It'd be nice if we HAD some reservations.

When the overthrow took place and the Americans came in, it wasn't so much of a land issue. It was more of a culture issue. No Hawaiian was to be spoken anywhere at anytime. They attempted to take our culture away and wipe it out completely. My great-great-grandfather Kawewehi was placed in jail because he got caught performing his SUNDAY SERMON in Hawaiian.

The closest thing we have to native reservations are Hawaiian Homelands, but that wasn't established till the late 50s. After the overthrow of the monarchy, about 90% of the lands were ceded to the US Government. Some of these lands include the Honolulu International Airport and the University of Hawai`i. The rest were eventually bought by businessmen who saw $$$ opportunity. Lots of Hawaiian activist groups know that these lands can never be reclaimed, so they're asking for financial restitution. $$$ for the education of Native Hawaiian children and development of programs for the betterment of the people.

So we have this issue of Hawaiian Homelands. It's a deparment run by the state that provides affordable housing for Native Hawaiians who are at least 50% Hawaiian. The thing is though, that there isn't enough land to build more homes. The waiting list is long and some people on the list pass away before even being able to get a home. And you'd think that the land would be good too. The American government tells us "Ok, here's some land...go build your house and good luck." Oh -- and did I mention that these lands are practically the crappiest in the state? Waimanalo's always rainy and flooding, Wai`anae is too dry, and Papakolea's in the mountains...not optimal at all for farming, but decent enough for living, I guess.