WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.299 Welcome to the Deep Dive, where we take your 00:00:02.299 --> 00:00:05.000 reading stack articles, notes, research, and 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:07.320 distill it all down into the most essential and 00:00:07.320 --> 00:00:09.800 fascinating knowledge you need. Today, we are 00:00:09.800 --> 00:00:12.619 undertaking a deep dive into a place that for 00:00:12.619 --> 00:00:14.480 many of us, I think, represents the ultimate 00:00:14.480 --> 00:00:17.760 escapism. Right. But its true nature is defined 00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:20.980 by geopolitical complexity, a really profound 00:00:20.980 --> 00:00:25.920 environmental crisis and a deep history of nationhood. 00:00:26.019 --> 00:00:28.079 We're talking about Hawaii, the Aloha State. 00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:31.199 Exactly. And if your main mental image is just 00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:33.960 pristine beaches and resorts, you are really 00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:36.700 only seeing the most recent layer of a history 00:00:36.700 --> 00:00:39.659 that spans millennia. Yeah, the sources you sent 00:00:39.659 --> 00:00:42.420 over, they paint a picture of extremes and contrasts 00:00:42.420 --> 00:00:45.280 that truly set this state apart from the other 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:47.520 49. Okay, let's unpack this right away, starting 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:50.500 with the geography. Hawaii is unique on three 00:00:50.500 --> 00:00:53.840 major counts. It's the only U .S. state that 00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:56.439 is an archipelago, a vast chain of islands. It 00:00:56.439 --> 00:00:59.000 is the only state entirely in the tropics. And 00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:01.159 crucially, it's the only one not on the North 00:01:01.159 --> 00:01:04.140 American mainland. It's way out there, situated 00:01:04.140 --> 00:01:07.099 firmly in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania, 00:01:07.219 --> 00:01:10.790 about... what, 2 ,000 miles southwest of the 00:01:10.790 --> 00:01:13.849 contiguous U .S.? Geographically isolated, yes, 00:01:13.930 --> 00:01:17.230 but politically. even more distinct. And I think 00:01:17.230 --> 00:01:19.250 this is the core tension we have to address. 00:01:19.510 --> 00:01:22.750 It really is. Hawaii is one of only two U .S. 00:01:22.769 --> 00:01:25.230 states, the other one being Texas. That was an 00:01:25.230 --> 00:01:27.549 internationally recognized sovereign country 00:01:27.549 --> 00:01:29.430 before it became a U .S. state. A recognized 00:01:29.430 --> 00:01:32.030 kingdom. A fully recognized kingdom. The Hawaiian 00:01:32.030 --> 00:01:34.709 kingdom maintained that sovereignty, recognized 00:01:34.709 --> 00:01:37.909 by nations all across the globe from 1810 all 00:01:37.909 --> 00:01:41.409 the way until the illegal overthrow in 1893. 00:01:41.950 --> 00:01:44.510 And that distinction, I mean, going from a kingdom 00:01:44.510 --> 00:01:47.209 recognized by international treaty to a territory 00:01:47.209 --> 00:01:49.709 and then a state, that is the fundamental fault 00:01:49.709 --> 00:01:52.109 line that runs beneath everything today. Precisely. 00:01:52.170 --> 00:01:54.409 That history of sovereign nationhood defines 00:01:54.409 --> 00:01:56.750 its culture, its political tensions, its entire 00:01:56.750 --> 00:01:59.430 economy. So our mission in this deep dive is 00:01:59.430 --> 00:02:02.329 to explore how this geopolitical singularity 00:02:02.329 --> 00:02:05.090 really manifests across the islands. We need 00:02:05.090 --> 00:02:08.430 to examine its dramatic volcanic geology and 00:02:08.430 --> 00:02:11.479 the fragility of its isolated ecosystem. We have 00:02:11.479 --> 00:02:13.639 to look at its incredible demographic composition. 00:02:13.780 --> 00:02:16.960 It's the only state with an Asian American plurality. 00:02:17.020 --> 00:02:20.099 And then you have to tackle the intense ongoing 00:02:20.099 --> 00:02:23.659 tensions between its two dominant economic sectors, 00:02:23.780 --> 00:02:26.900 tourism and military defense, and the demands 00:02:26.900 --> 00:02:30.219 of its indigenous population and, you know, environmental 00:02:30.219 --> 00:02:33.099 activists. It's a study in how a paradise constantly 00:02:33.099 --> 00:02:35.500 bumps up against a very complicated and often 00:02:35.500 --> 00:02:39.199 very painful reality. Let's start with the physical 00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:41.860 architecture of Hawaii because the scale is just 00:02:41.860 --> 00:02:44.319 immense. It really is. When we talk about the 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:46.360 Hawaiian islands, we're often only thinking of, 00:02:46.379 --> 00:02:48.819 what, four or five destinations? Yeah, the main 00:02:48.819 --> 00:02:51.060 tourist spots. Yeah. But the sources tell us 00:02:51.060 --> 00:02:53.639 this archipelago is a massive volcanic chain 00:02:53.639 --> 00:02:58.280 of 137 islands. Islets and atolls, spanning an 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:01.280 astounding 1 ,500 miles. That vast distance is 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:03.039 so often overlooked. I mean, it stretches across 00:03:03.039 --> 00:03:05.419 a huge portion of the Pacific. A significant 00:03:05.419 --> 00:03:07.360 portion. However, most of the human activity 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:09.800 is concentrated on the eight main islands. So 00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:12.099 if you travel from northwest to southeast, you 00:03:12.099 --> 00:03:18.960 hit Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanaue, Kahulamaui, 00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:21.750 and then Hawaii. The big island. But even within 00:03:21.750 --> 00:03:24.210 that core group of eight, there are these highly 00:03:24.210 --> 00:03:26.389 sensitive and unique distinctions about access 00:03:26.389 --> 00:03:28.090 and history that we really need to highlight 00:03:28.090 --> 00:03:30.189 for you. Definitely. So let's talk about those 00:03:30.189 --> 00:03:33.289 restricted islands, Nihao and Kovala. The sources 00:03:33.289 --> 00:03:36.419 call Nihao the forbidden isle. What does that 00:03:36.419 --> 00:03:39.139 restriction actually mean? Niihau is fascinating. 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:41.379 It's privately managed. It was bought in the 00:03:41.379 --> 00:03:43.960 late 19th century by the Sinclair family and 00:03:43.960 --> 00:03:46.199 their descendants, the Robinson brothers, still 00:03:46.199 --> 00:03:48.340 control it today. So access is just completely 00:03:48.340 --> 00:03:51.080 locked down. Severely restricted, yeah. The idea 00:03:51.080 --> 00:03:53.479 is to preserve the environment and the unique 00:03:53.479 --> 00:03:56.620 native Hawaiian culture of its residents. Many 00:03:56.620 --> 00:03:59.099 of them still primarily speak the Hawaiian language 00:03:59.099 --> 00:04:01.740 and maintain a very traditional lifestyle. Wow. 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:04.590 So how does a visitor even get there? You generally 00:04:04.590 --> 00:04:07.310 require special permission. And even then, you're 00:04:07.310 --> 00:04:10.129 limited almost entirely to helicopter tours of 00:04:10.129 --> 00:04:13.090 a specific uninhabited beach. It's a very intentional 00:04:13.090 --> 00:04:15.750 effort to limit Western influence. And then you 00:04:15.750 --> 00:04:19.050 have the really dark history of Kahulala, the 00:04:19.050 --> 00:04:22.759 Target Isle. Kahula represents just a stark example 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:25.819 of militarization damage. It was forcibly used 00:04:25.819 --> 00:04:29.199 as a military training and bombing range, particularly 00:04:29.199 --> 00:04:31.740 from World War II all the way up through 1990. 00:04:32.160 --> 00:04:35.100 Decades of bombing. Decades. So because of all 00:04:35.100 --> 00:04:37.300 the live fire exercises, the island is heavily 00:04:37.300 --> 00:04:40.480 impacted, designated a cleanup site, and access 00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:42.779 is still severely restricted. And the main reason 00:04:42.779 --> 00:04:45.139 for that restriction is? Unexploded ordnance. 00:04:45.610 --> 00:04:47.990 It's highly probable the island is still littered 00:04:47.990 --> 00:04:50.089 with bombs and shells. It's still dangerous. 