Daniel Akaka Quotes
As it has for America's other indigenous peoples, I believe the United States must fulfill its responsibility to Native Hawaiians.
Akaka, Daniel K. "Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act." Congressional Record, vol. 151, U.S. Government Printing Office, 2005.
The central Indian policy problem for Jefferson’s Administration was the fact that most Indians hunted for subsistence and the amount of land needed to support a hunting society was per capita much greater than an agricultural and especially an industrial one. Jefferson had no personal animosity against the Indians as many in his day did. But he perceived the need to obtain Indian lands for white agricultural use.
The Cherokee tribe of Georgia had their government abolished by state law, their meeting prohibited, their land taken and they were urged to migrate to land west of the Mississippi. The federal government promised:. See Lewis Cass for a similar, unequivocal unkept promise.
This is one of the first Policy Statements of the new Republic about the Indians. Essentially, although the government policy was reasonable and fair, public opinion was totally different and the leadership could not persuade the people on this point. One complicating factor was the fact that most of the Indian tribes had overtly or covertly sided with the British in the Civil War. Many Indians were exiled to Canada. Even the Indians who were American allies, had their lands encroached upon however.
The early Zionists had an understanding of how they were then perceived by the Arabs who had been living in land that was to become Israel. Like most other parts of the world, the land of Israel has been conquered and reconquered over the years. The area had been a Jewish kingdom in the immediate centuries before the birth of Christ. They had conquered it from the tribes that had conquered it from the Egyptians who had also conquered it. Then the Romans conquered. After that there were Muslims, Christians, the Ottoman Empire, the British and finally Israel was formed. Throughout this entire history, both Arabs and Jews had lived on the land along with and under the authority of whoever was the latest conqueror. In the hundreds of years before the establishment of the state of Israel, the Arabs had been in the majority. The 20th century saw a large influx of Jews who immigrated, purchased land and settled. There had been low level conflict as the Arabs became concerned that with the immigration
While Jefferson was clear on this point, there were other forces and points of view that did not recognize Indian rights and were prepared to use force to obtain Indian lands. These, together with some Indians who made bad and sometimes corrupt bargains and treaties ceding land, produced the loss of most of the Indian land in America.
Cass was negotiating with the Shawnees and Cherokees to persuade them to move to land west of the Mississippi. See John Henry Eaton for similar unkept promises.
There were a few members of Congress who were distressed at the deception that was very often used in negotiations with Indians. They never were a sufficient majority to pass serious, meaningful legislation.
This was passed in 1787 before the Constitution had become operative, but was then ratified by Congress in 1789. It was one of the first acts of our new nation, and one of the most frequently violated throughout our history.
Daniel Kahikina Akaka was an American educator and politician who served as a United States Senator from Hawaii from 1990 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Akaka was the first U.S. Senator of Native Hawaiian ancestry.
