The Sioux tribe and Standing Rock supporters are rejoicing in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to seek alternative routes for the Dakota Access Pipeline. In Sioux tradition, the seventh generation is said to be the savior of their people, and after months of protesting and endurance, perhaps the seventh generation has proved that tradition to be true.

For hundreds of years, indigenous people around the world have suffered beneath the hands of colonization and white supremacy. Just like Native Hawaiians, Native Americans have had to struggle through the effects of oppression; however, we are becoming more educated of our cultural history and redeveloping the Hawaiian worldview. We have reached a generation where you can be proud of your ancestry.

Decolonization is a process, but as more people witness the power of indigenous people united for a cause, a ripple effect can occur to fight against the normalization of colonialism in every community. We must take the first steps to know our true history and culture, not what we learned out of the textbook.

Kaiani Kiaha

Waiehu