The truth spoken by a true Hawaiian Wahine Heroine. Meet Haunani Kay Trask
Summary
TLDRHawaiian academic and activist Haunani-Kay Trask delivers a powerful speech addressing the historical and ongoing impact of white imperialism and racism on Native Hawaiians. She recounts the colonization of Hawaii, the suppression of Hawaiian culture, and the marginalization of Native Hawaiians in their own land. Trask also discusses the challenges she faced when speaking out against a white student's ignorance, highlighting the university's response and the broader implications for academic freedom and the fight against institutional racism.
Takeaways
- 🏝️ The speaker, Honey Cake Trask, identifies as a Native Hawaiian and discusses the historical and ongoing impact of white colonialism on her people.
- 📜 The script recounts the arrival of foreigners in Hawaii in 1778 and the subsequent introduction of diseases that led to a significant decline in the native population.
- ⛪️ In 1820, missionaries arrived with the goal of converting Native Hawaiians and taking control of their lands, contributing to cultural and societal changes.
- 🗽 The annexation of Hawaii by the United States in 1898 is described as an act of aggression that disregarded the wishes of the Hawaiian people.
- 🏫 The script criticizes the University of Hawaii for perpetuating white hegemony and for its lack of Native Hawaiian representation among its faculty.
- 📢 Trask responds to a student's complaint about the use of the term 'Haole' by explaining its historical context and the privilege of white people in Hawaii.
- 💬 The speaker addresses accusations of racism and defends her right to express her views on the treatment of Native Hawaiians by white settlers.
- 🏛️ The university's response to Trask's public statements is criticized as an infringement on academic freedom and an attempt to silence a Native Hawaiian voice.
- 🗳️ The Faculty Senate's decision to investigate Trask is seen as an overstep and an example of the university's failure to protect free speech and academic freedom.
- 🌐 The script highlights the broader issue of white privilege and racism not only in Hawaii but also within the United States and its colonial history.
Q & A
Who is the speaker in the transcript?
-The speaker is Haunani-Kay Trask, a Native Hawaiian scholar and activist.
What is Haunani-Kay Trask's heritage?
-Trask is a descendant of the Pele lineage through her mother and the Kohaku, McCully lineage through her father.
What does Trask discuss as the beginning of the story she tells?
-Trask begins her story with the genocide of the native Hawaiian people and the arrival of foreigners who brought diseases and exploitative ideologies.
What role do missionaries play in Trask's narrative?
-In Trask's narrative, missionaries are portrayed as aggressive agents of cultural and religious imperialism who contributed to the dispossession and conversion of the Hawaiian people.
What historical event does Trask reference when discussing the overthrow of the Hawaiian government?
-Trask references the 1893 invasion and occupation of Hawaii by American marines, which led to the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy.
What does Trask argue is the impact of American colonialism on the Hawaiian people?
-Trask argues that American colonialism has led to a decline in the Hawaiian population, ongoing land dispossession, and the destruction of Hawaiian culture and self-determination.
What is the controversy surrounding Joey Carter mentioned in the transcript?
-Joey Carter, a white male student, wrote a letter to the student newspaper complaining about what he perceived as racist language used against white people, particularly the term 'haole'. Trask responded by educating him on the historical context and meaning of the term.
What was the reaction of the University of Hawaii to Trask's response to Joey Carter?
-The University of Hawaii's reaction included an investigation into Trask's statements, with some faculty and administrators accusing her of racism and creating a hostile environment, despite her defense of academic freedom and the right to critique colonialism.
What does Trask suggest is the underlying fear of white people in Hawaii when confronted with discussions of racism and colonialism?
-Trask suggests that white people in Hawaii fear discussions of racism and colonialism because they are aware of the historical violence and exploitation committed by whites against native peoples, and they fear the justified resentment and demands for justice from those they have oppressed.
How does Trask describe the situation at the University of Hawaii in terms of racial representation and power dynamics?
-Trask describes the University of Hawaii as having a predominantly white faculty despite a diverse student body, indicating institutional racism. She argues that white voices are protected and amplified, while her critique of colonialism and racism is met with attempts to silence her.
Outlines
🏝️ Indigenous Struggle and Academic Freedom
The speaker, a Native Hawaiian, recounts the historical colonization and exploitation of Hawaii by foreign powers, leading to the dispossession of land and culture. They discuss the impact of American colonialism, the suppression of the Hawaiian language, and the ongoing struggle for self-determination. The speaker also addresses accusations of racism on campus, highlighting the irony of being accused by those who benefit from systems of power and privilege.
