This is a letter that was published in the Garden Island Newspaper, April 1, 2017
A Neighbor’s Perspective in Wainiha – link
by Ray Songtree
The people here on my road who are taking over a lot are not “the indigenous people of Wainiha.” They can claim anything they want. They also have white blood, so maybe they are the indigenous people of Scotland. They are just people. The valley is filled with people from all over planet, almost all with mixed heritage.
These people simply took a vacant lot and started using it, and when the owner found out, these people got “religious” and called their activist friends. We never heard conches, never, before they were told to leave. Then they became “kanaka.” Before that, not. Before that, they were private and quiet and there was no humbug.
They could do exact same thing next door to the reader and claim anything they want to. These are just people knowingly using someone else’s rights to title.
While Kauaians today have invested in land on other islands, on mainland, overseas, some people from other places have invested in land here. In the excellent video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45pEDijf27M) the owners are called “Russians.” I doubt it. They are probably Americans with whatever ethnic background. Is anyone racist against Russians? Can Japanese immigrate to Kauai, but not Russians? Does anyone know any Japanese decedents on Kauai?
Again, there are almost no pure Hawaiians, but it is politically expedient to disclaim one’s Asian or European or Pacific Island genetics, and declare “I’m Hawaiian, I deserve entitlements.” As example, my able bodied nephew is hapa Apache. So he puts his hand out. (My own hapa son once took food stamps. I got pissed and shamed him.)
Two wrongs don’t make a right. The farmers here without a lease agreement, should apologize to owner for taking over land, and ask for lease agreement. I would help them write the letter. Why not go for a win win situation? Why make the owner a loser? Do on to others as you would have them do on to you.
A lease agreement might seem objectionable and not “free.” I want to be free too. Why should I pay property taxes if my child is home schooled? The system is unjust, but the ali’i were far worse. Kamehameha was a cannibal.
Things have calmed down. I don’t see lots of cars parking with their bumpers on the road with unknown dogs walking around. The owner will have to go through expense of eviction process unless some kind of mediation occurs, and then hire machinery to regrade the property, unless the farmers politely leave it as they found it.
If anyone disagrees with what I’ve said, please quit claim your property to anyone who says they have 1/4, 1/8, 1/16th, 1/32nd Hawaiian blood.
Let’s be rational.
I would love activists to follow up on Zuckerberg on Moloa Rd. and to petition Kamehameha schools to lease land for eco-village in Lumahai Valley. Waipa Foundation could expand. Young people need a vision that is sustainable and a place to do it. I respect all farmers. The young farmers here are tomorrow’s teachers, but they need to re-examine the idea of pono. In my opinion pono is an ideal that never lets us rest. To balance self and other always has waves.
Kauai news – There were no “Kanaka Moali” . There were abject slaves of the terrorist ali’i. That is the truth about Hawaiian culture that people are still terrorized to mention. Common to all the pacific islands was slaughter and cannibalism. Listen to what Trask said about Ele Ele. The land was black with pigs eating the carcasses created by all’i whim. Let it sink in.
Today, we are all slaves of globalism, and there is no return to the past slavery either unless we continue to be apologist fools. We need to move together for a natural future, and going back to ali’i is all wrong.
How would you feel if there was a call to prayer by Muslims or Buddhists or Christians next door to you every morning and evening, with an arrogance that they are the real people and you are false? In other words, they are the all’i and you better get used to it.
The existing community, which is all of us, has to wake up to being slaves, not replace globalism with an old slave system. In actual fact most people are terrified to question Hawaiian terrorism. I have been asked if I have received death threats yet.
To all of our Wainiha Valley Good Neighbors,
When the ancients had defeated their opponents in battles of sovereignty, often they would, with honor, cannibalize them to incorporate their spirits.
All of the good, loving and positive attributes of our Hawaiian peoples and our cultures are gratefully and gracefully present and forever preserved and enhanced because of the values in the Constitution of the United States of America.
Think about what we are now under the Rule of Law and this Constitution’s opportunity to make a more perfect Union which means preserving all of our human rights, dignities and cultural differences that not only survived an otherwise darker outcome, but instead with time, patience and intelligence will flourish within every next generation if WE DEEM IT. That’s the precious reality we as Hawaiians find ourselves in. We find ourselves the fortunate recipients of the miraculous U.S. Constitution. We are now politically and culturally healthier than ever possible before.
Think of it…. unless we as a United Hawaiian Kingdom (which was fragile at best) continued fighting and eating our defeated foes… the ever increasing onslot of overtaking powers soon to be coming from all corners of the world to conquer us, we would have as we did…. a tiny Law of Rule Kingdom isolated, barbaric and woefully weak and ignorant, unprepared for lied ahead. The Chinese? The Japanese empire? The Russians? The Germans? If it wasn’t America, it would have been someone else and we would likely have been decimated or enslaved or culturally erased.
But the Americans DID NOT EAT US. In fact they told us we are ALL to become our best Hawaiian Selves AND gave us a VOICE TO PROTEST for anything we believe in. They insisted on us being ourselves with our own voice, just as they did to Europe after WWII…. AS long as the VOICE is from the individual citizens equally represented as this graceful Constitution protects. I want to hear the fullness and complexities of the Wainiha Arguments as long as its based in truth of the facts and encompasses the respect of all the voices of the Wainiha Valley and of the County government that allows the protection of this argument to take place and be heard by everyone, unencumbered. That means Jesse Steel or Ka’imi Hermosura can’t illegally overtake someone’s legal property or interrupt with intimidating threats and swearing to his legitimate Hawaiian neighbors who respectfully want to hear all of it.
Our Wainiha Valley is as precious as EACH of the voices that come from those that live here and respects the rights of EACH of those precious voices. Past and present. Not just the belligerent.
Whether I agree with all of your thoughtful opinions is not important. I think dialogue is very good and we need to plan for an unstable future in order to avoid strife. We have the natural resources in Hawaii to live at peace, so let’s manifest that! Please contact me directly. I look forward to getting to know you. Please write to ktii@nym.hush.com