This sums it up.
What Hawaiians have said: "We know that we are a distinct people that was once protected by its own national government. We know that once that government was removed there was nothing to prevent the Americans from defining us however they wished, and nothing to keep us Hawaiian except our own determination. "
- Osorio, Jonathan Kamakawiwo`ole. "'What Kine Hawaiian Are You?' A Mo`olelo about Nationhood, Race, History, and the Contemporary Sovereignty Movement in Hawai`i." The Contemporary Pacific 13.2 (Fall 2001)