KEKAHA — There is no reason to wait for the recognition of the Hawaiian kingdom, for its children and return of its land, said Dayne Aleka Aipoalani of Kekaha. Aipoalani, 45, is a royal who says he is recognized as
KEKAHA — There is no reason to wait for the recognition of the Hawaiian kingdom, for its children and return of its land, said Dayne Aleka Aipoalani of Kekaha.
Aipoalani, 45, is a royal who says he is recognized as “Mana Ariki” by fellow kings, queens and chiefs of the Royal Union of the Pacific Nations (Te Moana Nui A Kiva) bordered by New Zealand, Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and Hawai‘i.
He left Friday to return to New Zealand (Aotearoa) for his formal inauguration as TMAK’s minister of tourism and the environment with the chiefs he met in September, some of whom also descended from the first king of Hawai‘i.
He envisions reestablishment of the Hawaiian kingdom during his lifetime, with land being returned to Native Hawaiians where sustainability efforts will immediately take place, with kupuna teaching keiki both customary traditions and modern ways, he said.
“We are putting our people back where they belong. We the sovereign supreme authority,” said Aipoalani during an interview at the Kekaha Neighborhood Center recently.
“We are the customary chiefs.”
He has dedicated himself to Akua (God), the people and the land, he said.
Because he can trace his bloodline to Hawai‘i’s original ali‘i, he has decided to step forward to lead the reestablishment of the kingdom, “because our children need our help. They need us now.”
As the overthrow of Queen Liliu‘okalani in the late 1800s was a historic event, so too will be the reinstatement. “It’s going to happen sooner than people think,” he said.
“I putting our people back where they belong. What we have been through needs to be addressed.
“We are the heirs of our tutu, Kamehameha, and this is our kuleana,” he said.
“We the ones putting it back together because we’re the ones who are supposed to do it,” said Aipoalani.
He and other native leaders are collaborating for the benefit of all native people, he said.
“It’s not ‘me, me, me.’ It’s ‘we, we, we,’” he said.
“The longer we wait, the more crimes we commit against our people. All these islands are going to connect again,” he said.
“We are not trying to disassemble the state. We are not trying to disassemble the county,” he said, adding that the customary chiefs are going to rule parallel with existing governments, providing oversight.
“The kingdom is the solution. This is spiritual,” he said. “We can do good. We will right wrongs.”
It is for that and other reasons that the reestablished Hawaiian kingdom will be one rooted in praise of God. “God came first. We were all created by him,” he said.
In this time of transition, the kings and queens of Polynesia have agreed to meet in one year’s time in Atooi, the island of Kaua‘i, he said.
On the Web: atooi.net
