Although we already know some of the history behind how Hawaii came to be the 50th state, when I saw in the newspaper that there was going to be a series of costumed performers explaining how the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown, I felt we needed to go. I confess I thought it would be something to blog about. Here is a link to a National Archives Teachers Guide to teach this part of Hawaiian history.
We made a reservation for this past Sunday. It's a good thing we did because the groups were packed!
Our docent took us to seven stations where we would meet costumed actors who would explain a part of the history to us.
From the very start we were blown away by the highly skilled actors' performances. They took us back to 1893 when illegal and immoral machinations led to the Hawaiian people losing their monarchy and sovereign nation.
Will Ha'o as Mr. Ah Sing explained how Caucasians took away his right (along with all other non-whites) to vote.
It was explained that the descendents of missionaries who brought Christianity to the islands now took away their kingdom that belonged to the Hawaiian people.
It was because those descendents considered themselves above the Hawaiian people and were motivated by the greed of the sugar industry.
The overwhelming majority of Hawaiian people signed petitions to the Queen not to be annexed to the United States. Hawaii had already been recognized as a sovereign country by other nations such as England, France, Japan, Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Tahiti, Samoa, etc.
This actress portrayed Queen Liliuokalani who tried her best to help her people who wanted their own constitution rather than what the businessmen had written up, taking away the rights of the Hawaiian people.
There was a rebellion and the Queen was accused of treason and held prisoner in the Iolani Palace.
She was told that if she did not abdicate, her supporters would be killed.
The businessmen (Provisional Government) then asked the United States to annex Hawaii (they wanted a sugar farm subsidy which they couldn't get if Hawaii was not part of the U.S.) but President Grover Cleveland refused and sent representatives to Hawaii to discover those who were responsible for the illegal overthrow which he considered "an act of war."
The businessmen realized that they'd better withdraw their request for the annexation. In 1896, the Hawaiian language is banned in schools.
The Hawaii Provisional Government now asked President McKinley for the annexation.
In 1898, the Spanish American war began and the U.S. needed a base for military purposes.
On August 12, 1898 Hawaii is annexed to the U.S.
There was this actor portraying a Japanese plantation worker. Like many other immigrant workers, they supported the monarchy who tried to protect them. Here Mr. Suzuki tells of white plantation owners who brought them over promising good living conditions and wages. Instead, they were often worked to death and had to live in terrible conditions. When one plantation owner heard about a worker who died, he was reported as saying it's a good thing it wasn't his mule because the mule was more valuable.
When Queen Liliuokalani heard about all these injustices, she forced the plantation owners to abide by the contracts they'd written. Because of this, immigrant workers supported the Queen.
I hope I'm being accurate here. There are too many details for me to record in this post.
I learned so much that I didn't know. It was just all so much worse than I thought.
It is a terrible, shameful part of Hawaiian and U.S. history.
This all happened only 119 years ago.
I don't know what you can do to redress a wrong of such magnitude except that I hope we can all learn from it by bringing it out into the open so it doesn't happen again.
We made a reservation for this past Sunday. It's a good thing we did because the groups were packed!
Our docent took us to seven stations where we would meet costumed actors who would explain a part of the history to us.
From the very start we were blown away by the highly skilled actors' performances. They took us back to 1893 when illegal and immoral machinations led to the Hawaiian people losing their monarchy and sovereign nation.
Will Ha'o as Mr. Ah Sing explained how Caucasians took away his right (along with all other non-whites) to vote.
It was explained that the descendents of missionaries who brought Christianity to the islands now took away their kingdom that belonged to the Hawaiian people.
It was because those descendents considered themselves above the Hawaiian people and were motivated by the greed of the sugar industry.
The overwhelming majority of Hawaiian people signed petitions to the Queen not to be annexed to the United States. Hawaii had already been recognized as a sovereign country by other nations such as England, France, Japan, Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Tahiti, Samoa, etc.
This actress portrayed Queen Liliuokalani who tried her best to help her people who wanted their own constitution rather than what the businessmen had written up, taking away the rights of the Hawaiian people.
