The dark history of the overthrow of Hawaii - Sydney Iaukea

譯者: Camila Lin 審譯者: Amanda Zhu

It was January 16th, 1895.

1895 年 1 月 16 日，

Two men arrived at Lili’uokalani’s door, arrested her,

兩個男人來到莉莉烏歐卡拉妮女王 房門前，將她逮捕，

and led her to the room where she would be imprisoned.

把她帶到她將被監禁的房間中。

A group had recently seized power and now confiscated her diaries,

某個最近掌握大權的團體， 現在又沒收了她的日記，

ransacked her house, claimed her lands, and hid her away.

洗劫她的房子，奪走她的領地， 還將她藏匿起來。

Lili’uokalani was Hawaii’s queen.

莉莉烏歐卡拉妮女王是夏威夷的女王，

And she ruled through one of the most turbulent periods of its history.

她在位期間則是夏威夷 最動盪的時期之一。

75 years earlier, American missionaries first arrived in Hawaii.

七十五年前，美國傳教士 初次抵達夏威夷。

They quickly amassed power, building businesses

他們很快就累積實力，建立商業，

and claiming arable land that they transformed into plantations.

佔領可耕作的土地，將它們轉為農園。

They worked closely with the ali’i,

他們和「阿立伊」走得很近，

or sacred Hawaiian nobility closely linked to the Gods.

「阿立伊」就是和神關係密切、 神聖的夏威夷貴族。

The ali’i appointed missionaries to government roles

他們授予傳教士官職，

where they helped establish Hawaii as a sovereign kingdom

攜手合作，將夏威夷打造成主權國家，

with a constitutional monarchy.

奉行君主立憲制。

But once certain business opportunities emerged—

但在看見某些商業機會，

namely, the prospect of exporting sugar to the US tariff-free—

即能以零關稅將砂糖出口到美國時，

some of their descendants shifted positions.

某些傳教士的後代動起了歪腦筋。

They formed a political group known as “the Missionary Party”

他們組成名為 「傳教士黨」的政治團體，

and began plotting to annex Hawaii, bringing it under US control.

開始密謀併吞夏威夷， 將其納入美國統治。

Lili’uokalani and her siblings were born into an ali’i family.

莉莉烏歐卡拉妮女王 和她的兄弟姊妹都是貴族出身。

In 1874, her brother, Kalākaua, ascended the throne,

1874 年，她的哥哥 卡拉卡瓦接掌王位，

but thirteen years into his reign, the emerging threat crystallized.

但在他統治的十三年間， 威脅逐漸成形。

The Missionary Party called a meeting where an all-white militia surrounded

改革黨召開一個會議， 以白人民兵施壓，

and forced the king to sign new legislation.

強迫國王簽下新法令。

Later called the Bayonet Constitution,

後世將其稱為《刺刀憲法》。

it stripped Native Hawaiians of their rights,

這條法令剝奪了夏威夷原住民的權利、

diminished the monarchy’s power,

限縮國王的權力，

and ceded control to this group of white businessmen.

還將控制權交到這群白人商人手上。

Four years later, King Kalākaua died,

四年後，卡拉卡瓦國王駕崩。

heartbroken, Lili’uokalani said,

傷心欲絕的莉莉烏歐卡拉妮女王說：

“by the base ingratitude of the very persons whose fortunes he had made.”

「都是那群卑鄙又忘恩負義、 靠著他致富的人害的。」

Prepared to fight, she assumed the throne.

她繼承了王位，準備戰鬥。

Despite death threats and rumors of insurgency,

即使面臨死亡恐嚇和叛亂的傳言，

Queen Lili’uokalani was determined to restore power to her people—

莉莉烏歐卡拉妮女王仍致力 恢復她人民的權力，

an estimated two thirds of whom had lost their voting rights.

當時已有三分之二的原住民 被剝奪投票權。

Flooded with requests for change, she authored a new constitution.

由於要求改變的聲浪源源不絕， 她起草了一份新憲法。

But before she introduced it, the so-called “Committee of Safety,”

但在她頒布這份憲法之前， 所謂的「安全委員會」，

a new organization that consisted of many Missionary Party members,

也就是許多改革黨人 參與其中的新組織，

hatched another plot.

想出了另一個陰謀。

Under the false pretense that this new constitution

他們故意宣稱這份新憲法

endangered American property and lives,

會危及美國人民的財富和生命，

they staged a coup on January 17th, 1893.

