Posted by Tane on November 26, 2009 at 1:26am in Politics
Although this is 116 years that world countries recognized the Kingdom of Hawai'i formally, we are celebrating its 200th year as a unified Hawaiian Kingdom as well. This article was written in 2004. Puanani sent it out as a reminde; so here it is:
In the Kingdom of Hawaii, November 28 was an official holiday called Ka La Kuokoa, or Independence Day. This was the day in 1843 when England and France formally recognized Hawaii's independence.
Faced with the problem of foreign encroachment of Hawaiian territory, His Hawaiian Majesty King Kamehameha III deemed it prudent and necessary to dispatch a Hawaiian delegation to the United States and then to Europe with the power to settle alleged difficulties with nations, negotiate treaties and to ultimately secure the recognition of Hawaiian Independence by the major powers of the world. In accordance with this view, Timoteo Ha'alilio, William Richards and Sir George Simpson were commissioned as joint Ministers Plenipotentiary on April 8, 1842. Sir George Simpson, shortly thereafter, left for England, via Alaska and Siberia, while Mr. Ha'alilio and Mr. Richards departed for the United States, via Mexico, on July 8, 1842.
The Hawaiian delegation, while in the United States of America, secured the assurance of U.S. President Tyler on December 19, 1842 of its recognition of Hawaiian independence, and then proceeded to meet Sir George Simpson in Europe and secure formal recognition by Great Britain and France. On March 17, 1843, King Louis-Phillipe of France recognizes Hawaiian independence at the urging of King Leopold of Belgium, and on April 1, 1843, Lord Aberdeen on behalf of Her Britannic Majesty Queen Victoria, assured the Hawaiian delegation that:
"Her Majesty's Government was willing and had determined to recognize the independence of the Sandwich Islands under their present sovereign."
On November 28, 1843, at the Court of London, the British and French Governments entered into a formal agreement of the recognition of Hawaiian independence, with what is called the Anglo-Franco proclamation:
Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and His Majesty the King of the French, taking into consideration the existence in the Sandwich Islands (Hawaiian Islands) of a government capable of providing for the regularity of its relations with foreign nations, have thought it right to engage, reciprocally, to consider the Sandwich Islands as an Independent State, and never to take possession, neither directly or under the title of Protectorate, or under any other form, of any part of the territory of which they are composed.
November 28 was thereafter established as an official national holiday to celebrate the recognition of Hawaii's independence.
As a result of this recognition, the Hawaiian Kingdom entered into treaties with the major nations of the world and had established over ninety legations and consulates in multiple seaports and cities.
But in 1893, an illegal intervention into Hawaii's affairs by the U.S. resulted in a "fake revolution" against the legitimate Hawaiian government, and a puppet oligarchy set itself up with its main purpose being Hawaii's annexation to the United States. After an attempted counterrevolution in 1895, the oligarchy announced that November 28, 1895 -- a Thursday -- would not be celebrated as La Ku'oko'a. The American holiday Thanksgiving would become the official national holiday instead. Holidays are of course important aspects of a collective national identity, particularly a holiday like Independence Day, and this was essentially a way to cover up and try to destroy the history and identity of the Hawaiian national population.
At first Hawaiians protested and celebrated Ka La Ku'oko'a anyway, telling the story of the national heroes who had travelled to Europe to secure Hawaii's recognition. But over time, this history - knowledge of the holiday and how it was replaced - was almost lost, until Hawaiian language scholars in the last few years started translating Hawaiian language newspapers and uncovered the history.
Recently there has been a renewed effort to revive the celebration of Nov. 28 as Ka La Ku'oko'a - Hawaiian Independence Day, to remember that Hawaii was a fully recognized member of the world family of nations, and that's its independence is still intact under prolonged illegal occupation.
Pua
nani Rogers
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"La Kuokoa:
Join us at the Queen's Statue for the re-enactment titled "Ka Lei Maile Alii - The Queen's Women" about the gathering of signatures for the petitions protesting annexation of Hawaii to the U.S. 10 am in front of the Queen's Statue. After that we'll head over to the ahu on the Palace grounds to celeb...rate 166 years of Hawaii's independence.
