UNIVERSITY OF HAWNI LIBRARY LA W AS A TOOL OF OPPRESSION AND LIBERAnON: INSTITUTIONAL HISTORIES AND PERSPECTIVES ON POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE IN HAWAI'I, TAHITI NUl / FRENCH POLYNESIA AND RAPA NUl A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISIO OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HA WAI'I AT MANOA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF ( MASTER OF ARTS IN PACIFIC ISLANDS STUDIES AUGUST 2008 By Lorenz Rudolf Gonschor Thesis Committee: Terence Wesley-Smith, Chairperson Kanalu Young Niklaus Schweizer We certify that we have read this thesis and that, in our opinion, it is satisfactory in scope and quality as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in Pacific Islands Studies. THESIS COMMfITEE © 2008 by Lorenz Gonschor. All rights reserved under the laws of the Hawaiian Kingdom and those of any other country. iii DEDICATION To all the national heroes ofHawai'i, Tahiti and archipelagos, and Rapa Nui To all those ofthe past who have struggled for the recognition and preservation oftheir independence and to all those who in spite ofcolonial or occupational oppression and indoctrination have upheld their national identity as Hawaiian nationals, Mii 'ohi and Rapanui To all those ofthe present who are continuing the struggle and persevere in holding on to their national identity To all those ofthe future who will bring about the eventual restoration ofgovernments or decolonisation and thereby become new national heroes to their country iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Numerous individuals have helped me, throughout more than a decade, to acquire my knowledge and develop my academic capabilities in the fields of Pacific Islands Studies, thus enabling me to achieve the level of scholarship at which I find myself today. I have to begin with my parents Lothar and Brunhilde Gonschor, who never ceased to support me when it became clear to them that my fascination with Polynesia was not a punctual phase of adolescent romanticism but a serious plan for a life career. I am furthermore thankful to my English teacher Heidi Benzing and my French professeurs Hans Waiblinger and Ursula Stark of Uhland Gymnasium High School in Tilbingen, Germany, through whom I acquired the language skills that opened the world for me, and who in their classes encouraged me to read and write about my unusual area of interest in Polynesia. Next in line come Irmtraud Stellrecht, Thomas Hauschild and Volker Harms, professors of Cultural Anthropology at the University of Tilbingen. Especially the latter, himself one of the few German anthropologists specialised in Oceania, further encouraged me in the pursuit of my academic interest in the Pacific, both in his classes, and in various private conversations. Here at the University of Hawai'i, my thanks go especially to my Tahitian '{jrometua Jack H. Ward and my Hawaiian kumu U'ilani Bobbitt, Leilani Basham, Haili'opu'a Baker and Laiana Wong, who taught me the two languages without which I would not have been able to read many of the source materials of my research, and conduct some of my interviews. I also wish to express my gratitude to all the other UH instructors in whose classes I acquired large amounts of knowledge, and who stimulated me to do more and better research. These were, in alphabetical order, David Hanlon, Vilsoni Hereniko, Betty Ickes, Lilikalii Kame'eleihiwa, Guy Ka'ulukukui, Yuko Otsuka, Katerina Teaiwa, Haunani-Kay Trask, Albert Wendt and Heather Young-Leslie. Special thanks go to my present committee members Terence Wesley-Smith, Kanalu Young and Niklaus Schweizer for all their help and support in creating this present work. I am especially grateful to the latter for the constant stimulating discussions we are having about current and historical issues of Polynesia. I also wish to thank the former committee members David Chappell and Jon Osorio for their helpful input at the start of my thesis work. Besides those aforementioned people who were my direct academic mentors, I am indebted to a large number of individuals in each of the three Pacific countries, for the most part political activists and scholars, who were and are my friends, hosts, discussion partners and/or informants, with often no clear line to draw between these categories. I will enumerate them as completely as possible in the following, in alphabetical order for each territory. For Hawai'i, these include especially Kekuni Blaisdell and Keanu Sai, as well as Kamana Beamer, Keli'i and Sbannan Collier, Ikaika Hussey, Sterling lng, Bumpy Kanahele, Willy Kauai, Audrey Keesing, Terri Keko'olani, Marion Kelly, Palani Kelly, Richard Kiuney, Kekoa Lake, Pokii Laenui, Maiviln Urn, Steve Laudig, Debra Lee, Ram6n Lopez-Reyes, Keali'i Makekau, Henry Noa, Kihei Soli NTheu, Donovan Preza, v Arnie