There was a rebellion and the Queen was accused of treason and held prisoner in the Iolani Palace.
She was told that if she did not abdicate, her supporters would be killed.
The businessmen (Provisional Government) then asked the United States to annex Hawaii (they wanted a sugar farm subsidy which they couldn't get if Hawaii was not part of the U.S.) but President Grover Cleveland refused and sent representatives to Hawaii to discover those who were responsible for the illegal overthrow which he considered "an act of war."
The businessmen realized that they'd better withdraw their request for the annexation. In 1896, the Hawaiian language is banned in schools.
The Hawaii Provisional Government now asked President McKinley for the annexation.
In 1898, the Spanish American war began and the U.S. needed a base for military purposes.
On August 12, 1898 Hawaii is annexed to the U.S.
There was this actor portraying a Japanese plantation worker. Like many other immigrant workers, they supported the monarchy who tried to protect them. Here Mr. Suzuki tells of white plantation owners who brought them over promising good living conditions and wages. Instead, they were often worked to death and had to live in terrible conditions. When one plantation owner heard about a worker who died, he was reported as saying it's a good thing it wasn't his mule because the mule was more valuable.
When Queen Liliuokalani heard about all these injustices, she forced the plantation owners to abide by the contracts they'd written. Because of this, immigrant workers supported the Queen.
I hope I'm being accurate here. There are too many details for me to record in this post.
I learned so much that I didn't know. It was just all so much worse than I thought.
It is a terrible, shameful part of Hawaiian and U.S. history.
This all happened only 119 years ago.
I don't know what you can do to redress a wrong of such magnitude except that I hope we can all learn from it by bringing it out into the open so it doesn't happen again.
Hmm ... there seem to be recurring words in the history of exploitation all over the world for the past hundreds of years, like greed, trickery, the white man, Christian missionaries . . .
ReplyDeleteThese historical walking tours sound great. I hope many young people go, too. They have to learn what it is that they should never forget.
Your feeling was right, Kay--you had to go. Yes, for the blog. For us. For us to know and remember.
interesting and sad when the real history comes out...
ReplyDeleteAlways educational coming here Kay. And I had no idea how Hawaii came to be part of the US. Politics rears its ugly head once again.
ReplyDeleteKay - mahalo for taking us along on your tour. I would have loved to listen to the actors.
ReplyDeleteThe PBS video "Hawaii's Last Queen" also documents the true history. Most mainlanders do not know that the U.S. Government stole the islands. The true story is horrid. Iolani Palace has frosted windows in a corner area. This occured when the Queen was imprisoned, so she could not see out to her people, and they could not see their Queen. I cried when I learned that and stood stunned looking at the wall length frosted panes when touring the interior of Iolani Palace.
The 2008 movie "Princess Ka'iulani" also accurately portrays the correct history. It's a beautiful movie from the story of the Queen's princess, who would never become Queen because of the takeover.
For all the people went through, and what the Queen did to try and protect the remaining Hawaiians, this is why I have a special respect for the people, their aloha spirit and kindness in spite of the history, and why I feel like an honored guest to be allowed to visit their Hawaiian islands.
(A Michener interview determined that this history was not well known, nor was he aware of it during the time he wrote his novel about Hawaii.)
From other articles, I understand that the Hawaiians thought either England or the U.S. would want to annex them. (The Hawaiian flag is part British and part U.S. to keep the business interests from those countries happy back then.) Even around the sugar cane interests, the Kings and Queen knew of the need to be annexed, but wanted to do it on their terms, which included the right for the Hawaiians to own land and vote.
Mahalo for sharing the story. I don't know if it's in high school U.S. history books yet.
Aloha, DrumMajor
Actually I didn't much care of the Princess Ka'iulani movie. It was very Hollywood inspired and the Hawaiians here didn't care for it, especially since it was originally titled the Barbarian Princess.
DeleteI've added a link to the National Archives Teachers Guide about this sad part of Hawaiian history.