Excerpts from "La Kuokoa"
By Noenoe K. Silva,1998
La Ku'oko'a--Hawai'i's Independence Day--was officially celebrated
around the same time as Thanksgiving from about 1844 until 1895, and
for some years afterwards unofficially. La Ku'oko'a is the 28th of
November. It marks the day, November 28, 1843, that the Ali'i Timoteo
Ha'alilio succeeded in obtaining the signatures of the authorities of
Great Britain and France on a treaty recognizing Hawai'i as a
sovereign nation. Ha'alilio, with the missionary William Richards
along as his secretary, traveled through Mexico on foot and donkey to
Washington D.C., where they met President John Tyler. President Tyler
agreed to the intent of the proposed treaty. Ha'alilio and Richards,
armed with his agreement, then went on to Europe, to Belgium, Paris,
and London, where the treaty was finally signed. They returned to the
United States to cement U.S. agreement. On the journey Ke Ali'i
Timoteo Ha'alilio died, on December 3, 1844.
Although the treaty of independence did not solve Hawai'i's
problem--being a target for colonizers--it was a substantial
achievement under international law. This achievement was recognized
by the government of the kingdom through the official celebration of
La Ku'oko'a.
After the haole coup in 1893, and the attempted counter coup of 1895,
the so-called Republic of Hawai'i government announced that November
28, 1895 --a Thursday--would not be celebrated as La Ku'oko'a.
Thanksgiving would become the official national holiday instead.
The po'e aloha 'aina--the thousands of Kanaka Maoli opposed to the
illegal haole government--were incensed. They ignored the
government's orders, and held celebrations of La Ku'oko'a instead. At
those gatherings, they told the story of Ha'alilio's journey and
significant achievement. James Kaulia of the Hui Aloha Aina said that
the Kanaka Maoli recalled with gladness the restoration and
perpetuation of the independence of Hawaii, but that their happiness
was mixed with feelings of distress because the right to independence
had been snatched from the shoulders of the Kanaka Maoli. He said: Ke
ku nei ke kanaka Hawaii me he kuewa la, aohe ona aina: The Hawaiian
person stands as a homeless vagabond, one who has no land.
The colonizers of 1895-1896 not only deprived Hawaii of a national
holiday, they enacted laws which caused us the loss of our language
and the related loss of our own history. That process caused us to be
deprived of even the memory of this national holiday.
Source: _Ke Aloha Aina_ (Hawaiian language newspaper)
November-December 1895, January 1896. "
Thank you Tane,
I am still yet in a state of shock, but the physical part has subsided just the mental state of 'oh know what the....' hanging around. In Waianae we had 70 plus floats in our parade and lot's of people showed up to watch which was more than the usual. We changed our theme to "La Ku'oko'a" Nov 28, 1843 and the journey at the last minute and it seconds before the parade for it was at it's all time high in that moment. The process leading up to the parade, during and way way way after was necessary so that we could understand the meaning as well the time period of the importance to Nov 28, 1843. With the fact of Nov 28, 1843, a distress flag, and trying to remember how to say 'La Ku'oko'a' were our tools to demonstrate 'Hawaiian Independence" before the whole of Waianae town.
The aftermath at Iolani Palace helped greatly especiall for the children, mothers, and me too. Our community when one steps out of their comfort zone really takes it's toll on all participants. These are the positives for the players: Iolani Palace gathering was the best out of neccessity for human understanding: The Chuuk's responded to the chant without any hesitation as natural as they are in their own cultural customs. Our Hawaiians re-canted with 'Mele Kalikimaka' which is all good because we repeated with 'Happy Independence day Nov 28, 1843. Kinda crazy, but it happened. It was the 'distressed' flag upside down that had upset a lot of Hawaiians. But, it was that 'reality' check for everyone to come to and understanding of their identity for us too. The 'vagabonds' our houseless was the best their positive response was so heart felt to the 'distress' flag. If anything they kept me pa'a to my purpose.
My neice Shelley (UH Hawaiian Studies) once said to me, "Aunty, we need to educate our families first" before we could engage regionally as well as internationally. This has always been the most difficult part of the process towards independence for me which I try not to venture into (chicken). Disagreements among family membes can go on and on--almost a never ending story. Or, life can take on a whole different meaning. Which is what had transpired yesterday with my granddaughter. She being intelligent and wanting to do the right thing questioned the process deeply at the time of the start of the march with a full-on debate, almost a shouting match. Suddenly, I had to take on the 'officiator' role almost immediately and the 'I'm the Kumu and you're suppose to listen kinda behavior. But had she not done that we/I would not have been prepared for the Hawaiian 'recanting'. Yup, Hawaiian 'recanting'! Hawaiians that were economically okay, recanted. But it was an opportunity and I couldn't resist. Unbelievable, how Hawaiians recanted with 'Mele Kalikimaka' which was so awesome which is seized the moment to just pa'a even more.