📜 Challenging White Hegemony and Racism
The speaker details a specific incident involving a white student's public complaint about the use of terms like 'Haole' and the speaker's response, which was to educate the student about the history of white dominance and its effects on indigenous peoples. The speaker argues against the student's plea for individual exemption from the privileges of white hegemony and describes the systemic racism that exists within the university and society at large.
🔍 Unfounded Accusations and the Quest for Truth
The narrative continues with the speaker's defense against accusations of promoting violence and racism, emphasizing their educational intent and the importance of understanding the historical context of white violence against indigenous peoples. The speaker criticizes the university's response, which they view as an attack on academic freedom and an attempt to silence dissenting voices, particularly those of indigenous faculty.
🌐 The Myth of Racial Harmony and White Fear
The speaker explores the myth of racial harmony in Hawaii, discussing how white residents' fears and resentments are rooted in their awareness of historical injustices. They argue that white people's fear of being held accountable for past violence leads to accusations of reverse racism and violence against them. The speaker calls out the hypocrisy of white administrators and faculty who condemn their speech while ignoring or excusing their own problematic statements.
🏛️ The University's Response and the Fight for Justice
In the final paragraph, the speaker discusses the university's investigation into their statements and the broader implications for academic freedom and the fight against white supremacy. They express gratitude for those who support open debate and challenge the university's handling of the situation, emphasizing the importance of truth and the right to critique oppressive systems.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Genocide
💡Cultural Imperialism
💡Hegemony
💡Racism
💡Colonialism
💡Self-Determination
💡Institutional Racism
💡Academic Freedom
💡Blood-Quantum
💡Neocolonialism
Highlights
Honey Cake Trask identifies as a Native Hawaiian and descendant of significant ancestral lines.
Trask recounts the historical colonization and exploitation of Hawaiians by foreigners, starting with the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778.
The introduction of diseases like syphilis, gonorrhea, and tuberculosis, which had a devastating impact on the Hawaiian population.
The missionaries' arrival in 1820 and their aggressive efforts to convert and dispossess Hawaiians of their lands.
By the 1880s, most Hawaiian lands were owned by white Americans, leading to a significant loss of sovereignty for Native Hawaiians.
The illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893 by American marines and the subsequent annexation to the United States.
Cultural suppression post-annexation, including the closure of all Hawaiian language schools by 1900.
Trask discusses the ongoing issues of land dispossession, cultural destruction, and the lack of self-determination for Hawaiians.
The concept of 'Haole' is explained as a term used by Hawaiians to describe white foreigners, and its historical context is provided.
Trask addresses the accusation of racism against her by a white student, Joey Carter, and the subsequent university response.
The university's reaction, including calls for Trask's public reprimand and the initiation of an investigation into her statements.
Trask's defense of her right to critique white hegemony and the historical violence of white imperialism in Hawaii.
The role of academic freedom in the controversy and the university's handling of racial issues.
Trask's critique of the university's faculty composition, highlighting the underrepresentation of Native Hawaiians.
The broader implications of the controversy for Native Hawaiian rights and the struggle against colonialism.
Trask's call for a more nuanced understanding of racism, power dynamics, and the historical context of white violence against Native Hawaiians.
The conclusion of the investigation by the Dean of Students, which found no evidence of discrimination by Trask.
Trask's final remarks on the importance of public debate and the resistance to silencing voices that challenge the status quo.
