Hawaiian Blood

Colonialism and the Politics of Sovereignty and Indigeneity

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Native American Studies, History, Americas, Native American, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book Hawaiian Blood by Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui, Duke University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui ISBN: 9780822391494
Publisher: Duke University Press Publication: November 7, 2008
Imprint: Duke University Press Books Language: English
Author: Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui
ISBN: 9780822391494
Publisher: Duke University Press
Publication: November 7, 2008
Imprint: Duke University Press Books
Language: English

In the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA) of 1921, the U.S. Congress defined “native Hawaiians” as those people “with at least one-half blood quantum of individuals inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands prior to 1778.” This “blood logic” has since become an entrenched part of the legal system in Hawai‘i. Hawaiian Blood is the first comprehensive history and analysis of this federal law that equates Hawaiian cultural identity with a quantifiable amount of blood. J. Kēhaulani Kauanui explains how blood quantum classification emerged as a way to undermine Native Hawaiian (Kanaka Maoli) sovereignty. Within the framework of the 50-percent rule, intermarriage “dilutes” the number of state-recognized Native Hawaiians. Thus, rather than support Native claims to the Hawaiian islands, blood quantum reduces Hawaiians to a racial minority, reinforcing a system of white racial privilege bound to property ownership.

Kauanui provides an impassioned assessment of how the arbitrary correlation of ancestry and race imposed by the U.S. government on the indigenous people of Hawai‘i has had far-reaching legal and cultural effects. With the HHCA, the federal government explicitly limited the number of Hawaiians included in land provisions, and it recast Hawaiians’ land claims in terms of colonial welfare rather than collective entitlement. Moreover, the exclusionary logic of blood quantum has profoundly affected cultural definitions of indigeneity by undermining more inclusive Kanaka Maoli notions of kinship and belonging. Kauanui also addresses the ongoing significance of the 50-percent rule: Its criteria underlie recent court decisions that have subverted the Hawaiian sovereignty movement and brought to the fore charged questions about who counts as Hawaiian.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA) of 1921, the U.S. Congress defined “native Hawaiians” as those people “with at least one-half blood quantum of individuals inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands prior to 1778.” This “blood logic” has since become an entrenched part of the legal system in Hawai‘i. Hawaiian Blood is the first comprehensive history and analysis of this federal law that equates Hawaiian cultural identity with a quantifiable amount of blood. J. Kēhaulani Kauanui explains how blood quantum classification emerged as a way to undermine Native Hawaiian (Kanaka Maoli) sovereignty. Within the framework of the 50-percent rule, intermarriage “dilutes” the number of state-recognized Native Hawaiians. Thus, rather than support Native claims to the Hawaiian islands, blood quantum reduces Hawaiians to a racial minority, reinforcing a system of white racial privilege bound to property ownership.

Kauanui provides an impassioned assessment of how the arbitrary correlation of ancestry and race imposed by the U.S. government on the indigenous people of Hawai‘i has had far-reaching legal and cultural effects. With the HHCA, the federal government explicitly limited the number of Hawaiians included in land provisions, and it recast Hawaiians’ land claims in terms of colonial welfare rather than collective entitlement. Moreover, the exclusionary logic of blood quantum has profoundly affected cultural definitions of indigeneity by undermining more inclusive Kanaka Maoli notions of kinship and belonging. Kauanui also addresses the ongoing significance of the 50-percent rule: Its criteria underlie recent court decisions that have subverted the Hawaiian sovereignty movement and brought to the fore charged questions about who counts as Hawaiian.

More books from Duke University Press

Cover of the book The Empire of Love by Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui
Cover of the book Red Hangover by Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui
Cover of the book Exiled Home by Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui
Cover of the book Sex and Disability by Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui
Cover of the book New Deal Modernism by Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui
Cover of the book Terrorist Assemblages by Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui
Cover of the book The Feminist Bookstore Movement by Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui
Cover of the book A Primer for Teaching African History by Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui
Cover of the book The Chicken and the Quetzal by Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui
Cover of the book The Queen of America Goes to Washington City by Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui
Cover of the book Manufacturing Modern Japanese Literature by Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui
Cover of the book Radical Representations by Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui
Cover of the book The Constitutional Logic of Affirmative Action by Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui
Cover of the book Everyday Forms of State Formation by Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui
Cover of the book I'm Black When I'm Singing, I'm Blue When I Ain't and Other Plays by Florencia E. Mallon, Alcida Rita Ramos, Joanne Rappaport, J. Kehaulani Kauanui
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy