The Merrie Monarch Festival

The Merrie Monarch Festival is dedicated to the memory of King David Kalakaua, known as the Merrie Monarch. King Kalakaua came to the throne of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1874 and reigned until his death in 1891. He was a patron of the arts, especially music and dance.

Kalakaua almost single-handedly restored many of the nearly extinct cultural traditions of the Hawaiian people. These included myths and legends, and the hula, which had been forbidden by the missionaries for over 70 years.

Ancient Hawaiians had no written language. Instead, all communication beyond the spoken word took place in the form of chants and the dance called hula. Hula and its accompanying chants recorded Hawaiian genealogy, mythology, and prayers of the heart and mind. The hula was the means by which the culture, history, stories and almost every aspect of Hawaiian life was expressed and passed down through generations.

This festival began forty years ago by the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce and continued by the private Merrie Monarch Festival community organization. The major purpose of the festival is the perpetuation, preservation, and promotion of the art of hula and the Hawaiian culture through education. The festival is considered the world's premier forum for people of all ages to display their skills and knowledge of the art of ancient and modern hula.

The Merrie Monarch Festival is committed to:

1) Perpetuating the traditional culture of the Hawaiian people;
2) Developing and augmenting a living knowledge of Hawaiian arts and crafts through workshops, demonstrations, exhibitions and performances of the highest quality and authenticity;
3) Reaching those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to participate; and,
4) Enriching the future lives of all of Hawaii's children.

The week-long festivities begin with a Ho'olaulea (music festival) on Moku Ola (Coconut Island) on Easter Sunday and continues all week with free noon-day entertainment at the Hawaii Naniloa Resort and the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel on Banyan Drive. On Wednesday, there is a free exhibition night at the Edith Kanaka'ole Tennis Stadium that begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday is the solo Miss Aloha Hula Competition, Friday and Saturday are the group Kahiko (Ancient) and 'Auana (Modern) hula competitions. There are arts and crafts fairs on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at several locations. The big Merrie Monarch Royal Parade winds through downtown Hilo at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Except for the hula competition, the events are free.

The 41st annual Merrie Monarch Festival always begins on Easter Sunday and this year will run from April 11 to 17, 2004.
http://www.merriemonarchfestival.org

Wai Momi - Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor got its name from the pearl oysters that once grew in its waters. The Hawaiian name for the area is Wai Momi. In 1887, the United States was given the sole use of Pearl Harbor as a coaling and repair station for ships.

Pearl Harbor was established as a U।S. naval base in 1908, and remains a vital part of the U.S. defense establishment today. Pearl Harbor is a national historic landmark because of its essential contribution to the rise of the U.S. as a major power in the Pacific and the crucial role it played in World War II, beginning with the December 7th attack. All of Pearl Harbor became a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

The USS Arizona Memorial floats above the sunken ship and the 1,177 sailors and marines entombed within her hull। On the morning of Dec. 7th, 1941, “a date which will live in infamy,” 183 Japanese planes attacked the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor. It was an event that forever changed American history. The attack resulted in the sinking of the USS Arizona and crippling the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Today, the Naval complex at Pearl Harbor still serves as a major homeport and “pit stop of the Pacific” for the U.S. and Allied Pacific fleets. Even 60 years later, oil from the crippled vessel can be seen slowly seeping to the surface. The American flag is raised and lowered over the Memorial daily. Each year, one and a half million visitors experience this powerful remembrance.

USS Bowfin is one of only 15 US submarines from WWII still in existence.The USS Bowfin launched on Dec. 7, 1942, and was nicknamed the “Pearl Harbor Avenger.” During her commission, she completed nine successful war patrols and sank 44 enemy ships. For her wartime efforts, she earned both the Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Unit Commendation.

USS Missouri or the “Mighty Mo” was where General Douglas MacArthur accepted Emperor Hirohito’s surrender, ending the war in the Pacific। The “Mighty Mo” fought again in Korea and in Operation Desert Storm.

Military has a strong presence in Hawaii and on May 15th, Armed Forces Day, we pay tribute to our men and women in the armed forces. On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate days of recognition of the Army, Navy and Air Force. This single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department – the Department of Defense. May 31st, Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.

Princess Victoria Kaiulani

October 16 marks the 128th anniversary of Princess Victoria Kaiulani's birthday. She was the last hope of the Hawaiian monarchy, died never marrying and fulfilling her destiny to be Queen of Hawaii.

She was half-Hawaiian, only daughter of Princess Miriam Likelike who was a descendant of Kamehameha I। Her father was Archibald Cleghorn, a Honolulu businessman and horticulturist originally from Edinburgh, Scotland. Her mother's siblings were King Kalakaua who ruled Hawaii between 1874 to 1891 and Queen Liliuokalani who ruled between 1891 to 1893. King Kalakaua and his wife Queen Kapiolani were childless as was his sister Queen Liliuokalani and husband John Dominis. This placed the princess to be next in line to the monarchy.

