HONOLULU -- Native Hawaiians who oppose the Akaka Bill (Native Hawaiian Recognition Act) started Monday with a public protest.

The morning demonstration was designed to show outrage over alleged attempts by Hawaii's U.S. senators to piggyback the bill onto one of the large federal appropriations bills scheduled for hearing this week.

It reduces Native Hawaiians to a tribal status and does not address the true issue of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, opponents of the bill said.

"We see this as an act of desperation on the part of proponents of the bill because it's been 10 years already in the making and they haven't been able to move it over their goal line," said Leon Siu, of Hawaiian Independence Action Alliance said.

"I have never suggested that the Akaka Native Hawaiian Recognition Bill be passed and adopted as part of the defense appropriations process. I don’t know where this nonsensical suggestion originated. The Akaka Bill for the past many years has been considered under what we call the regular order. It has had hours upon hours of hearings, many, many revisions and amendments and has gone through the scrutiny of three administrations. We have had hearings in Washington and in Hawaii. It is not a measure that has been shepherded in the dark of the night. It has been fully transparent," U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye said in a statement.

The bill is scheduled for a markup in the House Natural Resource Committee on Wednesday and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on Thursday.