Categories

August 21, 2026 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Overthrow

Some suggest the overthrow of the Hawai‘i constitutional monarchy was neither unexpected nor sudden.

Dissatisfaction with the rule of Kalākaua and Lili‘uokalani initially led to the ‘Bayonet Constitution,’ then, the overthrow. “(M)ounting dissatisfaction with government policies and private acts of officials led to the formation of the Hawaiian League, a group of Honolulu businessmen.” (Forbes)

Challenges with Kalākaua
• Polynesian Confederacy
• “(Gibson) discerned but little difficulty in the way of organizing such a political union, over which Kalākaua would be the logical emperor, and the Premier of an almost boundless empire of Polynesian archipelagoes.” (Daggett; Pacific Commercial Advertiser, February 6, 1900)

Opium License Bribery Case
• Initially the king, through his minister of foreign affairs, disclaimed any involvement. However, “To cap the climax of the opium matter, the Attorney General proceeds to acknowledge that the money was paid over by the Chinese … (H)e informed the gentlemen interested in getting the money back that he would never accomplish his object so long as he allowed the newspaper to speak of the affair.” (Hawaiian Gazette, May 17, 1887)

Extravagance/Debt
• Although Kalākaua had been elected and serving as King since 1874, upon returning from a trip around the world (1881), it was determined that Hawaiʻi’s King should also be properly crowned.
• “ʻIolani Palace, the new building of that name, had been completed the previous year (1882), and a large pavilion had been erected immediately in front of it for the celebration of the coronation. This was exclusively for the accommodation of the royal family; but there was adjacent thereto a sort of amphitheatre, capable of holding ten thousand persons, intended for the occupation of the people.” (Liliʻuokalani)

Bayonet Constitution (1887)
• In 1887, the struggle for control of Hawaiʻi was at its height with David Kalākaua on the throne. But some of the businessmen were distrustful of him. “So the mercantile element, as embodied in the Chamber of Commerce, the sugar planters, and the proprietors of the ‘missionary’ stores, formed a distinct political party, called the ‘down-town’ party, whose purpose was to minimize or entirely subvert other interests, and especially the prerogatives of the crown, which, based upon ancient custom and the authority of the island chiefs, were the sole guaranty of our nationality.” (Liliʻuokalani)

Concern with Lili‘uokalani’s Attempt to Rewrite the Constitution
• “When Lili‘uokalani became Queen, she took the following oath: ‘I solemnly swear in the presence of Almighty God, to maintain the Constitution of the Kingdom whole and inviolate, and to govern in conformity therewith.’” (UH Law School)
• “On January 14, 1893, Lili‘uokalani was prepared to ignore the constitutionally mandated approval-by-two-successive Legislatures process for amending the 1887 Constitution by announcing a new constitution in place of Kalākaua’s 1887 Constitution.” (UH Law School)
• “She did not do so because the Cabinet she appointed on January 13, 1893, refused her authorization request. The members of that Cabinet were Samuel Parker, William Henry Cornwell, Jr,, Arthur P. Peterson and John Colburn. Parker was a Native Hawaiian.” (UH Law School)

Some Native Hawaiian Dissatisfaction with the Acts of Kalākaua and Lili‘uokalani
• Robert W Wilcox – the man who figured so prominently & conspicuously in the revolution of 1889 (All quotes from Wilcox, Morgan Report)
o “Queen Lili‘uokalani brought these evils upon herself and the country both by her personal corruption, and that of her Government.”
o “I believe that if we can be annexed to the United States, the rights of all of our citizens, and especially those of the native Hawaiians, will be protected more carefully than they have ever been under the monarchy.”
o “They are naturally somewhat prejudiced against (the Provisional Government), as monarchy is the only form of Government with which they are familiar, but this feeling will quickly wear away as the Hawaiians are led to see that the Government is friendly to them and their interests. They already have confidence in the integrity and patriotism of President Dole.
o “I have repeatedly (advocated annexation to the United States) in public meetings held in this city. … but I am compelled to move cautiously or I shall lose my influence over them. I believe I am doing a good work by constantly conversing with them on the subject.”
o “I have told my countrymen that the monarchy is gone forever, and when they ask me what is the best thing to follow it I tell them annexation, and I firmly believe that in a very short time every Hawaiian will be in favor of that step.” (Robert W Wilcox – the man who figured so prominently & conspicuously in the revolution of 1889; Morgan Report)

