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FeedContenders to the Throne
Sovereignty has been an elusive goal, but some Hawaiians aren’t waiting around. We take a look at local groups who are already operating their own functional Hawaiian governments—kings, queens and ministers of the interior.
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We all live in Hawaii. Some of us however are living not in the state of Hawaii, but the kingdom of Hawaii. A sovereign Hawaiian nation is something that many in the Islands have been seeking for decades. There have been moments when the goal seemed just around the corner, such as in 1993, when righteous anger over the 100th anniversary of the overthrow of the kingdom galvanized thousands into the streets to march on Iolani Palace, and President Bill Clinton signed a resolution apologizing for the overthrow. How could a solution fail to appear?
In the years since, though, the sovereignty movement has plugged away without much result. The highest profile effort, The Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, popularly known as the Akaka Bill, has languished in Congress for almost a decade.
But what if the kingdom of Hawaii never went away? There are a growing number who believe just that. Rather than settling for the “nation within a nation” offered by the Akaka Bill, they are declaring that not only does the promised land exist, they are already living in it. All that needs to be done is to claim it and proceed as a functional Hawaiian kingdom.
More than 10 factions currently claim to be the legitimate government of the Hawaiian kingdom. Some toil alone in legal abstractions, others stage news-grabbing demonstrations at Iolani Palace.
We set out to talk with some of the queens, kings and ministers of Hawaii, to find out more about their governments.
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The Acting Hawaiian Kingdom Government
Of all the factions, David Keanu Sai, who calls himself chairman of the Council of Regency and acting minister of the interior, has perhaps the most detailed justification for the continued existence of the Hawaiian kingdom.
Sai recently earned a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Hawaii, and makes a meticulous, legalistic argument that the kingdom never disappeared.
As he explains it, an 1893 Agreement of Restoration between Queen Liliuokalani and President Grover Cleveland established that the overthrow of the monarchy was illegal, and should have reseated her on the throne. Because the U.S. never honored the treaty, and went on to annex Hawaii—illegally, Sai says—it became an occupying force, in violation of international law.
“Any government is the physical manifestation of the people,” Sai says. “Just because the United States overthrew the Hawaiian government, didn’t mean it overthrew the country. It’s like Iraq.”
Sai said he came to his conclusions in the early 1990s, and if his name sounds familiar, it’s probably because he became a notorious household name while putting his theory into practice.
He set up a company called Perfect Title, which offered a historical check on Hawaii property titles. Because Sai posited that the illegality of the U.S.’s annexation of Hawaii invalidated any business or legal matters stemming from it, including land transfers, his company’s title checks would invariably lead to one conclusion: You don’t own your land, the original 1893 owner does.
“If someone comes down the road and says the title’s no good, you don’t have a mortgage,” he explains. “The mortgage went up in smoke. Because it was dependent on you having a title.”
Hundreds of clients paid $1,500 apiece for Sai’s services, and predictably, things quickly hit the fan. Sai was eventually convicted of attempted first-degree theft, and sentenced to five years of probation, for his role in helping Michael and Carol Simafranca try to reclaim a home they had lost to foreclosure in 1996. (The couple used Sai’s title search as justification for breaking in and attempting to reoccupy the house, which had already been sold to new owners.)
Sai says that Perfect Title was a political experiment, and regards his felony conviction as a “feather in my cap,” proving his point. “If this thing was frivolous, why the hell [were they] attacking so hard?” he asks.
After his conviction, Sai switched his focus to gaining recognition for the Hawaiian kingdom government, which he and several others had set up around the same time as Perfect Title.
In 2000, Sai traveled to The Hague, Netherlands, to lay out his argument at the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The specific case involved Lance Larsen, a Hawaii resident and declared Hawaiian national, who sued the Hawaiian kingdom government for failing to protect him from being jailed for 30 days. (Larsen had run into trouble for driving without Hawaii state license plates on his vehicle and refusing to pay the resulting fines.)
Sai might ostensibly have been defending his government against one of its citizens, but his primary goal was to secure recognition of the Hawaiian kingdom from the Court of Arbitration.
Here, again, he claims success. “Before we even get there, the acting government has to have standing. They couldn’t deny Hawaii’s status as not part of the United States. That’s why we were able to have the hearing. We wouldn’t even get through the door if Hawaii was the 50th state.”
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Reader Comments:
Aloha Ka Kou Aina,
In the first sentence of this article you seek to undermine my government.
"David Keanu Sai, who calls himself chairman of the Council of Regency"
Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the necessity doctrine and the historical precedence that requires us to fill "Pro Tempere" the offices of governance.
All of the people who work in the Kingdom of Hawaii are the same government. just as you Americans have local governments and political parties. All do not agree, but all serve the same goals.
It is ironic that the Supreme Court itself turns the table on you and quotes the Queen Liliuokalani:
"A so called committee of public safety" and goes on to describe the illegal occupation of Hawaii. It is the State of Hawaii that fights for sovereignty and the State which calls itself legitimate, not us
Kai Landow
Aupuni Hawaii
Wow, scary how delusional some people are.
Aloha Honolulu Magazine;
This is the correct web site for HRM Akahi Nui.
http://hrmakahinui.com
The Kingdom of Hawaii, led by Majesty Akahi Nui, has a new website which delineates all processes in law and economics he has followed and fulfilled;
http://hrmakahinui.com
The former website; http://freehawaii.org has been in place since we established it on December 24th, 1995 at 11:30 pm. It was also when we did the first public proclamation to the world, and no one has ever rebutted it. Having historical significance, the old website will be kept mostly as is. The new site has all updates and current processes listed.
