1921: Congress sets aside land for Native Hawaiian homesteading

In the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, the U.S. Congress recognizes Native Hawaiian fishing rights. The legislation is inspired by a petition filed with Congress by Native Hawaiians living on the Big Island of Hawai‘i concerning the taking of their land by agricultural corporations and the Hawaiian territorial government. The act also sets aside land for homesteading by Native Hawaiians whose ancestry is at least one-half Native Hawaiian.

Over the next 70 years, fewer than 7,000 Native Hawaiian families receive less than a quarter of the land set aside for them as a group. Most of the land goes to whites and the U.S. Military.

Theme

Federal-Tribal Relations, Land and Water

Region

Hawai‘i