Paths toward creation of an independent Hawaiian nation: ethnographies of four Hawaiian independence leaders

Abstract

This is a collection of ethnographies of four Hawaiian independence leaders. They are Dr. Kekuni Blaisdell, medical physician and founder of Ka Pakaukau, a Hawaiian independence movement; Mililani Trask, founder and first Kia'aina or Governor of Ka Lahui Hawai'i, a Hawaiian nation; Pu'uhonua Dennis Keiki Bumpy Kanahele, a self-educated founder of the Nation of Hawai'i independence movement and founder of the Pu'uhonua Hawaiian Village in Waimanalo, O'ahu; and David Keanu Sai, founder of the Kingdom of Hawai'i independence movement and representative to the World Court in the Hague, Netherlands, Each has played a significant role in shaping the discussion of sovereignty, self-determination and self-governance for an independent Hawaiian nation. Each has found themselves in a controversial spotlight, sometimes supported and sometimes criticized by the larger Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian community. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze traits of Hawaiian leadership through the lives and actions of these four individuals who have contributed significantly to the Hawaiian self-determination movement. Each path is unique, spanning three generations and varying in educational training and background. They don't always agree with each other, yet each of the four leaders has influenced the discourse on Hawaiian sovereignty and self-determination in different ways. Each of these leaders has a great vision for the nation, While their individual approaches differ, they essentially yearn for the same results - the ability for Hawaiians to make decisions and detemine their own future,