WHEREAS, the Hawaiian archipelago, stretching from the island of Hawaii to Kure Atoll, was first populated by Polynesian settlers over 2,000 years ago; and

WHEREAS, over the centuries, these settlers thrived and expanded in population until they numbered in the hundreds of thousands; and

WHEREAS, a culture and people unique to Hawaii, later to be recognized as kanaka maoli, emerged; and

WHEREAS, during this time, a strong cultural identity combined with political sovereignty also developed; and

WHEREAS, various native Hawaiian governments formed and changed according to the will of the Hawaiian people and their native leaders; and

WHEREAS, over the years, the Legislature has been committed to preserving and perpetuating the Hawaiian culture, in particular, the traditional language, practices, and beliefs; and

WHEREAS, the United Nations (UN) Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 1994; and

WHEREAS, the kanaka maoli, the indigenous people of Hawaii, are endowed with all the human rights recognized in the International Human Rights Conventions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and affirmed by the UN as inherent to all indigenous peoples; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature acknowledges the pressing need to preserve and maintain the Hawaiian culture and to support the efforts of kanaka maoli to pursue environmentally sustainable economic, social, and educational activities to ensure their cultural survival; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature is urged to adopt and affirm the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature recognizes and affirms the political and cultural rights of the kanaka maoli, the indigenous people of Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Secretary General of the UN, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Commission on Human Rights, President of the United States, members of Hawaii's congressional delegation, Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior, and the Director of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Report Title:

Urging the Legislature to adopt the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.