The January 4, 1976 protest landing on the island of Kahoolawe made news and continued to regularly continue to make news over the next several years.

Then 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.

Late in the day, a splinter group crossed the road, ignored the Army’s “No Trespassing” signs, climbed a fence, and proceeded up a small hill where they planted a protest flag. Everyone was in high spirits.

For whatever reason, this public protest failed to capture the public’s attention in the same way that Kahoolawe did.

But I did capture some memorable moments. Click on either photo to see a larger version.

More of the photos that I could that day can be found here.