It is in the continuity of a people's spiritual and cultural consciousness that we find the cradle a nation's existence. That continuity is nourished in the people's cherishing and actively observing those sacred times and sacred places which forms the foundations of their national character. The death, therefore, of a nation can never come about merely by military subjugation, however, thorough, nor by imposition of foreign governmental structures, however longstanding, nor by creation of economic dependence, however extensive. The death of a nation is only complete by the eradication of the national consciousness within its people.

Of those sacred times and sacred places of Hawai`i, several organizations have joined hands in a common dedication to cherishing, observing and celebrating as a central part to the quest to uplift the Hawaiian national existence.

Memorial
October 10, 1997

To the Members of the United Nations, and to the President, the Congress and the People of the United States of America.

This Memorial respectfully represents as follows:

1. That your memorialists are residents of the Hawaiian Islands, all of whom, but for gender, race, and property restrictions, would possess the qualifications provided for electors of representatives in the Hawaiian Legislature, by the Constitution and laws prevailing in the Hawaiian Islands at the date of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Constitutional Government January 17, 1893.

2. That we and our national forefathers have been, thence to the present time, held in subjection by the armed forces of the Provisional Government of the Hawaiian Islands, and of its successor, the Republic of Hawaii, and of the United States of America; and have never yielded, and do not acknowledge a spontaneous or willing allegiance or support to said Provisional Government, to said Republic of Hawaii, or to said United States of America.

3. That the Government of the Republic of Hawaii and subsequently, the United States of America in Hawai`i, had no warrant for their existence in the support of the people of these Islands; that they were proclaimed and instituted and existed without considering the rights and wishes of a great majority of the residents, native and foreign born, of the Hawaiian Islands; and especially said Governments existed and maintained themselves solely by force of arms, against the rights and wishes of almost the entire nationals of the Hawaiian nation under the constitution of these islands prior to the invasion of 1893 by U.S. forces.

4. That the Republic of Hawaii which acted as the party with authority to cede Hawaii to the United States of America was never founded or conducted upon a basis of popular government or republican principles; that its Constitution was adopted by a convention, a majority of whose members were self-appointed, and the balance of whose members were elected by a numerically insignificant minority of the white and aboriginal male citizens and residents of these Islands; that a majority of the persons so voting for delegates to such Constitutional Convention was composed of aliens, and that a majority of said aliens so voting was of then very recent residents, without financial interests or social ties in the Islands.

5. That the Constitution so adopted by said Convention had never been submitted to a vote of the people of these Islands; but was promulgated and established over the said Islands, and had been maintained, only by force of arms, and with indifference to the will of practically the entire aboriginal population, and a vast majority of the whole population of these Islands.

6. That the said Government, so existing under the title of the Republic of Hawaii, assumed and asserted, the right to extinguish the Hawaiian Nationality, heretofore existing, and to cede and convey all rights of sovereignty in and over the Hawaiian Islands and their dependencies to a foreign power, namely, to the United States of America.

7. That the President of the United States entered into, and submitted for ratification by the United States Senate, a Treaty with the Government of the Republic of Hawaii, whereby it proposed to extinguish our existence as a Nation, and to annex our territory to the United States.

8. That the Hawaiian people, during more than half a century prior to the events recited, had been accustomed to participate in the Constitutional forms of Government, in the election of Legislatures, in the administration of justice through regularly constituted magistrates, courts and juries, and in the representative administration of public affairs, in which the principle of government by majorities has been acknowledged and firmly established.

9. That the Senate of the United States voted upon said treaty pursuant to Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution and rejected the treaty, only to be reversed by a joint resolution of annexation of the U.S. Congress signed by the President on July 7, 1898, in contravention of the U.S. Constitution as well as the laws of nations.

10. Your memorialists humbly but fervently protest against the consummation of this invasion of their political rights; and they earnestly appeal to the members of the United Nations, as well as the President, the Congress and the People of the United States, to refrain from further participating in the wrong which has been permitted to persist for over 100 years; and invoke in support of this memorial the spirit of that immortal Instrument, the Declaration of American Independence; and especially the truth therein expressed, that Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, ---and here repeat, that the consent of the people, subjects of the Hawaiian Nation, to the forms of Government imposed by the so-called Republic of Hawaii and the United States of America, had never been asked by and is not accorded to, those governments.

11. That the consummation of Annexation was subversive of the personal and political rights of our national ancestors and of these memorialists, and of the Hawaiian people and Nation, and is a negation of the rights and principles proclaimed in the Declaration of American Independence, in the Constitution of the United States, and in the schemes of government of all other civilized and representative Governments.

12. Wherefore your memorialists respectfully submit that they, no less than the citizens of any American Commonwealth, are entitled to select, ordain and establish for themselves, such forms of Government as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness; and that the question of Hawai`i’s association with the United States of America or of any state is a question upon which said people have the right, in the forum of Conscience, to be heard; and that said Hawaiian people have thus far been denied the privilege of being heard upon said questions.

13. And your memorialists humbly pray the members of the United Nations, and the President, Congress and the people of the United States, that immediate steps be taken to restore the powers of governance of Hawai`i to the subjects of the Hawaiian nation and that a sufficient time be set aside for the Hawaiian nation to overcome the conditions of over 100 years of colonization before the question is addressed of whether or not the citizens of Hawai`i wish to join in union with the United States or any other state as we unfold our future.

Adopted by acclamation of those present.
Honolulu, Hawai`i by “Of Sacred Times & Sacred Places”

We join in the sentiments expressed in the Memorial and so indicate by our signatures and address below.

NAME              ADDRESS

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Of Sacred Times & Sacred Places
86-649 Pu`uhulu Rd.
Wai`anae, Hawai`i 96792