Self-determination, Hawaiian sovereignty, and the Philippine-Americans.

SABBATICAL NOTES. 12 JUL 2014. SATURDAY. N1. 
Self-determination, Hawaiian sovereignty, and the Philippine-Americans.

THIS HAS BEEN going around for many years, and this desire of the native Hawaiian for self-determination is gaining traction. 

The Feds are into it now, and seriously paying attention to what the Hawaiians want, desire, dream of, and envision for their land and people. 

The foreigners in Hawaii, like the many Ilokanos that have come here, sense a changing landscape, the contour of government perhaps changing as well in the coming years.

When the 'social' has gone passe, and the 'cultural' makes more sense.

The culture of the Hawaiian will provide sense to the vision of a free Hawaii, a Hawaii of whatever form it will take in relation to the larger body politic we call the United States of America.

That culture will determine the kind of country and homeland the Hawaiian people would like to have.

In the era of diversity, as is the case of Hawaii even before the occupation, Hawaii, it seems, will welcome diversity as its political and cultural resource. This diversity will mark it as a welcoming homeland for all peoples of the world.

For many immigrants with new political identities, there will be questions, but that is secondary now.

We will cross the bridge when we get there.

WHP/