00:04:50.370 --> 00:04:52.889 Fundamentally dangerous. While there have been 00:04:52.889 --> 00:04:55.889 extensive efforts, including a massive $400 million 00:04:55.889 --> 00:04:59.230 cleanup project, the sheer volume of ordnance 00:04:59.230 --> 00:05:02.649 and the difficulty of the terrain mean that large 00:05:02.649 --> 00:05:05.670 sections just remain unsafe. The historical and 00:05:05.670 --> 00:05:08.449 ecological cost of its use as a target is still 00:05:08.449 --> 00:05:11.420 being paid. And all this land. Every single one 00:05:11.420 --> 00:05:13.899 of those islands in that 1500 mile chain exists 00:05:13.899 --> 00:05:16.720 because of a single geological event, the Hawaii 00:05:16.720 --> 00:05:19.459 hotspot. Can you explain how that works? Because 00:05:19.459 --> 00:05:22.300 it's the constant engine behind the big island's 00:05:22.300 --> 00:05:24.420 growth. Yeah, it's a classic geological process 00:05:24.420 --> 00:05:27.360 driven by plate tectonics. The Hawaii hotspot 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:30.899 is a stationary magma source, a plume of heat 00:05:30.899 --> 00:05:33.589 deep beneath the Pacific plate. But the plate 00:05:33.589 --> 00:05:35.990 itself is moving. Constantly moving. The Pacific 00:05:35.990 --> 00:05:38.629 tectonic plate is always grinding slowly in a 00:05:38.629 --> 00:05:41.389 northwesterly direction right over this stationary 00:05:41.389 --> 00:05:44.269 heat source. So as the crust moves, the hotspot 00:05:44.269 --> 00:05:46.709 just punches through, creating a new volcano, 00:05:46.769 --> 00:05:48.870 which eventually becomes an island. Exactly. 00:05:48.870 --> 00:05:51.370 The volcanoes form, they move away from the magma 00:05:51.370 --> 00:05:53.610 source, and then eventually they become dormant 00:05:53.610 --> 00:05:55.689 and erode away. So the age of the islands is 00:05:55.689 --> 00:05:57.889 basically a direct function of how far they are 00:05:57.889 --> 00:06:00.110 from the hotspot. Precisely. The oldest, most 00:06:00.110 --> 00:06:02.680 eroded islands. like Kauai, are the furthest 00:06:02.680 --> 00:06:05.360 northwest. Meanwhile, the big island, Hawaii 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:08.660 Island, is still directly over the hotspot, which 00:06:08.660 --> 00:06:10.980 means it continues to grow through active volcanic 00:06:10.980 --> 00:06:13.420 eruptions like the ones we see at Kauai. And 00:06:13.420 --> 00:06:15.779 that dynamic is why all the active land volcanoes 00:06:15.779 --> 00:06:19.079 are on the southern half of Hawaii Island. We 00:06:19.079 --> 00:06:22.519 mentioned the 1790 Kalauea explosion, which sounds 00:06:22.519 --> 00:06:24.259 like something out of a disaster movie. It was 00:06:24.259 --> 00:06:27.579 a true catastrophe. That eruption is the deadliest 00:06:27.579 --> 00:06:30.319 known modern eruption in the entire history of 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:33.240 the U .S. Wow. Estimates suggest it killed up 00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:37.540 to 5 ,405 Hawaiian warriors and their families 00:06:37.540 --> 00:06:39.860 who were marching nearby. So this wasn't just 00:06:39.860 --> 00:06:43.040 a physical event. It was a deeply destabilizing 00:06:43.040 --> 00:06:45.879 historical event. A huge one. And it predated 00:06:45.879 --> 00:06:48.100 European contact, but it just showed the immense 00:06:48.100 --> 00:06:50.600 power of the land. And that engine is still running, 00:06:50.639 --> 00:06:54.040 even underwater. It is. The newest volcano is 00:06:54.040 --> 00:06:57.029 Kamo 'iakonoloa. which used to be known as Lohi. 00:06:57.490 --> 00:06:59.670 It's a seamount that's still growing south of 00:06:59.670 --> 00:07:01.310 the Big Island's coast. And it'll break the surface 00:07:01.310 --> 00:07:03.509 eventually. Geologists estimate it will, yeah, 00:07:03.610 --> 00:07:05.930 but in tens of thousands of years. Yeah. But 00:07:05.930 --> 00:07:07.970 when we talk about the sheer scale of the existing 00:07:07.970 --> 00:07:10.310 islands, we just have to talk about Mauna Kea. 00:07:10.410 --> 00:07:14.810 Mauna Kea on the Big Island. It stands 13 ,796 00:07:14.810 --> 00:07:17.230 feet above sea level, making it the highest point 00:07:17.230 --> 00:07:19.930 in the state. But that number, high as it is, 00:07:20.009 --> 00:07:23.050 totally understates its true scale. Oh, it absolutely 00:07:23.050 --> 00:07:25.529 does. When you measure Mauna Kea from its true 00:07:25.529 --> 00:07:27.550 base, which is the ocean floor of the Pacific, 00:07:27.689 --> 00:07:32.290 to its summit, it rises a staggering 33 ,500 00:07:32.290 --> 00:07:35.230 feet. Over 10 ,000 meters. Over 10 ,000 meters. 00:07:35.490 --> 00:07:38.129 This measurement makes it, without any geological 00:07:38.129 --> 00:07:41.089 dispute, the world's tallest mountain from base 00:07:41.089 --> 00:07:43.629 to summit. It dwarfs Mount Everest's elevation 00:07:43.629 --> 00:07:46.410 above sea level. Completely. And this immense 00:07:46.410 --> 00:07:49.769 size is why Hawaii Island, the big island, holds 00:07:49.769 --> 00:07:52.009 the title of having the second highest point 00:07:52.009 --> 00:07:55.050 among all the world's islands. That truly highlights 00:07:55.050 --> 00:07:57.810 the immense scale of these islands. And despite 00:07:57.810 --> 00:08:00.189 being entirely in the tropics, the altitude creates 00:08:00.189 --> 00:08:03.329 these amazing kind of paradoxical extremes in 00:08:03.329 --> 00:08:06.209 climate. It creates dozens of distinct microclimates. 00:08:06.250 --> 00:08:09.050 So while Hawaii generally enjoys a tropical climate, 00:08:09.209 --> 00:08:11.430 which is beautifully moderated by the persistent 00:08:11.430 --> 00:08:14.279 Pacific trade winds. Right. The massive elevation 00:08:14.279 --> 00:08:16.920 changes mean that you still get rare winter snow 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:19.279 on the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. So 00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:21.319 you can have a blizzard and a tropical beach 00:08:21.319 --> 00:08:24.160 on the same small island. On the same day. The 00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:26.319 climate diversity is radical, often within just 00:08:26.319 --> 00:08:28.759 a few miles. And the sources point out that when 00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:32.360 it rains, it really creates records. Mount Wailakal 00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:36.559 on Kauai is legendary for its rainfall. Legendary. 00:08:36.620 --> 00:08:39.759 It claims the second highest average annual rainfall 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:42.740 on Earth. And what's the number on that? Around 00:08:42.740 --> 00:08:46.539 460 inches per year. That's over 38 feet of rain. 00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:49.299 Yeah. And this hyper -specific rainfall pattern 00:08:49.299 --> 00:08:53.059 is critical to understanding the ecology, especially 00:08:53.059 --> 00:08:54.799 the difference between the two sides of every 00:08:54.799 --> 00:08:58.120 major island. It's due to what's called the orographic 00:08:58.120 --> 00:09:00.960 effect. Okay, so if the trade winds are generally 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:04.059 moving from east to west, how does that create 00:09:04.059 --> 00:09:07.240 such different environments? Well, the trade 00:09:07.240 --> 00:09:10.279 winds push moist air toward the mountains. As 00:09:10.279 --> 00:09:12.679 that air rises over the steep volcanic slopes, 00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:15.639 it cools rapidly, and that leads to condensation 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:18.000 and intense rainfall on the side facing the wind. 00:09:18.179 --> 00:09:20.440 So those are the windward sides, the Kuala areas. 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:23.080 Exactly. They are lush, they're wet, they support 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:25.879 tropical rainforests. They might get 200 or 300 00:09:25.879 --> 00:09:27.860 inches of rain a year. And then on the other 00:09:27.860 --> 00:09:30.799 side? Well, once the air crests the summit and 00:09:30.799 --> 00:09:33.539 descends the opposite side, the Lieberd or Kona 00:09:33.539 --> 00:09:36.980 areas, it has lost most of its moisture. This 00:09:36.980 --> 00:09:40.279 descending air warms and dries, creating sunnier, 00:09:40.440 --> 00:09:43.279 often desert -like conditions or much drier tropical 00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:46.320 environments. That rapid transition is what defines 00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:49.340 the environmental diversity. From tropical rainforests 00:09:49.340 --> 00:09:52.870 to arid plains on a single island. Yeah. And 00:09:52.870 --> 00:09:55.669 that ecological isolation has created some of 00:09:55.669 --> 00:09:58.269 the most specialized and unique life forms on 00:09:58.269 --> 00:10:01.269 the planet. But that very uniqueness makes them 00:10:01.269 --> 00:10:04.409 incredibly vulnerable. The source mentions the 00:10:04.409 --> 00:10:06.570 three W's of how life got here in the first place, 00:10:06.629 --> 00:10:09.509 right? Yes. Because Hawaii is so incredibly far 00:10:09.509 --> 00:10:12.070 from any other landmass, life had to arrive by 00:10:12.070 --> 00:10:15.490 extraordinary means. When so, think spores, tiny 00:10:15.490 --> 00:10:17.929 seeds, waves, ocean currents carrying logs or 00:10:17.929 --> 00:10:20.409 debris and wings, birds carrying seeds in their 00:10:20.409 --> 00:10:22.850 guts or mud on their. feet and only a few thousand 00:10:22.850 --> 00:10:25.190 species ever successfully made that journey and 00:10:25.190 --> 00:10:27.470 the ones that survived the trip they evolved 00:10:27.470 --> 00:10:29.830 in spectacular isolation they underwent adaptive 00:10:29.830 --> 00:10:32.940 radiation Exactly. Meaning one ancestor evolved 00:10:32.940 --> 00:10:35.379 into dozens or hundreds of highly specialized 00:10:35.379 --> 00:10:38.379 species found nowhere else on Earth. You think 00:10:38.379 --> 00:10:41.379 of the famous Hawaiian honeycreepers. A single 00:10:41.379 --> 00:10:44.360 finch -like ancestor evolved into 50 or more 00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:47.340 different species, each with a specialized beak 00:10:47.340 --> 00:10:50.100 for a specific nectar or insect. That is true 00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:53.220 endemism. It is. And it's why Hawaii is often, 00:10:53.379 --> 00:10:56.080 tragically, called the extinction capital of 00:10:56.080 --> 00:10:58.110 the world. Yeah, the sources really drive home 00:10:58.110 --> 00:11:00.889 the conservation crisis, noting that Hawaii has 00:11:00.889 --> 00:11:02.990 lost a higher percentage of its endemic species 00:11:02.990 --> 00:11:05.750 than any other U .S. state. The arrival of new 00:11:05.750 --> 00:11:08.690 plants, rats, insects introduced by humans has 00:11:08.690 --> 00:11:11.090 just overwhelmed this fragile system. And we 00:11:11.090 --> 00:11:13.409 have that visceral, just heartbreaking anecdote 00:11:13.409 --> 00:11:16.769 that illustrates this fragility, the endemic 00:11:16.769 --> 00:11:19.029 plant brigamia. It's a plant that is critically 00:11:19.029 --> 00:11:21.750 endangered, and its entire existence now hinges 00:11:21.750 --> 00:11:23.950 on human effort. Tell us more about the logistics 00:11:23.950 --> 00:11:25.929 of saving it. Well, the Bergamia grows almost 00:11:25.929 --> 00:11:28.690 exclusively on remote, nearly vertical cliff 00:11:28.690 --> 00:11:31.730 faces. Its natural pollinator, likely a specific 00:11:31.730 --> 00:11:35.070 long -tongued hawk moth, is presumed to be extinct. 00:11:35.370 --> 00:11:38.009 So the plant can't reproduce on its own? It cannot, 00:11:38.269 --> 00:11:40.789 which means the remaining plants, which number 00:11:40.789 --> 00:11:43.750 only around 120 individuals, can't reproduce 00:11:43.750 --> 00:11:47.169 naturally. So to save the species, professional 00:11:47.169 --> 00:11:49.990 botanists and biologists have to undertake this 00:11:49.990 --> 00:11:52.409 incredibly dangerous high -stakes conservation 00:11:52.409 --> 00:11:55.470 work. What do they do? They have to rappel down 00:11:55.470 --> 00:11:59.629 sheer 3 ,000 -foot cliffs, often in challenging 00:11:59.629 --> 00:12:02.250 weather, carrying pollen and brushes to hand 00:12:02.250 --> 00:12:05.220 -pollinate the flowers one by one. That's truly 00:12:05.220 --> 00:12:07.899 remarkable. It's an image of human beings putting 00:12:07.899 --> 00:12:10.919 their lives at risk not to study a rare animal, 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:13.340 but to serve as the missing pollinator for a 00:12:13.340 --> 00:12:15.820 single plant species. It perfectly captures the 00:12:15.820 --> 00:12:19.200 crisis. The extinction of a single insect necessitated 00:12:19.200 --> 00:12:22.080 the specialized, death -defying efforts of multiple 00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:25.139 human beings just to maintain one small, precarious 00:12:25.139 --> 00:12:28.080 population. It just shows how profoundly unbalanced 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:30.419 the ecosystem has become due to human impact. 00:12:30.809 --> 00:12:32.929 That geological and biological foundation set 00:12:32.929 --> 00:12:35.730 the stage for human society. To understand modern 00:12:35.730 --> 00:12:37.970 Hawaii, we have to go back to its ancient history. 00:12:38.370 --> 00:12:40.789 Polynesian settlers, likely voyaging from the 00:12:40.789 --> 00:12:44.330 Marquesas and Tahiti, arrived between 1000 and 00:12:44.330 --> 00:12:47.629 1200 CE, and they established a complex and highly 00:12:47.629 --> 00:12:50.789 stratified society. This was a brilliant civilization 00:12:50.789 --> 00:12:53.610 that managed to sustain a large population for 00:12:53.610 --> 00:12:56.549 centuries on these remote islands. It was structured 00:12:56.549 --> 00:12:59.090 around a strict caste system ruled by hereditary 00:12:59.090 --> 00:13:01.389 chiefs, the Elei. But what's truly insightful 00:13:01.389 --> 00:13:03.690 is the system of governance and resource management 00:13:03.690 --> 00:13:06.970 they created. The sources introduced the concept 00:13:06.970 --> 00:13:09.269 of lokihi to describe that governance. Often 00:13:09.269 --> 00:13:12.029 translated as harmony or unity. Yeah, but it's 00:13:12.029 --> 00:13:14.529 more than that. Lokahi encapsulates the entire 00:13:14.529 --> 00:13:17.110 relationship between the people and the land. 00:13:17.480 --> 00:13:19.980 It's often visualized as a triangle connecting 00:13:19.980 --> 00:13:23.659 the creator, or Akua, the people, Kanaka Maoli, 00:13:23.779 --> 00:13:26.399 and the land, the Amina. So the philosophy dictated 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:28.320 that the welfare of the people was fundamentally 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:31.080 tied to the health of the land. Requiring active 00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:33.059 and sophisticated environmental stewardship. 00:13:33.399 --> 00:13:35.360 And what did that stewardship look like in practice? 00:13:35.519 --> 00:13:37.779 How did they manage resources to support such 00:13:37.779 --> 00:13:40.080 a dense population? It was a system built on 00:13:40.080 --> 00:13:43.350 reciprocity and deep ecological knowledge. They 00:13:43.350 --> 00:13:45.289 developed these highly specialized land divisions 00:13:45.289 --> 00:13:48.289 called ahupua. Which were these long wedge -shaped 00:13:48.289 --> 00:13:51.049 segments of land. Exactly. Running from the mountains, 00:13:51.210 --> 00:13:54.429 mauka, down to the sea, makai. This ensured that 00:13:54.429 --> 00:13:56.490 every community had access to all the necessary 00:13:56.490 --> 00:13:59.759 resources. Fresh water. forest products, fertile 00:13:59.759 --> 00:14:02.799 soil for upland agriculture, and access to ocean 00:14:02.799 --> 00:14:05.179 fishing. And they also built those ingenious 00:14:05.179 --> 00:14:08.379 fish ponds. Large coastal stone enclosures where 00:14:08.379 --> 00:14:10.539 they raised fish. It demonstrates a remarkable 00:14:10.539 --> 00:14:13.399 level of sustainable aquaculture. So a system 00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:16.340 based on centuries of sustainable practice that 00:14:16.340 --> 00:14:19.600 was completely shattered in 1778 with the arrival 00:14:19.600 --> 00:14:22.240 of the British Captain James Cook. Cook's arrival 00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:25.340 and the subsequent influx of European and American 00:14:25.340 --> 00:14:28.440 explorers, traders, whalers, it marked the beginning 00:14:28.440 --> 00:14:31.059 of a demographic and political catastrophe for 00:14:31.059 --> 00:14:33.200 the native Hawaiian people. The sources show 00:14:33.200 --> 00:14:35.679 just devastating numbers regarding the population 00:14:35.679 --> 00:14:38.440 collapse from Eurasian diseases. They're horrific. 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:41.399 The native population, which may have been as 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:44.240 high as 800 ,000 or even a million pre -contact, 00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:48.539 it rapidly fell to an estimated 300 ,000 by 1800 00:14:48.539 --> 00:14:51.220 and then plummeted to less than 400 ,000. 40 00:14:51.220 --> 00:14:54.740 ,000 by 1890. That's a loss of over 90 % of the 00:14:54.740 --> 00:14:57.879 population. Over 90%. Diseases like smallpox, 00:14:58.179 --> 00:15:00.820 syphilis, tuberculosis, and especially measles 00:15:00.820 --> 00:15:03.899 were catastrophic. The measles outbreak alone 00:15:03.899 --> 00:15:06.480 in the 1850s, for instance, killed about a fifth 00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:08.879 of the remaining population. Just devastating 00:15:08.879 --> 00:15:11.799 families and gutting the social structures. Completely. 00:15:11.799 --> 00:15:14.740 And that level of decimation created a power 00:15:14.740 --> 00:15:17.799 vacuum, both politically and economically. which 00:15:17.799 --> 00:15:20.340 American interests were very quick to exploit. 00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:23.059 The biological vulnerability paved the way for 00:15:23.059 --> 00:15:26.179 ideological and political conquest. Absolutely. 00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:28.980 American Protestant missionaries started arriving 00:15:28.980 --> 00:15:32.000 from New England in the 1820s. They quickly established 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:34.759 influence, not just converting the chiefs, but 00:15:34.759 --> 00:15:36.879 becoming trusted advisors and eventually cabinet 00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:38.940 members of the monarchy. So they weren't just 00:15:38.940 --> 00:15:41.080 changing religion. They were changing the legal 00:15:41.080 --> 00:15:43.340 and social foundation of the entire kingdom. 