Grounds of Hawaiian palace reopen after takeover

Sat Aug 16, 2008 4:05 AM EDT

us-news, takeover, palace, native-hawaiians, native-hawaiian

The grounds of a historic palace reopened Monday for the first time since members of a group advocating Hawaiian sovereignty briefly took control last week.

Six people charged with second-degree burglary in the takeover of the Iolani Palace have been released on $5,000 bail. Sixteen others charged with criminal trespass have been freed after posting $50 bail.

One person charged with second-degree assault remained in custody in lieu of $5,000 bail after appearing in court Monday.

Those arrested included Akahi Nui, 67, and his wife, Akahi Wahine, 53. The two call themselves the king and queen of the Kingdom of Hawaii. The group is one of several in Hawaii that reject its statehood and claim the authority to govern the islands.

"I'll do whatever needs to be done for the Hawaii Kingdom," Akahi Wahine told reporters Sunday night after her release on bail. "It's time that kanaka maoli (indigenous people of Hawaii) should be respected. It's time for a change. Our people need to be respected."

Akahi Nui, a retired heavy-equipment operator who claims to have been coronated in 1998, said he looked forward to his court date next month.

Though the grounds were open, the downtown palace itself remained closed as normal for a Monday, as officials continued to consider when it would reopen, said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

No artifacts were damaged, according to Kippen de Alba Chu, executive director of Friends of Iolani Palace, which manages the building as a museum.

The takeover on Friday came on Admission Day, a holiday marking Hawaiian statehood in 1959. A palace staff member suffered minor injuries when she says one of the protesters assaulted her.

King Kalakaua completed Iolani Palace in 1882. It served as the residence for his sister and successor, Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii's last ruling monarch. Liliuokalani was imprisoned in the palace after the 1893 U.S.-supported overthrow of the monarchy.

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{"commentId":2498792,"authorDomain":"snowfallen"}

Snowflake-Seven

I recommend reading the first chapter of Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq by Stephen Kinzer for historical background.

The chapter, titled A Hell of a Time Up at the Palace, describes the events surrounding the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and can be read online at Google Books.

[Aside: If you can recommend a solid book on the modern Hawaiian sovereignty movement, please send me a private message from my Newsvine column profile.]

{"commentId":2498792,"threadId":"334599","contentId":"1753096","authorDomain":"snowfallen"}

1 vote

#1 - Tue Aug 19, 2008 2:07 AM EDT

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Grounds of Hawaiian palace reopen after takeover

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