By the way, would you believe that all this time we thought we had a DPOA and Advanced Health Care Directives because we'd gone to a lawyer to have it done along with our trust, but we'd NOT signed it? Arrrghhhhh... We've done it now and sent copies to our children and will bring it to Tripler. Sheesh!!!! Gosh, I'm glad I blog or we wouldn't have checked.
PSYCHOLOGY!
DeleteI knew enough about the history of Hawaii to be ashamed for my country. We first did this to the Native Americans who lived here before us, and have gone on to do it to others around the world. The fact that this was done long ago does not make it right, and we did awful things during my own lifetime to Japanese Americans during WWII. When will we learn that conquest is not a legitimate way to gain power over others? The fact that we have the right to learn of our true history is a step in the right direction. Thank you for this, Kay.
ReplyDeleteYes, I too, am ashamed of my country and its wretched politicians who have done this sort of thing time and time again throughout our history and we all do have not only the right, but an obligation to learn our true history. Unfortunately, in spite of the many good things that many good people in our country have done, these types have ruined the great image we might have had.
ReplyDeleteMy understanding of the history of Hawaii is that the last queen married into one of the missionary families and thereby had already gone over to the "other side." Also, that Hawaii was first taken over by the British under Captain Cook and that the missionaries were from the US (New England)and came to Hawaii to try to undo some of the damage done by the whalers and others. (I wrote a research paper on the missionaries to Hawaii for a college course a few years back.)
ReplyDeleteSanford Dole a sugar plantation owner led the other owners in a takeover of the islands in the 1880s and kicked the British out. After that, the islands became a US territory until they requested statehood. Today the Marianas and other Pacific islands are US territories as is Puerto Rico. Various votes on the subject of statehood have revealed that none of the citizens of these territories would give up their US citizenship.
Many things happened in the past, but to blame a whole race of people (whites) for the behaviour of some individuals is really stupid in my book. I for one am very tired of the politics of victimization.
PS Today, less than 5% of the people of Hawaii are descendents of the original inhabitants. The largest ethnic group is Japanese American, followed by other Asian groups. Whites are a tiny minority.
Dianne (retired from the US Census Bureau, Race and Ethnicity Branch)
PS To my knowledge, most of the PBS history programs have been criticized by "real" historians. (Two of the professors from my history grad program appear on PBS very often.)
History is very complex and we never have all the "facts" from a TV program...only opinion of the program producers. History is very much influenced by poltical view. JUst the other day, I read (in a credible history) that the Japanese soldiers in WWII ate their prisoners as a matter of course. Do you think I should believe this?
I just checked the census for 2011. 26% white, 2% black, Asian (all grouped together) 38.5%, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders 10%, Mixed race 22.9%, Hispanic or Latino 9.2%, White persons not Hispanic 22.9% (I don't understand this percentage).
DeleteIt's true that Queen Liliuokalani was unhappily married to a John Dominis (he was unfaithful) who was a governor of Hawaii, but she did not go to the "other side." From everything I've always read, she deeply felt a responsibility to the Hawaiian people.
It's not the entire white race that is blamed for all this, but the descendents of the missionaries and the white businessmen.
Did the Japanese eat their prisoners? I certainly hope it's not true and don't believe it, but in times of war, in times of starvation.... I don't know. My mother said that in times of war, she's seen people turn into animals.
Did Hawaii want statehood? I don't truly know. I'm sure the native Hawaiian people did not.
You're right that history is very complex, but it means we need to study it carefully and that includes the parts that were often suppressed by the dominant government.
I met my wife, Helen, who was brought up in Hawaii, in 1959---right at the time of Statehood. At that time, she said it seemed everybody was in favor of statehood. Hawaii is the Nostalgia State in my opinion and things here are always being reinterpreted about the past.
DeleteHank, I think it could be the neighborhood your wife was brought up in also. I grew up in the plantation housing. I remember people thinking that all it meant at the time was that now they'd have to pay more taxes. I'm not sure... I was pretty young at the time and my memory is vague, but that's the feeling I remember.
DeleteWhatever the case, even though 119 years really isn't all that long ago, times have changed completely. Hawaii is the 50th State and people here are proud of it. We feel we're just another U.S. state.
