In my Writing for New Media class last week, we watched a documentary called "Act of War." For those of you who don't know, it is a documentary that talks about the annexation of Hawaii from the point of view of the Hawaiian people.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the history of Hawaii, many of the Hawaiian people maintain to this day that the overthrow of the sovereign Hawaiian monarchy and subsequent annexation of Hawaii by the United States was an illegal act of War, and that the US should therefore return Hawaii to the Hawaiian people.
Having grown up in Hawaii, this is not the first time I have heard this argument (in fact, I dobut this is the first time I have seen this particular documentary), and I highly doubt this is the last time, either.Whether or not the Hawaiian People's version of events is true is not for me to judge, just as it is not my place to say what should happen if they are infact right.
Regardless of which side is right, this documentary is still significant. It is a powerful look into the history of a proud people who have suffered greatly ever since western men first came to the Hawaiian Islands.The deadly impact of foreign diseases, the supression of the Hawaiian religion and culture by the Missionaries, the loss of their native lands, and finally the loss of their Nation itself.
Throughout these many tragic events, It is surprising how strong the Hawaiian spirit has remained. Even in the days leading up to the overthrow, Queen Liliuokalani maintained her composure, telling her people that "we will have patience, we will have peace,"and even after the overthrow, she still maintained hope that her people would have their justice.
Even today, 20 years after this documentary was made, and over 100 years after the overthrow, the Hawaiian people still have their pride, and many still wish to see the their lands returned to them. It is their pride, and the fact that they continue to use (mostly) peaceful methods, if nothing else, for which they deserve our admiration and respect.
Pictures taken from http://www.namaka.com/catalog/history/actofwar.html.