Repeated Changes in Cabinet Ministers in the Kalākaua and Lili‘uokalani Reigns
• “Under every constitution prior to 1887 the ministers were appointed by the King and removed by him; but until Kalākaua’s reign it was a very rare thing that any King changed his ministry. They had a pretty long lease of political life.” (Judd; Blount Report)
• “It was a very rare political occurrence, and made a great sensation when a change was made.” (Judd; Blount Report) if

January 14, 1893 Lili‘uokalani’s Ministers Refused to Support Her Constitution – Threats of Bloodshed were Made Against Her Cabinet Ministers
• “The Queen retired to the blue room and summoned the ministers (Samuel Parker – Minister of Foreign Affairs; John F Colburn – Minister of Interior; William H Crowell – Minister of Finance; Arthur P Peterson – Attorney General) who repaired at once to the palace. The Queen was at a table, still dressed in the magnificent costume of the morning, and sparkling in a coronet of diamonds.”
• “She at once presented them with the draft of the new constitution, demanded their signatures, and declared her intention to promulgate the same at once.”
• “Attorney-general Peterson and Minister of Interior Colburn decidedly refused to do so, and Ministers Cornwell and Parker, though more hesitatingly, joined their colleagues in this refusal.”

The Provisional Government (and subsequent Republic, Territory & State) did not steal the land from the Hawaiian people – Crown Lands Remain in the Public Trust
• Crown and Government Lands, though under the control of changing sovereigns and governments (Kingdom to Provisional Government to Republic to Territory to State,) were in and continue to remain in the ‘public domain’ for the public good.
• US Court of Claims concluded, “The constitution of the Republic of Hawai‘i, as respects the crown lands, provided as follows: ‘That portion of the public domain heretofore known as crown land is hereby declared to have been heretofore, and now to be, the property of the Hawaiian Government …” (Lili‘uokalani v The United States, 1910)
• We now generally refer to the Crown and Government Lands as ‘ceded’ lands. Under the Admission Act, about 1.2-million acres are to “be held by (the) State as a public trust” to promote one or more of five purposes:
o support of the public schools and other public educational institutions
o betterment of the conditions of native Hawaiians (per the Hawaiian Homes Act, 1920)
o development of farm and home ownership on as widespread a basis as possible
o making of public improvements
o provision of lands for public use

The United States does not have to acquire property only through a Treaty of Annexation with a concurring vote by the US Senate.
• Annexation of Hawai‘i to the US was not a hostile takeover, it was something the Republic of Hawai‘i sought. “There was no ‘conquest’ by force in the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands nor ‘holding as conquered territory;’ they (Republic of Hawai‘i) came to the United States in the same way that Florida did, to wit, by voluntary cession”. (Territorial Supreme Court; Albany Law Journal)
• “There is no provision in the Constitution by which the national government is specifically authorized to acquire territory; and only by a great effort of the imagination can the substantive power to do so be found in the terms of any or all of the enumerated powers.” (Legal Issues Raised by Proposed Presidential Proclamation To Extend the Territorial Sea, October 4, 1988)

Here is the URL: https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/wp-content/uploads/Overthrow.pdf

One more correction to the many misconceptions … on January 17, 1893, the Hawai‘i constitutional monarchy was overthrown, not the Hawaiian race.

Commenters, please focus on the facts and if referring to the linked document. Please note the page and line number you are referring to (please include your source reference, as well).

August 20, 2026 by Peter T Young 3 Comments

Foodland

Although supermarkets existed in the islands as early as 1928; it was not until after World War II that supermarkets developed on a large scale basis in Hawaii.

Maurice J Sullivan left his native Ireland in 1927 (at the age of 17) for New York with $7 in his pocket. His first job was sacking potatoes at The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) in Pennsylvania. Within a year, he worked his way up to store manager in Buffalo, New York.

During World War II, Sullivan enlisted in the Air Corps and was stationed at Hickam Air Base. Placed in charge of procuring product for the Commissary and Officers’ Mess Hall, “Sully” would travel the island looking for fresh produce.

One such trip brought him to the Lanikai store, run by Chinese immigrants, the Lau family. The Laus had purchased the Lanikai store in 1941. Shoo She Pang “Mama” Lau and her daughter Joanna befriended him. Joanna, a McKinley High School graduate, had left her studies at the University of Hawaii to help her mother run Lanikai Store.

Soon, Sully would visit them on his days off to work at the store. After the war, the Laus asked Sully to help them run their business.

Knowing he would not be satisfied running a small mom-and-pop store and worried that Hawai‘i was too small, he declined and returned to Buffalo, NY. (A few weeks of winter changed his mind, and he returned to the islands.)

