ʻOnipaʻa: Military Occupation in Hawaiʻi and Okinawa

The ʻOnipaʻa speaker series will return on January 16, 2024, 6 PM – 8 PM, with guest speakers, Anne Keala Kelly and Sam Ikehara, who will critically examine the cultural and environmental impacts of military occupation in Hawaiʻi and Okinawa, highlighting shared experiences and dynamics. This is a FREE virtual event and we welcome UHWO students, faculty, staff, and our community members to attend. Registration is required: go.hawaii.edu/nkd

Mahalo to the Nālimakui Native Hawaiian Council, UHWO Political Science, UHWO Hawaiian-Pacific Studies for their support in this series!

ABOUT ANNE KEALA KELLY:

Anne Keala Kelly is an international, award-winning Kanaka Maoli filmmaker, journalist, author, activist, and advocate for Indigenous peoples’ rights. Her expertise is in the areas of Indigenous peoples’ cultural and environmental issues, political analysis and commentary. Some of her many accomplishments include international film festival awards for Noho Hewa: The Wrongful Occupation of Hawaiʻi, broadcast reporting for Public Radio International, the Pacific Network, and National Public Radio, publishing reporting and commentary in Indian Country Today Media Network, Yes! Magazine, The Nation, Honolulu Civil Beat and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Learn more about Keala here: https://www.annekealakelly.com/

ABOUT SAM IKEHARA:

Sam Ikehara was born and raised across Honolulu, in Kalihi, Nuʻuanu, Pauoa, and Mānoa. Her research and activism emerge from her family’s histories and experiences across multiple wars and empires in the Pacific Ocean, particularly U.S. military occupation of Hawaiʻi and Okinawa. Through her work with both the Hawaiʻi Okinawa Alliance and Women’s Voices, Women Speak, Sam strives to build and uplift international networks of solidarity against militarism across Asia and the Pacific Islands. She earned her BA and MA from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and her PhD from the University of Southern California. She is currently a UC President’s and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Critical Race & Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

ABOUT THE ʻONIPAʻA SPEAKER SERIES:

This speaker series started in 2016 and is inspired by the idea of ʻOnipaʻa, its meaning and its history within various political contexts. ʻOnipaʻa was the motto of Kamehameha V who reigned from 1863-1872. During her reign, Queen Liliʻuokalani expanded her motto to “ʻOnipaʻa i ka ʻimi naʻauao” or to “Stand fast in your seeking of wisdom and knowledge.” Following the Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, “ʻOnipaʻa” became a rallying cry for Kānaka Maoli national pride and resistance to American colonialism. In the modern era, ʻOnipaʻa was the name given to the 100-year commemoration of the Overthrow and mass march held in 1993.

The word, ʻOnipaʻa, combines two seemingly contradictory concepts–ʻoni, “to move, stir, shif, movement, motion” and paʻa, “Firm, solid,… fixed, stuck, secure.” When combined, they are difficult to translate in English and can only be closely approximated as “fixed movement.” In Hawaiian, however, ʻOnipaʻa conveys a sense of resolution, determination, and steadfastness that is grounded in action, motion, and passion, and also carries a historical and political genealogy that is closely tied to Hawaiian sovereignty and independence.

EVENT DETAILS

January 16, 2024 from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Register here: go.hawaii.edu/nkd

RECORDING DETAILS

The recording of this event was made available via the UHWO Library Youtube page and can be accessed via: https://youtu.be/AofEecirU7Q. Mahalo to the speakers!