Aloha Betrayed: Native Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism (a John Hope Franklin Center Book) [Paperback]

Noenoe K. Silva (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 2004 | ISBN-10: 082233349X | ISBN-13: 979-0822333493

In 1897, as a white oligarchy made plans to allow the United States to annex Hawai'i, native Hawaiians organized a massive petition drive to protest. Ninety-five percent of the native population signed the petition, causing the annexation treaty to fail in the U.S. Senate. This event was unknown to many contemporary Hawaiians until Noenoe K. Silva rediscovered the petition in the process of researching this book. With few exceptions, histories of Hawai'i have been based exclusively on English-language sources. They have not taken into account the thousands of pages of newspapers, books, and letters written in the mother tongue of native Hawaiians. By rigorously analyzing many of these documents, Silva fills a crucial gap in the historical record. In so doing, she refutes the long-held idea that native Hawaiians passively accepted the erosion of their culture and loss of their nation, showing that they actively resisted political, economic, linguistic, and cultural domination. Drawing on Hawaiian-language texts, primarily newspapers produced in the nineteenth century and early twentieth, Silva demonstrates that print media was central to social communication, political organizing, and the perpetuation of Hawaiian language and culture. A powerful critique of colonial historiography, Aloha Betrayed provides a much-needed history of native Hawaiian resistance to American imperialism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Beautiful and irresistible are the peoples’ voices, in their own language and in essays, stories, poetry, and song. Their hidden transcripts and their resistance to oppression reveal a love of the land and a determined and sustained rejection of the colonizers’ imposed silences. Aloha Betrayed offers a devastating critique of colonial historiography and, crucially, a firm foundation for nation-building.”—Gary Y. Okihiro, author of Common Ground: Reimagining American History

“Noenoe K. Silva has located an enormous Hawaiian-language archive of Native resistance to American colonialism in the 1897 petitions against forced annexation to the United States. Now, thanks to Silva’s pathbreaking book, the Native side of the story will finally be told. And what a story it is! Those accustomed to the ‘happy Native’ tourist image of Hawai'i will be shocked to learn that Hawaiians never wanted to be Americans; indeed, they revolted against the American military takeover. Today, Silva’s analysis is key to the ongoing indigenous movement for Hawaiian sovereignty.”—Haunani-Kay Trask, author of From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawai'i

About the Author

Noenoe K. Silva is Assistant Professor of Political Science and Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai'i, Manoa.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Duke University Press Books (September 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082233349X
• ISBN-13: 979-0822333493
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > History > Australia & Oceania

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent use of Hawaiian-Language Sources, November 2, 2005

By 

David Andrew Thomas - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aloha Betrayed: Native Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism (a John Hope Franklin Center Book) (Paperback)

Dr. Silva's book relies on seldom-used Hawaiian-language newspaper sources to document native Hawaiian resistance to foreign power in the islands. Most histories of Hawaii depend on English-language (and all too often missionary and American) accounts of the people and events in Hawaiian history, which means that they often miss, or ignore, the opposing, and generally native voices. It is as if the Hawaiians simply gave up. But, as "Aloha Betrayed" documents in some detail, this version of history is not true, and is in fact part of an on-going struggle to erase native struggles. At times, the book is one-sided, as if only native Hawaiians resisted imperialism and only foreigners supported it, but this tendency is forgivable because she is reacting to so many books on Hawaiian history that have written native Hawaiians out of Hawaiian history and created a mythical history where missionaries and capitalists take over the islands with great fanfare and little resistance. "Aloha Betrayed" is not the final history of the Hawaiian islands, but it is a well-researched, well-written and much-needed contribution to the field.

5.0 out of 5 stars Important, Essential Work, February 6, 2012

By 

Makana Risser Chai (Kailua, O'ahu, Hawai'i) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aloha Betrayed: Native Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism (a John Hope Franklin Center Book) (Paperback)

This book is a landmark that marks a sea change in the way Hawaiian history is understood. All Hawaiian history books written after this one must include discussion of Dr. Silva's findings. If they don't, they are inadequate, deficient and indeed, biased for omitting this information. This book also marks a change in the language of politics. Knowing that one's own ancestors signed a petition gives great strength to the continuing struggle for sovereignty. This book is essential for anyone living in Hawai'i who wants to begin to understand the depth of the commitment of Hawaiians to restoration of their independence and dignity.

20 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars More interesting than informative, January 18, 2007

By 

R. G. Bickers (Lawrence, KS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aloha Betrayed: Native Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism (a John Hope Franklin Center Book) (Paperback)

Noenoe K. Silva's contribution to Hawaiian history is an interesting work that is far too one-sided to stand alone. Her thesis--a refutation of the assumption that Hawaiian islanders passively allowed America to destroy native culture--comes across more broadly than early records show. Working from Hawaiian language sources allows her to see details non-Hawaiian reading scholars miss, but her closeness to the subject prevents her from seeing that many Hawaiians actively sought societal change. She is correct that passivity did not dominate the social landscape in the century before annexation, but, unlike her argument, not all active Hawaiian involvement opposed the new ways. Numerous powerful Hawaiian leaders supported the changes brought from Europe and America, but these figures receive only lip service, if that, in this study.

Technically, the book is a mess. Silva uses an enormous amount of Hawaiian quotes and terminology within the text without any visual distinction, arguing that Hawaiian is not a foreign language and should not be treated as such. Unfortunately, most of her readers do not know Hawaiian. Long Hawaiian language quotes pepper the work, each followed by a parenthetical translation. I understand her point, but the lack of italicization of the Hawaiian phrases makes for an exhausting read.

Overall, Aloha Betrayed is an interesting read but fails to present an objective view. Silva's radicalism polarizes her view, forcing a story of evil Americans subjugating an innocent people.