00:15:43.580 --> 00:15:45.960 That's right. The missionaries used their influence 00:15:45.960 --> 00:15:48.899 to push for the end of the traditional kapu system, 00:15:49.019 --> 00:15:52.539 the complex legal and social laws based on spiritual 00:15:52.539 --> 00:15:54.960 beliefs. And this led to the burning of traditional 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:57.399 idols, the restriction of cultural practices 00:15:57.399 --> 00:16:00.340 like hula. And eventually, the signing of the 00:16:00.340 --> 00:16:02.779 1840 Constitution, which officially established 00:16:02.779 --> 00:16:06.379 a Christian monarchy. This shift meant the old 00:16:06.379 --> 00:16:09.409 system of land and social organization based 00:16:09.409 --> 00:16:12.629 on Locahi began to unravel very rapidly. The 00:16:12.629 --> 00:16:15.250 consolidation of power by foreign businessmen 00:16:15.250 --> 00:16:18.230 and resident Americans just accelerated dramatically 00:16:18.230 --> 00:16:20.909 in the late 19th century, culminating in an act 00:16:20.909 --> 00:16:23.250 of political violence, the Bayonet Constitution 00:16:23.250 --> 00:16:26.529 of 1887. This was not an act of diplomacy. No. 00:16:26.649 --> 00:16:29.210 It was an act of explicit coercion orchestrated 00:16:29.210 --> 00:16:32.490 by a group of militant annexationists, primarily 00:16:32.490 --> 00:16:34.490 white businessmen known as the Hawaiian League. 00:16:34.690 --> 00:16:36.870 So they drafted the document and... And under 00:16:36.870 --> 00:16:38.639 threat of immediate violence and the like. like 00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:40.700 the assassination of the monarch, they forced 00:16:40.700 --> 00:16:43.740 King Kalakala to sign it. That is a stunning 00:16:43.740 --> 00:16:46.399 level of direct force against a sovereign monarch. 00:16:46.820 --> 00:16:49.779 We often hear about political shifts, but this 00:16:49.779 --> 00:16:52.539 was a violent personal threat against the ruler. 00:16:52.820 --> 00:16:56.860 It was. What specific powers did this constitution 00:16:56.860 --> 00:17:00.100 strip away and who exactly gained control? It 00:17:00.100 --> 00:17:02.539 was a total calculated restructuring of the government. 00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:05.740 The Constitution immediately stripped the monarch 00:17:05.740 --> 00:17:08.299 of most of his executive authority, transforming 00:17:08.299 --> 00:17:11.400 the king into a mere figurehead. So he couldn't 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:13.539 even appoint his own cabinet. Not without approval 00:17:13.539 --> 00:17:16.259 from the legislature. And crucially, the document 00:17:16.259 --> 00:17:18.720 established stringent property qualifications 00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:22.039 and high income requirements for voting. So if 00:17:22.039 --> 00:17:24.539 you were a working class native Hawaiian or an 00:17:24.539 --> 00:17:26.859 immigrant laborer on the plantations, which was 00:17:26.859 --> 00:17:29.019 the vast majority of the population, you were 00:17:29.019 --> 00:17:32.000 suddenly shut out of the political process. Precisely. 00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:34.440 Even if you were a longtime citizen of the kingdom, 00:17:34.619 --> 00:17:37.819 this consolidated nearly all political and economic 00:17:37.819 --> 00:17:40.619 power among the wealthy, landowning, mostly Euro 00:17:40.619 --> 00:17:42.579 -American elite. So the Bayonet Constitution 00:17:42.579 --> 00:17:45.500 effectively legalized the theft of the kingdom's 00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:47.940 political foundation. And it set the stage for 00:17:47.940 --> 00:17:50.900 the final two just six years later. When King 00:17:50.900 --> 00:17:53.980 Kalakaua died, his sister, Queen Liliuokalani, 00:17:54.140 --> 00:17:56.460 inherited a fundamentally compromised throne. 00:17:56.819 --> 00:17:58.700 And she understood that if the monarchy was to 00:17:58.700 --> 00:18:01.599 survive, she had to restore power to her people. 00:18:02.029 --> 00:18:04.009 So she tried to promulgate a new constitution 00:18:04.009 --> 00:18:06.710 to replace the bayonet constitution. Which was 00:18:06.710 --> 00:18:10.269 the last straw for the foreign elite. On January 00:18:10.269 --> 00:18:14.329 14, 1893, the Committee of Safety, that same 00:18:14.329 --> 00:18:17.250 group of militant businessmen, staged a coup 00:18:17.250 --> 00:18:19.849 d 'etat. And they were explicitly backed by heavily 00:18:19.849 --> 00:18:22.150 armed U .S. Marines. Yes, who were stationed 00:18:22.150 --> 00:18:24.130 in the area under the command of U .S. Government 00:18:24.130 --> 00:18:26.529 Minister John L. Stevens. The presence of the 00:18:26.529 --> 00:18:28.710 U .S. military seems to be the key factor here. 00:18:28.910 --> 00:18:31.789 It was decisive. The queen knew the kingdom's 00:18:31.789 --> 00:18:34.250 small forces could not defend themselves without 00:18:34.250 --> 00:18:37.130 engaging U .S. military forces directly, which 00:18:37.130 --> 00:18:39.029 would result in bloodshed and possibly a total 00:18:39.029 --> 00:18:42.750 war. So she yielded. Wisely, she chose to yield. 00:18:42.849 --> 00:18:45.309 But her statement is vital. She yielded strictly 00:18:45.309 --> 00:18:47.960 under protest. appealing to the enlightened justice 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:50.559 of the United States to undo the action of its 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:53.079 own agents. So she was making it clear she was 00:18:53.079 --> 00:18:55.140 yielding not to the new provisional government, 00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:58.039 but to the superior military force of the United 00:18:58.039 --> 00:19:01.599 States. Exactly. And the initial U .S. response 00:19:01.599 --> 00:19:06.500 was fascinatingly divided. It was chaotic. President 00:19:06.500 --> 00:19:09.140 Grover Cleveland, who had just taken office and 00:19:09.140 --> 00:19:12.019 was staunchly anti -imperialist, he commissioned 00:19:12.019 --> 00:19:14.339 the Blount Report. And what did that report find? 00:19:14.859 --> 00:19:17.059 It definitively concluded that the overthrow 00:19:17.059 --> 00:19:20.220 was illegal. It found U .S. Minister Stevens 00:19:20.220 --> 00:19:23.680 guilty of improper conduct and stated clearly 00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:26.740 that the U .S. forces provided the sole support 00:19:26.740 --> 00:19:29.019 and courage for the provisional government to 00:19:29.019 --> 00:19:31.440 act. So Cleveland tried to reinstate the queen? 00:19:31.720 --> 00:19:34.079 He did, but the provisional government simply 00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:36.140 refused to step down. And then the political 00:19:36.140 --> 00:19:38.440 tides shifted again with a subsequent investigation. 00:19:38.859 --> 00:19:41.240 Yes. The subsequent Morgan Report, conducted 00:19:41.240 --> 00:19:43.940 by the U .S. Senate, Completely contradicted 00:19:43.940 --> 00:19:46.900 the Blunt report. It conveniently found all parties 00:19:46.900 --> 00:19:49.700 involved in the overthrow, except the queen herself, 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:52.900 not guilty. That provided the political cover 00:19:52.900 --> 00:19:56.319 the U .S. needed. It did. Despite the overwhelming 00:19:56.319 --> 00:19:58.759 opposition of Native Hawaiians who submitted 00:19:58.759 --> 00:20:02.440 massive anti -annexation petitions, the U .S. 00:20:02.440 --> 00:20:06.480 annexed Hawaii in 1898 via the Newlands Resolution, 00:20:06.519 --> 00:20:09.430 turning it into a U .S. territory. And it is 00:20:09.430 --> 00:20:11.890 significant that they used a joint congressional 00:20:11.890 --> 00:20:14.910 resolution rather than a treaty to annex the 00:20:14.910 --> 00:20:17.430 territory. Hugely significant. Treaties require 00:20:17.430 --> 00:20:20.009 two sovereign states and ratification by two 00:20:20.009 --> 00:20:22.390 -thirds of the Senate. The U .S. knew a treaty 00:20:22.390 --> 00:20:24.690 would fail politically and would give legitimacy 00:20:24.690 --> 00:20:27.490 to the opposition. But a joint resolution only 00:20:27.490 --> 00:20:30.170 needed a simple majority. A simple majority in 00:20:30.170 --> 00:20:33.029 both houses. It bypassed the constitutional requirement 00:20:33.029 --> 00:20:35.710 for annexing sovereign territory. It was a clear 00:20:35.710 --> 00:20:38.109 political maneuver to finalize the process begun 00:20:38.109 --> 00:20:40.690 by force. And the story doesn't really move toward 00:20:40.690 --> 00:20:43.190 resolution until nearly a century later, with 00:20:43.190 --> 00:20:45.130 a formal U .S. acknowledgment of this history. 00:20:45.329 --> 00:20:48.430 The 1993 U .S. Congressional Apology Resolution, 00:20:48.509 --> 00:20:50.670 signed by President Bill Clinton on the 100th 00:20:50.670 --> 00:20:53.329 anniversary of the overthrow, is a landmark moment. 