Since the 2020 Covid-19 epidemic, I have listened to and Watched many people swing from being loyal Hawaiian Sovereignty party members to backing The Previous POTUS Donald Trump after being baited in by conspiracy theories that scooped them up into the Q-Anon Bandwagon.
I, too, have been for a time sceptical of the truth in mainstream media - which is natural I think for an Indigenous person with the knowledge of Americaʻs history of oppressing our people - but with also the knowledge of smallpox and measels-infected blankets being used to commit genocide on our people during colonization days, I have also remained cautious, holding nothing over on the illegally occupying corporation that is the United States and the very sick and greedy few willing to kill off the *eyesore Natives that, to them, are the only thing wrong with this paradise we call home.
”We are not American! We are not American! We are not American!” Rings the powerful voice of Haunani-Kay Trask. Her statement keeps me focused on the point that we as Hawaiians have strived for and should not be distracted from by Modern American Propaganda. “We will never be American! We are Hawaiian and we will die as Hawaiians!” Continues her brave and fearless tone, bypassing all the noise surrounding me on Social Media, The News and the NEW everyday conversation.
As I lay down for the evening after my toddler falls asleep, I reflect and hold Fast to the Vision of Haunani-Kay. Her once brutally real expressions of facts on the history and current status of Hawaiians was once too honest for everyday listening. The type of pinpointing that I even so much as Avoided listening to especially before work because I would get too heated to maintain focus. Being from two families both known and named for firey hot tempers, I try my best to keep daily life mellow, uneventful and consistent. Here in 2021, she is my rock of sanity and truth, keeping my eyes and mind from blurring from an overload of white noise that further muffles the truth as told by todayʻs Hawaiian Heroine.
Above: “Haunani-Kay Traskʻs Where Thereʻs a Will Thereʻs a Wave, with Hae Hawaii superimposed background” available in my etsy shop here.
There is no shortage of Video, publishing or references to Haunani-Kay Trask and if you have an internet connection then it is easy to become a witness to the powerful grasp that she maintained by and by every occassion that she attended. Numerous Videos on YouTube show her in her element, Flīpping the white mans burden on itʻs back and reinstating appeals that defend the fact that Hawaiians are victims of racism, genocide and even gaslighting within Educational Institutions and from ill-charactered sexist bigots who attempted to gang up on Haunani-Kay herself, to no avail.
With a plethora of sources available to explore and enjoy the force that is Haunani-Kay, I also share this list of references that Haunani-Kay has Authored and that are especially worthy of your indulgence:
From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawaii, By: Haunani-Kay Trask
2. Kūʻē: Thirty Years of Land Struggle in Hāwaiʻi
Written and Captioned By: Haunani-Kay Trask
Photography By: Ed Greevy
3. Eros and Power: Promise of Feminist Theory
By: Haunani-Kay Trask
For establishing Kamakakuokalani Cenbter for Hawaiian Studies, envisioning and bringing in to the material world a place that represents the Independent Hawaiian existence and paving the way for Hawaiians after her to raise their voices in academia and abroad, thank you aunty Haunani-Kay!
Be sure to also visit my YouTube channel for weekly posts on Indigenous Hawaiian Heroes HERE
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