Who is Haunani Kay-Trask
Haunani-Kay Trask (1949-2021) Poet, scholar & advocate for the Hawai'ian people.
A remembrance of the work and life of Trask by the indigenous rights organization "Cultural Survival"
"Dr. Haunani-Kay Trask was a founding member of Ka Lahui Hawai’i, an organization that promotes Hawaiian self-determination for Native Hawaiians and Hawaiian self-governance. She was a leading figure of the Hawaiian Sovereignty movement, fighting for Indigenous rights and railing against American occupation of Hawaiian lands and the hypocrisy of United States policy. The U.S. was involved in the overthrowing of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, forcing Queen Lili’uokalani to abdicate the throne. Hawai’i was then annexed by the United States in 1898 and became a state in 1959.
In 1993, Dr. Trask helped lead a march of 15,000 Kanaka Maoli, or Native Hawaiians, seeking to reclaim lands held in trust by the State. The march was one of the first major protests calling for the return of native lands in Hawai’i, and took place on the centennial of the overthrow of Queen Lili’uokalani. At the march, she took to the steps of Iolani Palace, the former residence of Hawaiian royalty and government capitol building for the State of Hawaii, and told her fellow protesters what drove her to keep fighting. “I am so proud to be here,” she said. “I am so proud to be angry. I am so proud to be Hawaiian.”
Excerpt from Cultural Survival. There is much more to learn about Dr. Trask's work in this article, check it out here.
Links to Dr. Trask's work and interviews:
Aina Momona articles and videos on Dr. Trask's work and speeches. Aina Momona is "community organization dedicated to achieving environmental health and sustainability through restoring social justice and Hawaiian sovereignty"
National Women's History Museum: Towards Hawaiian Sovereignty: Legacy of Dr. Haunani-Kay Trask
From Cultural Survival: Remembering a Hawaiian Hero: Haunani-Kay Trask and Her Fight for the Rights of Native Hawaiians . Cultural Survival is an organization that "...advocates for Indigenous Peoples' rights and supports Indigenous communities’ self-determination, cultures and political resilience"
from the Hemispheric Institute: Hawaiian Sovereignty and Island Knowledge: Interview with Dr. Haunani-kay Trask The Hemispheric Institute is an organization that "gathers artists, scholars, writers, learners, and activists from across the Americas. We focus on social justice and research politically engaged culture and performance"