Joint Sign Waving!

Mahalo to all of you who came out to sign wave today! Seeing people who are well acquainted with the State/County/US civic process, participate alongside people who are voting for the first time this year was such a blessing, and a true reflection of deep aloha for family and community.

You can catch a recap video of my “post-sign waving manaʻo” on my Instagram page here, though the audio isnʻt as clear as Iʻd hope.

In the video, I reflect deeply on how in the past, seeing sign wavers and “rock the vote” ads would pain me so deeply as a kanaka maoli (“native Hawaiian”) who understands the history of our governance. As a young granddaughter of protestors, and great-granddaughter of John Henry Wise, I used to think, “how can people be so joyful and excited to exercise their allegiance to a nation that controls the land, poisons our water, and arrests our elders? Have they forgotten that Liliʻu was imprisoned by this very system of “democracy”? Has the grief of the loss of our ea ʻoiaʻiʻo left them and have they forgotten we are 131 years occupied?”. But as I explain in the video, years of ignored testimony for and in opposition of County and State bills reminds me that whether I like it or not, the State of Hawaiʻi and the Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes are the acting law of our beloved place. And while some of us will kūʻē loa - resist the annexation forever AND not participate in the voting/politics process, I’ve decided that my own resistance will be THROUGH civic engagement, and through the embodiment of the true meaning of “Luna Makaʻāinana” - best I can until we can move toward our political ea together. Just sharing my reflections.

For those of you who are new to the concept and legitimacy of the illegal occupation of Hawaiʻi, you can find a list of international treaties here and some general monarchy references at www.hawaiiankingdom.org.

E ola! - Kuulei