BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY
Liliuokalani
| Liliʻuokalani | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| Queen of the Hawaiian Islands (more...) | |||||
| Reign | January 29, 1891 – January 17, 1893 | ||||
| Predecessor | Kalākaua | ||||
| Successor | Monarchy abolished | ||||
| Spouse | John Owen Dominis | ||||
| |||||
| House | House of Kalākaua | ||||
| Father | Caesar Kapaʻakea | ||||
| Mother | Analea Keohokālole | ||||
| Born | September 2, 1838 Honolulu, Oahu, Kingdom of Hawaii | ||||
| Died | November 11, 1917 (aged 79) Honolulu, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii | ||||
| Burial | November 18, 1917 Mauna Ala Royal Mausoleum | ||||
| Religion | Church of Hawaii | ||||
| Signature | .svg){kind=small} | ||||
Liliʻuokalani (Hawaiian pronunciation: [liliˌʔuokəˈlɐni]; September 2, 1838 – November 11, 1917), born Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Wewehi Kamakaʻeha, was the last monarch and only queen regnant of the Kingdom of Hawaii. She was also known as Lydia Kamakaʻeha Pākī, with the chosen royal name of Liliʻuokalani, and her married name was Lydia K. Dominis.
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[hide]Early life[edit]
Liliʻuokalani was born on September 2, 1838 to the High Chiefess Analea Keohokālole and High ChiefCaesar Kaluaiku Kapaʻakea. In accordance with the Hawaiian tradition of hānai, she was adopted at birth byAbner Pākī and his wife Laura Kōnia. Liliʻuokalani’s childhood years were spent studying and playing with her foster sister Bernice Pauahi, the Pākīs' natural daughter.
The Premier Elizabeth Kīnaʻu had developed an eye infection at the time of Liliʻu's birth. She gave her the names Liliʻu (smarting[1]), Loloku (tearful[2]), Walania (a burning pain[3]), and Kamakaʻeha (sore eyes). Liliʻu's brother changed it when he named her Crown Princess, calling her Liliʻuokalani, "the smarting of the royal ones".[4]
Liliʻuokalani received her education at the Chiefs' Children's School (later known as the Royal School), and became fluent in English. She attended the school with her two older brothers James Kaliokalani and David Kalākaua. Liliʻuokalani was one of 15 children.
On September 16, 1862, Liliʻuokalani married John Owen Dominis, who became Governor of Oʻahu and Maui. Her marriage to Dominis was an unhappy match. He was unfaithful to her and had many affairs, a fact that family friend and royal physician Georges Phillipe Trousseau tried to hide from her, but in 1882 Dr. Trousseau had to inform her that one of her household retainers was pregnant with her husband's son. Liliʻuokalani first reaction was to attempt to claim the child as her own, and making him in line to the throne, to spare her husband the embarrassment. She understood this was illegal and would undermine the integrity of the monarchy, but she wanted to protect her husband.[5]
Although Liliʻuokalani's named successor was her niece Princess Kaʻiulani (1875–99), Kaʻiulani predeceased her. Liliʻuokalani had three hānai children: Lydia Kaʻonohiponiponiokalani Aholo; Kaiponohea ʻAeʻa, the son of a retainer; and John Aimoku Dominis, her husband's illegitimate son.[5]
Crown Princess[edit]
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In 1874, Lunalilo, who was elected to succeed Kamehameha V to the Hawaiian throne, died and left no heir to succeed to the throne. In the election that followed, Liliʻu's brother, David Kalākaua, ran against Emma, the widowed Queen of Kamehameha IV. Liliʻuokalani sided with her family on the issue and when her brother was declared king, bitterness developed between Emma and the Kalākaua family.[6]:40–41, 45–49
Upon his accession, Kalākaua gave royal titles and styles to his surviving siblings, his sisters, Princess Liliʻu and Princess Likelike, and his brother William Pitt Leleiohoku, making him Crown Prince and heir to the Hawaiian throne as Kalākaua had no children of his own. Leleiohoku died in 1877, leaving no one to succeed him.[6]:50 Hawaiʻi did not follow European monarchies in setting a line of succession; heirs had to be lawfully begotten or chosen and approved by the legislature. Leleiohoku's hānai mother Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlanidemanded that she be named heir as successor to her son's right, but Kalākaua wanted to keep the throne within his own immediate family and chose from his two remaining sisters. At noon on April 10, 1877, the sounds of the cannons were heard announcing Liliʻu as the newly designated heir apparent to the throne of Hawaii.[6]:53 From that point on, she was referred to as "Crown Princess" with the name Liliʻuokalani, given to her by her brother, who thought her birth name was not regal enough for her future role as queen of Hawaiʻi. One of her first acts as Crown Princess was to tour the island of Oʻahu with her husband, sister, and brother-in-law.[6]:54–60
In April 1887, Kalākaua sent a delegation to attend the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in London. While on the trip, she learned of theBayonet Constitution that Kalākaua had been forced, under the threat of death, to sign. She was so upset that she canceled a tour of the rest of Europe and returned to Hawaii at once.[7]
Reign[edit]
Liliʻuokalani inherited the throne from her brother Kalākaua on January 29, 1891.[8] Shortly after ascending the throne, petitions from her people began to be received through the two major political parties of the time, Hui Kala'aina and the National Reform Party. Believing she had the support of her cabinet and that to ignore such a general request from her people would be against the popular will, she moved to abrogate the existing 1887 Bayonet Constitution,[9] by drafting a new constitution that would restore the veto power to the monarchy and voting rights to economically disenfranchised native Hawaiians and Asians.[10] The effort to draft a new constitution never came to fruition, and it preceded the U.S. invasion, occupation and overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom government.