That evening after I left you and Pono --I met up with brother, dad, meryl and the kids family that had helped for the Nov 7th Kahea. Today, we are doing genealogy at 7 am so I will get back to you on this journey. You know me, I don't want to go there because I don't want to feel the pain and take wacks across the head for niele' ing into who slept with who. What cousin did what to what cousin, and all that special ed. stuff which is highly misunderstood by our society norms. Love you too, Kaohi
ALOHA Kakou, Like Iraq, the Hawaiian Kingdom thru an Act of War was Invaded by the the United States on Januaray 16, 1893. Like the lawful government of Iraq, the lawful government of the Hawaiian Kingdom was overthrown with the involvement of the Diplomatic and Military forces of the United States. As Iraq continues to remain as an Occupied Nation under the United States, so does the Hawaiian Kingdom continues to reamin as an Occupied Nation under the United States today.
On January 17, 1993 when I renounced my citizenship to the United States, I now walk the path of a Hawaiian Kingdom National of the Hawaiian Kingdom nation of Queen Liliuokalani and my ancestors.
Imua Ke Aupuni Moi O Hawaii Nei, o Pomaikaiokalani, Sovereign, HPACH .
There is so much I want to say here, but I have to do some errands. After reading Tane's posting I went backwards and sewn up a little of what I know as an 'activist' and combined that with my familu postures, but I lost the time in space, so thanks. I tend to get a bit dizzy in the process and need to reconnect to the frame work and requestion the process from a grounding of historical facts. So thanks for reposting your pamphlet. I read through and was surprised at the 'special' person as an ali'i and Missionary surroundings.
I picked up Marie Beltran and we had a morning talk about everything. She's so funny, I went through a worm hole time warp with her. Helped her to structure her thoughts on paper, yeah right! We agreed to draw a line and little squares for her story board. From the 11th century to present was her ideas. And we talked about her genealogy up to present. I do this every Monday and Wednesday with my students. There's either resistance (like me) or way over there, but Marie takes the cake, candles and frosting with 11th century. Is this what the future looks like when I am gone, children that will be great-grandparents being asked questions that may not have a concrete answer? Will we just 'dream wish' and find a tune from nature to sound out the broadwalk of things as a connection in our real world?
Any how I was thinking about Nov 28, 2009 Hawaiian Independence day while everyone was eating their dinner with their families. The names at the bottom of your posting from the other post for 'Hawaiian Club' was on my mind too. 1843 (England and France) to 1868 (Hawaiian Club), but to deny Hawaiian Independence celebration in 1895 and to replace it with an American Holiday as their 'national' holiday is such an overlay of conquering-- after all it was celebrated for 52 years pryor to their replacement. The Hawaiian Club plummbers drilled into the constitutional Monarchy for their use and realized pryor to 1893 that they were loosing and decided to use might for their gain. Sorry for the babbling--just trying to get this straight, if at all possible.
Just having some deeper thinking here. I do like the 1810 better because it puts the 'kuleana' back into our design of governance not other country men under there Year of the Lord. I just might get to like the guy a little, maybe...Kam I that is. Kaohi
Correction: We are celebrating 166 years since Kauikeaouli declared this to be a national holiday. The Kingdom was established by Kamehameha the Great in 1810 when Kaumuali'i surrendered Kaua'i to him; putting all the islands under his one rule. It was Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III), that reformed the style of governance after being exposed to the "Western Civilization" and how they inter-related with each other. It was also the time that the King gave up his absolute monarchy and formed the constitutional monarchy that we are familiar with today as a form of democracy akin to the style of Great Britain, known today as the United Kingdom. The United States of America (a Britsh colony) overstepped its bounds by racially disregarding Hawai'i's sovereignty and latently applied their doctrines of Manifest Destiny to these islands using double-standards to wrest this island kingdom from its people and to subjugate them as they did with their black population and all other non-white citizens within their racist WASP society (descendants of criminals and misfits of Britain). Today, they celebrate the genocide of non-whites as an act of God and that it was god-given to the white people and blessed by Him. They are thankful for God giving them North America to create a new country for them to rule over. This is a celebration of the European descendants for coveting and stealing lands from the native Americans through a major holocaust in erradicating them and supplanting a WASP ethnocentric society. So, now you know why they say, "God bless America!" Now you can thank their white God on this day.