00:20:53.549 --> 00:20:55.579 What did it say? It formally acknowledged the 00:20:55.579 --> 00:20:57.819 historical significance of the illegal overthrow 00:20:57.819 --> 00:21:00.200 of the kingdom and the suppression of the inherent 00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:02.519 sovereignty of the Native Hawaiian people. And 00:21:02.519 --> 00:21:04.980 crucially, it confirmed that Native Hawaiians 00:21:04.980 --> 00:21:07.579 never willingly relinquished their claims to 00:21:07.579 --> 00:21:10.819 sovereignty. Never directly or willingly. This 00:21:10.819 --> 00:21:13.440 document, the only one of its kind in U .S. history, 00:21:13.599 --> 00:21:16.440 is the foundational text for the modern sovereignty 00:21:16.440 --> 00:21:19.259 movement. It gives its claims historical and 00:21:19.259 --> 00:21:21.880 official credence. Moving to the present, Hawaii's 00:21:21.880 --> 00:21:24.539 unique history of immigration, driven first by 00:21:24.539 --> 00:21:26.599 that demographic collapse and then by the plantation 00:21:26.599 --> 00:21:29.799 economy, has resulted in a demographic tapestry 00:21:29.799 --> 00:21:32.779 unlike anywhere else in the United States. It 00:21:32.779 --> 00:21:35.319 truly is a study in multiracial coexistence. 00:21:35.420 --> 00:21:38.039 Hawaii is one of the nine majority -minority 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:40.720 states, but what stands out is its percentage 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:44.339 of multiracial people, a massive 25 .3 % of the 00:21:44.339 --> 00:21:46.339 population. The largest proportion in the nation. 00:21:46.440 --> 00:21:48.900 By far. And it is also the only state where Asian 00:21:48.900 --> 00:21:50.940 Americans form the plurality of the population, 00:21:51.220 --> 00:21:54.359 totaling about 37 .2 percent. And that Asian 00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:56.920 American plurality traces directly back to the 00:21:56.920 --> 00:21:59.720 19th and early 20th century recruitment of migrant 00:21:59.720 --> 00:22:02.460 laborers. Right. Often under brutal contract 00:22:02.460 --> 00:22:05.940 terms to staff the sugar cane and pineapple plantations. 00:22:06.059 --> 00:22:08.740 And that labor history is written right into 00:22:08.740 --> 00:22:11.079 the ancestry snapshot today. It is. The largest 00:22:11.079 --> 00:22:14.400 Asian ancestries are Filipino Americans who make 00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:17.880 up about 14 .6 percent. the population, followed 00:22:17.880 --> 00:22:21.680 closely by Japanese Americans at 13 .6%. And 00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:24.059 you also have significant populations of Chinese, 00:22:24.200 --> 00:22:26.819 Korean, and Portuguese Americans. Yes, and the 00:22:26.819 --> 00:22:29.079 Portuguese were often classified as non -white 00:22:29.079 --> 00:22:32.579 field labor. These groups were imported in successive 00:22:32.579 --> 00:22:35.880 waves to prevent any single ethnic group from 00:22:35.880 --> 00:22:37.900 dominating the labor force, which the plantation 00:22:37.900 --> 00:22:40.099 owners saw as a key way to maintain control. 00:22:40.339 --> 00:22:42.240 It's remarkable how that history created such 00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:44.960 a unique mixing bowl. But while many came in, 00:22:45.059 --> 00:22:46.980 the sources also highlight a significant trend 00:22:46.980 --> 00:22:49.240 of out -migration among Native Hawaiians today. 00:22:49.380 --> 00:22:51.480 And this speaks directly to the economic pressures 00:22:51.480 --> 00:22:53.940 that define life there. The high cost of living 00:22:53.940 --> 00:22:56.380 forces many Native Hawaiians and longtime residents 00:22:56.380 --> 00:22:59.819 to seek economic viability on the mainland. And 00:22:59.819 --> 00:23:02.200 the sources note the fascinating phenomenon of 00:23:02.200 --> 00:23:04.720 Las Vegas, Nevada being widely referred to as 00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:07.220 the Ninth Island. The Ninth Island, yeah. Why 00:23:07.220 --> 00:23:10.220 Las Vegas specifically? Well, it became a major 00:23:10.220 --> 00:23:12.759 hub because for years, the hotel and service 00:23:12.759 --> 00:23:15.539 industry jobs there provided economic opportunity, 00:23:15.720 --> 00:23:18.500 and the cost of housing was comparatively affordable. 00:23:18.839 --> 00:23:21.579 So the phrase Ninth Island isn't a joke? Not 00:23:21.579 --> 00:23:24.420 at all. It's a demographic reality driven by 00:23:24.420 --> 00:23:27.099 economic necessity, where large numbers of Native 00:23:27.099 --> 00:23:29.140 Hawaiians and other island residents... have 00:23:29.140 --> 00:23:32.059 relocated, often maintaining very close cultural 00:23:32.059 --> 00:23:35.140 and familial ties to Hawaii itself. Let's look 00:23:35.140 --> 00:23:37.740 closer at how this mixing manifests in daily 00:23:37.740 --> 00:23:39.940 communication, specifically with the official 00:23:39.940 --> 00:23:42.579 and unofficial languages. English and Hawaiian 00:23:42.579 --> 00:23:45.140 are the two official languages, with Hawaiian 00:23:45.140 --> 00:23:47.819 being added to the Constitution in 1978 after 00:23:47.819 --> 00:23:50.140 decades of suppression. The revival of the Hawaiian 00:23:50.140 --> 00:23:53.160 language, or Ushila Hawaii, is deeply tied to 00:23:53.160 --> 00:23:54.839 the sovereignty movement. It's really an act 00:23:54.839 --> 00:23:57.289 of cultural reclamation. For the listener, when 00:23:57.289 --> 00:24:00.150 seeing or writing Hawaiian, there are two marks 00:24:00.150 --> 00:24:02.150 that are essential for correct orthography that 00:24:02.150 --> 00:24:04.789 we should probably explain. The okina and the 00:24:04.789 --> 00:24:07.670 kahako. Yes, and we often see these dropped in 00:24:07.670 --> 00:24:10.349 casual English writing, which fundamentally changes 00:24:10.349 --> 00:24:12.890 the meaning and the sound. So the okina, that 00:24:12.890 --> 00:24:14.730 symbol that looks like an apostrophe. The two 00:24:14.730 --> 00:24:17.960 consonant. It represents the glottal stop. You 00:24:17.960 --> 00:24:20.400 literally stop the airflow in your throat. So 00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:22.140 the name of the state is correctly pronounced 00:24:22.140 --> 00:24:25.180 Hawaii with that stop between the I -S. Exactly. 00:24:25.220 --> 00:24:27.279 Without the Okina, it's technically pronounced 00:24:27.279 --> 00:24:30.920 Hawaii. And the kahakure is the macron, that 00:24:30.920 --> 00:24:33.339 line over a vowel, which indicates that the vowel 00:24:33.339 --> 00:24:35.480 sound is long. Can you give us a quick example 00:24:35.480 --> 00:24:38.319 of how the kahako changes the meaning? Sure. 00:24:38.400 --> 00:24:41.119 Take the word mao. If you write it without a 00:24:41.119 --> 00:24:44.569 kahaku, mao means forever. If you put a kahaku 00:24:44.569 --> 00:24:48.589 over the U, mau means your. So a slight phonetic 00:24:48.589 --> 00:24:50.910 difference completely changes the meaning. Completely. 00:24:51.029 --> 00:24:53.569 And the sources emphasize that using the correct 00:24:53.569 --> 00:24:56.450 orthography is not just grammatical. It's a powerful 00:24:56.450 --> 00:24:59.109 statement of cultural literacy and respect for 00:24:59.109 --> 00:25:01.789 the indigenous history. And the revival is robust, 00:25:02.089 --> 00:25:04.349 supported by immersion schools and the nationally 00:25:04.349 --> 00:25:06.089 recognized graduate program at the University 00:25:06.089 --> 00:25:09.269 of Hawaii. And then there is the vibrant, homegrown 00:25:09.269 --> 00:25:12.549 language that truly defines local culture. Hawaiian 00:25:12.549 --> 00:25:16.410 pidgin. Hawaiian Pidgin or Hawaii Creole English 00:25:16.410 --> 00:25:20.329 HCE is just a masterpiece of linguistic adaptation. 00:25:20.839 --> 00:25:23.259 It was born on the plantations. Exactly. In the 00:25:23.259 --> 00:25:25.660 19th century, where thousands of laborers speaking 00:25:25.660 --> 00:25:28.259 different, mutually unintelligible languages 00:25:28.259 --> 00:25:31.519 like Cantonese, Japanese, Portuguese, Ilocano 00:25:31.519 --> 00:25:34.000 needed a functional way to communicate with each 00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:36.400 other and their English speaking overseers. So 00:25:36.400 --> 00:25:38.880 it's primarily English based, but with layers 00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:41.319 of vocabulary and grammar from all those different 00:25:41.319 --> 00:25:43.980 source languages. That's right. It synthesizes 00:25:43.980 --> 00:25:47.200 that whole complex history. You'll hear English 00:25:47.200 --> 00:25:49.910 structures mixed with Portuguese grammar. vocabulary 00:25:49.910 --> 00:25:52.769 from Japanese, and essential Hawaiian terms integrated 00:25:52.769 --> 00:25:56.210 naturally, like pau for finished or ahi for tuna. 00:25:56.410 --> 00:25:58.470 It creates a language distinct enough from standard 00:25:58.470 --> 00:26:00.829 American English that communication can be difficult 00:26:00.829 --> 00:26:03.369 for mainlanders. It can be, yeah. I love how 00:26:03.369 --> 00:26:06.750 HTE also redefines standard kinship terms, reflecting 00:26:06.750 --> 00:26:09.589 that strong community structure. The sources 00:26:09.589 --> 00:26:11.410 note that auntie and uncle are used to address 00:26:11.410 --> 00:26:13.990 any respected elder, regardless of blood relation. 