Day 2: Herstory

Western missionaries came to the Hawaiian islands and began the colonization of the Indigenous population through religion and language. According to HawaiiHistory.org:

In ancient times, the culture and traditions of the people of Hawai`i were transmitted orally from generation to generation. American missionaries arrived in 1820 and soon formulated a written Hawaiian language based on the sounds they heard. Hawaiians quickly adopted written literacy following the introduction of printed Bibles, grammars and other textbooks. Hawaiian was the primary language of all islanders until the late 19th century. In 1893, the last reigning Hawaiian monarch, Queen Lili`uokalani, was overthrown by American forces. Soon thereafter, Hawaiian was banned as the language of instruction in all schools. That prohibition was finally officially lifted in 1986. Today, the State of Hawai`i has two official languages, Hawaiian and English, established by the State Constitution of 1978.
In its written form, the language uses an alphabet of 13 letters: five vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and eight consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p, w) including the `okina or glottal stop. The "sound" of the `okina is similar to the vocal break made when pronouncing "oh-oh." Omission of the `okina, as with the omission of any other letter, changes the meaning of the word. The kahako, or macron, is a diacritical mark employed primarily as an aid to proper pronunciation; it indicates a stressed and elongated vowel.

A consequence of this linguistic shift is that what became the official "history" of Hawai'i was written in English by Westerners even though the Indigenous people had a long, rich history of nearly 2000 years! Beginning with the cultural renaissance promulgated by King Kalākua, the Merrie Monarch, Hawaiians began to challenge this colonial version of their own history.

Our purpose for the day's activities: listen to Hawaiian's tell their story through the tradition of mo'olelo.

Keahe Davis works as Educational Director at the King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center and led our group on a tour of both I'olani Palace and the Judiciary History Center. I am incredibly grateful for his time, wisdom, and teaching. Mahalo nui, Keahe.

I'olani Palace
Iolani Palace is a living restoration of a proud Hawaiian national identity, registered National Historic Landmark and the only official royal palace in the United States. Iolani Palace represents a time in Hawaiian history when King Kalakaua and his sister and successor, Queen Liliuokalani, walked the halls and ruled the Kingdom of Hawaii. The Palace halls contain beautiful memories of grand balls and hula performances, as well as painful ones of Liliuokalani’s imprisonment and eventual overthrow. Since the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy, the Palace has undergone many changes as it once served as the Capitol for almost 80 years and was later vacated and restored to its original grandeur in the 1970s.

King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center

This historic building was the site of the actual overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom when the unlawful provisional government of American haole businessmen, backed by the US military, dethroned Queen Lili'uokalani. Today, the building houses the Hawai'i state Supreme Court as well as the History Center.


Nānā i ka Wā Mamua - Look to the Source 
Through successive Polynesian migrations, Western contact and subsequent immigration, the concept of justice has undergone a transformation in Hawaiʻi. The Judiciary History Center, through its exhibitions, research, and educational programs, explores this transformation. How has a legal system combining both Hawaiian and western cultural values developed? Where does our unique legal system place us in today’s world?

And then, of course, we ended the day at the beach...

Ala Wai Beach Park