Threatened by the queen's proposed new constitution, American and European businessmen and residents organized to depose Liliʻuokalani, asserting that the queen had "virtually abdicated" by refusing to support the 1887 Constitution. Business interests within the Kingdom were also upset about what they viewed as "poor governance" of the Kingdom, as well as the U.S. removal of foreign tariffs in the sugar trade due to the McKinley Tariff. The tariff eliminated the favored status of Hawaiian sugar guaranteed by theReciprocity Treaty of 1875. American and Europeans actively sought annexation to the United States so that their business might enjoy the same sugar bounties as domestic producers. In addition to these concerns, Lili'uokalani believed that American businessmen, like Charles R. Bishop, expressed an anxiety concerning a female head of state.[11][page needed]
Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom[edit]
Main article: Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom
On January 14, 1893, a group composed of Americans and Europeans formed a Committee of Safety seeking to overthrow the Hawaiian Kingdom, depose the Queen, and seek annexation to the United States. As the coup d'état was unfolding on January 17 the Committee of Safety expressed concern for the safety and property of American citizens. In response, United States Government Minister John L. Stevenssummoned a company of US Marines from the USS Boston and two companies of U.S. Navy sailors to take up positions at the U.S. Legation, Consulate, and Arion Hall. On the afternoon of January 16, 1893, 162 sailors and U.S. Marines aboard the USS Boston in Honolulu Harbor came ashore under orders of neutrality. Historian William Russ has noted that the presence of these troops, ostensibly to enforce neutrality and prevent violence, effectively made it impossible for the monarchy to protect itself.[12]
The actual overthrow was surprisingly smooth. Under orders of the queen, half a dozen police men were sent to I'olani palace to arrest any members from the Committee of Safety who tried to enter the palace. After a shooting broke out close to the palace, some police men went to the scene. One of the police men was shot, and had to be carried by the remaining palace guards. This left the palace open to the Committee of Safety. With almost no audience except for some government clerks, the Committee of Safety signed a document that ended the Hawaiian monarchy. Lili'uokalani would not find out until the next day.
The Queen was deposed on January 17, 1893, and temporarily relinquished her throne to "the superior military forces of the United States".[13][page needed] She had hoped the United States, like Great Britain earlier in Hawaiian history, would restore Hawaii's sovereignty to the rightful holder.
Queen Liliʻuokalani issued the following statement yielding her authority to the United States Government rather than to the Provisional Government:
A provisional government, composed of European and American businessmen, was then instituted until annexation with the United States could be achieved. On February 1, 1893, the US Minister (ambassador) to Hawaii proclaimed Hawaii a protectorate of the United States.
The administration of Grover Cleveland commissioned the Blount Report, and based on its findings, concluded that the overthrow of Liliʻuokalani was illegal, and that U.S. Minister Stevens and American military troops had acted inappropriately in support of those who carried out the overthrow. On November 16, 1893, Cleveland proposed to return the throne back to her if she granted amnesty to everyone responsible. She initially refused, and it was controversially reported that she said she would have them beheaded — she denied that accusation, but admitted that she intended them to suffer the punishment of banishment.[15] With this development, then-President Grover Cleveland sent the issue to the United States Congress. She later changed her position on the issue of punishment for the conspirators, and on December 18, 1893 US Minister Willis demanded her reinstatement by the Provisional Government. The Provisional Government refused. Congress responded to Cleveland's referral with a US Senate investigation that resulted in the Morgan Report on February 26, 1894. The Morgan Report found all parties (including Minister Stevens), with the exception of the queen, "not guilty" from any responsibility for the overthrow.[16] The accuracy and impartiality of both the Blount and Morgan reports have been questioned by partisans on both sides of the historical debate over the events of 1893.[12][17][18][19][20]
On July 4, 1894, the Republic of Hawaiʻi was proclaimed and Sanford B. Dole, one of the first people who originally called on the institution of the monarchy to be abolished, became President. The Republic of Hawaiʻi was recognized by the United States government as a protectorate, although Walter Q. Gresham, Cleveland's Secretary of State, remained antagonistic towards the new government.[21]
Abdication[edit]
Liliʻuokalani was arrested on January 16, 1895, several days after the failed 1895 Counter-Revolution in Hawaii led by Robert William Wilcox, when firearms were found at the base of Diamond Head Crater. She denied any knowledge at her trial, defended by former attorney general Paul Neumann. She was sentenced to five years of hard labor in prison by a military tribunal and fined $5,000, but the sentence was commuted to imprisonment in an upstairs bedroom of ʻIolani Palace, where she composed songs including The Queen's Prayer (Ke Aloha o Ka Haku) and began work on her memoirs.