Princess Kaiulani grew up at Ainahau, a beautiful private estate in Waikiki. The residence faced the ocean and the area was filled with lush tropical trees, shrubs, and flowers that Mr. Cleghorn cultivated. Jasmine was a favorite flower of Kaiulani as well as the peacocks that roamed throughout the gardens of Ainahau. One of her names was Princess of the Peacocks because she loved the pet birds and fed them from her hands. The word for peacock is pikake, which came to be the name for the flowers that the she loved.

In February 1887, her mother Likelike died leaving Princess Kaiulani saddened by the loss. She turned to her half-sister, Annie Cleghorn and her governess for comfort and companionship. In 1889, she met Robert Louis Stevenson, a Scottish poet whom she met through her father. He spent countless hours with the princess and her family talking and laughing under the banyan tree at Ainahau. Unfortunately, their friendship was brief as Kaiulani was preparing to leave for school in England. As a going away gift, Stevenson wrote her a poem to comfort and prepare her for the dreaded trip. It reads:

Forth from her land to mine she goes,
The island maid, the island rose,
Light of heart and bright of face,
The daughter of a double race.
Her islands here in southern sun
Shall mourn their Kaiulani gone,
And I, in her dear banyan's shade,
Look vainly for my little maid.
But our Scots islands far away
Shall glitter with unwonted day,
And cast for once their tempest by
To smile in Kaiulani's eye.

The poet and princess never met again and Stevenson died a few years later।

In 1891, Kaiulani's aunt, Queen Liliuokalani was proclaimed Queen and named Kaiulani next in line as heir. At this time, the Hawaiian islands were threatened by annexation to the United States. The annexation would allow Hawaiian sugar access to the huge American market which would be extremely lucrative for the Americans. Queen Liliuokalani on the other hand wanted to give native Hawaiians more power in their own land. However, this proved not to be the case as the monarchy was overthrown in 1893. Following the overthrow of the monarchy, Princess Kaiulani made a diplomatic visit to Washington to plead for the return of the government to her aunt. She was well received but left without making a difference in the political decisions of the U.S. government. In August 1898, Hawaii was officially annexed to the United States.

On March 6th, 1899 the following year, Princess Kaiulani died at the age of 23. She died from rheumatic fever, probably resulting from a riding trip in the rain.

King Kamehameha The Great

Kamehameha the Great was the first king who unified the islands of Hawaii. He was born somewhere between 1739 and 1758 in North Kohala on the island of Hawaii. Before his birth, Kahunas (Hawaiian priests) prophesied the child would grow up to be a mighty ruler.

Upon hearing this, Chief Alapanui ordered the child to be killed। In order to protect him from the jealous chief, his mother kept him in seclusion by allowing him to be raised by foster parents during his early childhood.

At age five, he was taken out of seclusion as Chief Alapanui was no longer fearful or jealous of the young boy. He was taught to be a great warrior and became skilled in sports and warfare. His first battle was on Maui in 1775, where he proved to be a great warrior by saving the life of his teacher, Kekuhaupio. In the presence of high-ranking chiefs, Kamehameha also proved that he was very strong by overturning the Naha stone. According to prophecy, whoever overturned the stone would conquer all of the islands of Hawaii.

In 1778, Kamehameha was present when his uncle Chief Kalaniopuu boarded explorer Captain James Cook's ship, the Resolution, when he arrived in Maui. Kamehameha made a lasting impression with these foreigners. Kamehameha's meeting with the foreigners taught him many things about war that were unknown to the warriors in Hawaii at that time. Kamehameha later added two Englishmen, John Young and Isaac Davis as his staff advisers and warriors who helped him with getting foreign weapons. Eventually, he used these foreign methods and skills to his advantage when fighting with rival chiefs.

In a series of battles and skirmishes, Kamehameha conquered the islands of Maui, Lanai, and Molokai, Hawaii, and Oahu. King Kaumualii ceded the islands of Kauai and Niihau to Kamehameha. In 1810, the Hawaiian Islands were unified and the Hawaiian Kingdom was established. Kamehameha introduced the Hawaiian flag. The eight horizontal red, white, and blue stripes represented the eight islands. The Union Jack testified to the early British influence.

With unification came peace and prosperity. Kamehameha reorganized his government by placing faithful, capable leaders in charge of large districts of land and their people. Besides being a great warrior, he was also a great statesman. Among his accomplishments were the establishment of trade with foreign countries and the development of the sandalwood industry. Being a just ruler, he introduced the Law of the Splintered Paddle. This law protected the weak or defenseless person from the strong. Attacks on these people would be punishable by death.

Kamehameha died on May 8, 1819 at Kamakahonu, his home in Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii। Before he died, he instructed Hoapili to secretly bury his bones to protect the mana, or power, an ancient tradition. To this day, no one knows where he is buried.

June 11th is King Kamehameha Day in Hawaii। This official state holiday was established in 1871 by King Kamehameha V to honor his grandfather. Every year, the state celebrates with a floral parade in downtown Honolulu and Waikiki. His statue stands in front of the Judiciary Building, Aliiolani Hale, and is draped with colorful leis on this special day. There are three other statues of Kamehameha I, two are on the Big Island, and one at the National Statuary Hall in Washington D.C.

King Kamehameha Statue
Across from Iolani Palace on King St.