The Hawaiian Revolution: Tomorrow Is Too Late

By William Andrew Fritz

In 1893, the reigning Queen of Hawaii, Liliuokalani, was surreptitiously and unlawfully overthrown by a contingent of wealthy and ambitious Americans who had settled in the islands. Despite the efforts of many of her constituents and the support of President Cleveland, the native people of Hawaii, the Kanaka Maoli, had never regained any control over any of their lost lands until the present day. But, born out of the spirit of hope and what some would call the spiritual will of their ancestors, a great Hawaiian leader emerges from within that people. In the boldest of ways, he and his underground movement of revolutionaries regain control of the Hawaiian Islands and resurrect the Hawaiian nation. How is this done in one of the most heavily fortified military outposts of America away from the mainland USA? And is he and his band of rebels able to maintain this control and convince America and its leaders to acquiesce to the basic morality of his objectives?

This novel is about the great, enduring love of one giant figure in a most alluring culture. His deep love of a woman is given up for the love of his people. It is a great sacrifice deemed necessary to achieve his most noble path in life. Will his people follow in his path and make the difficult commitments needed to maintain their unique culture and the precious lands, the aina, they now control in Hawaii?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 2, 2007
• ISBN: 9781452091136

William Andrew Fritz

       William Andrew Fritz has lived and raised a family for over 35 years in the spiritually and culturally rich region of Kauai known as Wailua.  It is where the Kings and Queens of old Kauai ruled and resided.  It forms the essence of inspiration for his writing of this novel.  But, it is in the Kona region of Hawaii Island, where he made his first and deepest spiritual connection with the Hawaii of the past and found himself somehow challenged by those spirits to come forth with this creation, built upon his many varied and sometimes unusual experiences which the years have afforded him. 

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© 2010 William Andrew Fritz. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 10/1/2010

ISBN: 978-1-4343-0266-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4520-9113-6 (e)

Printed in the United States of America

Bloomington, Indiana

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Cover art by Jonathan Bigno

Contents

Prologue

The Inappropriate After Thought

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Prologue

In 1893, over a century and a decade ago, the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown and Queen Liliuokalani, the reigning Queen of the Hawaiian Islands, was forced into submissive, powerless seclusion. The forces involved in this overthrow were citizens of the United States who had come to these islands or whose missionary predecessors had come to these islands. Grover Cleveland, the then President of the United States, was publicly outraged at this illegal overthrow of the Queen and publicly supported her and her efforts to regain power. However, he was not to be President very long after this event and the succeeding President and Congress were not overly supportive of the native people of Hawaii given no right to vote in the new Republic and their deposed Queen. And as time has gone on, President after President, Congress after Congress, has not bothered to deal with the illegal overthrow. They were more interested and involved in preserving our powerful and strategically located port in the Pacific with its large military contingency. And so as time went on, the state of Hawaii with its largely immigrant Asian population became the new stewards of these islands, still largely possessed by individuals and corporations of great wealth. And who now controls the social fabric, the resources of these islands, and the political agendas? It is not the native peoples, the Kanaka Maoli, that much we know.

In the 1970’s, a state wide renaissance of Hawaiian culture began. The revival of the sailing traditions of the Hawaiian people via the Hokulei’a, led the way to greater cultural awareness and involvement in the things sacred to them such as language, hula, the arts, and the knowledge passed down to modern day kahuna. The public apology to the Hawaiian people by President Clinton delivered in 1993 on the 100th anniversary of the overthrow was merely a token step forward in placating the sovereignty movement initiated by many throughout the islands. Today, the Akaka bill is another small measure thrown out to appease the still angry descendants of the original inhabitants of these islands. It is a bill stalled in Congress over half a decade, that probably would not help its native people anyway. And even if it did so, would provide that help at a snail’s pace with a lot of controls over such things as their ability to open up casinos, for instance.

So why is this novel written? Could the scenario within or a similar scenario ever play out? Is there any hope that justice will ever be served the Hawaiian people? I, for one, believe that it is possible and maybe even inevitable. This novel is written with the intent to promote their cause to the American people. It is the American people who have the power to say they want this situation to change and change quickly. It is the American people who can say, we are a compassionate people who when we realize we have wronged our neighbor, will reach out the olive branch and the helping hand to make things right.