However, the past should not be forgotten or glossed over. Hence Mai Poina.
I've noticed that Japanese Seniors with links to the Plantation Days are not sentimental about the so-called "good old days." And this in a state that is awash with nostalgia. I had a colleague whose father would not allow the old Honolulu Advertiser in his home because it was so blatantly prejudiced and Republican. For years, the Star-Bulletin was the major paper because it was more fair. All of that has changed now. The same colleague I mentioned had a son who went to Punahou and is now a Republican. The son also had a school pal with three million dollars in the bank.
ReplyDeleteMy father's mother used to tell me the awful stories of plantation life. She had to carry my baby uncles and aunts on her back while she worked in the cane fields and when they pooped or peed, her back would be wet and dirty because she couldn't change their cloth diapers.
DeleteI agree with the statement that "history is very complex"...which means often facts get distorted and pulled from context.
ReplyDeleteI look upon the Hawaiian occupation this way...if there are grievances, there must be an injustice somewhere. If a wrong has been committed, there are sure to be consequences. So while we might not have the exact story correct or emphasize the facts correctly, I suspect all is not right with the history of Hawaii.
What I am sympathetic about is .... like the Indians and Eskimos....this is their homeland. If they don't like how things are, they can't just go back to where they are more culturally appreciated. Sometimes they suffer from this disconnect with poorer health and financial status, and while that is aside from the injustice (although that is often cited as a consequence of the injustice), you still have to sympathize.
Today, so many locals are part Hawaiian. All my grandchildren are at least a drop Hawaiian. Soon there will be no distinction, but the consequences of the injustice will still be carried in the form of a tainted spirit I'm sure.
L. from W.
The demographics of Hawaii (evident even without a review of the US Census) is that the Japanese population has diminished and the Caucasian (which I believe includes Portuguese) is the largest segment. And the "Asian" population that Kay refers to includes Chinese, Filipino, Thai, Cambodian, Vietnamese, etc. etc.
ReplyDeleteI like your (evident even without a review of the US Census) because we used to come back to Hawaii almost every year for a visit and could see the change in population happening slowly. Lately, I do notice it especially in Honolulu how the demographics has changed in the 35 years that we were living in Chicago. This must be why the American Girl Doll looks more Caucasian than anything else. I think she's supposed to be hapa-haole like my handsome nephews.
DeleteKay - Thanks for your insights about the movies. I have only met one person here in isolated Kansas that knew about the overthrow. I'm hoping even something based on the facts will change some assumptions.
ReplyDeleteGlad you found your unsigned forms. Just last night, my former neighbors still thought they had a DNR because of an Advanced Directive. Their new living facility has them place papers on the front of their fridge for the EMT services. They still thought they had an "Outside the Hospital DNR", but the forms were blank and not yet filled in and signed by their docs!
DrumMajor
Kay, there is no Census for 2011. Those stats come from a survey weighted to reflect the 2010 Census race distribution as well as administrative data such as births, deaths, and migration. Ethnicity is different from race, but is often confused with it. This means the people of Hispanic or Spanish background can be of any race, though about half of them say they are White.
ReplyDeleteFor example, some people from the Phillipines background might think of themselves as Asian, Hispanic or both. Portuguese background on the other hand, might be White and non-hispanic or white and Hispanic. The Census is based on self reporting which means people are what they say they are. If the Japanese percent has dropped it might be because some of them are now answering White on the Census. I should have given a year, but I will have to remember I have been retired 8 years and the percents might have shifted.
Interestingly, I spoke with the demographer from Japan when I was working at the Census Bureau and he says the Japanese count descendents of emigrants living in other countries as Japanese. I think I have seen you use the terms, Nesei, Sansei in your blog (spelling??). Mamy Japanese Americans are 4th, 5th and beyond generations but I don't know the terms for those people.
On another note, I spoke with a Japanese friend of mine who told me the Japanese put in camps during WWII were all from the West Coast. He is from Hawaii, and he said he watched the bombinb of Pearl Harbor from his roof top. He says the Japanese on Hawaii were never rounded up like on the mainland. I never knew that.
