Tale of two discourses: an analysis of Washington Place

Abstract

Senate Bill 1520: In an attempt to further self-determination for Native Hawaiians, the Governor of Hawaiʻi, Neil Abercrombie, signed Senate Bill 1520 on February 06, 2011. The ceremony was held at the historic Washington Place and was attended by approximately 150 people, including representatives from various Native Hawaiian societies, State lawmakers, and Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees. Senate Bill 1520, now Act 195, "gives the Governor the power to appoint a five-member Native Hawaiian Roll Commission that will build a foundation for selfdetermination and eventually lead to Native Hawaiian Recognition." Governor Abercrombie later stated that, "with the signing of this bill, the State of Hawaiʻi is closer to reorganization of a Native Hawaiian governing entity. As Native Hawaiians rise, all of Hawaiʻi rises." While some praised Abercrombie's gesture, others interpreted the bill as another method to curb Hawaiian sovereignty. It was written in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that, "sovereignty advocates decried the measure as an attempt to deny Native Hawaiians' claims to govern as a sovereign independent nation." The signing of this act can be construed as a step towards self-determination for Native Hawaiians, yet it still remains confined within the boundaries of the United States. The restrictions of this bill are similar to the limitations of the historical interpretation of Washington Place in regards to Hawaiʻi's colonial history. In the same way that the Bill attempts to control and constrict Native Hawaiian attempts for self-determination, the narrative and current uses of Washington Place are confined within the boundaries of the State of Hawaiʻi's historical interpretation of Hawaiʻi's colonial history.