Truly, America today is the most powerful nation on earth. Our military influence and economic policies can overturn governments very quickly and subjugate peoples under those governments at the same time. What we have to avoid as a great nation is a conquering attitude, a dominant feeling of superiority that our way is the right way, the only way to achieve the betterment of mankind. For, after awhile, we become the dictators instead of those we sought to unseat by the same name. History has taught us, that great civilizations crumble under the decaying influences of basic moral tenants gone forgotten or unheeded. One of the basic moral tenants of our predominately Judeo-Christian society is to love our neighbors as ourselves. Are we doing that by our actions of the present era? Are we the considerate, compassionate nation we consider ourselves to be? Or are we an increasingly paranoid, fearful society trying ever to protect our position, our wealth, our security? These are questions we have to ask ourselves in this new century, if we are truly to remain the great nation we are, a nation built upon the principles of equality of men and an equal right to the pursuit of happiness and justice.

The Hawaiian Nation does not exist today except in the hearts and minds of many of Hawaii’s native people and the minds of others like myself who fully empathize with their plight. The causes of that people and their goals go way beyond the scope of this novel. And the specifics of their culture and values portrayed may not be totally accurate to many within that culture. But, what is truly acknowledged by all is that the grievous wrong done to this people in 1893 has not been adequately addressed. And the current process attempting to bring a common solution is definitely not working. So then, what do a people up against a wall, serving a master who shows no love or concern eventually do? What do they do when they see the policies of that master result in continuing losses of resources, fish in the ocean and trees, plants and animals in the forest, and the right to reside upon and use the resources of the land and the sea. When all the things which make Hawaii unique start to become the same as everything else in America, overused, depleted, and assigned user fees. Yes, what will they do?

The Hawaiians of long ago had to live in harmony with their environment to survive. We eventually, sooner than many us will realize, must also do the same thing. Perhaps, a different culture, perhaps a different viewpoint can show us the way. Our way is apparently not working. And the way of conquest and subjugation, as history has shown us, doesn’t work either. What about going back to the core values of our nation when it was born? What about living the basic premises of our Judeo-Christian culture, such as loving our neighbor as ourselves. The world is a small place today. And our neighbors can be touched so readily. Let’s hope, let’s all hope that someday, the value of aloha, a readily offered unconditional love, can be incorporated into the American basic value system. It alone may be our saving grace. And maybe, our survival is truly linked to the survival of mankind.

The Inappropriate After Thought

This novel, this labor of spiritual relief, was stalled for several months as I was presented the most minor of obstacles. And yet these obstacles seemed considerably intimidating to me. But then one winter day in January on our beautiful island, Kauai, as I labored after work upon a large tree that had fallen close to my newly planted medicinal tree after 2 days of heavy rains, it dawned upon me why I had not been able to pursue the publication of this novel. The spirits had blocked me, perhaps the same ones which had originally inspired me. I feel now, perhaps the crucial thing I had overlooked without realizing it, was the dedication of this book. And this dedication I knew so well within my heart.

In this experience of the renaissance of the Hawaiian spirit and its culture,

Who moved the first steps, stated the first words, and gestured the first passions?

Who are the ones deserving of the recognition and the thankful utterances

Of one not so great?

They are the ones, the moving forces which have taught me most of all,

That all men seek their just respect.

But only some are gifted with the patience and the perseverance,

To do without and still so love and tolerate their fellow man.

It is these spirits, though many be alive still today,

That have pushed me to a recognition of what truly matters in this life.

And, that is, that all men must learn to love and respect one another,

Through the applications of tolerance, compassion, and understanding.

To reach that state,

That is here referred to as Aloha.

And so I give my aloha and my thanks,

To those many spirits who have aided me in this endeavor.

Whether they be alive or dead,

Whether they have born the names of Nainoa or Mahi Lani, or Herb.

Their names are too numerous to fit within these pages.

But the essence of their spirits is here,

And that is what is important to me.

And lastly to you kindred spirits I say,

Aloha! Aloha Nui Loa! God bless you on your journeys forth for,

I am blest to have journeyed with you.