00:26:14.329 --> 00:26:17.369 It's a term of respect, and it immediately signals 00:26:17.369 --> 00:26:19.440 the close -knit community. community -focused 00:26:19.440 --> 00:26:22.299 nature of Hawaiian culture. And in a remarkable 00:26:22.299 --> 00:26:24.460 moment of political and cultural recognition, 00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:27.869 the U .S. Census Bureau officially recognized 00:26:27.869 --> 00:26:31.230 Hawaiian Pidgin as an official language in 2015, 00:26:31.589 --> 00:26:34.390 acknowledging its widespread use as a primary 00:26:34.390 --> 00:26:36.589 language among residents. Another absolutely 00:26:36.589 --> 00:26:39.250 vital piece of the cultural identity, which stands 00:26:39.250 --> 00:26:42.089 in stark contrast to the conservative norms imported 00:26:42.089 --> 00:26:44.769 by Western missionaries, is the long history 00:26:44.769 --> 00:26:47.869 of pre -colonial gender and sexuality. This is 00:26:47.869 --> 00:26:50.309 a critical historical point that is so often 00:26:50.309 --> 00:26:54.200 ignored. Ancient Hawaii had complex, fluid understandings 00:26:54.200 --> 00:26:56.940 of gender and sexuality. The culture recognized 00:26:56.940 --> 00:26:59.720 the Mai. Defined as the pre -colonial third gender, 00:26:59.880 --> 00:27:02.380 translating roughly as in the middle. Yes, and 00:27:02.380 --> 00:27:04.819 Mahiu individuals typically held respected spiritual 00:27:04.819 --> 00:27:07.579 and social roles. They were often keepers of 00:27:07.579 --> 00:27:09.859 tradition, teachers, healers. It was a position 00:27:09.859 --> 00:27:12.460 of respect, not marginalization. Not at all. 00:27:12.559 --> 00:27:14.839 They were seen as embodying both male and female 00:27:14.839 --> 00:27:17.359 spirits, giving them unique spiritual power. 00:27:17.920 --> 00:27:20.619 And furthermore, homosexual relationships, known 00:27:20.619 --> 00:27:23.859 as ikan, were widespread and considered normal. 00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:26.359 And this wasn't just tolerated among the general 00:27:26.359 --> 00:27:29.079 population. It was integrated into the elite 00:27:29.079 --> 00:27:31.900 political structure among the chiefs, the aliyah. 00:27:32.019 --> 00:27:34.900 Absolutely. The sources confirmed that ikan relationships 00:27:34.900 --> 00:27:37.759 were common among the aliyah and not considered 00:27:37.759 --> 00:27:40.519 contradictory to simultaneous heterosexual relationships 00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:43.460 and marriage. The great king Kamehameha himself 00:27:43.460 --> 00:27:46.650 had ikan partners. And scholars have noted that 00:27:46.650 --> 00:27:49.089 beyond personal preference, there was often a 00:27:49.089 --> 00:27:51.730 clear functional purpose for these bonds. Especially 00:27:51.730 --> 00:27:54.190 among the ruling and warrior classes. To build 00:27:54.190 --> 00:27:57.289 mutual trust, as the source suggests. Yes. In 00:27:57.289 --> 00:27:59.650 a society where loyalty was paramount and required 00:27:59.650 --> 00:28:02.910 in battle, icons served to solidify mutual trust 00:28:02.910 --> 00:28:05.690 and deep commitment among chiefs and their highest 00:28:05.690 --> 00:28:08.390 ranking warriors. It was a functional social 00:28:08.390 --> 00:28:10.690 glue. There is that quote from a Hawaiian scholar. 00:28:11.230 --> 00:28:13.470 If you didn't sleep with a man, how could you 00:28:13.470 --> 00:28:15.329 trust him completely when you went into battle? 00:28:15.609 --> 00:28:18.509 That completely reframes the discussion of gender 00:28:18.509 --> 00:28:20.890 and intimacy in that period, viewing it through 00:28:20.890 --> 00:28:23.470 a pragmatic, trust -building lens rather than 00:28:23.470 --> 00:28:26.410 a moralistic one. That deep history provides 00:28:26.410 --> 00:28:29.509 context for the modern social climate. Hawaii 00:28:29.509 --> 00:28:33.250 continued to lead on modern LGBTQIA plus rights, 00:28:33.490 --> 00:28:36.470 becoming the 15th U .S. state to legalize same 00:28:36.470 --> 00:28:39.309 -sex marriage in 2013. One of the earliest states 00:28:39.309 --> 00:28:41.359 to do so. Now, looking at the religious landscape, 00:28:41.740 --> 00:28:44.640 Hawaii presents another paradox. It is one of 00:28:44.640 --> 00:28:46.619 the most religiously diverse states, but also 00:28:46.619 --> 00:28:49.079 one of the most secular. That is quite the balance. 00:28:49.299 --> 00:28:51.920 The sources indicate that anywhere from 26 % 00:28:51.920 --> 00:28:55.000 to a striking 51 % of the population identifies 00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:58.299 as unaffiliated or non -religious. A high degree 00:28:58.299 --> 00:29:00.720 of secularism. And yet, among those who are religious, 00:29:00.859 --> 00:29:03.240 while Christianity remains the majority, the 00:29:03.240 --> 00:29:05.740 second largest religion is Buddhism. And at 8 00:29:05.740 --> 00:29:08.079 % of the population, Hawaii maintains the highest 00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:11.000 proportion of Buddhists in the U .S. That concentration 00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:13.539 is overwhelmingly located within the Japanese 00:29:13.539 --> 00:29:16.759 community, another enduring legacy of the plantation 00:29:16.759 --> 00:29:20.059 -era labor waves. It just underscores how every 00:29:20.059 --> 00:29:22.980 aspect of the state's culture is a fusion product 00:29:22.980 --> 00:29:25.859 of its complex history. Before we move on to 00:29:25.859 --> 00:29:28.160 economics, we have to mention the cultural fusion 00:29:28.160 --> 00:29:31.039 that defines daily life, particularly the cuisine. 00:29:31.339 --> 00:29:33.660 Oh, absolutely. Beyond traditional foods like 00:29:33.660 --> 00:29:36.839 poi, which is starch made from pounded kalo or 00:29:36.839 --> 00:29:40.160 taro, the modern culinary landscape is just pure, 00:29:40.319 --> 00:29:43.339 delicious fusion. It's defined by the plate lunch, 00:29:43.539 --> 00:29:46.180 the ubiquitous affordable meal featuring two 00:29:46.180 --> 00:29:49.140 scoops of rice, macaroni salad, and an entree 00:29:49.140 --> 00:29:51.819 like loco moco. Which is a hamburger patty, gravy, 00:29:51.960 --> 00:29:54.769 and fried egg. Or kalua pork. And then there's 00:29:54.769 --> 00:29:56.710 the military influence that led to the creation 00:29:56.710 --> 00:29:59.450 of spam musubi. Spam musubi, which is a block 00:29:59.450 --> 00:30:01.910 of fried spam glazed with soy sauce and wrapped 00:30:01.910 --> 00:30:04.630 in nori, basically a spam sushi. It's a perfect 00:30:04.630 --> 00:30:06.569 microcosm of the economic and cultural history. 00:30:07.210 --> 00:30:09.390 Spam was heavily introduced during World War 00:30:09.390 --> 00:30:12.430 II and became a cheap, non -perishable protein 00:30:12.430 --> 00:30:15.009 source after the war. It integrated into the 00:30:15.009 --> 00:30:17.410 local cuisine and eventually inspired this local 00:30:17.410 --> 00:30:20.289 favorite. And musically, Hawaii gave the world 00:30:20.289 --> 00:30:23.009 the slack key guitar style and made a foundational 00:30:23.009 --> 00:30:25.369 contribution to modern music with the introduction 00:30:25.369 --> 00:30:28.069 of the steel guitar. Yes, and its sound became 00:30:28.069 --> 00:30:30.170 critical to the development of early American 00:30:30.170 --> 00:30:33.490 country music and even rock and roll. The cultural 00:30:33.490 --> 00:30:36.970 output is just enormous. The economy of Hawaii 00:30:36.970 --> 00:30:40.069 tells a story of relentless exploitation, transformation, 00:30:40.450 --> 00:30:43.869 and external control. The sources trace a clear 00:30:43.869 --> 00:30:46.509 succession of dominant industries that shaped 00:30:46.509 --> 00:30:49.240 the state. starting with sandalwood. Followed 00:30:49.240 --> 00:30:52.460 by whaling, and then the massive lucrative growth 00:30:52.460 --> 00:30:55.079 of the sugar and pineapple industries. And those 00:30:55.079 --> 00:30:57.980 agricultural industries absolutely defined the 00:30:57.980 --> 00:31:00.460 political landscape for nearly a century. They 00:31:00.460 --> 00:31:02.240 were tightly controlled by what was known as 00:31:02.240 --> 00:31:04.619 the Big Five. Right, a consortium of American 00:31:04.619 --> 00:31:07.119 missionary families and businessmen who owned, 00:31:07.279 --> 00:31:09.799 operated, and ultimately monopolized the vast 00:31:09.799 --> 00:31:12.259 majority of the land, utilities, and political 00:31:12.259 --> 00:31:14.240 infrastructure. We need to spend some time on 00:31:14.240 --> 00:31:16.359 the Big Five because their influence was total. 00:31:16.759 --> 00:31:19.279 Who were these firms? The five major firms were 00:31:19.279 --> 00:31:22.480 Alexander & Baldwin, C. Brewer & Company, Castle 00:31:22.480 --> 00:31:25.420 & Cook, Theo H. Davies & Company, and American 00:31:25.420 --> 00:31:28.539 Factors, which later became AmFac. These were 00:31:28.539 --> 00:31:31.720 not just large companies. They were a self -perpetuating 00:31:31.720 --> 00:31:34.200 oligarchy. They were. They controlled shipping. 