Aloha. I want to begin once again by thanking all who are here for attending today's roundtable discussion to honor the military contributions of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians and to discuss the need for parity in the federal policy towards native peoples in the United States. The military contributions of native peoples are often ignored and overlooked. I thank Secretary Principi for taking the time to join us this morning. His presence here reflects the appreciation of the United States for the patriotism, courage and valor of native peoples who have served and continue to defend the United States, particularly as we continue our war against terrorism.
As many of you know, I am a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, which is located on heights adjacent to the present Tripler Army Medical Center. What many of you do not realize is that when I was in high school, the Kamehameha School for Boys was considered a "military school." We were organized in battalions, we wore uniforms, and military training was an integral part of our education. I went to bed and woke up at the call of a bugle.
As a senior in high school, I witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor from the Kapalama Heights campus. We immediately mobilized into our military formations and were sent into the hills above the school to watch for enemy paratroopers. Following that experience, I was drafted, and I entered the United States Army. Following six weeks of training I was sent to the Pacific theater where I served until the end of the war.
I watched the planes carrying the atomic bombs take off from Tinian. I therefore had the unique opportunity of witnessing the significant acts that began and ended World War II. My wartime experiences underscore my support and advocacy for veterans as a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, for native peoples a member of the Indian Affairs Committee, and for the readiness of our Armed Forces as a member of the Armed Services Committee.
Native Americans have the highest record of service per capita of any group in the United States and have made tremendous contributions to protecting the fundamental principles of liberty and justice for all. Our appreciation of our history, culture, tradition, and homelands, however, is often mistaken as an unwillingness to be American. For me, the significance of this roundtable discussion is that it corrects this inaccurate characterization and illustrates the ability of native peoples to be American, to be patriotic, and to still appreciate and preserve the indigenous cultural traditions passed on by our ancestors.
As a Native Hawaiian, I believe it is essential to understand the ways of our ancestors. We must understand our culture and tradition. In this day and age, however, it is also important to be multi-cultural. We must be able to appreciate all cultures and traditions, and as indigenous peoples, we must be able to function effectively in indigenous and non-indigenous settings. The federal policy of self-determination and self-governance and the partnerships formed between the United States and native governments is the appropriate avenue to accomplish this goal. For that reason, I have worked with my colleagues to draft legislation which would extend the federal policy of self-determination and self-governance to Native Hawaiians.
In 1993, President Clinton signed the Public Law 103-150, commonly referred to as the Apology Resolution. As the author of the Apology Resolution, my aim was to educate the Congress and the American public on the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, provide an ongoing forum for discussion, and lay the foundation for reconciliation efforts between Native Hawaiians and the federal government. Reconciliation efforts were never intended to be unilaterally determined by the federal government. Rather, the reconciliation process is an evolving, incremental process of discussion and action between Native Hawaiians and the Federal government. In 1999, officials from the Departments of the Interior and Justice traveled to Hawaii to begin consultations with Native Hawaiians. The Departments issued a report in 2000, entitled "From Mauka to Makai: The River of Justice Must Flow Freely." The principal recommendation in the report was that Native Hawaiians should have self-determination over their own affairs within the framework of federal law, as do Native American tribes.
This recommendation is consistent with the efforts of Hawaii's Congressional delegation to extend the federal policy of self-determination and self-governance to Native Hawaiians in legislation introduced in July 2000. Our legislation was drafted with input from five working groups involving representatives from federal agencies, state agencies, the Native Hawaiian community, the Native American community and constitutional scholars with expertise in federal Indian law. We also relied heavily on input from the Native Hawaiian community. Over 100 people were initially involved in the drafting of this legislation. Many of you in this room were actively involved, and I want to thank you once again for your support and guidance. During the 106th Congress we introduced identical bills in the House and Senate. The House passed the legislation, but we were unable to pass the bill in the Senate before the adjournment.
We reintroduced the legislation during the 107th Congress. The bills have been further modified based on input we received. Both S. 746 and H.R. 617 have been reported by the appropriate Committees of jurisdiction and are pending before the House and Senate. The legislation does three things, it:
1) Establishes an office within the Department of the Interior to focus on Native Hawaiian issues and continue to facilitate the political relationship between Native Hawaiians and the United States;
2) Establishes an Interagency Coordinating Group composed of federal officials from agencies with policies and programs impacting Native Hawaiians; and
3) Provides a process for a Native Hawaiian governing entity to submit organic governing documents to the Secretary of Interior for review for the purposes of gaining federal recognition to effect a government-to-government relationship.
We have received widespread support for this bill from Native Hawaiians, American Indians and Alaska Natives. Opposition to the legislation comes from two quarters: those who advocate independence for Hawaii, and those who oppose the rights of all indigenous peoples and characterize such legislation as race-based.
I know that the panel following my remarks will discuss the importance of the federal policy of self-determination and self-governance for native peoples. However, I would like to share my views on why I believe this legislation is necessary for Native Hawaiians.
As indigenous peoples, we never relinquished our inherent rights to sovereignty. We were a government that was overthrown. While our history in Hawaii is one filled with emotion and despair, Native Hawaiians have preserved their culture, tradition, subsistence rights, language, and distinct communities. We have tried to hold on to our homeland. Hawaii is our homeland. I am Native Hawaiian and Chinese. I appreciate the culture and ethnicity of my ancestors. I can trace my Chinese roots back to China. My Native Hawaiian roots, however, are in Hawaii because it is our homeland. I am proud to be an American, and I am proud to have served my country in the military. I am proud to serve this great country as a United States Senator. As long as Hawaii is a part of the United States, the United States must fulfill its responsibility to Hawaii's indigenous peoples.
While Congress has treated Native Hawaiians in a manner similar to American Indians and Alaska Natives through the enactment of over 150 statutes, the federal policy of self-determination and self-governance has not been extended to Native Hawaiians. It is imperative to clarify the existing legal and political relationship between the United States and Native Hawaiians by providing Native Hawaiians with federal recognition for the purposes of a government-to-government relationship. Therefore, because this legislation is based on the political and legal relationship between the United States and its indigenous peoples, which has been upheld for many, many years by the United States Supreme Court, based on the Indian Commerce Clause, I vehemently disagree with the mischaracterization of this legislation as race-based.
Misinformation is being spread in Hawaii regarding this bill as precluding sovereignty for Native Hawaiians. This cannot be further from the truth. This legislation deals with the United States' legal and political relationship with Hawaii's indigenous peoples within the context of federal law. As I stated before, as long as we are Americans and as long as Hawaii is a part of the United States, I firmly believe the United States must fulfill its responsibility towards its indigenous peoples. This bill accomplishes that goal.
I'd like to conclude my remarks by once again thanking all of you for your support for Native Hawaiians and for native peoples. While we are sometimes small and unassuming as individual groups, we are a powerful force when we unite together. The alliances we have formed as indigenous peoples have led to tremendous gains in addressing the needs of our peoples. We still have a lot to do, and I am confident that together we will succeed in our efforts to provide our children with a better future. Mahalo nui loa. A hui hou.
