My Tribe: the Hawaiian Malihini Tribe; My Clan, the Haole Clan One of my great, great grandmothers was a full blood Creek Indian, living, inappropriately, in Indian Territory. Her tribe had been forcefully driven there at bayonet point by the United states Army. Hawaii’s “Bayonet Constitution”, Bah! No blood was spilled. No one died. Thousands of men, women, and children of all ages died on the Trail of Tears. I inherited from my long ago grandmother the abilities to get a great tan and to blend in. Growing up in Oklahoma, I was surrounded by members of dozens of various Indian tribes. A few were “local” tribes, but most were “foreign” tribes from all over the continent. Really strange and diverse places like Arizona, the Dakotas, Florida, Mississippi, Kansas, and Illinois. Many were my class mates. I saw and experienced far less racial bigotry, discrimination, and animosity growing up there, than I have seen or experienced in California, New Mexico, and Washington state where I lived right next door to various Indian Reservations for extended periods of time. Or, later, for that matter, right here in Hawaii. I learned by hard “boots on the ground” experience that separation (racial, religious, or ethnic) by law does not work for anyone. We humans naturally separate ourselves far too easily along too many stupid lines, like economics, as it is without the force of law to encourage this inappropriate, unsocial behavior. I believe that all Hawaiians, and especially those few who choose to call themselves “Hawaiian” based solely on ancestry, will be extremely ill served by “the Akaka Bill”. I invite those who feel differently, without the real life experience, to go to the mainland and observe for themselves the truth about living conditions on, in, and around “real” Indian Reservations. Take your head out of the kava bucket and actually go to the Pine Ridge, the Tulalip, the Warm Springs, the Coachella, the Hopi, the Navaho, and the Apache Reservations. Keep your ears and eyes open. Look at the real numbers. Then come home to Hawaii and preach the truth. Those “Hawaiians” born here, 63%, are Hawaiian by birth, no matter the color of their skin. Other “Hawaiians” arriving by ship, or plane, who live here, pay income taxes here, spend their incomes here, have Hawaiian I. D., and vote in State and national elections here are also Hawaiian by the only measures that make any sense. The only “tribe” that meets the Federal legal definition of a tribe in Hawaii, is my tribe: the Hawaiian Malihini Tribe. We are the only “tribe” that, by default, accepts everyone. Although, when you come to think about it, my Clan, the Haole Clan, within the larger Hawaiian Malihini Tribe sometimes does have a little trouble fitting in, except, of course, those of us who tan easily.
(c) Copyright 2006: George Wallace recently published a book on religion which lashes out at nearly all of the comfortable ideas about God, the trappings of organized religion, and the priesthood. His pithy comments and suggestions for a return to a God-centered personal religion will interest everyone. This article may be freely reprinted so long as all copyright attributions, and the full content of this resource box are included. www.OhGodIsThatYou.com
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