00:31:34.720 --> 00:31:37.240 banking, utilities. And through that economic 00:31:37.240 --> 00:31:39.839 dominance, they essentially controlled the territorial 00:31:39.839 --> 00:31:43.019 legislature and the political machinery of Hawaii 00:31:43.019 --> 00:31:46.900 until well after statehood in 1959. They found 00:31:46.900 --> 00:31:49.720 territorial status extremely convenient, didn't 00:31:49.720 --> 00:31:52.000 they? Oh, highly convenient. Territorial status 00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:54.339 allowed them to circumvent restrictive U .S. 00:31:54.339 --> 00:31:56.880 laws regarding the importation of cheap foreign 00:31:56.880 --> 00:31:59.279 labor, which is essential for maintaining the 00:31:59.279 --> 00:32:01.500 profit margins of the plantation system. So they 00:32:01.500 --> 00:32:03.759 fought statehood. They actively fought statehood 00:32:03.759 --> 00:32:05.799 for years because it would dismantle their control 00:32:05.799 --> 00:32:08.220 over labor recruitment. Then came World War II, 00:32:08.339 --> 00:32:10.940 which pivoted the economy dramatically and permanently 00:32:10.940 --> 00:32:13.819 toward militarization. And since statehood, the 00:32:13.819 --> 00:32:16.920 two modern economic pillars have emerged, tourism 00:32:16.920 --> 00:32:19.839 and the military. Tourism is the largest single 00:32:19.839 --> 00:32:23.700 industry, contributing a massive 24 .3 % of the 00:32:23.700 --> 00:32:26.420 gross state product. In the last full year before 00:32:26.420 --> 00:32:29.680 the 2020 pandemic halt, Hawaii hosted over 10 00:32:29.680 --> 00:32:32.140 million visitors. And to give you perspective, 00:32:32.359 --> 00:32:35.319 the state's population is only about 1 .4 million. 00:32:35.539 --> 00:32:38.099 Right. So on any given day, the tourist population 00:32:38.099 --> 00:32:40.579 rivals the local population on the main islands. 00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:43.440 And the military is the second major source of 00:32:43.440 --> 00:32:46.299 income, representing an immense permanent presence. 00:32:46.559 --> 00:32:48.599 It's a critical foundation of the local economy. 00:32:48.880 --> 00:32:52.599 The U .S. military spent $12 .2 billion in Hawaii 00:32:52.599 --> 00:32:56.160 in 2009 alone, and the presence includes roughly 00:32:56.160 --> 00:32:59.599 75 ,000 Department of Defense personnel. Active 00:32:59.599 --> 00:33:02.420 duty, dependents, civilian employees. Everyone. 00:33:03.009 --> 00:33:05.130 Hawaii is home to the strategic headquarters 00:33:05.130 --> 00:33:07.329 of the Indo -Pacific Command and, of course, 00:33:07.410 --> 00:33:09.630 Pearl Harbor, which hosts the United States Pacific 00:33:09.630 --> 00:33:11.750 Fleet, the world's largest naval command. This 00:33:11.750 --> 00:33:14.470 dual reliance on massive external income tourists 00:33:14.470 --> 00:33:17.430 and federal defense dollars creates the state's 00:33:17.430 --> 00:33:20.309 central paradox, the staggering cost of paradise. 00:33:20.730 --> 00:33:22.910 Hawaii is often cited as the third wealthiest 00:33:22.910 --> 00:33:25.750 state in the U .S. based on income metrics, yet 00:33:25.750 --> 00:33:27.789 it has the highest cost of living. Which creates 00:33:27.789 --> 00:33:30.690 severe income inequality and pressure on residents. 00:33:31.109 --> 00:33:34.420 Exactly. The median home value in the 2000 census 00:33:34.420 --> 00:33:38.980 was $272 ,700, which was the highest in the country 00:33:38.980 --> 00:33:42.099 at the time. And that trend has only accelerated, 00:33:42.299 --> 00:33:44.680 driving those out -migration patterns we discussed 00:33:44.680 --> 00:33:48.480 earlier. What are the main specific factors driving 00:33:48.480 --> 00:33:51.240 this immense cost of living? Because it's more 00:33:51.240 --> 00:33:53.220 than just a beautiful climate, right? It's a 00:33:53.220 --> 00:33:56.019 combination of geography, policy, and market 00:33:56.019 --> 00:33:59.440 dynamics. First, the sources mention The idea 00:33:59.440 --> 00:34:03.240 that people with high mainland incomes are willing 00:34:03.240 --> 00:34:05.759 to pay a premium to live in a vacation destination. 00:34:06.140 --> 00:34:07.960 Which inflates the housing market far beyond 00:34:07.960 --> 00:34:10.780 what locals can afford. Second, electricity prices 00:34:10.780 --> 00:34:14.059 are astronomical. Hawaii relies heavily on imported 00:34:14.059 --> 00:34:16.239 fossil fuels shipped in from thousands of miles 00:34:16.239 --> 00:34:18.940 away. So electricity costs are nearly three times 00:34:18.940 --> 00:34:21.199 the national average. And the third major factor 00:34:21.199 --> 00:34:23.920 is federal trade policy, specifically the Jones 00:34:23.920 --> 00:34:26.659 Act. We hear this cited constantly by critics. 00:34:26.860 --> 00:34:29.000 What is it and how does it affect the price of 00:34:29.000 --> 00:34:31.780 goods? The Jones Act. Officially, the Merchant 00:34:31.780 --> 00:34:35.139 Marine Act of 1920 is a federal law that generally 00:34:35.139 --> 00:34:37.780 mandates that any good ship between domestic 00:34:37.780 --> 00:34:40.579 U .S. ports, say from Los Angeles to Honolulu, 00:34:40.679 --> 00:34:43.139 must be carried on vessels that are U .S.-owned, 00:34:43.320 --> 00:34:46.239 U .S.-built, and U .S.-crewed. The intent was 00:34:46.239 --> 00:34:48.539 to protect the American maritime industry. And 00:34:48.539 --> 00:34:51.760 ensure a strategic naval reserve. So, if a foreign 00:34:51.760 --> 00:34:54.480 -flagged vessel could ship goods from Asia to 00:34:54.480 --> 00:34:57.559 Hawaii more cheaply, They are forbidden from 00:34:57.559 --> 00:34:59.860 transporting goods originating in the U .S. mainland 00:34:59.860 --> 00:35:03.219 to Hawaii. Exactly. That's the crucial point. 00:35:03.500 --> 00:35:05.860 Critics argue that because U .S.-built and crude 00:35:05.860 --> 00:35:08.219 ships are significantly more expensive to operate 00:35:08.219 --> 00:35:10.079 and build than their international equivalents, 00:35:10.159 --> 00:35:13.119 the law stifles competition and creates a near 00:35:13.119 --> 00:35:15.480 monopoly on domestic shipping routes. And that 00:35:15.480 --> 00:35:18.320 increased cost gets passed directly to Hawaii 00:35:18.320 --> 00:35:21.179 consumers. Inflating the price of virtually all 00:35:21.179 --> 00:35:23.980 inbound necessities, from milk and concrete to 00:35:23.980 --> 00:35:26.480 cars and fuel. thereby raising the overall cost 00:35:26.480 --> 00:35:28.780 of living dramatically. This massive economic 00:35:28.780 --> 00:35:31.380 dependence on tourism and the military combined 00:35:31.380 --> 00:35:34.199 with the high cost of living comes with a severe 00:35:34.199 --> 00:35:37.139 environmental and cultural price tag. And this 00:35:37.139 --> 00:35:39.079 is where the sovereignty struggle and ecological 00:35:39.079 --> 00:35:42.239 reality intersect most painfully. The environmental 00:35:42.239 --> 00:35:44.539 toll taken by the military presence is often 00:35:44.539 --> 00:35:47.440 hidden but severe. According to EPA data cited 00:35:47.440 --> 00:35:50.900 in the sources, Hawaii has 31 federal hazardous 00:35:50.900 --> 00:35:54.000 waste sites, more than any other U .S. state. 00:35:54.760 --> 00:35:57.860 The sheer scale of operations, from fueling tanks 00:35:57.860 --> 00:36:00.980 to training exercises, has resulted in extensive 00:36:00.980 --> 00:36:03.639 contamination. And the land itself is damaged, 00:36:03.659 --> 00:36:05.659 too, not just environmentally, but structurally. 00:36:05.840 --> 00:36:08.480 Yes, the heavy presence of unexploded ordnance 00:36:08.480 --> 00:36:11.719 in areas like Kohula and the vast tracts of land 00:36:11.719 --> 00:36:14.019 that have been utilized and sometimes confiscated 00:36:14.019 --> 00:36:16.559 for military purposes. This is why that quote 00:36:16.559 --> 00:36:18.969 from the Hawaiian activist, George Helm resonates 00:36:18.969 --> 00:36:21.510 so deeply. What is national defense when what 00:36:21.510 --> 00:36:23.949 is being destroyed is the very thing the military 00:36:23.949 --> 00:36:26.630 is entrusted to defend, the sacred land of Hawaii? 00:36:26.909 --> 00:36:29.349 Exactly. The environmental degradation isn't 00:36:29.349 --> 00:36:31.650 just a modern military issue, it's a legacy of 00:36:31.650 --> 00:36:34.630 the plantation era too, right? Specifically with 00:36:34.630 --> 00:36:37.469 water rights. Absolutely. The lasting impact 00:36:37.469 --> 00:36:39.829 of the plantation owners includes their massive 00:36:39.829 --> 00:36:42.349 diversion of water. They constructed extensive 00:36:42.349 --> 00:36:45.610 networks of tunnels, canals, and wells to shunt 00:36:45.610 --> 00:36:48.329 huge quantities of water. from the wet windward 00:36:48.329 --> 00:36:51.030 sides of the islands to their dry leeward sugar 00:36:51.030 --> 00:36:53.389 fields. And this historical diversion continues 00:36:53.389 --> 00:36:56.309 to contribute to resource scarcity for native 00:36:56.309 --> 00:36:58.969 Hawaiian communities today. Which leads to ongoing 00:36:58.969 --> 00:37:01.190 legal and political fights over water rights. 