Native Hawaiians

Native Hawaiians (in Hawaiian, kanaka ‘oiwi or kanaka māoli) are the indigenous Polynesian peoples of the Hawaiian Islands who trace their ancestry back to antiquity before the arrival of British explorer Captain James Cook in 1778. According to the U.S. Census Bureau report for 2000, there are 476,000 people who identified themselves as being native Hawaiian, part native Hawaiian and mixed native Hawaiian. Most native Hawaiians are residents of the United States in California, the State of Hawaii, Nevada and Washington. Two-thirds live in the State of Hawaii while the other one-third is split among mainland states. Almost half of the mainland share of the population is in California.

Federal developments

Native American Programs Act

In 1974, the Native American Programs Act was amended to include native Hawaiians as a category of indigenous people of the United States. This paved the way for native Hawaiians to become eligible for some, but not all, federal assistance programs originally meant for Native Americans. In order to become eligible for all such programs, further legislation is currently needed.

Related Topics:
1974 - Native Americans

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

United States apology resolution

On 23 November 1993, U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton signed United States Public Law 103-150 also known as the Apology Resolution. It had been passed by Congress only weeks earlier. The document officially apologized on behalf of the United States government for the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i and the use of American troops against Queen Lili‘uokalani.

Related Topics:
23 November - 1993 - William Jefferson Clinton - Apology Resolution - Lili‘uokalani

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Akaka Bill

In the early 2000s, the Congressional delegation of the State of Hawaii introduced the Native Hawaiian Federal Recognition Bill named after U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI). The Akaka Bill would establish a political and legal relationship between native Hawaiian entities and the federal government.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Current status of the Akaka Bill