Transcripts
Oh mo kako over my I am honey cake Trask
a descendant of the peel any line of
Maui through my mother and of the Kohaku
McCully a line of kawaii through my
father I grew up on the coal outside of
Oahu and I reside now in hey yeah one of
the ah who was surrounding cunning or
Hebei my people the Hawaiian people have
been in these islands since the time of
Papa and vodka or according to the
archaeologists for over 2,000 years
tonight I'm going to relate a story that
begins with the genocide of a native
people and ends with an attempt to
silence one of their survivors and
fiercest defenders namely myself it is a
story of white cultural and economic
imperialism in its broadest outlines and
of white hegemony and white racism on
this campus specifically it is a story
of the politics of academic freedom as
the politics of white racism let me tell
you now first how a white foreign world
that is the world of the Holly came to
occupy the world of the native that is
the world plans in 1778 a white
foreigner came to our land with a
pestilential ship load of other
foreigners they wanted women water food
and general recreation for which they
gave Hawaiians syphilis gonorrhea
tuberculosis and ideas of predatory
Christianity capitalism and
individualism 42 years later in 1820 a
different class of aggressive Holly
animated by the hatred of all things
dark and sexual brought easels chicken
pox and a virulent determination to
replace the Hawaiian world with the
holly world they were called
missionaries and they were bent on
conversion of my people and the
disposition of our lands and waters by
this time that is 18:20 three quarters
of a million Hawaiians were dead
directly the result of the coming of the
Holly conveniently for the missionaries
the Hawaiian universe had collapsed
under the impact of mass death the
Fertile field of conversion was littered
with the remnants of Holocaust a
holocaust created by Holly and
celebrated by Holly as the will of a
Christian God by the 1880s most of our
lands were owned by the same white
American foreigners who had convinced
our Chiefs that private property would
give our people everlasting physical
life in 1893 when Hawaiians were but 5%
of what they had been at contact and
when most of our arable lands were in
the hands of foreigners the American
marines invaded and occupied our country
overthrew and imprisoned our chiefly
leaders and forcibly took Hawaii in 1898
we were annexed to the United States
against the wishes of the Hawaiian
people by 1900 all Hawaiian language
schools were closed political and
economic life was dictated by the Holly
and American institutions overtook the
last vestiges of Hawaiian culture from
this point forward into the 20th century
Hawaiians became increasingly like other
native peoples conquered and
subordinated in their own homeland now
we suffer a declining population
continued land dispossession and ongoing
destruction of our cultural ways as a
nation and a people Hawaiians are no
longer self determining for Hawaiians
American colonialism has been a violent
process but for violence of mass death
the violence of American Mission izing
the violence of cultural destruction the
violence of the American military once
the United States annexed my homeland a
new kind of violence took place the
violence of educational colonialism
where foreign powers replaced Native
Hawaiian values where schools like the
University of Hawaii ridicule Hawaiian
culture and praised American culture and
where white men assumed the mantle of
authority deciding what is taught who
can teach even what can be said written
and published in colony Hawaii the
university stands atop the educational
pyramid of the state people of color
comprise over 70% of the student body
while the faculty are over 70% Holly for
Hawaiians the situation is worse 13
tenured Hawaiian faculty compared with
nearly 660 tenured college faculty
the situation is called institutional
racism enter into this white male
University a white male student named
Joey Carter lately come from the
American South where whites are not only
dominant but where white supremacist
organizations are on the rise
complaining in a public letter to the
student newspaper call ale mr. Carter
mistakenly says that words like quote
Holly dominated society and quote and
quote puppet Holly governments and quote
are racists that the word haole is like
the word that weights oppression
repression persecution and domination of
non-whites is quote supposin as opposed
to actual that he was chased and beaten
by locals because of his skin and eye
color and finally that people are
individuals as opposed to members of
historical groups who quote classify
themselves as they like clearly mr.
Carter was feeling uncomfortable in
Hawaii where white people do not have
the usual majority nor the unquestioned
ability to categorize others as they so
lovingly do on the american continent
quickly following on this letter came
dozens of replies in Kaleo including one
by myself in which mr. carter was
instructed about his place his history
and his role in hawaii educating mr.
Carter I explained that quote Holly is
in fact one of the few surviving
Hawaiian language descriptions in common
use in Hawaii I went on to say that
Carter's appeal to quote individual
exemption from the power and privilege
of white hegemony is itself a typical
American ploy to avoid responsibility
for an ugly and vicious history that
visited genocide on American Indians
slavery on Africans peonage on Asians
and dispossession of both lands and
self-government on Native Hawaiians I
informed mr. Carter that he is a direct
beneficiary as are all white people of
racism that is a system of power in
which one racially identified group
dominates and exploits another racially
identified group for the benefit of the
exploiting group in the United States
people of color do not have the power to
practice races
against white people the same is true in
Hawaii particularly in regard to Native
Hawaiians who are contrary to mr.
Carter's beliefs not free to classify
themselves but are legally classified by
the American government regarding flood
quantum Hawaiians are 50% of more
blood-quantum are Native those of less
blood-quantum
are not native finally I argued that the
hatred and fear people of color have of
white people is born of experience the
experience of white violence I closed my
statement by suggesting that if mr.
Carter did not like Hawaii our language
or our ways of doing things he could
leave since Hawaiians would certainly
benefit from one less Holi in our
homeland and I might say in response to
ken Kipnis that mr. Carter never was a
student in my class I have never met or
seen or spoken with mr. Carter my
article was published on September 19th
five days later on September 24th Larry
Loudon who refuses to debate with me
chair of the philosophy department and
himself a recently arrived Holly in
Hawaii wrote a letter to Vice President
Paul un demanding my public reprimand
for voicing such views and arguing that
I was an administrator and therefore a
spokesperson for the university his
request was followed by a philosophy
department resolution called quaintly a
statement on racism in a khadeem
alleging that my public replied to mr.
