Hawaii Statehood Day ハワイ州立記念日

1959

Did you know that Hawaii is one of four states that were independent prior to becoming part of the United States, along with the Vermont Republic (1791), the Republic of Texas (1845), and the California Republic (1846), and one of two (Texas was the other) with formal diplomatic recognition internationally.

Also,  that the Kingdom of Hawaii was sovereign from 1810 until 1893 when the monarchy was overthrown by resident American (and some European) businessmen. It was an independent republic from 1894 until 1898, when it was annexed by the United States as a territory, becoming a state in 1959.(Thank you Wikipedia for the info)

I feel it is important that while we celebrate statehood we also know the dark side of history as well. That while it may be a day of celebration for many, for some native Hawaiians it is not. 

On a personal note, Statehood always reminds me of the sad history of native American Indians  on the mainland. Like the native Hawaiians, the native Indians (not sure if this the proper name) were pushed aside,  forced in to "reservations" with their lands taken away and their culture oppressed.  We cannot take a time capsule back in history and change the way history took its course.  But, I think as Budokas, with peace as our ultimate goal,  we should not be ignorant of the sad history and  mistreatment of our native Hawaiians and Americans and as  Budokas we should strive within our limited powers to ensure such inequities are not repeated.