He went back to the Laus at the Lanikai store and told them he had two conditions in working with them: first, they would remodel the store, and second, they would promise to one day help him fulfill his dream of opening a supermarket.

They agreed. Sully worked there for two years as store manager.

The Laus were friends with Hiram Fong, who had just purchased some property at the corner of Kapiʻolani Boulevard and Harding Avenue in Honolulu – this became Market City Shopping Center.

Mama Lau persuaded Fong to lease her space for a supermarket. With the hard work of Mama, Sully and Joanna and $20,000 in capital, the store opened on May 6, 1948. At Joanna’s suggestion, the store was called ‘Foodland Super Market.’

The success of the Market City store demonstrated the popularity of the supermarket concept and showed Sully’s commitment to creating great shopping experiences.

From there the Foodland chain grew quickly as School Street, ‘Āina Haina and Beretania Street locations joined the fold within a few years.

The first traffic signal in Kailua was installed at the intersection of Kuʻulei and Kailua Roads in 1954. That year, Foodland opened Windward Oʻahu’s first modern supermarket across from Kailua Beach Park. (Kāneʻohe Ranch)

Not only were Foodland’s fifth and twelfth stores located in Kailua, but Sully Sullivan soon married Mama’s daughter, Joanna Lau, and the two raised their family in Kailua – right next to the Kailua Road store.

The company grew quickly, opening a store a year for the next ten years. It expanded to Kauai in 1967, Maui in 1970 and the Big Island in 1971.

In addition to Foodland, Sully opened Food Pantry (to serve Hawaii’s growing visitor market), Dunkin’ Donuts, Hallmark card stores, Morrow’s Nut House, Swiss Colony and jewelry retailer Coral Grotto. Sullivan was the original Hawaii franchisee for McDonald’s; the first one opened in ‘Āina Haina. (Sully died February 28, 1998 and Joanna died September 2, 2015.) (Lots of information here is from Foodland, Advertiser and Star-Bulletin.)

Foodland’s 1st store at Market City-foodland

August 19, 2026 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kauhale

ʻĀina is compounded from the verb “ʻai” (to eat,) referring specifically to vegetable foods, with the substantive suffix “na,” which makes it a noun. The word ʻāina (land,) then, means “that which feeds.”

In old Hawaiʻi’s subsistence society, the family farming scale was far different from commercial-purpose agriculture. In ancient time, when families farmed for themselves, they adapted; products were produced based on need. The families were disbursed around the Islands, as well as across regions on each island.

Traditional hale (‘house’, ‘building’) were constructed of native woods lashed together with cordage most often made from olonā. Pili grass was a preferred thatching that added a pleasant odor to a new hale. Lauhala (pandanus leaves) or ti leaf bundles called peʻa were other covering materials used.

Unlike our housing today, the single ‘hale’ was not necessarily the ‘home.’ The traditional Hawaiian home was the kauhale (Lit., plural house;) this was a group of structures forming the living compound – homestead – with each building serving a specific purpose.

The main structure within the kauhale household complex was the common house, or hale noa, in which all the family members slept at night. It was the largest building within a family compound and the most weatherproof. (Loubser)

Other structures included hale mua (men’s meeting/eating house,) hale ʻāina (women’s eating house,) hale peʻa (menstruation house) and other needed structures (those for canoe makers, others used to house fishing gear, etc.)

The terrain and the subsistence lifestyle and economy created the dispersed community of scattered homesteads. Typically a Hawaiian family’s homestead stood in relative isolation.

Where homesteads were assembled near each other, they were not communities held together either by bonds of kinship or economic interdependence.

“Go into any of these valleys, and you will see a surprising sight: along the whole narrow bottom, and climbing often in terraces the steep hillsides, you will see the little taro patches, skillfully laid so as to catch the water, either directly from the main stream, or from canals taking water out above.”

“Nearby or among these small holdings stand the grass houses of the proprietors, and you may see them and their wives, their clothing tucked up, standing over their knees in water, planting or cultivating their crop.” (Nordhoff, 1875)

Fishermen and their families living around the bays and beaches, or at isolated localities along the coast where fishing was practicable, led a life that was materially simpler than that of planters who dwelt on the plains.

Placement and occasional collection of kauhale was more of a functional pattern.

Kauhale means homestead, and when there were a number of kauhale close together the same term was used. The old Hawaiians had no conception of village or town as a corporate social entity; there was no term for village.

