Hawaiians Gather to Protest U.S. Annexation

The sounds of conch shells, whistles and cheers erupted from about 5,000 Hawaiians on Wednesday as the state flag was raised over Iolani Palace to denounce 100 years of U.S. control over these tropical islands.

When the oversized flag reached the top of the staff, the Royal Hawaiian Band struck up “Hawai’i Pono’i,” the anthem written by an imprisoned Queen Lili’uokalani after her 1893 overthrow.

The ceremonies marked the 100th anniversary of America’s annexation of the Hawaiian Islands, an act that many native Hawaiians denounce as illegal.

“It seems that everyone is smiling, especially now that the flag is raised,” said Mililani Trask, a leader of Ka Lahui, one of the larger groups seeking sovereignty for native Hawaiians.

“I think it marks a new beginning, and I think everyone is very eager to come together and talk about consensus building” toward a form of sovereignty that would establish a political relationship between the Hawaiian people and the U.S. government, she said.

The sovereignty movement gained momentum five years ago during the 100th anniversary of Lili’uokalani’s overthrow by an American-dominated group of white businessmen. The movement has stalled recently because of factional disputes over how to proceed and what form sovereignty would take for the nation’s 50th state.