Knowra Hawaiian sovereignty movement Hawaiian sovereignty movement A movement seeking self-determination for Native Hawaiians, ranging from greater autonomy within the United States to independence or restored sovereignty.
Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom : The 1893 removal of Queen Liliʻuokalani’s government by a group of businessmen and their allies, backed by U.S. forces. The overthrow became a central historical basis for sovereignty claims.
Hawaiian independence : The political goal of establishing Hawaiʻi as an independent state outside the United States. It is the movement’s clearest break with U.S. political authority.
Queen Liliʻuokalani : The last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, deposed in 1893 and imprisoned after the failed 1895 counterrevolution. Her deposition and resistance remain central to the movement’s historical memory.
Kahoʻolawe : A Hawaiian island used by the U.S. military for bombing practice from 1941 until 1990, later transferred to state control for restoration. The struggle to stop military use became a defining campaign of Hawaiian activism.
Hawaiian Renaissance : A cultural revival beginning in the late twentieth century that renewed Hawaiian language, navigation, music, and political awareness. Cultural resurgence strengthened the movement’s sense of identity and collective continuity.
Hawaiian Kingdom : An independent Polynesian state unified in 1810 and recognized internationally before its overthrow in 1893. Sovereignty advocates invoke the kingdom’s prior independence and continuing legal status.
Native Hawaiian self-determination : The principle that Native Hawaiians should determine their political status and pursue their economic, social, and cultural development. It encompasses aspirations that do not necessarily require independence.
Haunani-Kay Trask : A Native Hawaiian scholar, poet, and activist who advocated Hawaiian independence and criticized colonial rule. Her writing gave forceful expression to anti-colonial and independence arguments.
Office of Hawaiian Affairs : A state agency established in 1978 to address conditions affecting Native Hawaiians and manage designated public trust funds. Its state-created status raises questions about whether existing institutions can represent sovereignty.
Hawaiian language revitalization : Efforts to restore ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi through education, public use, and community institutions after a period of severe decline. Language renewal supports cultural self-determination and challenges the legacy of assimilation.
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