因此在 1893 年 1 月 17 日發動政變。

More than 160 US Marines marched to the palace,

超過 160 名美國 海軍陸戰隊員進入宮殿，

where the “Committee of Safety” removed Queen Lili’uokalani from office.

莉莉烏歐卡拉妮女王在那裏被 「安全委員會」趕下台。

Thousands of Hawaiian people protested,

數千名夏威夷人上街示威抗議，

some wearing hat bands reading, “Aloha ’Āina,” or “love of the nation.”

有些人戴著有「Aloha ’Āina」 字樣的帽子，意思是「對國家的愛」。

The alleged “Provisional Government” declared Hawaii a Republic

所謂的「臨時政府」，

於次年宣布夏威夷成為共和國。

the following year.

They proclaimed that Hawaiians couldn’t vote

他們宣告夏威夷人沒有投票權，

or be government employees without signing a new “oath of allegiance.”

也不能成為政府機關人員， 除非他們先簽署新的「同盟條約」。

Many refused.

許多人都拒絕了。

The following year, some of Lili’uokalani’s supporters

次年，女王的一些支持者

attempted a counterrevolution.

策劃一場反革命。

The Republic responded brutally,

共和國的應對方式相當殘暴，

jailing hundreds and sentencing six people to death.

不僅將數百人關入監獄， 還處死其中六人。

In exchange for their release,

以釋放支持者為條件，

the Republic made Lili’uokalani sign a document

共和國要莉莉烏歐卡拉妮女王 簽署一份文件，

that claimed to relinquish her throne, and they imprisoned her in the palace.

聲明她放棄王權， 其後便將她拘禁在王宮中。

Under constant guard, she composed songs expressing her love for her people

在持續的監管中， 她以作曲展露對人民的愛，

and began making a patchwork quilt that told the story of her life.

也開始製作拼布毯， 以縫紉講述她的人生故事。

While she was only allowed news that had been reviewed by her jailers,

雖然她只能讀到審核過的新聞，

her supporters often brought her bouquets from the garden she’d dedicated to them,

但她的支持者常常從她 獻給他們的花園摘花，

wrapped in newspaper.

用報紙包裹花束送來給她。

After 8 months, Lili’uokalani was placed under house arrest.

八個月之後，莉莉烏歐卡拉妮 女王被軟禁在家中。

As soon as it was lifted, she traveled to Washington, D.C.

重獲自由後，她立刻前往華盛頓特區，

with Hawaiian nationalists and over 20,000 signatures.

還帶著夏威夷國家主義者 與兩萬多份簽名。

There they successfully convinced Congress to halt the Republic’s annexation treaty.

在那裏，他們成功說服國會 中止共和國併吞國土的條約。

But the following year, the Spanish-American War began.

但第二年，美西戰爭開打了。

Seeing Hawaii as a strategic military base,

意識到夏威夷能成為策略性軍事基地，

President William McKinley declared it a US territory on July 7th, 1898—

麥金萊總統在 1898 年 7 月 7 日 宣布夏威夷成為美國領地。

breaking international law and devastating Queen Lili’uokalani and her people.

這違反了國際法， 也為女王及其人民帶來重創。

She spent the rest of her life petitioning for the restoration of her lands,

她竭盡餘生致力恢復領地、

Native Hawaiian rights, and national liberation.

恢復夏威夷人權利，以及國家自由。

When she died in 1917, these dreams were unrealized.

在她於 1917 年過世時， 這些夢想仍未實現。

A member of the group that forced Queen Lili’uokalani out of office

一名參與強迫女王下台行動的黨人曾說：

once declared, “If we are ever to have peace and annexation

「如果我們真的想要和平和兼併，

the first thing to do is obliterate the past.”

第一件該做的事就是徹底忘卻過去。」

They failed at this goal.

他們卻沒有達到這一目標。

Queen Lili’uokalani left a resilient legacy:

莉莉烏歐卡拉妮女王 留下的遺產仍然屹立不搖：

Her commitment to her land and people never wavered

她對土地和人民的承諾未曾遠去，

and many Hawaiians continue to fight in her memory.

許多夏威夷人為榮耀她而繼續奮戰。

Speaking of Hawaii’s children, Queen Lili’uokalani said,

莉莉烏歐卡拉妮女王提到 夏威夷的孩子們時曾說：

“It is for them that I would give the last drop of my blood.”

「就是為了他們，我能奮戰到底， 直到連最後一滴血也流乾。」