Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi

Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi is a Native Hawaiian organization formed to pursue self-determination, cultural revival, and political recognition for Native Hawaiians. It has been involved in land issues, sovereignty movements, and cultural revitalization alongside other groups participating in debates over federal policy, state decisions, and Native Hawaiian rights. The organization has engaged with legislatures, courts, activists, and community leaders across the Hawaiian Islands.

History

Founded during a period of intensified activism in the late 20th century, Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi emerged amid events such as the Hawaiian Renaissance, the Mauna Kea protests, the Waiāhole-Waikāne struggle, and ongoing disputes over ʻāina and pūʻuhonua. Its formation followed precedents set by groups like the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Hawaiian Civic Clubs, the Sovereignty Movement, and the Hui Aloha ʻĀina. Key moments in its history intersect with the Apology Resolution, the Akaka Bill debates, the Kūʻē Petitions legacy, and litigation involving the United States District Court and the Supreme Court of the United States. The organization has interacted with figures and entities including the State of Hawaiʻi, the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and congressional delegations such as members of the United States Congress and the United States Senate. Encounters with cultural leaders and kūpuna have connected it to genealogical claims, the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, and land trusts like the Kamehameha Schools and the Nature Conservancy.

Leadership and Organization

Leadership has included lauded and contested figures drawn from activist networks that also produced leaders like Haunani-Kay Trask, ʻIwalani? , and other community organizers associated with the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees, and municipal councils in Honolulu and Hilo. Organizational structure mirrors nonprofit entities registered with the Hawaiʻi Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, with boards analogous to those of the Kamehameha Schools, the Bishop Museum, and the Hawaiian Civic Clubs. Administrative interactions have involved attorneys who practiced before the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary, advocates who testified before the United States Congress, and cultural advisors connected to institutions such as the East–West Center and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Partnerships and rivalries have linked the organization to groups like the Mauna Kea Hui, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, the Conservation Council for Hawaiʻi, and community associations from Kauaʻi, Maui, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi.

Political Activities and Advocacy

Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi has pursued political avenues including petitions, ballot initiatives, and participation in state legislative hearings alongside stakeholders such as the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, the Governor of Hawaiʻi, county mayors, and departments like the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. It has engaged with national bodies such as the United States Department of Justice, the Department of the Interior, and congressional committees including the United States House Committee on Natural Resources. Advocacy has intersected with campaigns involving the Akaka Bill, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, the Apology Resolution discussions, land transfer proposals involving the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and contested developments at Waiʻanae, Kahoʻolawe, and Maunakea. The group has coordinated demonstrations with organizations like Greenpeace USA, Sierra Club Hawaiʻi, and community-based ʻohana, and has engaged media outlets including the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Civil Beat, and PBS Hawaiʻi in public discourse.

Cultural and Educational Programs

Cultural programming has included workshops in hula, oli, ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi immersion, canoe voyaging, and kapa making, often collaborating with cultural practitioners affiliated with institutions such as the Bishop Museum, Kamehameha Schools, the Polynesian Voyaging Society, and the Merrie Monarch Festival. Educational initiatives have partnered with the University of Hawaiʻi system, Kānaka Maoli educators, charter schools, and ʻAha Pūnana Leo preschools to promote indigenous language revitalization and genealogical research in coordination with archives like the State Archives of Hawaiʻi and institutions such as the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. Public events and conferences have brought together scholars from Harvard University, Stanford University, the East–West Center, and activists connected to Native American and Pacific Islander networks who also work with the United Nations, the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, and academic journals that publish on indigenous rights and Pacific history.

Controversies and Legal Issues

The organization has been involved in contested legal matters touching on property disputes, recognition, taxation, and nonprofit governance, with cases brought before tribunals such as the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary, the United States District Court for the District of Hawaiʻi, and administrative proceedings at the Department of the Interior. Disputes have intersected with litigation involving the Kamehameha Schools, the Hawaiian Homes Commission, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and private landholders; political tensions have involved figures like state legislators, governors, and federal representatives. Criticisms and controversies have included alleged governance disputes, contested claims to represent all Native Hawaiians in negotiations with bodies like the United Nations and the United States Congress, and debates over strategies mirrored in other movements represented by organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Native American Rights Fund, and the National Congress of American Indians.

Category:Native Hawaiian organizations