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Aloha March, Washington, D.C.
length - 6:20
Puanani Rogers: Aloha Washington, D.C.! Aloha!
Manu Ikaika: Aloha, anoai ke aloha. He nani keia la maikai.
Chief Billy Redwing: On behalf of my nation, the Piscataway Indian nation, and all the indigenous people of the western hemisphere, whose land you're standing on today, it's still our land. We feel that very strongly.
We also wish to honor the, our Hawaiian brothers and sisters. We are the same people. We have the same history. Our land also was stolen from us. We support the Hawaiian people 125 percent.
Welcome to Piscataway Indian land.
Manu Ikaika: Mahalo nui loa.
Mahina Bailey: Thank you for your support to our people of Hawaii. Your land of America, home of the Indian nations, we thank you for permitting us the privilege to march on Washington, D.C. Aloha e.
HULA PERFORMANCE
Dan Kamm: A special aloha also to all of you who have traveled from the great state of Massachusetts, Boston, in particular. And a big aloha to the rest of you who came from the west coast, from Washington, from California. We welcome all of you to our ohana here in Washington, D.C.
Many of the events of one hundred years ago are now being revealed to citizens for the first time. The people of Hawaii would like to tell everyone their story.
Esther KiaAina [Reading message from Dan Akaka] : I would especially like to commend Butch Kekahu who has carried on the vision of his uncles, Charley and Nathaniel Koani, in bringing the spirit of aloha to Washington during this reflective time for the Native Hawaiian people.
I join in expressing my best wishes for a truly memorable Aloha March.
Eni Faleomavaega: There is a resurgence, a renaissance, not only outside of Hawaii but especially in Hawaii. I want to commend my native Hawaiian cousins for doing what you're doing now, strong.
Dan Kamm: And now I would like to introduce to you the president of the Koani Foundation who is responsible for so many of you being here this weekend. John Butch Kekahu.
Butch Kekahu: And I'm happy. This is an awesome occasion for me. It had to be done. We have come. We have delivered. Now let freedom ring for all people of this country and this world.
Nani Rogers: More than being here to talk to anybody in congress or to the president in the White House, I am here to educate the people that live here. Because we found that many Americans in the continental United States do not know anything about our Hawaiian history. And we think it's time that they do.
But my main focus is that I'm here on a spiritual sojourn. I come for my children and for my grandchildren. And we are trying to help to make right the wrongs.
I hope that our presence here though will cause things to huli, or turn over. And that the truth can be told and that the wrong can be made right.
SEGUE TO NEXT DAY
Ken Stokes: What a wonderful day for the Aloha March on Washington!
Keanu Sai: I can say why I'm marching. I'm stepping back into the shoes of my ancestors who were up here back in 1898 on a petition of 38,554 signatures. And with that, I'm proud to step in their shoes to continue where they left off.
And now, instead of resisting, we're now affirming our rights under Hawaiian law and saying we're a country and I'm a Hawaiian subject and now I'm proud to be what it is. And we're going to move this into the future.
MARCHERS CHANT: I Ku wa.
MARCHERS SING: Hawaii Aloha
Butch Kekahu: Just having the people. I feel good about it that a new, a new history has come into play, a new page for the Hawaiian people. And we're going to continue. We were a free people and want to be free again.
And there's no other way but to come with aloha.