Saiki, Leon Sill, Kiihiii Vogeler, 'Imaika1ani Winchester, 'Imiola Young and Toni Auld Yardley. For French Polynesia, my thanks go first and foremost to my close friends and hosts Gabriel Tetiarahi and Sunny Moana'ura Walker, and besides them to Tamatoa Barnbridge, Tamara Bopp-Dupont, Hinanui Cauchois, Aimeho Charousset, Viina'a Chongaud, Jean-Baptiste Cemn-JerusaIemy, Charlie Ching, Teri'ihinoiatua Cowan, Stanley and Tina Cross, Teddy Domingo, John Doom, Antony Geros, Simone Grand, Georges Handerson, Tea Hirshon, Rene Hoffer, Heinui and Maurea LeCai1I, Dorothy Levy, Tetua Ma'i, Roti Make, lotefa Mare, Claude Marere, Mareva de Montluc, Roger Nana'i, Jean-Marc Pambrum, Clement Pito, Joinville Piimare, James Salmon, Hans Sarciaux, Bruno Saura, Chantal Spitz, Guy Taero, Liu Tcho-Ming, Oscar Temaru, John Temeharo, Theodore Tetuaetara and Marcel Tuihani. On Rapa Nui, I am indebted to my friends and hosts of the Teave Hey family, especially Ines Teave, Erity Teave and the late Juan Teave, as well as Leviante Araki, Petero Edmunds, Santi Hito, Carolina Hotu, Alberto Hotus, Yoni Huke, Karlo Huke, Pamela Huke, Agterama Huki, Enrique Pakarati, Stephanie Pauly, Mahina Rapu, Sergio Rapu, RaUl Teao, Eusebio Tuki, and Mario Tuki. I take full responsibility for my work. All errors, stylistic choices and interpretations are entirely my own. To all the named individuals and various others whose contribution I might have forgotten to remember, my most sincere mahalo, mauruuru and mauriiru. vi ABSTRACT In English This thesis compares the political histories and perspectives on independence in Hawai'i, French Polynesia and Rapa NuL The main focus is on the role of international law, as well as the constitutional and organic law of States. It analyses how these legal systems have been employed as tools of oppression by the imperialist powers, but can also be used by independence advocates for their own purposes. The objective is to determine the appropriate political paradigms from which to develop strategies for liberation from foreign rule in each case. All three cases represent anomalies in the current international system, Hawai'i as an occupied State, French Polynesia and Rapa Nui as Non-Self-Governing Territories that were wrongfully deprived of their right to self-determination. Rectifying these anomalies by initiating a de-occupation process for Hawai'i and a decolonisation process for French Polynesia and Rapa Nui would reinforce the principles of international1aw and thereby contnbute to world peace and security. vii Ma lea 'olelo Hawai'i He 'olelo ho'ohalikelike keia palapala no nil mo'auka!a 0 ke kalai'aina a me nil kuana'ike no ke kii'oko'a polikika ma nil 'aina '0 Hawai'i, '0 Polonekia Palani (na mokupuni o Tahiti Nui) a me Rapa Nui no ho'i. '0 ka mea nui i keia hana ke kiiniiwai mawaena 0 nil aupuni a me nil kumukiiniiwai 0 na aupuni. E wehewehe ho'i au, ua hana 'ia ua mau kiiniiwai nei e nil aupuni nui no ka ho'oluhi 'ana i nil kiinaka maoli, aka, hana 'ia no ho'i ia e ka po'e maoH aloha 'aiDa i ko luou ho'a'o ho'okii'oko'a Ma ka panina mana'o, hO'ike 'ia ke 'ano polikika e kiipono no ke ho'okii'oko'a 'ia 'ana 0 na 'aina 'ekolu kaka'ikahi. He hewa no ke kii.1ana polikika 0 nil 'aina 'ekolu a pau maloko 0 ke kahua polikika 0 ka honua i keia kau. He aupuni kii'oko'a '0 Hawai'i, i ho'omaopopo 'ia e nil aupuni a pau 0 ka honua, ua ho'onohohewa 'ia na'e e Amelika Huipii'ia, a ke noho nei ia nohohewa 'ana kii'ole i ke kiinawai i keia kau. '0 Polenekia Palani a me Rapa Nui ho'i, he mau panala'au laua, i ho'okolonaio 'ia e.Palani a me Kile, a'ole na'e laua i ho'okolonaio'ole 'ia mamuli 0 nil kiiniiwai 0 na Aupuni Huipii'ia Inii ho'oponopono 'ia ua mau hewa nei, '0 ia ho'i ina ho'omaka 'ia ka ho'onohohewa'ole 'ia 'ana 0 Hawai'i, a me ka ho'okolonaio'ole 'ia 'ana 0 Polenekia Palani a me Rapa Nui, e hO'omana ia i ke kiiniiwai mawaena 0 na aupuni, a no laila, he kokua ia no ka maluhia a me ka ho'opa'a 'ana 0 ka honua viii En Fraru;ais Ce memoire compare les histoires politiques et des perspectives sur l'indcSpendance de Hawai'i, de la Polynesie fran¢se, et de Rapa NuL La priorite en est Ie role du droit international ainsi que Ie droit constitutionnel et organique des Etats. II est analyse comment ces systemes juridiques ont ete utilises comme outils d'oppression par les pouvoirs imperlalistes, mais peuvent egalement etre utilises par des partisans de l'ind6pendance comme leur propres outils. L'objectif est de determiner les paradigmes politiques appropries a chaque cas pour developper des strategies visant la liberation de la domination 6trangere. Tous les trois cas representent des anomalies dans Ie systeme international actuel, Hawai'i comme un Etat sous occupation, la Polynesie franyaise et Rapa Nui comme Territoires non-autonomes qui furent prives de leur droit a I' autodetennination.