Hauʻoli Lā Hānau, Queen Liliʻuokalani!

Born September 02, 1838, today we celebrate the 183rd anniversary of the birth of Queen Liliʻuokalani. Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha, our only queen regent and last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, was born to Analea Keohokālole and Caesar Kapaʻakea. Her hānai (inform adoption) parents were Abner Pākī and Laura Kōnia making Lydia the hānai sister of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop.

The Queen's life was filled with both highs and lows, too many to fit into one blog post, so we recommend the following resources to help connect you more to our Queen and her story.

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

"In this expose, Sydney L. Iaukea ties personal memories to newly procured political information about Hawaii's crucial Territorial era. Spurred by questions surrounding intergenerational property disputes in her immediate family, she delves into Hawaii's historical archives. There she discovers the central role played by her great-great-grandfather in the politics of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century..." -- from publisher 

Liliuokalani, Queen of Hawaii. (2019). The diaries of  Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii, 1885-1900. Hui Hānai.

"Queen Liliuokalani, the eighth monarch of the Hawaiian Islands, is known and honored throughout the world, even though she was never ceremonially crowned. Published here for the first time, the Queen's diaries, which she penned between 1885 and 1900, reveal her experience as heir apparent and monarch of the Hawaiian Islands during one of the most intense, complicated, and politically charged eras in Hawaiian history." -- from publisher

Proto, Neil Thomas. (2009). The rights of my people: Liliuokalani's enduring battle with the United States, 1893-1917. Algora Publishers. 

"Even on the 50th anniversary of Hawaii statehood, sovereignty in Hawaii is still the subject of an active, ongoing legal dispute. The Rights of My People revisits Liliuokalani's decades-long campaign for the dignity and sovereignty of Hawaii." -- from publisher

Siler, Julia Flynn. (2012). Lost kingdom: Hawaii's last queen, the sugar kings, and America's first imperial adventure. Atlantic Monthly Press.

"Deftly weaving together a memorable cast of characters, "Lost Hawaii" brings to life the ensuing clash between a vulnerable Polynesia people and relentlessly expanding capitalist powers. Portraits of royalty and rogues, sugar barons, and missionaries combine into a sweeping tale of the Hawaiian Kingdom's rise and fall." -- from publisher

From: ʻŌlelo Community Media:

On September 2nd at 10:00 AM, celebrate Hawaiian History Month. Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Coalition presents Hauʻoli Lā Hānau e Liliʻuokalani on 'Ōlelo channel 53 (53 Spectrum or 53 & 1053 Hawaiian Telcom). Also streaming on the 'Ōlelo mobile app.