ALOHA Kaua, e Tane, I like to believe that Kamualii ceeded his Kingdom of Kauai to Kamehameha. As usal I don't disagree with you, I just see things differently as Pono keeps on telling me.
Imua Ke Aupuni Moi O Hawaii Nei, o Pomai
Replies
This is from Pono's blog:
"La Kuokoa:
Join us at the Queen's Statue for the re-enactment titled "Ka Lei Maile Alii - The Queen's Women" about the gathering of signatures for the petitions protesting annexation of Hawaii to the U.S. 10 am in front of the Queen's Statue. After that we'll head over to the ahu on the Palace grounds to celeb...rate 166 years of Hawaii's independence.
Excerpts from "La Kuokoa"
By Noenoe K. Silva,1998
La Ku'oko'a--Hawai'i's Independence Day--was officially celebrated
around the same time as Thanksgiving from about 1844 until 1895, and
for some years afterwards unofficially. La Ku'oko'a is the 28th of
November. It marks the day, November 28, 1843, that the Ali'i Timoteo
Ha'alilio succeeded in obtaining the signatures of the authorities of
Great Britain and France on a treaty recognizing Hawai'i as a
sovereign nation. Ha'alilio, with the missionary William Richards
along as his secretary, traveled through Mexico on foot and donkey to
Washington D.C., where they met President John Tyler. President Tyler
agreed to the intent of the proposed treaty. Ha'alilio and Richards,
armed with his agreement, then went on to Europe, to Belgium, Paris,
and London, where the treaty was finally signed. They returned to the
United States to cement U.S. agreement. On the journey Ke Ali'i
Timoteo Ha'alilio died, on December 3, 1844.
Although the treaty of independence did not solve Hawai'i's
problem--being a target for colonizers--it was a substantial
achievement under international law. This achievement was recognized
by the government of the kingdom through the official celebration of
La Ku'oko'a.
After the haole coup in 1893, and the attempted counter coup of 1895,
the so-called Republic of Hawai'i government announced that November
28, 1895 --a Thursday--would not be celebrated as La Ku'oko'a.
Thanksgiving would become the official national holiday instead.
The po'e aloha 'aina--the thousands of Kanaka Maoli opposed to the
illegal haole government--were incensed. They ignored the
government's orders, and held celebrations of La Ku'oko'a instead. At
those gatherings, they told the story of Ha'alilio's journey and
significant achievement. James Kaulia of the Hui Aloha Aina said that
the Kanaka Maoli recalled with gladness the restoration and
perpetuation of the independence of Hawaii, but that their happiness
was mixed with feelings of distress because the right to independence
had been snatched from the shoulders of the Kanaka Maoli. He said: Ke
ku nei ke kanaka Hawaii me he kuewa la, aohe ona aina: The Hawaiian
person stands as a homeless vagabond, one who has no land.
The colonizers of 1895-1896 not only deprived Hawaii of a national
holiday, they enacted laws which caused us the loss of our language
and the related loss of our own history. That process caused us to be
deprived of even the memory of this national holiday.
Source: _Ke Aloha Aina_ (Hawaiian language newspaper)
November-December 1895, January 1896. "
Thank you Tane,
I am still yet in a state of shock, but the physical part has subsided just the mental state of 'oh know what the....' hanging around. In Waianae we had 70 plus floats in our parade and lot's of people showed up to watch which was more than the usual. We changed our theme to "La Ku'oko'a" Nov 28, 1843 and the journey at the last minute and it seconds before the parade for it was at it's all time high in that moment. The process leading up to the parade, during and way way way after was necessary so that we could understand the meaning as well the time period of the importance to Nov 28, 1843. With the fact of Nov 28, 1843, a distress flag, and trying to remember how to say 'La Ku'oko'a' were our tools to demonstrate 'Hawaiian Independence" before the whole of Waianae town.
The aftermath at Iolani Palace helped greatly especiall for the children, mothers, and me too. Our community when one steps out of their comfort zone really takes it's toll on all participants. These are the positives for the players: Iolani Palace gathering was the best out of neccessity for human understanding: The Chuuk's responded to the chant without any hesitation as natural as they are in their own cultural customs. Our Hawaiians re-canted with 'Mele Kalikimaka' which is all good because we repeated with 'Happy Independence day Nov 28, 1843. Kinda crazy, but it happened. It was the 'distressed' flag upside down that had upset a lot of Hawaiians. But, it was that 'reality' check for everyone to come to and understanding of their identity for us too. The 'vagabonds' our houseless was the best their positive response was so heart felt to the 'distress' flag. If anything they kept me pa'a to my purpose.
My neice Shelley (UH Hawaiian Studies) once said to me, "Aunty, we need to educate our families first" before we could engage regionally as well as internationally. This has always been the most difficult part of the process towards independence for me which I try not to venture into (chicken). Disagreements among family membes can go on and on--almost a never ending story. Or, life can take on a whole different meaning. Which is what had transpired yesterday with my granddaughter. She being intelligent and wanting to do the right thing questioned the process deeply at the time of the start of the march with a full-on debate, almost a shouting match. Suddenly, I had to take on the 'officiator' role almost immediately and the 'I'm the Kumu and you're suppose to listen kinda behavior. But had she not done that we/I would not have been prepared for the Hawaiian 'recanting'. Yup, Hawaiian 'recanting'! Hawaiians that were economically okay, recanted. But it was an opportunity and I couldn't resist. Unbelievable, how Hawaiians recanted with 'Mele Kalikimaka' which was so awesome which is seized the moment to just pa'a even more.
That evening after I left you and Pono --I met up with brother, dad, meryl and the kids family that had helped for the Nov 7th Kahea. Today, we are doing genealogy at 7 am so I will get back to you on this journey. You know me, I don't want to go there because I don't want to feel the pain and take wacks across the head for niele' ing into who slept with who. What cousin did what to what cousin, and all that special ed. stuff which is highly misunderstood by our society norms. Love you too, Kaohi
On January 17, 1993 when I renounced my citizenship to the United States, I now walk the path of a Hawaiian Kingdom National of the Hawaiian Kingdom nation of Queen Liliuokalani and my ancestors.
Imua Ke Aupuni Moi O Hawaii Nei, o Pomaikaiokalani, Sovereign, HPACH .
There is so much I want to say here, but I have to do some errands. After reading Tane's posting I went backwards and sewn up a little of what I know as an 'activist' and combined that with my familu postures, but I lost the time in space, so thanks. I tend to get a bit dizzy in the process and need to reconnect to the frame work and requestion the process from a grounding of historical facts. So thanks for reposting your pamphlet. I read through and was surprised at the 'special' person as an ali'i and Missionary surroundings.
Mahalo Kaohi
I picked up Marie Beltran and we had a morning talk about everything. She's so funny, I went through a worm hole time warp with her. Helped her to structure her thoughts on paper, yeah right! We agreed to draw a line and little squares for her story board. From the 11th century to present was her ideas. And we talked about her genealogy up to present. I do this every Monday and Wednesday with my students. There's either resistance (like me) or way over there, but Marie takes the cake, candles and frosting with 11th century. Is this what the future looks like when I am gone, children that will be great-grandparents being asked questions that may not have a concrete answer? Will we just 'dream wish' and find a tune from nature to sound out the broadwalk of things as a connection in our real world?
Any how I was thinking about Nov 28, 2009 Hawaiian Independence day while everyone was eating their dinner with their families. The names at the bottom of your posting from the other post for 'Hawaiian Club' was on my mind too. 1843 (England and France) to 1868 (Hawaiian Club), but to deny Hawaiian Independence celebration in 1895 and to replace it with an American Holiday as their 'national' holiday is such an overlay of conquering-- after all it was celebrated for 52 years pryor to their replacement. The Hawaiian Club plummbers drilled into the constitutional Monarchy for their use and realized pryor to 1893 that they were loosing and decided to use might for their gain. Sorry for the babbling--just trying to get this straight, if at all possible.
Just having some deeper thinking here. I do like the 1810 better because it puts the 'kuleana' back into our design of governance not other country men under there Year of the Lord. I just might get to like the guy a little, maybe...Kam I that is. Kaohi
Tane
Imua Ke Aupuni Moi O Hawaii Nei, o Pomai
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