The kauhale were scattered near streams in valley bottoms; each family kauhale was right beside its lo’i. A spring (or springs) was sometimes the reason for a village-like conglomeration of homesteads – again, families focused on the water source.

Small bays and beaches generally had a cluster of houses where the families of fishermen lived – it was primarily because of the proximity to access to the ocean.

Kamakau noted, in early Hawaiʻi “The parents were masters over their own family group … No man was made chief over another.” Essentially, the extended family was the socio, biological, economic and political unit.

Because each ʻohana (family) was served by a parental haku (master, overseer) and each family was self-sufficient and capable of satisfying its own needs, there was no need for a hierarchal structure.

The Hawaiian concept of family, ‘ʻohana, is derived from the word ʻohā (fig., offspring, youngsters,) the axillary shoots of kalo that sprout from the main corm, the makua (parent.) Huli, cut from the tops of mauka, and ‘ohā are then used for replanting to regenerate the cycle of kalo production.

The true ‘community’ in which homesteads were integrated by socio-religious and economic ties was the dispersed community of the family (ʻohana,) relatives by blood, marriage and adoption.

Neighborly interdependence, the sharing of goods and services, resulted in the settling of contiguous lands by a given ʻohana within an ahupuaʻa (rather than in a scattering over an entire district.)

Kamakau states that there were no chiefs in the earliest period of settlement but that they came “several hundred years afterward … when men became numerous.”

As the population increased and wants and needs increased in variety and complexity (and it became too difficult to satisfy them with finite resources,) the need for chiefly rule became apparent.

As chiefdoms developed, the simple pecking order of titles and status likely evolved into a more complex and stratified structure.

While conquest and war resulted in periodic changes in leadership, there was a relative stability and permanence for the families and their kauhale. As a practical matter it was to the benefit of the chiefs to keep the farmers and fishers on the land they knew and cultivated.

Thus, the kauhale, the homesites of established ʻohana, were permanent features of the landscape, and the vested interest of any given family was equivalent to a title of ownership, so long as the landsman labored diligently to sustain his claim and was loyal to his chief. (Lots of information here from Handy and Pukui.)

August 18, 2026 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Story of the American Soldier

Established on June 14, 1775, the Continental Army relied on citizen-soldiers who endured severe shortages, harsh winters at Valley Forge, and existential battles at Trenton and Yorktown. Under George Washington, this rag-tag militia evolved into a disciplined force that secured American independence.

August 17, 2026 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Order of Kamehameha I

An Order or Order of Merit is a visible honor (in many cases represented in some form of medal and/or ribbon) awarded by a monarch, government or organization to an individual. Most historic orders imply a membership in a group.

Modern Orders of Merit and other Decorations can be traced back to the monarchical and honorific orders of chivalry as established in the Middle Ages. These were societies, fellowships and colleges of knights created by European monarchs in imitation of the military orders of the Crusades.

Fast forward to 1863 and Hawaiʻi; with the death of his younger brother (Alexander Liholiho – Kamehameha IV,) Prince Lot Kapuāiwa became Kamehameha V. He sought a new constitution to restore more powers to the king. In 1864, when it appeared that a new constitution could not be agreed upon, he declared that the Constitution of 1852 be replaced by one he had written himself.

Consistent with the prior constitution, Article 35 of the Constitution of 1864 (identified as Article 37 in the prior Constitution of 1852) states, “All Titles of Honor, Orders, and other distinctions, emanate from the King.”

The King’s Decree noted he was “desirous to cultivate and develop among (his) subjects the feelings of Honour and loyalty to Our Dynasty and its institutions…”

It also expressed his “wish to confer honorary distinctions upon such of Our subjects and foreigners as have rendered, or may hereafter render, to Our dynasty and People important services …”

Privy Council meeting minutes state:
“His Majesty stated that it was his intention to make Known to the Privy Council that it is his desire to institute an order of merit. Having read the 35 article of the Constitution he asked the advice of the members of the P. C. as to the propriety of creating an order, and read a Decree which he had prepared. Members Varigny, Harris and Andrews spoke in favor of the Institution and the following resolution Passed unanimously.”

“Res 2. Resolved that this Council fully concurring in the views embodied in the preamble of a decree instituting an order of merit, respectfully advises His Majesty to promulgate the proposed decree.”

The King made himself an ex officio Grand Chancellor of the Order of Kamehameha I; he also conferred the Order to a number of people, including, Mataio Kekūanāoʻa and Richard Wyllie (Grand Cross;) CG Hopkins, GM Robertson and EH Allen (Commander;) and a number of Knights.

