Group Three.

In the islands of Hawaii there is a strong movement for Hawaiian Sovereignty.  In 1893, the US basically overthrew the Hawaiian Monarchy and pushed Queen Liliokalani off her thrown - making it impossible to stand up for the rights of the Nation of Hawaii.  Native Hawaiians have never held the same legal rights and as the Nations of Indians on the 'mainland', such as the Cherokee.  Many movements have constantly fought the US government's continued occupation of the nation of Hawaii. 
Actually, even the fact that Hawaii is the fiftieth state is largely contested.  Many believe that the US rushed a statehood vote through the houses and rigged the election, in response to new UN rules that would have lessened the ability of the US to control the colony of Hawaii.  The US could not afford to loose this strategic military and economic territory. 

People living in Hawaii are aware of the sovereignty movement to different degrees, though most probably through the music of Israel Kamakawiwaole (think Somewhere Over the Rainbow/Its a wonderful world).  I feel the Hawaiian sovereignty movement has been culturally industrialized and romanticized, with most people not knowing the real facts of Hawaii as an occupied nation. 

However that may be, the people of Hawaii today are deeply, strongly and actively aware of how the islands are different from the mainland US.  We do seem to be, in many ways, a separate nation of people.  Karim speaks of the idea of a 'nation' as something humanity has had even before there were nation states.  To him, the idea of the nation has always between groups of people and is re-legitimized through common belief, understanding and traditions, creating an imagined community.  Humans have evolved living, working and surviving in groups.  A 'nation' can be seen as an imagined community that is agreed upon by a group of people to support their cultural, economic, political, religious and militaristic goals.  Hawaii has a strong sence of culture, distinct traditions, music, history, language, stories, religion, gods, a different sense of space and time.  This makes it, in many ways, a completely different nation of people. 
   
Having a nation involves actively including and excluding groups of people.  This is where the idea of a 'nation' of Hawaii gets interesting.  Hawaii is very good at including and absorbing all sorts of people with many different backgrounds.  So, does "the Hawaiian people" include only decedents of Native Hawaiians?  If so, to what percentage? Does it include all the Asians and Portuguese brought over over the past almost 200 years to work the fields?  Does it include the missionaries and white settlers and ranchers that arrived over the past 100 years and now consider Hawaii their ancestral home?  The people who move there and stay because it is gorgeous?  In this blog, I have used the term 'we' when I speak of people from Hawaii, but I only arrived there at the age of 5 because my father was stationed there as a member of the US military.  To many, I most definitely AM NOT a part of the people of Hawaii, to others I totally am because I can answer the question "From where you grad?" - "I went grad from Kaiser in Hawaii Kai.'

I definitely feel the 'idea' and 'experience' of Hawaii is very real.  Whether it would be a "nation" of people, I suppose depends on how you look at it.  Is it a nation occupied by the US?  A strong distinct part of the US ? (Way to round it out to the big 5-0 Hawaii!)  It is true that Hawaiians never loose that part of themselves when they leave the islands.  The Hawaiian diaspora is easily seen.  "You can take the boy from the island, but not the island from the boy" to quote a famous Hawaiian singer Justin Kawika Young.  This is present in almost every university through the Hawaiian clubs on college campuses across the US.  There are pockets of Hawaii in LA, Las Vegas (cheapest flight to the mainland!) and Seattle.  The Hawaiian identity is without a doubt rapped up in the nation of the US, but at the same time stands completely separate.  It has a different history, a unique make up of people not found anywhere else in the world.  It has a lot of tensions, but that is part of its identity and we have even more Aloha.  The Aloha spirit does prevail more often than not.  "One ting I went notice 'bout this place, all us guys we tease the other race, it's amazing we can live in the same place!"  As referenced in one of my favorite songs (if you don't mind humoring me....it may be an aquired taste):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOrIz6R0hO0&feature=related