The Mākua Valley Struggle is an ongoing land rights dispute between Native Hawaiians and the U.S. military.

Background

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The U.S. military has occupied parts of Mākua Valley since the 1920s.[1]

Struggle

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The struggle was triggered by numerous evictions in the Mākua Valley on the island of Oʻahu, and was followed by dozens of more threats, with the main targets being Native Hawaiians who had lived there for fifty years or longer.[2] The evictions began in 1983, which led to numerous sit-ins and camp-ins, and the eventual arrest of 16 protestors after the third eviction in June 1996.[3] Much of this action was started in the 60's, but the two major events happened with the mass arrests and disturbance that occurred on January 20, 1983, and the mass eviction in January 1996. This mass eviction is particularly notable, because the Governor at the time, Ben Cayetano, kept the media from reporting, and even went as far as threatening to arrest and suppress the press should they try to report on the event.[4]

First settlement in 1999 when the U.S. Army halted military testing until the Environmental Impact Statement could be completed.[5] The Environmental Assessment was issued in 2000.

In early 2020, a bill was introduced to clean up and return the land to Hawaii.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Kelly, Marion; Aleck, Nancy (1997). "Mākua Means Parents: A Brief Cultural History of Mākua Valley" (PDF). Mālama Mākua. The American Friends Service Committee, Hawaiʻi Area Program.
  2. ^ October 3, ʻŌiwi TV on; TV, 2011 in ʻŌiwi (2011-10-04). "Mākua – To Heal a Nation". ʻŌiwi TV. Retrieved 2021-08-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Kakesako, Gregg K. (18 June 1996). "Bulldozers raze Makua campsites". Star-Bulletin.
  4. ^ "Mauna Kea Is The Latest In Long History Of Native Hawaiian Protests". Honolulu Civil Beat. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  5. ^ "Down to Earth: David Henkin on Oahu's Makua Valley". Earthjustice. 2012-03-20. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  6. ^ Galzote, Ray Anne (March 17, 2022). "Kahele introduces bill to return land in Mākua Valley to Hawaii". KHON2. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
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