From a tent outside the palace, a native group seeks to restore the monarchy
HONOLULU?Surrounded by royal guards and the occasional tourist, Her Majesty Mahealani Kahau and her government ministers hold court every day in a tent outside the palace of Hawaii's last monarch, passing laws and discussing how to secure reparations for the Native Hawaiian people.
Kahau and her followers are members of the Hawaiian Kingdom Government, which is devoted to restoring the Hawaiian monarchy overthrown in 1893. Nearly two months ago, they stormed the gates of the old Iolani Palace, and have since politely occupied the grounds, operating like a government-in-exile.
"We're here to assume and resume what is already ours and what has always been ours," said Kahau, a descendant of Hawaii's last king who was elected "head of state" by the group.
The Hawaiian Kingdom Government, which was founded seven years ago and claims 1,000 followers, uses its own license plates and maintains its own judicial system. Members have voted to dissolve the state of Hawaii, its land titles, welfare programs and public schools. They also claim the right to confiscate all bank assets in Hawaii.
The organization's actions do not carry the force of law, and the state has mostly taken a hands-off approach. It has not confiscated any of the license plates, for example, or arrested anyone using them.
More than a century ago, a group of sugar planters and other businessmen overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy with the support of U.S. military forces. Queen Liliuokalani was imprisoned at the ornate Iolani Palace, built in 1882. Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1898 and became a state in 1959.
"We are definitely trying to correct a wrong that we feel has been done to us as a people," Hawaiian Kingdom Government spokesman Orrin Kupau said.
On April 30, members of the Hawaiian Kingdom Government trooped onto the palace grounds in Honolulu and shut the gates behind them, leading to a few tense hours before they reopened the entrance. Every day, Kahau and about a dozen of her government officials meet in the tent. Every evening, they fold up their tent and go home.