Today in Labor History February 14, 1779: Indigenous Hawaiians killed Captain James Cook near Kealakekua, on the Big Island of Hawaii after Cook attempted to kidnap Kalaniʻōpuʻu, the ruling chief (aliʻi nui) of the island of Hawaii.. The site is near the modern town of Captain Cook.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #indigenoushistory #indigenousrights #hawaii #captaincook #NativeHawaiians #colonialism #genocide #indigenous

Hawai‘i Has a Rare Opportunity to Reclaim Land From the US Military

https://murica.website/2025/12/hawaii-has-a-rare-opportunity-to-reclaim-land-from-the-us-military/

#Wisconsin - #TribalFoodSovereignty resources

"#NativeFoodSovereignty is the right of #AmericanIndians, #AlaskaNatives and #NativeHawaiians to produce their own #TraditionalFoods on their own lands to sustain themselves, their families and their communities. #NativeAmericans had #FoodSovereignty for thousands of years before the first European contact in the Americas. Food systems have dramatically changed to the detriment of Native peoples’ health."
-First Nations Development Institute

Written by Erin Peot

"We are exploring the development of a statement that acknowledges this land’s #FirstNations people. This statement would be used to open discussions and educate the public we work with about First Nations peoples’ rights and the contributions First Nations have made and continue to make throughout this land now known as #Wisconsin."

Learn more (includes resources):
https://foodsystems.extension.wisc.edu/articles/tribal-and-native-food-sovereignty/

Related video, "Indigenous Food Sovereignty in Wisconsin," by Dan Cornelius, a UW Madison CIAS presentation, 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJq4bBpU2sg

#SolarPunkSunday #TribalFoodSovereignty #NativeAmericanMonth
#NativeAmericanHeritageMonth
#NativeAmericanFoodSovereignty #Chippewa #Potawatomi #HoChunkNation #DecolonizeYourDiet

#NativeHawaiians unite to buy back land from #billionaire in a move never seen before

#Molokai residents want to return #Hawaiian lands to Hawaiian hands

“Today, that prophecy lives with us. The #makaainana, the workers of the land, are rising once again. This is our moment to move from defense to action, to fulfill that prophecy, to reclaim Molokai for our #kupuna, past and present, and for future generations.”

By Christine Hitt, Sep 18, 2025

"For generations, Native Hawaiians have been displaced from ancestral lands, and on the island of Molokai, where one-third of the island is owned by Hong Kong-headquartered billionaire investment firm #GuocoGroup, that physical separation is abundantly clear.

"The current owner, Guoco Group, bought Molokai Ranch in 2005 with plans to build 200 luxury homes, but it shut down operations in 2008 after the Molokai community opposed the development. The company put the ranch up for sale in 2017 at an asking price of $260 million. Ever since, the land has been sitting in limbo, and the foreign billionaire owner has been absent for more than a decade.

"Following years of the ranch’s neglect by the landowner, the Molokai Heritage Trust formed with the goal to return Hawaiian lands to Hawaiian hands. The group is done waiting for a benevolent buyer to purchase Molokai Ranch in hopes that things will be different. Instead, the community is taking an offensive approach, coming together peacefully with the collective goal to buy back the land to take care of, protect and steward."

Read more:
https://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/article/hawaiians-organize-buy-land-back-from-billionaire-21039366.php?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

#IndigenousSovereignty #LandBack #LandStewards #IndigenousNews #IndigenousPeople #SolarPunkSunday

#Wabanaki #Educator Receives National #CommunityService Award

by Jillian Kerr, October 10, 2024

"Lynn Amakehs (butterfly) Mitchell, #Passamaquoddy citizen and #Maine Indian Education Facilities Manager, is deeply committed to preserving her community's culture. Her unwavering dedication has earned her different awards, recognizing her service to her community and her passion for preserving language and culture. In September, Lynn was honored with the prestigious 2024 National Indian Education Association Community Service of the Year Award. This award recognizes Native community members who are role models and have served their community.

