Ka La Ho'iho'i Ea

The Story of Ka La Ho'iho'i EaFor generations, Hawaiians have celebrated & honored the date of July 31, the day in 1843 when Hawaii's sovereignty was returned to the Hawaiian Kingdom after five months of illegal British occupation by a Lord George Paulet, a rogue British naval commander. Paulet was seeking to coerce special land and rights for British subjects. Under duress & protest King Kamehameha III was forced to cede his kingdom to Paulet, but then the king appealed to Queen Victoria for justice. In response, Queen Victoria send British fleet commander Adm. Richard Thomas to enforce the British law which stated that 'native government be treated with forbearance and courtesy, and their laws and customs be respected.'Admiral Thomas restored native rule in Hawaii on July 31, 1843 by raising the Hawaiian flag at Kulaokahua, known today as Thomas Square- the first public park on Oahu. On that same day, King Kamehameha III proclaimed, "Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono." The precise translation of this now State-motto is "The sovereignty of the land continues because of our righteousness."On November 28 of that same year, 1843, France and England jointly recognized the Hawaiian Islands as an independent, sovereign country, at that time the United States also recognized the independence of the Hawaiian kingdom. This became Hawaiian Independence Day. The Hawaiian people continue to press for the United States to end the occupation of Hawaii and restore Hawaiian independence.

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Ka La Ho'iho'i Ea

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