Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 7, 1 July 1992 — Hawaiian Flag Day celebrations set [ARTICLE]

Hawaiian Flag Day celebrations set

Ka La Ho'iho'i Ea, Hawaiian Independence Day, marking the presevation of the Kingdom of Hawai'i, will be observed July 31 at various places in the islands. The public is invited to join the observances whieh are known as Hawaiian Flag Day, Restoration Day and Hawaiian Independence Day. This date is important in Hawaiian history because it commemorates a time when the sovereignty of the Hawaiian kingdom was usurped, then later restored. In February 1843, Lord George Paulet of the British Royal Navy demanded an indemnity payment for alleged wrongs against two British subjects who lived in Honolulu. King Kamehameha III was advised by Dr. Gerrit P. Judd to not resist Paulet's threats and instead cede the kingdom to the British government until envoys could be sent to Queen Victoria to reveal the injustice and seek to repair the breach. Meanwhile, Paulet pulled down the flag of the kingdom, hoisted the British flag and

instituted other changes. After learning of Lord Paulet's actions, Victoria sent Admiral Richard Thomas to Hawai'i to correct the wrong. The ceremony took plaee July 31, 1843, at what is now Thomas Square in Honolulu. Thomas struck the British flag and hoisted the Hawaiian flag. He saluted Kamehameha III, recognizing the restoration of the the independence of the Kingdom of Hawai'i. The king then led a procession to Kawai'ahao Church where he spoke the words that became the motto of the Kingdom and is now the state motto: "Ua mau ke ea o ka 'aina i ka pono." (The life of the land is preserved in righteousness.) To recall this time and celebrate the restoration of sovereignty at that time, a ceremony will take plaee at noon, Friday, July 31, at Thomas Square, opposite the Honolulu Academy of Arts on Beretania Street. Sponsors of the ceremony are the Pro-Sovereignty Working Group and Ka

Pakaukau. La Hae Hawai'i, Hawaiian Flag Day, will be observed with special programs at Pu'ukohola Heiau Nahonal Historic Site at Kawaihae on the Big Island. Pu'ukohola, site of Kamehameha's war temple where the first Hawaiian flag flew, and Mauna'Ala, the Royal Mausoleum in Nu'uanu Valley, are the two sites today where the Hawaiian flag reigns alone. The following chant, dated Jan. 1, 1862, was published in Honolulu. It was contributed by Patrick Ka'ano'i of the Huna Hanauna Society, Honolulu. "Unexcelled are thy people And thou art a beautiful garment For the people of Hawai'i. Long mayyouwave, by the sea of Mamaia, That we may indeed cherish The everlasting dignity of thy name. O flag of Hawai'i. O flag of Hawai'i Flag of the islands of Kamehameha nui."