"Lynn’s journey to become a teacher and active community member is a testament to her passion and dedication. It all began when she became a mother and started participating in school and community activities. Lynn’s involvement in organizations like the Girl Scouts and PTP (Parent Teacher Partnership) marked the beginning of her service to the community before she started her decolonization work and focus on culture and language.

"Her #decolonization journey deepened after she attended the #UpstanderAcademy, where she met a #Micmac woman and spiritual healer from Canada. Their time and conversations inspired her to learn more and share what she knew, leading her to become the community leader she is today.

"After attending the Upstander Academy, Lynn's commitment to promoting cultural engagement intensified. She traveled to different tribal gatherings and immersed herself in culture as much as possible. She aimed to share her experiences and knowledge and motivate others in her community to participate in and learn cultural activities.

"Lynn plays a pivotal role in nurturing a sense of community and togetherness. She does this in various ways, including by planning community gatherings. Lynn planned a large cultural gathering that the Passamaquoddy hosted, but after much planning and organizing, she became ill and could not attend. She said that her falling ill was a 'blessing in disguise' because it resulted in something beautiful…. community members who usually do not participate in community activities took the lead and ensured the gathering went as planned. These individuals continue to be active community members, a testament to Lynn's success in promoting cultural engagement.

"One of Lynn's most significant contributions is mentoring youth, a responsibility she takes very seriously. In community service projects with youth, she saw how they responded positively, which deepened her desire to do more. These projects demonstrate her commitment to the future of her community.

"Currently, Lynn is mentoring a group of girls through their rights-of-passage ceremony. One activity the girls completed was learning how to honor berries. The girls picked berries and then gave some to the elders when they visited. The girls spend much time with the elders, learning from and talking with them. Lynn's commitment to passing this knowledge on to the next generation provides hope for the community’s ability to preserve tribal culture.

This is Lynn's 38th year working for Maine Indian Education. Since being hired, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in College Studies, focusing on Native Studies from the University of Maine at Machias. She enjoyed her courses, and what she learned provided her with the knowledge and skills needed to create the curriculum and served as a basis for the content she uses in her classes.

"Lynn began teaching the #PassamaquoddyLanguage at Calais High School before she graduated. Her classes are extremely popular and usually have a waitlist. Lynn was surprised when her classes began to have a waitlist, but anyone who knows Lynn was not surprised. Her positive energy and love radiate from her and draw people to her. Her dedication to her students and community makes Lynn a perfect recipient of the NIEA Community Service of the Year Award.

"The #NIEAConvention was established to mark the beginning of a national forum for sharing and developing ideas and influencing federal policy. #NIEA was founded in 1969 and incorporated in 1970 to meet the needs of educators, students, and the community. NIEA held its first 'First Convocation of American Indian Scholars' at Princeton University in 1969. During this meeting, several Native educators discussed concerns and issues related to the education of Native children. For many educators, this large meeting was the first opportunity to share, discuss, and learn about ideas critical to Native Americans in the United States.

"Several Natives who attended that gathering wanted an opportunity to continue the dialogue and share ways to improve education. They desired to explore ways to become more effective teachers and better school administrators and discover practical experiences that could improve schools serving Native students.

"Since its incorporation, NIEA has become a massive organization committed to addressing various issues that Native Americans face. These issues include Boarding School Healing, #NativeLanguage Initiatives, and #CulturallyBasedCurricula. NIEA’s mission is to advance comprehensive, culturally based educational opportunities for #NativeAmericans, #AlaskaNatives, and #NativeHawaiians. The organization advocates for policies and creates programs that support self-determination and the development of comprehensive, culturally grounded learning opportunities for Native students.

