental groups working in Hāʻena, Molokaʻi community organizations, and kūpuna councils on Kauaʻi, and engaged with national entities including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Native American Rights Fund, and philanthropic foundations that fund indigenous programs.

Impact and Controversies

The coalition influenced public policy, assisted in shaping administrative decisions, and supported litigation that affected outcomes for Native Hawaiian land use, water allocation, and cultural site protection. Its interventions contributed to heightened visibility for Native Hawaiian claims alongside efforts by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and pushed for reforms in agencies such as the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Controversies stemmed from disputes over strategy, including tensions between proponents of federal recognition, supporters of state-based trusts, and activists favoring direct action—echoing debates seen in movements connected to the Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement, Hui Alaloa, and Native Hawaiian activists involved in Mauna Kea protests. Critics sometimes accused coalition partners of aligning with institutional agendas represented by entities like Kamehameha Schools or the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, while allies argued collaboration was necessary to secure legal protections through courts and administrative processes such as those overseen by the U.S. Department of the Interior and state agencies.

Category:Native Hawaiian organizations Category:Organizations established in the 1970s Category:Culture of Hawaii Category:Law in Hawaii