When King Kalākaua’s sister and successor, Queen Lili’uokalani, tried to embed a new constitution in 1893 to bring more power back to the Kingdom of Hawai’i, she was overthrown. This gave the US military access to Pearl Harbour. That led to the signing of the Bayonet Constitution in 1887, which King Kalākaua was forced to sign. They found an area called Ke Awa Lau O Puʻuloa (The Many Bays of Puʻuloa), now commonly known as Pearl Harbour. “People aren’t aware of the fact that we lost sovereignty when our Queen was overthrown and our islands illegally taken over because of the military,” Case says.Īs early as the 1870s, military officials were scouting Hawai’i as a strategic location, and looking for a place to build a naval port. The occupation can be traced back to 1893 when the US military supported the overthrow of Queen Lili’uokalani, the reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom. “This is just one example of how the military has prioritised its own agendas over the health and wellbeing and safety of our lands, our waters and our people.” History of US military occupation in Hawai’i Many Kanaka Māoli have resisted the military in Hawai’i for over a century but it takes catastrophes like this for people to become aware and speak up about it. This will be released on land or into sewer and wastewater systems.Įngineers have said the gray dust in the water is “harmless charcoal residue from the massive filters” and that they’d have “clean and tested water in 45 days”, Hawaii News Now journalist Mahealani Richardson reported, but Pearl City Peninsula residents say they’re sceptical.Ī post shared by Mahealani Richardson water contamination has opened up a much larger conversation about how much Hawai’i has sacrificed for the military, Case says. Just days ago the US Air force delivered filtration systems to the base camp, which will be used to flush approximately 25 million gallons of contaminated water. The latest fuel leak at the same facility has resulted in water contamination of petroleum over 350 times safe drinking levels. In 2018, the Hawaiian Department of Health fined the US Navy over $350,000 for operations and maintenance violations at an underground fuel storage facility, and in May this year, an operator error caused the release of over 6,000 litres of fuel at the Red Hill storage facility. It’s not the first time the US Navy has been found irresponsibly managing its facilities. Thousands of military families have been displaced, residents have fallen ill from drinking the contaminated water, and pressure has been mounting on the military to invest in prevention measures. This followed an announcement by the US Navy on November 20 that jet fuel from a WWII storage facility had leaked into a local aquifer. Oahu’s largest water source, the Halawa Shaft, which delivers 20% of Honolulu’s water supply, has been shut down by the local Board of Water Supply. She says the solution is the demilitarisation of Hawai’i. “I would love for future generations to not have to experience any of that.” Dr Emalani Case (Photo: Victoria University of Wellington)Ĭase is also a lecturer in Pacific studies at Victoria University of Wellington, and she is standing in solidarity with many Kanaka Māoli, native Hawaiians, calling for the immediate shut-down of the US Navy Red Hill facility after the local water supply was contaminated. You’re not fully aware of how violent of an upbringing that is. “You grow up feeling the bombs, seeing tanks, helicopters flying constantly. First, de-militarisation and then decolonisation,” she says.Ĭase, a Kanaka Māoili from Waimea, Hawai’i, grew up 45 minutes from the Puhakuloa military base on Hawai’i Island, referred to as Big Island. “Ultimately, Indigenous sovereignty in Hawai’i is what we need. It has hardened her resolve to see the end of the militarism in Hawai’i. Growing up with the all-pervading presence of the US military, Dr Emalani Case has become accustomed to violations inflicted on her homeland. Pacific Studies lecturer Dr Emalanai Case, who was born in Hawai’i, says the pollution and desecration won’t end until sovereignty is returned to the native Hawaiians. ![]() A fuel leak at a US naval storage facility has resulted in the pollution of a major water source in Honolulu. That struggle continues on the mountain today, but recent events on Oahu have seen protestors bringing attention back to water. In recent years, the world took notice as native Hawaiians united in defence of their sacred mountain, Mauna Kea, on Hawaii Island. ![]() Kanaka Māoli have long fought back against the US militarisation of their islands. Our whanaunga in Hawai’i, Kanaka Māoli, are demanding the immediate closure of the US naval base at Red Hill in Oahu, in the wake of the latest in a long string of injustices: the contamination of a major water source caused by leaked jet fuel.
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