During her imprisonment, she abdicated her throne in return for the release (and commutation of the death sentences) of her jailed supporters, including Minister Joseph Nawahi, Prince Kawananakoa, Robert Wilcox, and Prince Jonah Kuhio.[citation needed]
Following her release, she was placed under house arrest for a year and in 1896, the Republic of Hawaiʻi gave her a full pardon and restored her civil rights.[23]
She then made several trips to the United States to protest against the annexation by the United States and attended the inauguration of US President McKinley in 1897 with a Republic of Hawaiʻi passport personally issued to "Liliʻuokalani of Hawaiʻi" by President Dole.[24]
In 1898, Hawaiʻi became an incorporated territory of the United States during the Spanish American War and took control of the 1,200,000 acres (4,900 km2) of land that formerly was held in trust by the monarchy and known as "Crown Land". This later would become the source of the "Ceded Lands" issue in Hawaiʻi.
In 1900, the US Congress passed the Hawaiʻi Organic Act establishing a government for the Territory of Hawaii.
From 1905 to 1907, the Queen entered claims against the U.S. totaling $450,000 for property and other losses, claiming personal ownership of the crown lands, but was unsuccessful. The territorial legislature of Hawaii finally voted her an annual pension of $4,000 and permitted her to receive the income from a sugar plantation of 6,000 acres (24 km²), which was the private property of her late brother before his election as king.
In 1910, Liliʻuokalani brought an unsuccessful lawsuit against the United States seeking compensation under the Fifth Amendment for the loss of the Hawaiian crown land.
The Queen was also remembered for her support of Buddhist and Shinto priests in Hawaiʻi and became one of the first Native Hawaiians to attend a Vesak Day (Buddha's Birthday) celebration of May 19, 1901 at the Honwangji mission. Her attendance in the celebration had helped Buddhism and Shintoism gain acceptance into Hawaiʻi's society and prevented the possible banning of those two religions by the Territorial government. Her presence was also widely reported in Chinese and Japanese newspapers throughout the world and earned her the respect of many Japanese people both in Hawaiʻi and in Japan itself.[25]
She lived in Washington Place until her death in 1917 due to complications from a stroke. She was 79. She received a state funeral due to her status as a former head of state.
Upon her death, Liliʻuokalani dictated in her will that all of her possessions and properties be sold and the money raised would go to the Queen Liliʻuokalani Children's Trust to help orphaned and indigent children. The Queen Liliʻuokalani Trust Fund still exists today.
Compositions
Liliʻuokalani was an accomplished author and songwriter. Her book Hawaiʻi's Story by Hawaiʻi's Queen gave her view of the history of her country and her overthrow; she became the first Native Hawaiian female author.[citation needed] Liliʻuokalani was known for her musical talent. Liliʻuokalani is said to have played guitar, piano, organ, ʻukulele and zither. She also sang alto, performing Hawaiian and English sacred and secular music. She would find herself in music. In her memoirs she wrote:
Liliʻuokalani helped preserve key elements of Hawaii's traditional poetics while mixing in Western harmonies brought by the missionaries. A compilation of her works, titled The Queen's Songbook, was published in 1999 by the Liliʻuokalani Trust.
After Liliʻuokalani was imprisoned in the ʻIolani Palace, she was denied literature and newspapers, essentially cutting her off from her people. However, she was not forbidden from having a paper and pencil, so she could continue to compose music while she was in confinement. According to Liliʻuokalani, she "found, notwithstanding disadvantages, great consolation in composing".[27]
Liliʻuokalani was a very peaceful woman, and believed in a peaceful resistance.[28] She used her musical compositions as a way to express her feelings for her people, her country, and what was happening in the political realm in Hawaii.[29] One example of the way her music reflected her political views is her translation of the Kumulipo, the Hawaiian creation chant. While under house arrest, Liliʻuokalani feared she would never leave the palace alive, so she translated the Kumulipo in hopes that the history and culture of her people would never be lost.[30] Another of her compositions was Aloha Oe, a song she had written previously and transcribed during her confinement. In her writings, she says "At first I had no instrument, and had to transcribe the notes by voice alone; but I found, notwithstanding disadvantages, great consolation in composing, and transcribed a number of songs. Three found their way from my prison to the city of Chicago, where they were printed, among them the "Aloha Oe" or "Farewell to Thee," which became a very popular song".[27] Originally written as a lovers' good-bye, the song came to be regarded as a symbol of, and lament for, the loss of her country.
In popular culture
- The story of Liliʻuokalani inspired Paul Abraham for his operetta Die Blume von Hawaii[31] and its subsequent 1933 and 1953 film adaptations.
- Queen Liliʻuokalani was portrayed by Hawaiian actress Leo Anderson Akana in the 2009 film Princess Kaiulani about the life of the Queen's niece and heiress, Kaʻiulani.
- Princess Liliʻuokalani was portrayed by Australian singer Kate Ceberano in the 1999 film Molokai: The Story of Father Damien about the life of Father Damien.
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