Quote by Haunani-Kay Trask: “We are not American. We are Hawaiian.”

This direct statement asserts a distinct indigenous identity separate from the colonizing power. It's a declaration of cultural and national difference, emphasizing the unique heritage and sovereignty of the Hawaiian people despite political annexation.

This assertion was central to the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, explicitly rejecting the imposed American identity and reclaiming a proud, independent Hawaiian nationhood, amidst ongoing struggles for land rights and self-governance.

Native Hawaiian scholar, poet, and activist who was a professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and a leading voice for Hawaiian sovereignty. Her 1993 book From a Native Daughter challenged Western academic accounts of Hawaiian history. She co-founded the Kamana Hawaiian Studies program.