Chapter 1

My senses are overwhelmed as I begin this book. My eyes are filled with tears. My jaws tremble. My arms shake and my hands quiver as I struggle to write these words upon this paper. This book is being created from the experiences of my very soul and being. The spirits of my ancestors are upon me. I feel the depth of their pain and sorrow. I feel the anguish, the pain of their despair. It is the despair of a people overwhelmed by circumstances beyond their control. It is the story of a people who have lost their identity and their sense of pride. It is the story of a people who have lost their connection to the land, the source of their spiritual sense of being, the source of their nourishment of body, and the overriding theme of their minds.

Where is this people and where am I? My thoughts lie in front of you on these pages ahead. Their thoughts are carried forth in their succeeding generations. Our generations alive now feel, as I do, strongly connected to the spirits of our ancestors. They tell us now, what we should do. They harken to the strength of our souls to correct the wrongs of the past. They harken to us to come together in unity and do what we must do. My hands still tremble as I write these words. It is not me writing them, it is their collective spirit. They have taken over my body, they have told me what I must do. I must (there is no choice), I must lead the Hawaiian people into their new nation! It is the spirit of my ancestors driving me forward. It is not a choice. I have been chosen! I know my task is immense. I know that only I can do it. With the Almighty spirit above and about us, it will be done.

Pono Kamanepule, the highest ranking and most powerful kahuna in Hawaii has read the previous text, the first page of a thin simply bound book. He closes his eyes and bends forward with the book in his right hand and places it on a stone altar in front of him. He puts his large left hand upon the book and invokes his God in the Hawaiian language.

Aloha ke Akua!!

His left hand is then placed upon his heart. He cries out in anguish as he lifts his right hand.

I ka pono o ka aina!!

He asks his God for strength. He is a master of prayer. It is his calling. He is strongly connected to the spirits of his ancestors. He is in awe of the powers of his God and the special powers that have been bestowed upon him.

The kahuna looks upward through the thick forest around him. No birds sing, no creatures stir near about him. Everything is still. Even the generally constant trade winds are still. Only the rush of a 100 foot water fall thundering down a cliff nearby into a pool can capture his hearing. And out of the sounds of the waterfall mixing with the waters of the pool beneath come the voices of his ancestors. They are with him now, in this deep, quiet, lush valley. They impart their feelings into his soul. He cries out again in anguish! He pleads to his heavenly father above for guidance. He gives praise to the divine spirits. He pleads for the author of the text which he has just read. He begs for their divine blessings and holy guidance for this man. For this man is to be the next moi nui of Hawaii. He is destined to lead his people forward into a new world. He will heal the wounds of their ancestors. He will create a healthy harmony for his people. He will return them to the aina, the land of their ancestors.

The stillness of the lush, green forest in the valley is now disturbed. Four thickly muscled Hawaiian men are rushing through the forest on foot towards the kahuna. They work together in unity using a large pair of six foot long guava sticks set upon each of their shoulders with a large still alive kane pua’a strapped tightly to the guava wood. The kahuna continues his prayers uninterrupted as the men breathless and silent from their difficult journey through the forest unleash their heavy burden from upon their shoulders and onto the rock altar of the high priest. The pua’a has been greatly sedated by a narcotic mix of awa and coconut juice and is breathing calmly. One of the large men removes a long and very sharp knife from its sheath. He extends it to the high priest, Kamanepule. The priest beckons to the men to assist him. The large boar screams and gurgles blood through his windpipe as the blade is twisted and worked within its lower throat region by the high priest. The cries penetrate deep into the forest as the high priest plunges the long blade deep into the heart of the boar. The four men assist him in the collection of the blood spurting forth from its neck into containers by the altar. The cries of the pua’a die off as the air leaves its lungs replaced by a glut of rich red blood. The men have finished the gory part of their ceremonial task.

Kamanepule instructs the men to kneel down beside the altar, one at each corner. The high priest reaches out and designates each of them as Alii nui. They will lead the people of each of their islands into battle, a war they cannot and will not lose. He dabs his right thumb into a container of the blood of the pua’a and reaches out to mark the forehead, eye lids, lower lip, and shoulders of each of the men. He tells them that the spirits of the past will guide them. Their minds and bodies are empowered to perform the incredible tasks that lay ahead of them. Their souls are prepared to strive forward for righteousness.

The high priest beckons to the initiated to rise and form a line in front of him. They assemble and begin a loud, powerful chant along with the kahuna nui. The chant is robust and embellished by powerful movements of hands, arms, legs, and heads. Each man reaches into the deepest, most defining part of his being to reach out to the spirits. They stand, they squat, they thrust as they end their invocation of the gods and high spirits. Finishing, they look up to the top of the onrushing mountain waterfall as they each assume a sitting position in silence. Kamanepule and his four newly anointed Alii rest quietly. The forest is again quiet. The pua’a has found a place of peace. The men are deep within the temples of their minds.

Their contemplations are carried forth but briefly. The stillness of the forest is once again disturbed. The sounds of a large animal moving quickly through the forest are noted. Soon through the growing loudness of the forest disturbance, emerges a very large Hawaiian man upon a beautiful brilliantly black mare.

The huge 6 foot 5 inch 300 lb Hawaiian man dismounts his steed without word or greeting. The men rise up and assist him with the placement and tying up of his lio. The priest beckons him to come towards the altar. The large man naked except for a tapa loin cloth, starts forward with an emotionless face, with eyes which appear somewhat glazed. He seems removed from his physical surroundings. Kamanepule instructs him to sit on a large flat rock situated by the altar which stands half as high.

The newcomer brings himself close to the sacrificed pua’a. He begins to pray. He prays for guidance. He prays for strength. He prays for courage. He prays for righteousness. He prays not only for himself, he prays also for the newly ordained Alii sitting beside the altar. After his prayers, one of those Alii soon gets up and brings a ti leaf cape to Kamanepule.

The kahuna puts the cape over the pua’a, the symbol of ancient tormented spirits. He prays some more. Gradually, he moves his hands to take the cape and moves it back and forth across the body of the pua’a. He states that the pua’a is the symbol of his peoples’ suffering. He continues in prayer until after a few minutes his prayers turn into a chant. He then proceeds to swing the cape all around the altar as he chants vigorously. After several minutes, he moves towards the huge Hawaiian who is sitting in a meditative state on the flat rock by the altar. The priest swings the cape about the man in slow, deliberate movements, while continuing his passionate chant. He then places the ti leaf cape over the man’s shoulders and ties it in place by his chest.

I, Kamanepule, kahuna nui ‘o Hawai’i, by the power and will of our ancestors do ordain you today, Tamehameha, the Moi nui ‘o Hawai’i Nei. Your book of revolution is the manifesto of their desires.

Kamanepule then dips his thumb from his right hand into the blood of the pua’a. He consecrates the new Moi in the same manner he had ordained the four Alii. The kahuna then takes the book from the altar and places blood upon its cover and then uses his thumb to spread blood over the edges of the book’s pages. He then places a symbol upon the last page in red. It appears as waves heading for land. He places the book in the hands of the four Alii, one by one. He consecrates each of them with blood on their naked chests as he does so.

The mark of the spirits is upon your heart, your breast, and your navel. The spirits now dwell within your body and within your soul.

The four Alii rise up as a group after the priest has finished and begin another loud and vigorous chant. Their chants fill the heart of the new Moi nui. Tamehameha rises up with his huge frame and bends over the altar while extending out his arms at his sides. His arms span the seven foot altar of consecration as he prays deeply in silence.

Kamanepule places the large knife with a koa wood handle beside the Moi on the altar. The blood of the pua’a has dried upon it. Tamehameha takes the knife and places it in a specially made tapa sheath which lies upon the altar. He then secures it to his waist belt. The four Alii untie the lio and bring it back into the ceremonial area.

Kahu, mount your mare and lead your nation forth!, says the high priest to his newly consecrated Moi. With that Tamehameha rises up onto the black mare with his symbols of consecration about him, a ti leaf cape upon his huge shoulders and the blood stained knife at his side. Without further delay, he moves off into the forest followed by his four Alii who proceed almost as quickly on foot. Kamanepule remains to offer more prayers. The book of change lies upon the altar next to the sacrificial pua’a. The high priest only will clean and bring this special area back into its normal state, the domain of the virgin forest. And by the specially invoked powers above, about, and within, the symbols of this ceremony will perpetuate the high purposes intended, a new Hawaiian nation reborn in unity and righteousness.

Chapter 2

It is a very nice crisp, clear, sunny Hawaiian day in the middle of January. Looking out over the Honolulu skies one cannot see a cloud anywhere and the lush green Koolau mountains stand out in their full glory. It will most likely be bright and sunny