Perhaps not quite in the magnitude of those Japanese Americans on the West Coast (which was total), but yes, there were quite a number of leaders, priests, newspaper reporters (that my mother knew personally), teachers from Hawaii who were rounded up and sent to Internment camps on the mainland and on Oahu. There's even a small Internment Camp close to where I live here that I had no idea was used as such. It's pretty hidden away in a valley. My husband's aunt did research on this and has had a book published on this topic as well as her many other books.
DeleteAnd of course, you're right about the Census. I mis-wrote. I got the information from a 2011 site and didn't think. See what happens when Art is not here to correct me? He was even a Census taker in 2000.
And yes, I've learned that 1st generation Japanese Issei who emigrated from Japan to other countries were still counted in the Japanese Census because they were born in Japan. I don't know about the Nissei.
And do read that National Archives Teachers Guide (I added the link). It's really quite interesting and gives a more detailed history about the annexation.
After we went to Hawaii I wrote several posts on our trip. I made some research on the history of the islands and that is when I found out that the descendants of Christian missionaries had really stolen Hawaii. I wrote a post about it which you commented on (http://avagabonde.blogspot.com/search/label/Hawaii.) Since then through the stats in my Google account I can see that this post is one that is read almost daily by someone on the Internet.
ReplyDeleteI bought 4 books on the subject since as I never finished my posts on Hawaii – I also bought a book on the history of American imperialism at the time. Most Americans don’t know (or don’t want to know) the real story of Hawaii or other 3rd world countries whose government was changed to suit American interests (usually commercial.) It is also easy to find history books on Hawaii that provide proof that most Hawaiians wanted statehood – they follow the history told in the Christian missionary documents (right wing people always state that the US has never been wrong, or somehow provide arguments to suit their conservative opinions and deny history. They never acknowledge that the Hawaiian indigenous population suffered brutal treatment from the US missionaries and businessmen.) At the time the McKinley administration regarded Hawaii as crucial to get their share of Asia.
Growing up in France I never knew about the Native American holocaust in the US or the forced statehood of Hawaii. The Web has helped tremendously to find the truth don’t you think? The US Government knows well that they forced the Hawaiians into statehood since they formally apologized. The annexation of Hawaii was a coup, pure and simple, and the legality of statehood was dubious just like it was for American Samoa and Puerto Rico. The US supports the sovereignty of independent states when it is not a place they are interested in, like Kosovo, but not to places which bring $$. I think Hawaii suffered a great injustice.
It's amazing that even though I thought I knew quite a bit about this history, just going on this tour really opened my eyes to more of what transpired. And you're right that you can learn so much more about this on the web now.
DeleteOur Nation's history is full of stories like this, not exactly the picture we got in history class in school. Is it any wonder so many nations fear and hate us, the US? And yet we hear from so many pumped up blowhard "patriots" about how great we are and how evil anyone is who might harm an AMERICAN!
ReplyDeleteDear Kay- By telling the truth so well, you honor the Queen, and her good people who have struggled for Hawaii from that day to this. I have already passed this on. Mahalo, Keiki O Ka `Aina!
ReplyDeleteAloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
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Dear Kay -- I printed off the link and just read it. I didn't realize the U.S. reversed it's decision, but after the Maine ship was attacked, 5 months later the Congress completed the annexation by a different process. Considering the way politics functions these days, like Cloudia mentions, I think the Queen would be proud of your relaying the correct information. Good lessons, Dear Teacher. (Art's aunt's books are available via Amazon. Please list them for your blog buddies.) DrumMajor
ReplyDeletethat's why statehood day isn't celebrated here, just briefly noted on the tv news. Some people even work on statehood day to get off the Fri. after Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteThere is always something new to learn from you..
ReplyDeleteYour conclusions are poignant. All we can do is to understand. Much harm was done in the name of religion. YOu are so right. Very interesting post, but one that could be written from the point of view of many aboriginal peoples, shamefully so.
ReplyDeleteWhat continues to amaze me in histories of major societal changes is the long list of horrible acts by religious leaders. Did these pious preachers every actually do any good in the world?
ReplyDelete