The Japanese and the Shared History of Ainu, Hawaiians and Native Americans

Vancouve Buddhist Church is a cool place. While there on Sunday - an hour late - I got a perpetual calendar, a schedule for 2011 and another BDK Buddhist "bible". Everywhere in Hawaiian motels, this book is in the drawer beside your bed, so you can preach the dharma to the cockroaches, or best yet, all kinda happy people in the former Republic of Hawaii.

King Kamehameha III, the last rightful king of Hawaii, won independence recognized by England & France, on Nov.28, 1843, approximately a decade before Perry forced Japan to recognize America's right to trade with the Japanese without being plagued by pirates.

Only America chose not to recognize Hawaii as a republic, due to its economic interests.

50 years later, America chose to annex Hawaii with a somewhat sedate "rebellion" where scions of businessmen were protected by US Navy as they "liberated" Hawaii.

This was preceded by the Bayonet Constitution which force Hawaii to become a constitutional monarchy with the pretender David Kalâkaua. He won because his name-calling left Queen Emma furious, and her supporters such poor sports that both the British and US troops came in to suppress the Emmaites.

During this time, legitimacy of rightful kings was Christian. So David was rightful only due to Kamehameha III being convinced to write it into the constitution.

This shut out illegitimate heirs such as Keelikolani, the defender of traditional Hawaiian ways. It was through her that Mauna Loa was quieted by her intercession with the god Pelé in 1880. Pelé is a nature god associated with the volcano.

My roots in Hawaii began circa 1890s near the end of Hawaiian Kingdom. Investment in Hawaii also came from Japan, as cheap labour was high in demand. Japanese workers were willing to come Hawaii because of earlier trade agreements made afteer Hawaii gained independence.

Also through Chinese traders and Japanese fishermen, Hawaii was known on the return back from trading with Haida Gwaii, who share common ancestry with the ancestors of the older Hawaii families of chief before Kamahameha I.

As well, Ainumushiri had trade ties with the Aleuts, and share a common genetic history that extends to the Inuit (Eskimo), though the oral traditions of Inuit peoples deny this so that their land claims in Nunavut are not mussed up by the truth.

so my roots are both here, in Hawaii and back in Japan. The First Nations people are my distant cousins, more so than Chinese.