"National recognition through the NIEA Community Service Award underscores Lynn’s exceptional contributions to Native education and her dedication to serving the community. Lynn’s drive to preserve language and culture in her community is a tribute to her commitment. Her contributions, which go beyond the classroom, are evident in impactful community service projects that profoundly affect the lives of Native students and their families."

https://www.wabanakireach.org/wabanaki_educator_receives_national_community_service_award

#NativeAmericanNews #NativeAmericanEducators #LynnAmakehsMitchell #Decolonize #WabanakiReach

#Lahaina Community Land Trust

Land protection & land justice

"Keeping Lahaina Lands in Lahaina Hands. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization committed to protect and perpetuate Lahaina, by empowering the Lahaina community to live, engage and prosper while protecting, restoring and caring for its ‘āina and ea."

https://lahainacommunitylandtrust.org/

#NativeHawaiians #LandTrust #LandBack #AffordableHousing #Hawaii #JohnOliver #SolarPunkSunday

How #NativeHawaiians Have Fought for #Sovereignty

Ever since the US overthrew the #Hawaiian monarchy in an illegal #coup, Native islanders responded with #protest, #activism and expressions of #cultural pride.

By: Kelli Y. Nakamura
Published: May 10, 2023

"Ever since white Christian #missionaries first arrived in Hawaii (Native spelling: Hawai‘i) in the 1820s, the islands’ Native people have found their sovereignty, culture and way of life under increasing threat. For two centuries, many have resisted.

"The threats began early. By 1840, some scholars estimate, the Native Hawaiian population had plummeted by as much as 84 percent, largely due to diseases introduced by Western #colonizers. In 1893, an illegal coup, orchestrated by a handful of white planters [#Dole] and #businessmen, ousted the sovereign Hawaiian monarchy. Five years later, the United States annexed Hawaii, viewing the islands as both a rich agricultural resource and a strategic perch in the Pacific.

"And in 1959, the U.S. legislature voted to make Hawaii America’s 50th state. During that time, colonizers confiscated lands and #militarized parts of the island. They suppressed traditional cultural and #spiritual practices. And they banned the Hawaiian language in schools and government.

"Native Hawaiians have responded with protest, activism and expressions of Indigenous cultural pride. In the 1880s, #KingDavidKalākaua kindled nationalism and promoted Hawaii internationally as an independent sovereign kingdom. He also fostered what came to be known as the First Hawaiian Renaissance, reviving traditional cultural practices like hula dancing, an integral part of Native Hawaiian storytelling—and outlawed since 1830, largely because missionaries did not understand its cultural importance and viewed it as a pagan ritual. The Second Hawaiian Renaissance flourished in the 1960s and ’70s. Today, Native #HawaiianSovereignty remains a critical issue, informing contemporary protests against militarism, imperialism and occupation.

"'Resistance and nationalism have been intertwined throughout the last two hundred years of the history of Hawaii,' writes Noenoe Silva, a scholar of Indigenous politics at the University of Hawaii and author of Aloha Betrayed: Native Hawaiian #Resistance to American #Colonialism."

Read more:
https://www.history.com/news/native-hawaiian-sovereignty-protest

#CulturalGenocide #Sovereignty #CorporateColonialism #DolePineapple #HawaiianHistory
#History #Histodon #IndigenousPeople #IndigenousActivism

When #Hawaii’s Monarchy Was Overthrown, With Rogue US Support

#SugarBarons and businessmen ousted Hawaii’s longstanding monarchy, setting the stage for US #annexation.

https://www.history.com/news/hawaiis-monarchy-overthrown-with-u-s-support-120-years-ago

1893: Americans overthrow Hawaiian monarchy

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/americans-overthrow-hawaiian-monarchy

#NativeHawaiians
#Colonialism
#CorporateColonialism
#HawaiianHistory
#History

#Hawaii: Last Week Tonight with #JohnOliver | Transcript

August 12, 2024

History, #annexation, and exploitation of Hawaii. Arisa Trew's gold medal in women's park skateboarding, Attack strategies of the Trump campaign against Harris and Walz

https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/tv-series/hawaii-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-transcript/

#NativeHawaiians #Colonialism #CorporateColonialism #HawaiianHistory #History #LastWeekWithJohnOliver