A human rights attorney and indigenous rights activist in Hawaii has warned there will be civil unrest if the Hawaii Governor's appeal case in the U.S. supreme court goes in favour of the state.
The Governor, Linda Lingle, is appealing a supreme court ruling in Hawaii preventing the sale or lease of ceded lands.
Mililani Trask says native Hawaiians must show a united but peaceful front in voicing their opposition, including written appeals to the U.S. President Barack Obama for help.
But if the U.S. Supreme Court rules in favour of the Governor's administration, Ms Trask says there's going to be an angry response
"They are saying we all need to be good Americans and when the supreme court rules against our people we need to take it on the chin. But that is not going to happen in Hawaii."
Mililani Trask.
The appeal hearing gets underway in Washington D.C. on Wednesday.
