“We are gathered in this place at the request of the 18th General Synod of the United Church of Christ, to recall with sorrow the unprovoked invasion of the Hawaiian nation on January 17, 1893, by forces of the United States.”
“We are gathered here so that, as President of the United Church of Christ, I can apologize for the support given that act by ancestors of ours in the church now known as the United Church of Christ. We do so in order to begin a process of repentance, redress and reconciliation for wrongs done.”
“We are here to commit ourselves to work alongside our na Kanaka Maoli sisters and brothers-both those in the United Church of Christ and those beyond-in the hope that a society of justice and mercy for them and for all people everywhere, may yet emerge.”
“We remember that in 1820 the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, now known as the United Church Board for World Ministries, sent missionaries to Hawaii to preach the good news of Jesus Christ.”
“These women and men, often at great personal sacrifice, witnessed to the Gospel in compelling ways. Their lives of Christian commitment and generosity are an inspiration, and their contributions endure. We thank God for them.”
“Some of these men and women, however, sometimes confused the ways of the West with the ways of the Christ. Assumptions of cultural and racial superiority and alien economic understanding led some of them and those who followed them to discounts or undervalue the strengths of the mature society they encountered.”
“Therefore, the rich indigenous values of na Kanaka Maoli, their language, their spirituality, and their regard for the land, were denigrated. The resulting social, political, and economic implications of these harmful attitudes contributed to the suffering of na Kanaka Maoli in that time and into the present.”
“Justice will be pursued and reconciliation achieved as, together, we recognized both the strengths and the weakness of those who preceded us, as we celebrate that which is good, and as we make right that which is wrong.”
“Through the years na Kanaka Maoli have experience virtually the total loss of their pae’aina (land base). Their mechanism for sovereignty, their government, has been taken from them.”
“Many suffer from severe poverty, lack of education opportunity and decent health care, and their cultural heritage is under severe threat. Justice and mercy demand rectification of these wrongs, so that we may be reconciled with each other and walk, together, toward a common future.”
“We recognize that, in collaboration with others from the United States and elsewhere, a number of descendants of the missionaries helped form the so-called “Provisional Government,” which conspired with armed forces of the United States in the invasion of 1893.”
“With the involvement and public support of members of the Hawaiian Evangelical Association (the predecessor body for the Hawaii Conference United Church of Christ, the Provisional Government appropriated all Crown and government lands for eventual forfeiture to the United States.”
“On January 17, 1893, Queen Lili‘uokalani, temporarily and under “solemn protest,” yielded to the superior force of the United States “until such time as the Government of the United States shall, upon face being presented to it, undo the action of its representatives and reinstate me…”
“Queen Lili‘uokalani rejected not only the legality of the overthrow but also its morality. She appealed direct to the American people. “
“Oh, honest Americans, as Christians hear me for my downtrodden people! Their form of government is as dear to them as yours is precious to you. Quite as warmly as you love your country, so they love theirs…”
“With all your goodly possessions, covering a territory so immense that there yet remain past unexplored, possessing island that, although near at hand, had to be neutral ground in time of war, do not covet the little vineyard of Naboth’s, so far from your shores, lest the punishment of Ahab fall upon you.”
“If not in your day, in that of your children, for “be not deceived God is not mocked.” The children to whom our fathers told of the living God, and taught to call ‘Father,’ and whom the sons now seek to despoil and destroy, are crying aloud to Him in their time of trouble; and He will keep His promise, and will listen to the voices of His Hawaiians children, lamenting for their homes.”
“Sadly, the Queens’ appeal was ignored.”
“A long century later, the 18th General Synod of the United Church of Christ, while celebrating the good fruit of the mission enterprise, recognizes also, far too late, the wrongs perpetrated upon na Kanaka Maoli.”
“Therefore, the General Synod has instructed me, its President, to begin a process of reconciliation, beginning with a formal apology to you, na Kanaka Maoli.”
“We acknowledge and confess our sins against you and your forebears, na Kanaka Maoli,. We formally apologize to you for ‘our denomination’s historical complicities in the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy in 1893,’ …”
“… by unduly identifying the ways of the West with the ways of the Christ, and thereby, undervaluing the strengths of the mature society that was native Hawaii. We commit ourselves to help right the wrongs inflicted upon you. “
“We promise respect for the religious traditions and practices, the spirituality and culture that are distinctly yours. We promise solidarity with you in common concern, action and support. We will seek to be present and vulnerable with you and the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ in the struggle for justice, peace and reconciliation.”
“Our General Synod resolution promises advocacy for state and national legislation in support of ‘grass root initiatives toward self-government.’”
“We commit ourselves this day to establish a task force to work in partnership with you and the Hawaii Conference as you seek self-determination and justice. We make these promises in the hope that redress may be achieved.”
“May God’s Spirit guide and God’s Grace empower us in this new day of reconciliation. Amen” (After attending services at Kawaiahao Church, and processing to the grounds of Iolani Palace where thousands of people had gathered, the above Apology to Na Kanaka Maoli was given by Dr. Paul Sherry, President, of the United Church of Christ on January 17, 1993.)
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Thank you so much for bringing this beautiful, obviously sincere, and frank expression of reconciliation and inclusivity to attention.
The study of 19th century Hawaii history offers understanding and insights into why and how the world today works and doesn’t work in the interests of people and their families, where big dominates small, might makes right, the moneyed and more powerful overwhelm those who are rich in their seemingly uneconomic but time-honored cultural heritage. Hawaii with its native, indigenous culture has much to teach.
Besides your very informative and educational posts, if there are only two books to read that help to better understand Hawaii, they are Patrick Kirch’s (Hawaii born, Yale PhD, UC-Berkeley professor) “A Shark Going Inland Is My Chief: The Island Civilization of Ancient Hawai’i,” and Stuart Banner’s (Yale BA, Stanford JD, UCLA School of Law professor) Harvard-published “Possessing the Pacific”.
Kirch sweeps through decades of development in archaeology-anthropology with an acute focus on Hawaii and its evolution in becoming one of seven cradles of civilization, with evidence not only from diggings but also from oral traditions unavailable of the other six civilizations. Banner offers insights into the Mahele as not a land rip-off by foreigners with vested interests but as an akamai effort by a Hawaiian king toward keeping Hawaiian lands in Hawaiian hands.
This UCC expression is inspiring. With so much divisive conflict in today’s world that too often erupts in violence, including in our own United States, resolution and reconciliation through time-honored, heartfelt, traditional means is being increasingly appreciated and effective. Accepting the injustice and grievance for what it is and reaching out in a sincere effort at reconciliation is utterly commendable.
Laws and courts causing black & white decisions too often result in winners and losers, leaving behind a residue of resentment and hostility. Home grown traditional approaches to conflict resolution like ho’oponopono can be much more effective where the outcome could be a level where not only individuals are better served, but also communities. South Africa and Rwanda are the obvious examples.
Thank you again.