One of the most visible examples of the uniqueness of Hawai'i is our land: its spectacular and unparalleled geography and topography, the beautiful climate, but most importantly, our relationship to it as a people. The mutual nurturing between us and the land defines us as Hawaiians.

In pre-Western contact times, a goodly portion of these beautiful Islands, nearly 1.8 million acres originally referred to as "crown lands," were held in trust by the ali'i or chiefs. Vested in them by custom and inheritance was the responsibility to manage and protect these lands, for the benefit and nurture of their people. As did the long line of chiefs before them, the kings and queens of the Hawaiian nation during the 1800s continued to perform this duty. This was a sacred and inherited obligation passed from one generation to the next.

Now the state of Hawai'i, the modern-day "caretaker" of these lands (now diminished to approximately 1.2 million acres) believes it has the legal authority to sell some of these lands at its own discretion. This cannot be allowed.

Many use the term "ceded" to refer to these lands. "Ceded" implies a degree of voluntary action on the part of the "giver," the nation of Hawai'i, which is not entirely accurate. Our last reigning monarch, Queen Lili-'uokalani, did indeed voluntarily relinquish control over these lands when she abdicated her throne to avoid bloodshed in 1893, but only temporarily until, in her words, "such time as the Government of the United States shall...reinstate me in the authority which I claim as the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands." Her very words at the time indicate that she believed the lands would be returned to the people, and to her as their fiduciary representative.

The revisionist historical record does not truthfully acknowledge that the "crown" lands were in fact wrested from the care of the monarchs who acted as trustees for the people, and placed first in the hands of the provisional government, then the territorial government, then the United States government, and finally the state government. Moreover, these agencies' record of care and governance of the "crown lands" during the past century could not ever remotely reach the level of concern and attention invested in these lands by the ali'i during the kingdom government. Nevertheless, the lands now reside under the purview of the state of Hawai'i, with a constitutional directive that the proceeds derived from the use of these lands must, among other things, benefit the native Hawaiian people.

By any measure of thinking, it is impossible to prove that the outright sale of any part of these lands, the complete and irretrievable alienation of these lands from their rightful beneficiaries, the Hawaiian people, could ever be classified as "benefiting" them. Yet this is exactly what the state government is attempting to do: sell off forever a part of our dwindling heritage and legacy.

So much has been lost to us over the generations. So much has almost disappeared into the mists of time forever. Now we must rally to save that most tangible and visible example of the essence of our Hawaiian-ness —our land. We must hold fast to it, as the ancient chant 'Au'a 'Ia bids us. Hold fast. Hold fast to that which is the last concrete representation of who we once were, and who we still are, our 'aina. Hold fast.

Princess Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawananakoa is the great grand-niece of King Kalakaua and Queen Kapi'olani, and the heir to the Kalakaua Dynasty. She was president of the Friends of 'Iolani Palace from 1971-1998, and has dedicated her life to helping the Hawaiian people and preserving their legacy.