Carter was racist condoned quote
violence against a member of the
university community solely because of
his social identity and opinions end
quote and consequently betrayed a quote
most basic professional responsibility
and quote which they defined as a quote
special duty to protect and sustain the
fragile atmosphere
within which ideas can be assessed on
their merits and code specifically the
philosophy department alleged that my
invitation to Carter to leave Hawaii was
similar to a white professor declaring
black students unwelcome and proposing
that they return to Africa we have a
color problem here this resolution
was sent by Larry Loudon to
vice-president you and on October 15th
requesting that I be removed removed
from my position of alleged
administrative authority they need to
read the contract those people on
philosophy this resolution was
distributed widely to the press by Larry
Levine and others and was answered by
President Simone on November 2nd
assuring his good friend quote Larry and
quote that quote administrators may not
speak for the University of Hawaii
without appropriate consultation with
senior officers of the University and
quote does this sound familiar the
president ended his letter by saying
that his administration does not condone
creating called and unfriendly
intimidating a non-supportive
environment for faculty and students and
quoting on November third the faculty
union reaffirmed academic freedom at the
University thank God somebody did quote
for the expression of all points of view
regarding the racial issues recently
raised on the Manoa campus and the
darting fair and open debate about race
colonialism and any other related issues
in Hawaii the Union went on to reaffirm
that I was not an administrator on
November 8th president Simone announced
his intention to conduct an
investigation into my statements thus
violating all semblance of
confidentiality which is very concerned
about protecting regarding white male
sexual Harrisons
[Music]
Symone told the advertiser by phone from
Japan that he believed I was an
administrator he doesn't read the
contract either and that administrators
must accept quote the principle that
some things are better off not said
publicly in court I think it's clear
that Simone had made up his mind by this
point I mean I think that's clear to
everybody
while Simone conducted his investigation
the Faculty Senate began their own
triggered by the same philosophy
department resolution for the first time
in its history the Faculty Senate
another white male bastion decided to
investigate a fellow faculty member for
written public statements without
precedent and without procedures the
Faculty Senate moved ahead on the basis
of the philosophy department resolution
thus by the middle of November the
witch-hunt had begun in earnest and the
white male boy's club was hysterical
indeed white men led the charge with
people like Gary fuller of geography
comparing me to Hitler and Saddam
Hussein and Dick Miller of the last
school telling the Faculty Senate that
my thinking was similar to that which
led to the rise of Nazi Germany and
which resulted in the internment of
japanese-americans ken Kipnis my worthy
opponent told one of my faculty
supporters that the Hawaiian movement
was like the KKK and that I would have
to decide whether I wanted to be a
professor or a member of the Hawaiian
movement charges of impending violence
against white people serviced everywhere
with the most virulent being made by
Larry Loudon proclaiming that I was
quote giving hunting licenses and quote
to my students and other Hawaiians to
quote beat up on Howie's this is the
same Larry Loudon who talked a show and
news who i'm glad is here tonight that
my quote brand of radicalism did not
belong in a university while attacking a
rally in my defense as a form of
terrorism on the campus
despite numerous calls on my part and
out of my supporters for Loudon and
others who disagreed with me to come
forward and debate is this University or
not I was charged and condemned as a
racist the phenomenon known as
McCarthyism where individuals are
accused falsely and never given an
opportunity to confront or disprove
disprove their accusers began to
characterize the Catholic campus
atmosphere hate calls and hate mail
began appearing in Hawaiian studies
Kaleo ran a poll asking if students
thought I was a racist they didn't run a
poll asking if they thought Larry laden
was a racist stickers stickers began to
appear on campus attacking the person
personally and raising the specter of
white supremacist groups the Faculty
Senate proceeded as did al Simone both
determined to condemn me without once
speaking with me indeed most of my
accusers had never read or thought
seriously about my statements they would
content to read what the philosophy
department had said and of course this
is where the problem begins the
philosophy department like Joey Carter
is ignorant of scholarly and novelistic
studies and portrayals of racism
especially by those by black Americans
and by Africans thinking that racism is
a matter of color and not of history and
power the philosophy department
intentionally misread my statements
which Larry Laden intentionally and
viciously recast saying that I was
justifying violence against mr. Carter
but I never justified violence against
mr. Carter I justified our right as
Native Hawaiians to resent Hollies who
come here and complain about my land
and my culture and my history that's
what I said
I explained the long history of white
violence against people of color
precisely to educate mr. Carter since
the philosophy department wasn't doing
that about his place and his history it
is white people and not people of color
who have a history of violence against
others it is muhuali who stole my land
