ʻOnipaʻa - Celebrating the 181st Birthday of Queen Liliʻuokalani

Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Wewehi Kamakaʻeha was born to Anela Keohokālole and Caesar Kapaʻakea on September 2, 1838. As she was born to a high-ranking family, she and her siblings were made eligible for the Hawaiian throne through King Kamehameha III.

Lydia was raised by her hanai parents, Laura Kōnia and Abner Pākī making her the hanai sister of Bernice Pauahi -- also a member of the Royal Family of Hawaiʻi and notable philanthropist in the islands.

Upon the death of her brother, King David Kalākaua, Lydia took the oath of office becoming the first Queen of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi on January 29, 1981 but her reign was cut short when a group of non-Hawaiian businessmen overthrew the monarchy (January 17, 1893) and forced the Queen into imprisonment at ʻIolani Palace. After 8 months of imprisonment, the Queen was released on parole but forbidden to leave the island of Oʻahu.

Despite the unlawful nature of the overthrow, the petition signed by Hawaiian people voicing their protest to the annexation, the request by newly inaugurated President Grover Cleveland to investigate the overthrow, and 4-day uprising with an attempted coup dʻetat to restore the monarchy, the Republic of Hawaiʻi was proclaimed on July 4, 1894.

For more information on Queen Liliʻuokalani, her reign, and the annexation of Hawaiʻi, below are some books for you to check out:

Iaukea, Sydney L. (2012). The queen and I. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

"Spurred by questions surrounding inter-generational property disputes in her immediate family, Iaukea delves in to Hawaiʻi historical archives. There she discovers the central role played by her great-great-grandfather in the politics of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Hawaiʻi... Iaukea charts her ancestor's efforts to defend a culture under siege, she reveals astonishing legal and legislative maneuvers that show us how capitalism reshaped cultural relationships." - Provided by Publisher

Queen Liliʻuokalani. (2013). Hawaii's Story. Honolulu, HI: Hui Hanai.

Originally published in 1898, five years after the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, Liliʻuokalani gives her account of her upbringing, accession to the throne, appeals to the United States government, and arrest. Elegantly written, this part autobiography, part political history gives readers insight into one of the most turbulent events in Hawaiian history. Includes photographs specially selected to illustrate the life of the Queen.

Sai, David Keanu. (2011). Ua mau ke ea = Sovereignty endures : an overview of the political and legal history of the Hawaiian Islands. Honolulu, HI: Pūʻā Foundation.

"Great example of helping understand historical traumatic events and its long-term effects on individuals and society. This book chronicles Hawaiʻi's history through storytelling, interviews, archival images, and Hawaiian-language newspaper articles. Takes the reader on a journey from 18th century Hawaiʻi under the rule of King Kamehameha I through the 19th century of the Hawaiian Kingdom and into the present day." - Provided by Publisher


DVDs:
Coffman, Tom. (2007). Nation within: the story of Americaʻs annexation of Hawaiʻi. Honolulu, HI: Tom Coffman. 
Ducat, Vivian. (2006). Hawaii's last queen. Boston, MA: WGBH. 
Nishikawa, Lane. (2006). The queen's story. Maui, HI: MEO, Inc.