A hundred years since the passing of King Kamehameha I, 1919.
Cover Image: Masthead of Ke Aloha Aina printed on March 7, 1919. Although the date reads, “Poalima, Maraki 8, 1919.”
Aloha Nūhou Monday!
Dear Reader,
The commission for the Kamehameha Day celebrations in 1919 strove to make the centenary celebration memorable–but most of all to instill a great aloha within all Hawaiians for the day honoring their nation’s founder–Kamehameha I.
Image: Kamehameha I statue draped with lei for Kamehameha Day; Honolulu, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. Photo by Laurence Hata. Bishop Museum Archives, SP 126014
Image sharing on social media is welcome. For all other uses please contact Archives@BishopMuseum.org.
The four-day commemoration was filled with various activities and amusements including parades of floats and pageants reenacting events from the life of Kamehameha I, the Māmalahoa Kānāwai, the meeting of Kamehameha and Captain Cook, the lifting of the Naha stone, and the gathering of the Council of chiefs on Molokaʻi prior to Kamehameha’s invasion of Oʻahu.1
The processions also included music by various marching bands, singing by glee clubs, and parading of pāʻū rider troupes. These were all organized by Hawaiians, for Hawaiians, by the various centenary committees, the Hawaiian societies, and the community. The commission urged all Hawaiians to lend their support and help with the festivities, for it was their day to honor Kamehameha.
Image: Princess Kahanu Kalanianaʻole, center, wearing the ʻahu ʻula Kekaulike at the Kamehameha statue for the 1919 Kamehameha Day Parade; Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Mrs. Emma Taylor is at far left. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Bishop Museum Archives, SP_41260
Image sharing on social media is welcome. For all other uses please contact Archives@BishopMuseum.org.
Today’s article published in Ke Aloha Aina can indeed be found online via Papakilo Database, but it cannot be read in its entirety due to its proximity to the binding of the nūpepa volume. Compare the legibility of the image digitized from the microfilm to an image captured from the original nūpepa by our He Aupuni Palapala project team.
Image: Newly digitized image of the article “Eia Na Komike o ka la Hoohanohano o Kamehameha ke Hoomakaukau nei.” published in Ke Aloha Aina March 7, 1919, p. 1, captured by He Aupuni Palapala.
Image: Image of article “Eia Na Komike o ka la Hoohanohano o Kamehameha ke Hoomakaukau nei.” published in Ke Aloha Aina March 7, 1919, p. 1, digitized from microfilm, found online at papakilodatabase.com.
The Kamehameha Day Celebration Committees Make Preparations
The promotional committees for the day honoring Kamehameha are preparing their program for the 11th of June. A request was put before the Legislature for a sum of money to support the festivities of the day.
It is imperative that all Hawaiians rise together to support the activities that the committees are preparing, because this day is for us, not for the newcomers.
Let us not simply watch idly at the activities being prepared by these committees but let Hawaiians join in by assisting with the duties being undertaken.
We have only one day of the year, and this is the day that is famous in the history of Hawaiʻi, so it is important that all Hawaiians participate.
The haole are preparing their entries into the festivities of the day, and should there be profits made, they will be the ones who will prosper.
We always step back from promotion, yet our Hawaiian committees are working hard for the bettering of businesses run by Hawaiians.
These committees have much to do, and not just the committees, but our prominent Hawaiians are working along with these committees.
Ensuring the success of the events of the day, the Hawaiian societies will also be there, as in years past, they have new programs this year.
These were never seen in past times. The committees are working hard on these new kinds of programs because of how precious this Hawaiian day of celebration is.
It is desired that this Kamehameha day surpass those of the previous years, in new ways unseen before, and there are a great many new groups that will be joining in.
These new groups are composed of only Hawaiians, various glee clubs will be seen, divided into their individual island.
Therefore, this is our day to honor in the true Hawaiian way, and there will be a few fairs held by Hawaiʻi’s own so that the poor may experience the amusements.
Image: “Hoomanao Na Hawaii i ka la o Kamehameha.” Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, June 13, 1919, p. 1.
The picture [above] are scenes of the different Hawaiian Societies seated on the Palace Grounds, listening to the speeches about the famous deeds of Kamehameha in his lifetime, as well as to the songs prepared for the day. The parade that morning was one of the most beautiful parades seen. The small pictures below are portions of the parade; on the far left is Mrs. Alice Kamokila Macfarlane, the head of the Daughters of Hawaiian Warriors [ʻAhahui o nā Kaikamāhine a nā Pūkaua], along with some of the members of the society. In the middle are the guards of Kamehameha with their spears, all the way on the right is a picture showing the scene called “Māmalahoa Kānāwai.”
1“Four Historic Floats in Kamehameha Centenary Parades to Illustrate Chief Incidents in Life,” Honolulu Star-Bulletin, June 7, 1919, p. 30.
Image: Daughters and Sons of Hawaiian Warriors reenacting a warrior’s death, possibly at the Kamehameha Day Parade; Honolulu, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. Bishop Museum Archives, SP_213431
Image sharing on social media is welcome. For all other uses please contact Archives@BishopMuseum.org.
This post is part of He Aupuni Palapala: Preserving and Digitizing the Hawaiian Language Newspapers, a partnership between Bishop Museum and Awaiaulu with assistance from Kamehameha Schools. Mahalo nui loa to Hawaii Tourism Authority for their support. Learn more about this project here.
