The History of Your Native Land.

As we contemplate the main reason for the falling far behind of the Hawaiian people in matters dealing with the history of their homeland, their lahui, and the alii of the land, we are all racked with intense pain at the haphazard and total lack of knowledge in this terribly important study; and it would not be wrong for us to say that it should be one of the first subjects that should be taught to the students at schools of higher education across the world; and it is said by the Orators that being knowledgeable in the History of your Motherland is the first step in Politics where you’d be able to fight for the good of the Rule of the Nation.

And understanding the histories of all Nations is what will prepare you to fight intelligently on legal grounds for the benefit of your lahui. In the teachings of the Great Book, in Jeremiah 6:16, Jehovah says to us:

“Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths. Where is the good way?”

O Lahui, how will we be able to ask of the right way if we do not know the old history of our Beloved Aina?

This lack of knowledge of the history of this people comes from not consistently reading the Hawaiian newspapers. Something frequently seen is one person buying a paper and reading it before his friends. They hear it but they don’t retain it like one who subscribes to the paper, who can re-read it at his leisure and thus commit to memory the information.

Learn from this instruction, and do as the haole, who buys his very own newspapers to educate himself in current events.

[The Hawaiian-Language Newspapers is a massive history book—a history on the most part told by Hawaiians living while the “history” was happening. As it was argued more than a hundred years ago, in order to fight for things like Sovereignty, Land, and Water, shouldn’t we know the history as told by Hawaiians? Perhaps we shouldn’t focus solely on what is written down in law books, but also on what Hawaiians actually said and did about these laws, about water rights, about land ownership, about fishing bans, etc., etc. etc.?

For sure this is no easy task. The original newspapers aren’t going to last forever. The current images for many of them are not totally clear (if there are images at all). They need to be word-searchable so that if you search for something, you will find it. There needs to be more people doing translations of them. But then again, Kamehameha Paiea didn’t exclaim, “Forward my younger brothers and drink of the sweet waters”…]

(Na’i Aupuni, 1/17/1906, p. 2)

Ka Na'i Aupuni, Buke I, Helu 44, Aoao 2. Ianuari 17, 1906.