Makua Valley Protest–February 1976

One of the things I’ve been doing to while away these self-isolating days has been to back up more of my old images to Amazon and Google. These are two of my favorites.

On Saturday, February 28, 1976, a day-long rally was held to protest the U.S. Army’s continued control and use of Makua Valley for military training. The rally was organized by the Hawaiian Coalition of Native Claims. The group’s director, Gail Kawaipuna Prejean, had been in the small group that had illegally landed on Kahoolawe the previous month in the first of many public protests against the Navy’s continued bombing of the island.

The rally was held on the makai side of the road across from the 6,600 acre Makua Military Reservation. It was a day filled with music, speeches, prayers, and more, reflecting the new and growing political and cultural activism of Hawaiians.

Later in the day, a splinter group crossed the road, walked past the Army’s “No Trespassing” signs, climbed over a fence, and planted a protest flag. Everyone was in high spirits.

Click on either photo to see a larger version.


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