Native Hawaiian Renaissance

Native Hawaiian Renaissance
Name	Native Hawaiian Renaissance
Caption	ʻIolani Palace, symbol of Hawaiian monarchy history and cultural revival
Location	Hawaiʻi
Period	1960s–present

Native Hawaiian Renaissance is a late 20th-century and ongoing period of renewed interest in Hawaiian language, hula, Hawaiian music, canoe voyaging, and traditional law among Native Hawaiians and allies. It followed decades of suppression after the Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii and coincided with global movements such as the Civil Rights Movement, American Indian Movement, and Pacific Islander cultural revivals. The Renaissance reshaped institutions like University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, grassroots groups such as Aha Pūnana Leo, and national conversations around Hawaiian sovereignty and land rights.

Background and Origins

The movement emerged amid the 1960s and 1970s shifts that included protests at Mauna Kea, activism around Kalaupapa National Historical Park legacies, and legislative changes like the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1921's later reinterpretations. Influences included practitioners returning from voyages on Hōkūleʻa guided by Nainoa Thompson, scholars at Bishop Museum, journalists at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and advocates who drew on precedents set by figures associated with the Royal Hawaiian Band and the legacy of Liliʻuokalani. The origins also intersect with legal developments such as decisions by the United States Supreme Court and debates in the Hawaii State Legislature over native rights.

Cultural Revitalization (Language, Music, Hula, Arts)

Language revival accelerated with immersion efforts like Aha Pūnana Leo preschools and university programs at Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Musicians including Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, Gabby Pahinui, Rita Coolidge, Kealiʻi Reichel, Kalapana (band), and ensembles tied to Slack-key guitar traditions reintroduced traditional mele alongside contemporary forms. Hula practitioners such as Donn Beach's era contemporaries and kumu hula like Doris Duke's patronage allies and native teachers maintained and adapted protocols that trace to chiefs like Kamehameha I. Visual arts and crafts were highlighted by exhibitions at Honolulu Museum of Art, collaborations with Polynesian Voyaging Society, and revival of ʻōʻō and feather work preserved by institutions including Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum.

Political and Land Rights Movements

Political mobilization included occupations and protests at sites such as Kahoʻolawe and Mauna Kea that engaged groups like Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana and the Kānaka Maoli movement. Legal battles invoked instruments like the Apology Resolution passed by the United States Congress and claims pursued through the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Hawaii State Judiciary. Activists drew on alliances with organizations such as American Civil Liberties Union chapters, labor unions like International Longshore and Warehouse Union, and environmental NGOs including Sierra Club (U.S.) Hawaiʻi to press issues tied to land tenure and federal trust responsibilities linked to the Hawaiian Homes Commission.

Key Figures and Organizations

Prominent leaders and institutions include cultural navigators like Nainoa Thompson, kumu hula such as Kapualei Elliott-Lee and Mary Kawena Pukui's scholarly descendants, legal advocates affiliated with ʻĪlioʻulaokalani Coalition-adjacent networks, educators at Kapiʻolani Community College, and nonprofit entities including Aha Pūnana Leo, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Polynesian Voyaging Society, Kamehameha Schools, and Bishop Museum. Political figures who shaped policy debates include former governors like George Ariyoshi and legislators connected to the formation of the Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement. Media and arts leaders encompassed producers at Kāʻanapali festivals, curators at Honolulu Museum of Art, and publishers of works by writers in the lineage of John Dominis Holt IV and poets linked to The Hawaiian Journal of History.

Impacts on Contemporary Hawaiian Society

The Renaissance influenced curricular changes at University of Hawaiʻi system campuses, land stewardship practices implemented by Department of Land and Natural Resources (Hawaii), and cultural tourism shaped by events at Aloha Festivals and venues on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, and Hawaiʻi (island). It informed policy at agencies like Office of Hawaiian Affairs and shaped litigation in federal courts and state commissions including cases before the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Social outcomes included increased Hawaiian language fluency through immersion schools, the resurgence of voyaging documented by the Hōkūleʻa's global expeditions, and the reassertion of native practices in land management by community trusts like Kīpuka initiatives and Native Hawaiian non-profits.

Criticism, Controversies, and Challenges

Critiques have emerged from practitioners, scholars, and policymakers over commercialization at Waikīkī resorts, tensions between development interests like those represented by Alexander & Baldwin and community groups such as Koa`e-affiliated collectives, and debates about representation in institutions including Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools. Controversies include jurisdictional disputes implicating the U.S. Department of the Interior, debates over the implementation of the Apology Resolution, and intra-community disagreements between proponents of full sovereignty and advocates favoring federal recognition models akin to federally recognized tribes. Ongoing challenges involve reconciling tourism economies around Honolulu Harbor with cultural preservation, sustaining funding for immersion programs, and navigating legal frameworks such as the Hawaii Admission Act and federal environmental statutes.

Category:History of Hawaii Category:Culture of Hawaii Category:Indigenous rights in the United States