Also please realize, that HRM Akahi Nui, and HRH Akahi Wahine, the King and Queen of Hawaii, also hold the Superior Security Interest over all of Hawaii, have numerous substantial liens over all interests in Hawaii, and have also held title to all land in Hawaii through their Royal Patent Deeds for many years. All claims by this Kingdom remain unrebutted and completely agreed to by the current State of Hawaii system. They refuse to produce proof of valid title, or answer any of our questions.
Majesty Akahi Nui's ancestral descendancy (he is of 100% royal blood on both sides of his family) also holds the personal Royal Patent Deed on the Iolani Palace, INCLUDING those lands which the State of Hawaii does business every day on (Iolani Palace grounds), and the "Governor's Mansion" which in fact is Queen Liliuokalani's House (which Governor Lingle currently occupies). Her spirit shall not rest until her True Monarchy is restored. Therefore His Majesty was repossessing his family's (Akahi) own personal property.
The original Royal Coat of Arms (which the State of Hawaii has completely plagiarized and thus infringed the copy write of) has the Akahi Twins on it. I believe there is no place you can stand in or near the Palace without seeing at least one of these. His Majesty's personal family's flag is the Royal Standard Flag. His great, great, great, etc. grandmother was the Head of the Konohiki Council (the power behind the throne) when the first Constitution and Bill of Rights for Hawaii was penned in 1840.
For those who derided His Majesty Her Highness for "breaking into a State of Hawaii museum of historical significance", while in reality they were reclaiming what is rightfully theirs and "reenacting the full powers of [international] state", please realize you just admonished your new landlord.
If any one would like to present factual documented evidence to rebut any Kingdom claims, we will be very happy to address your issues publicly for all the world to see.
Patrick McCormick
Special Counsel
Kingdom of Hawaii
Mr. Michael Keany;
Mr. Michael Keany;
This is an incorrect statement be wise to edit correct statements in the HONOLULU MAGAZINE it has a public annotations of an outstanding company.
"James Akahi, king of the Kingdom of Hawaii on Maui, was convicted this year of breaking into Iolani Palace."
The Jury found Akahi Nui aka James Akahi ACQUITTAL to the charge of BURGLARY II. in July 2009
Editor’s note: James Akahi was acquitted on a charge of burglary, but convicted for trespassing. We stand by our sentence.
TO THE KINGDOM OF HAWAII WE KNOW HOW HARD FOR YEARS EVERYONE CLAIMS TO BE THRONE CARIERS OF THE KINGDOM,IN REALITY I SAT WITH THE QUEEN MYSELF AND TALK TO HER SO MANY TIMES SPIRITUALLY AND ALSO TO MY LORD AND SAVIOR,I DO NOT AGREE ANY PEOPL SAYING THEY ARE THE RIGHTFUL HEIRS OF THE KINGDOM UNLESS YOU WERE CHOSEN TO BE THE ELECT OF THE KINGDOM TODAY MY FAMILY BEN HOLDING THE KINGDOM FOR MANY YEARS, AN I KNOW ALL OF YOU KNOW THAT THE REAL MORNARCH IS STILL LIVING AND SURVIVING TODAY, BECAUSE WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT NATIONNALITYS I PROPOSE THAT AKAHI IS THE REAL ROYAL BLOOD F AWAIIAN AND SAYS HE IS OF OUR BLOOD ANCESTORS, MAYBE THIS IS TRUE ,AND OTHERS ARE RELATED TO THE KING HIMSELF, WE KNOIW THE REAL TRUTH, A YOUNG GIRL BORN 1974 AND SHE IS THE REAL BLOOD LINE OF ALL THE FAMILY AND FOR THAT SHE COULD CLAIM EVERYTHING. I LOOK AT THIS AND YES I GET UPSET THIS SIS MY OPINION AND I RESPECT ALL OF YOU WHO ISLTED TO THE MORNARCHY FOR NOW WE HVE TO DEAL WITH THE LADY WHO WAS MARRIDTO MY UNCLE EDWARD KAWANANAKOA, REMEMBER THEY WERE CHOSEN TO RULE. FOR THIS CAUSE MY AMILY HAS PROOF OF ALL OF THIS AND FOR THIS THE QUEEN WOULD WANT US TO PONO TO GET BACK OUR KINGDOM IT DOES NOT MATTER WHO IS KING AND QUEENS AND RULERS YOU FOLKS ARE MISSING THE WHOLE PICTURE HERE IT IS THE COVENANT THAT WE NEED TO ABIDE TO WHEN KING DAVID KALAUKAUA WAS ALIVE AND TO THQUEEN WE NEED TO KEEP HER THRONE WIH NO ONE ACCEPT OUR GOD JESUS TO RULE. REMEMBER HE WILL DECIDE WHO WILL RULE THE KINGDOMS AND HE WILL TAKE PLCE IN THIS WE NEED TO HOPONOPONO AND NOT SAY WE RULE THIS OR THAT IT IS HE WHO RULES US ALL AND OUR KINGDOM AND WHEN THE TIMCOMES AND THE RIGHTFUL HEIRS AND OUR CVENNAT IS BROUGHT BACK ONLY THEN WE CAN MAKE A SOUND PROVISISON TO ALL OF US AS OHAN AND LET HIM BE OUR RULER AND NOT US. remmeber god i not want our kingdom to e like this and even our queen she will be so happy when we are all together ad we all rule tgether with god and his kingdom. my thing i will say is thatr i was born in 1974 and quenn lilioukalani and david and king KAMEHAMEHA IS ALL RELATED WE ARE ALL RELATED FOR THIS WE NEED TO ALOHA THIS IT IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN MONEY KNGDOM AND POWER WOULDNT IT BE NICE AL OF US RULE TOGETHER.