00:37:01.510 --> 00:37:04.070 And what about tourism? The idea of paradise 00:37:04.070 --> 00:37:06.829 seems to be used to mask what some critics see 00:37:06.829 --> 00:37:09.449 as exploitation. This is the core of the cultural 00:37:09.449 --> 00:37:13.429 critique. The scholar Hanani K. Trask famously 00:37:13.429 --> 00:37:16.170 charged that the industry amounts to Cultural 00:37:16.170 --> 00:37:19.139 prostitution. What was her argument? Her critique 00:37:19.139 --> 00:37:21.719 argues that tourism commodifies Hawaiian culture 00:37:21.719 --> 00:37:24.260 turning sacred traditions like the hula into 00:37:24.260 --> 00:37:26.840 a form of easily digestible inauthentic entertainment 00:37:26.840 --> 00:37:29.800 while simultaneously displacing local people 00:37:29.800 --> 00:37:31.800 through housing inflation and inflicting severe 00:37:31.800 --> 00:37:34.980 environmental damage. Overcrowding, water depletion, 00:37:34.980 --> 00:37:37.639 pollution. All of it. The sources offer a fascinating 00:37:37.639 --> 00:37:40.239 temporary glimpse into what environmental recovery 00:37:40.239 --> 00:37:43.280 looks like during the 2020 COVID -19 pandemic 00:37:43.280 --> 00:37:47.289 halt on tourism. That halt. When visitor arrivals 00:37:47.289 --> 00:37:50.230 dropped by 99%, it was an accidental environmental 00:37:50.230 --> 00:37:53.510 experiment. It allowed the land, the water, the 00:37:53.510 --> 00:37:56.349 marine life a temporary reprieve. What happened? 00:37:56.489 --> 00:37:58.929 Fish species returned closer to shore, water 00:37:58.929 --> 00:38:01.730 clarity improved, and coral reefs showed signs 00:38:01.730 --> 00:38:04.190 of healing without the constant physical stress 00:38:04.190 --> 00:38:06.690 and runoff from heavy tourist activity. And this 00:38:06.690 --> 00:38:09.489 observation fueled significant local and native 00:38:09.489 --> 00:38:12.179 Hawaiian pushback. arguing the industry was fundamentally 00:38:12.179 --> 00:38:15.480 extractive and hurtful, and many residents said 00:38:15.480 --> 00:38:18.139 they did not want tourism to return to pre -pandemic 00:38:18.139 --> 00:38:20.880 levels. These pressures, economic, cultural, 00:38:21.000 --> 00:38:23.559 and environmental, are translating into significant 00:38:23.559 --> 00:38:26.579 legal action and continued protest today. The 00:38:26.579 --> 00:38:29.800 sources mention a groundbreaking 2022 youth lawsuit. 00:38:30.119 --> 00:38:32.179 That was Navaheen F .E. Hawaii Department of 00:38:32.179 --> 00:38:34.840 Transportation. It was filed by 13 young people. 00:38:35.190 --> 00:38:37.429 most of them indigenous, who successfully argued 00:38:37.429 --> 00:38:39.650 that the state's pro -fossil fuel transportation 00:38:39.650 --> 00:38:42.349 policies violated their state constitutional 00:38:42.349 --> 00:38:45.389 rights to a healthful environment. And the result? 00:38:45.650 --> 00:38:48.530 The resulting legal settlement forces the state 00:38:48.530 --> 00:38:50.969 to commit to achieving a zero -emission transportation 00:38:50.969 --> 00:38:55.449 system by 2045. It was a massive win for climate 00:38:55.449 --> 00:38:57.909 activists, and it demonstrates how the fight 00:38:57.909 --> 00:39:01.440 for the land, the Encina, continues through modern 00:39:01.440 --> 00:39:04.380 legal means. Ultimately, all these modern conflicts 00:39:04.380 --> 00:39:06.739 tie back to the foundational injustice of the 00:39:06.739 --> 00:39:10.239 overthrow and annexation, which fuels the ongoing 00:39:10.239 --> 00:39:13.059 Hawaiian sovereignty movement. The movement remains 00:39:13.059 --> 00:39:15.900 focused on demanding redress and recognition. 00:39:16.320 --> 00:39:20.079 They view the U .S. occupation as illegal, constantly 00:39:20.079 --> 00:39:23.340 citing the 1993 apology resolution as their major 00:39:23.340 --> 00:39:26.260 political impetus. And we see this resistance 00:39:26.260 --> 00:39:29.119 physically manifest in key protest movements. 00:39:29.610 --> 00:39:31.829 Such as the protests against the 30 -meter telescope 00:39:31.829 --> 00:39:34.829 on Mauna Kea. Precisely. The proposed construction 00:39:34.829 --> 00:39:37.250 of the TMT on Mauna Kea, the world's tallest 00:39:37.250 --> 00:39:39.869 mountain, measured from the base, became a massive 00:39:39.869 --> 00:39:42.190 flashpoint. For the scientific community, the 00:39:42.190 --> 00:39:44.289 mountain's elevation and clear air make it the 00:39:44.289 --> 00:39:46.429 ideal site for astronomy. But for many Native 00:39:46.429 --> 00:39:48.429 Hawaiians... For many Native Hawaiians, Mauna 00:39:48.429 --> 00:39:51.030 Kea is Mauna Kea, a sacred ancestral peak and 00:39:51.030 --> 00:39:53.409 burial site. The decade -long protest was fundamentally 00:39:53.409 --> 00:39:56.210 about land control. Demanding that native Hawaiians 00:39:56.210 --> 00:39:58.949 have sovereign control over ancestral and trust 00:39:58.949 --> 00:40:01.949 lands. And that the state stop the desecration 00:40:01.949 --> 00:40:04.849 of sacred sites in favor of external interests. 00:40:05.170 --> 00:40:07.730 And it's essential to reiterate that fact about 00:40:07.730 --> 00:40:10.250 land ownership to understand the movement's urgency. 00:40:10.630 --> 00:40:13.690 Yes. Despite the state being built on the idea 00:40:13.690 --> 00:40:16.070 of paradise for everyone, the reality remains 00:40:16.070 --> 00:40:19.929 that 95 % of Hawaii's land is owned or controlled 00:40:19.929 --> 00:40:22.809 by just 82 landholders. Including federal and 00:40:22.809 --> 00:40:24.690 state governments and established companies. 00:40:24.989 --> 00:40:27.530 So the sovereignty movement demands control over 00:40:27.530 --> 00:40:30.429 that territory, arguing that redress for the 00:40:30.429 --> 00:40:33.150 illegal overthrow must include the return of, 00:40:33.210 --> 00:40:36.110 or at least control over, Hawaiian trust lands. 00:40:36.309 --> 00:40:38.929 What an extensive deep dive this has been. When 00:40:38.929 --> 00:40:40.849 you strip away the layers of the tourism industry, 00:40:41.130 --> 00:40:43.650 Hawaii reveals itself as this extraordinary place 00:40:43.650 --> 00:40:47.010 defined by powerful, intense contrasts. Immense 00:40:47.010 --> 00:40:49.389 geological scale colliding with a fragile, deeply 00:40:49.389 --> 00:40:52.590 threatened ecology. A complex, multiracial identity 00:40:52.590 --> 00:40:55.190 forged in the crucible of labor exploitation. 00:40:55.650 --> 00:40:58.070 And a history of internationally recognized sovereignty 00:40:58.070 --> 00:41:01.070 that was illegally suppressed and remains unresolved 00:41:01.070 --> 00:41:04.210 today. It is a place grappling daily with legacies 00:41:04.210 --> 00:41:07.030 of colonialism and environmental stress, yet 00:41:07.030 --> 00:41:09.409 its residents exhibit this profound resilience 00:41:09.409 --> 00:41:12.530 and community cohesion. It's true. We mentioned 00:41:12.530 --> 00:41:14.630 the high cost of living and the historical struggles, 00:41:14.730 --> 00:41:17.369 but it's a remarkable testament to the community 00:41:17.369 --> 00:41:20.190 and the environment that Hawaii residents actually 00:41:20.190 --> 00:41:23.030 boast the longest life expectancy of any U .S. 00:41:23.030 --> 00:41:26.530 state. At 80 .7 years. It's incredible. We've 00:41:26.530 --> 00:41:28.849 covered everything from repelling biologists, 00:41:28.849 --> 00:41:31.570 trying to save a single species. to the political 00:41:31.570 --> 00:41:33.849 fight over the true height and sacred nature 00:41:33.849 --> 00:41:36.610 of a mountain and the legality of the state's 00:41:36.610 --> 00:41:39.460 very foundation. It's just impossible to view 00:41:39.460 --> 00:41:42.219 Hawaii simply as a vacation destination after 00:41:42.219 --> 00:41:44.719 reviewing this history. To wrap this up, let's 00:41:44.719 --> 00:41:46.340 leave you with the final provocative thought 00:41:46.340 --> 00:41:48.500 that ties together the threads of history and 00:41:48.500 --> 00:41:52.239 modern economics. We know that in 1993, the U 00:41:52.239 --> 00:41:55.239 .S. government formally apologized for the illegal 00:41:55.239 --> 00:41:57.500 overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom. Confirming 00:41:57.500 --> 00:41:59.599 that the suppression of sovereignty was a political 00:41:59.599 --> 00:42:03.039 crime. Yet simultaneously, that very same federal 00:42:03.039 --> 00:42:06.280 government maintains a massive military presence 00:42:06.280 --> 00:42:09.269 in Hawaii. one that critics argue continues to 00:42:09.269 --> 00:42:12.090 degrade the environment and confiscate land and 00:42:12.090 --> 00:42:14.650 upholds legal frameworks like the Jones Act. 00:42:14.849 --> 00:42:17.409 Which critics argue exacerbate the high cost 00:42:17.409 --> 00:42:20.010 of living, forcing longtime residents, especially 00:42:20.010 --> 00:42:22.889 Native Hawaiians, to flee. So the question for 00:42:22.889 --> 00:42:25.889 you to mull over is this. How do the citizens 00:42:25.889 --> 00:42:29.239 of Hawaii... reconcile an official public apology 00:42:29.239 --> 00:42:32.579 for a foundational political crime with the ongoing 00:42:32.579 --> 00:42:35.400 economic and territorial pressures that are the 00:42:35.400 --> 00:42:37.719 direct result of that very foundational act. 00:42:37.940 --> 00:42:40.760 What must true reconciliation or redress look 00:42:40.760 --> 00:42:42.980 like for a people whose inherent sovereignty 00:42:42.980 --> 00:42:45.400 was officially acknowledged as having been suppressed? 00:42:45.800 --> 00:42:48.099 It's a conversation that continues, often quietly, 00:42:48.320 --> 00:42:50.599 but sometimes with great visibility, every single 00:42:50.599 --> 00:42:53.559 day across the 1500 miles of the Aloha State. 00:42:53.800 --> 00:42:55.780 Thank you for joining us on this deep dive. We'll 00:42:55.780 --> 00:42:56.340 see you next time.