took our government destroyed our
nationhood and suppressed our culture it
is white people who created laws to
divide Alliance by blood-quantum
it is white people who created
institutions or into our ways of life it
is white people who brought capitalism
to away in other words it is white
people who have exploited and oppressed
Hawaiians for their own benefit and the
least people like mr. Carter could do is
be a little more understanding of that
history
like most Holly mr. Carter did not know
or want to learn any of this but if I
did not argue for violence against the
Holly then why did the philosophy
department say that I did the answer I
believe lies in the fears and
resentments of Holly themselves here in
Hawaii Holly have grown very accustomed
to the myth of racial harmony put out by
the politicians and the tourist industry
they live in predominantly white or
Asian neighborhoods and if they know
anything at all about Hawaiians it is
that we have a funny unpronounceable
language we appear we appear on
television as activists or other
lawbreakers trying to stop development
and and we have a deep wound called the
overthrow when the all-white American
government took our sovereignty yes
Holly and Hawaii are very nervous
because they know wrongs were committed
in their names and for their benefit so
when an operative native woman educates
one of their own about his white history
and his obligations to natives their
fears and their angers spill over into
crazy accusations
that if we examine reflect back on their
own sick history of violence as France
phenom and Malcolm X and Angela Davis
and in googy and a host of other black
people have taught us dark-skinned and
dark people are the classic bogeyman of
the Holly white people know that over
all over the world people of color have
been brutally and unjust unjustly
treated by white imperialism they know
our grievances are real
so they imagine how much more violent we
would be to them then they have been to
us because we have a real history of
grievances this is why every demand for
respect and recognition of dignity on
our part is read always as a sign of
violence this is why white people so
fear black people in the United States
despite the fact that it's white people
who have a history of violence against
black people and not the other way
around white violence has a long history
and a sick history in the world in the
Americas in the Pacific in Hawaii in
Hawaii white power and white racism are
alive and well on this campus where else
but in a colony what a native woman be
investigated by three committees for
exercising her right as a native and a
citizen to publicly criticize a white
man where else but in a colony would
wake administrators talk babble about
quote responsible speech do they mean
the responsible speech of Larry Loudon
defending certain forms of sexual
harassment in a student publication
called voices do they mean the
responsible speech of Ian Reed another
white man arguing the mental inferiority
of women in the same student magazine do
they mean the responsible speech of Dick
Miller accusing me publicly in the
Faculty Senate of creating an atmosphere
similar to the one that leads to Nazi
Germany and the internment of the
Japanese mr. Miller doesn't know his
history white people white people made
not
to germany white people intern Japanese
not Hawaiians thank you very much in the
long history of Hawaii
it is white people who have a violence
against Hawaiians Filipinos Japanese
alright why is their speech responsible
and my speech is not responsible speech
in other words as it is defined by white
men creates the parameters of academic
freedom white men can say all the manner
of dangerous violent and false things in
fact absolute lies and they are
protected their speech is protected but
I have told the truth I've told the
truth I'm willing to debate the truth of
what I said but nobody wants to debate
the truth they just want me to shut up
all right I've got two minutes so I have
to skip part of this but I want to end I
know I know I think this should be this
should be one hour
I want to say something about mr.
Carter's response he wrote a public
statement and he should be responsible
for his statements instead of running
away and relying on the philosophy
department but now I want to quote from
because it's very important you know the
climate the whole thing is my climate I
create climate you know I make rain snow
thunder lightning I create a climate of
racial intimidation at the scribble of
my pen notice how powerful Hawaiian
women are right let me say what Tom
guessing has just concluded in his
investigation which I assume is not
confidential since I was the one who was
attacked but I don't have to wait for
the Office of Information practices and
Kaleo release the confidential
information I'm gonna release it right
here publicly Tom get things found the
Dean of Students quote I have found no
evidence that dr. Trask who has never
met or spoken with mr. Carter
discriminated against him in regard to
his race or color I have found
considerable evidence that hostile
environment in regard to race or color
exists at the University of Illinois
this condition existed prior to mr.
Carter's college
and dr. trusts responds it is very
dangerous for all of us on this campus
who prize public debate and thank God
margitta Ronnie and did this because
there were so many cowards who would not
co-sponsor this to be because they are
terrified of the truth thank God much he
did this who by the way is a person of
color and customer Ron the fact is that
we are living in dangerous times where
is our president I submit to you that he
is protecting white male power thank
[Applause]
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