His Decree and subsequent Statutes and meeting notes of what appears to be an organizational meeting, held March 16, 1867, note that there were initially three classes and limits on the number of (living) members in each class: Knights Grand Cross (10-members,) Knights Commanders (30-members) and Knights Companions (Knight) (50-members.) (Admittance fees were $250, $140 and $75, respectively.)

Participants in the 1867 meeting included King Kamehameha V, Mataio Kekūanāoʻa, Elisha H Allen, E Varigny, CC Harris, John O Dominus, Paul Kanoa and HP Staley.

The class and membership limitations did not include the King’s right to make appointments to foreigners (Foreign Exchanges) or as complementary to foreign sovereigns or powers.

Prior to admittance, prospective members were required to state the following oath: “I do hereby solemnly swear to remain faithfull to the principles of honor, obedient to the rules of the Order of Kamehameha I and to be a true and faithfull Knight of the said order of which I am this day a member.”

Commissions issued to members of the Order were signed by the King and countersigned by the Chancellor of the Order.

In the duration of the issuance of Order medallions under the Hawaiian monarchs (1865-1886) the Order of Kamehameha was awarded 57-times by King Kamehameha V and 82-times by King Kalākaua.

The insignia, worn on the left breast, consists of a Maltese surmounted by the Hawaiian crown. Rays of gold or silver are found between the arms of the cross. Enameled in blue and white and centered on the cross is a circular shield, the center of which is inscribed and elaborate “K”.

On the periphery of the shield, in a blue band, is the inscription “Kamehameha I”, on the badge’s reverse, around the shield is inscribed “E Hookanaka” (To be a man.)

In 1893, after the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani, the Order operated as a secret society until 1903, when under Prince Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole it returned into the public light.

“Credit for the founding of this order, which dates from May, 1903, or a little more than ten years after the close of the monarchy and a little less than five years after annexation to the United States, belongs to Dr George H Huddy, who has served the territory faithfully and well as a representative in the legislature, first from Kauaʻi and then from Hawaiʻi … Prince Jonah Kūhio Kalanianaʻole, delegate to congress, was the first aliʻi ʻaimoku, or sovereign head of the revived order.” (Star-Bulletin; June 10, 1913)

In 1905, the Order of Kamehameha brought solemnity to the holiday (Kamehameha Day) by draping a lei on the statue of Kamehameha in front of Aliʻiolani Hale and standing watch throughout the day. (Stillman)

On July 16, 1907, Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, George H Huddy, Nagaran Fernandez, Carlos A Long, James H Boyd, George E Smithies, Charles H Rose and Abraham Fernandez petitioned for a Charter for the Hawaiʻi Chapter No. 1, Order of Kamehameha.

“… the object for which the same is organized is as follows, 1. To inculcate the cardinal principles of Friendship, Charity and Benevolence; to provide for Sick and Funeral Benefits; to aid the widows and orphans; and to improve the social and moral conditions of its members.” (Hawaii Chapter No. 1, Order of Kamehameha; Petition for Charter, July 16, 1907) (An announcement in the Hawaiian Star shortly after noted similar language for the Māmalahoa Chapter. No. 2 )

In 1912, members of the Order of Kamehameha invited representatives of other fraternal and civic organizations to participate in a commemorative ceremony to honor Kamehameha I; in 1914, the planning committee opted to organize a parade to process from ‘A’ala Park to ‘Iolani Palace as a prelude to the ceremony at the Kamehameha statue. Thus, the inception of the Kamehameha Day parade. (Stillman)

“The Order of Kamehameha ought to endure as long as social order and fraternal amenities prevail in these fair Islands. This organization has changed fitful and voluntary homage to the memory of Kamehameha the Great to bounden and regular service on each anniversary of his birth. That the foremost young men of the rare are attending to this patriotic office is one of the best omens of the time.”

“It shows that their ideals are those of unity courage and progress. As they decorate the statue of Kamehameha, this day of his, with the fragrant wreaths that have long been world-known as the regalia of the warmest human hospitality, let it be believed that they dedicate themselves anew to the social and political betterment of the still potent remnant of their wondrously Interesting race.” (Star-Bulletin; June 10, 1913)

A preface to on-line application for membership in Royal Order of Kamehameha I (Moku O Kona) states, “The Order interferes neither with religion nor politics, but has for its foundation the great basic principles of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man.”

“The Order strives to teach a man the duty he owes to God, his neighbor, and himself. It inculcates the practice of virtue, and makes an extensive use of symbolism in its teachings.” (It also notes, “The Order is not a benefit society.”)