Ka’iulani: Hawaii’s Island Rose In a brief life filled with loss, Princess Ka’iulani established her legacy Princess Ka'iulani was born in Honolulu in 1875 1) 2019 marks the sixtieth anniversary of Hawaii’s statehood It was only through a complicated series of events that this independent island kingdom, thousands of miles away from the west coast of North America, joined the United States One of the pivotal figures in this history is also surprisingly little known, though the story of Princess Ka’iulani is both tragic and inspiring 2) “Princess Ka’iulani is an important person in the history of Hawaii, but not necessarily because of the things she accomplished in her life,” says DeSoto Brown, archivist at Hawaii’s Bishop Museum “She never got to be a ruler, so you can’t really look at her political career…You could almost say that she is known for what she wasn’t able to Circumstances intervened to prevent her going farther with her life.” Jennifer Fahrni, coauthor of the new play Ka’iulani: The Island Rose, explains “The circumstances and sadness surrounding her death have gained more attention than any of the details of her life It’s unfortunate that Ka’iulani’s heroic stand for her people is not better known.” 3) Victoria Ka’iulani Cleghorn was born in Honolulu in 1875, the daughter of Princess Miriam Likelike (sister of the reigning King Kalakaua) and Archibald Scott Cleghorn, a prominent Scottish businessman Since both King Kalakaua and Lili’uokalani, the sister who was to succeed him, were childless, the birth of Ka’iulani (meaning “royal sacred one”) assured the future of the dynasty 4) As a child, Ka’iulani led a charmed life She lived at Ainahau, a sprawling estate in Waikiki, a then-pristine rural area east of Honolulu Her mother was a wonderful entertainer who welcomed many people into their home, including the poet and author Robert Louis Stevenson, who befriended the young Ka’iulani It was Stevenson who first referred to Ka’iulani as “the island rose” in a poem he wrote for her and inscribed in her autograph book "Forth from her land to mine she goes, The island maid, the island rose, Light of heart and bright of face: The daughter of a double race Her islands here, in Southern sun, Shall mourn their Ka'iulani gone, And I, in her dear banyan shade, Look vainly for my little maid 5) But the Princess’s life was also filled with loss at an early age She was just six when both her beloved governess and her godmother died, and eleven when her mother died of a mysterious illness, purportedly leaving the child with a frightening deathbed prediction that Ka’iulani’s life would be filled with loneliness and loss, and that she would never fulfill her destiny as Hawaii’s queen 6) At the age of 13, Ka’iulani was sent to boarding school in England “Her father wanted her to have the best education possible, to be educated like a proper young lady” Brown explains, “especially since she was royalty and it was anticipated that she would have important responsibilities in connection with her position.” It would be nine years before she would see her native land again; and when she finally returned, Hawaii was no longer an independent nation 7) In January 1893, Ka’iulani’s aunt, Queen Lili’uokalani, was forced from her throne by a group of local businessmen of American and British descent, backed by the U.S Marines Calling themselves the Committee of Safety, they sought to overthrow the queen and annex Hawaii to the United States The Queen yielded her power and appealed to the American people to restore Hawaii’s constitutional monarchy as the legitimate government of the people At the time of these events, Ka’iulani was still in England Just 17 years old, she sailed to New York to make her own direct appeal to the American people for the restoration of the government to her people She made an immediate impression on the reporters who met her ship when it docked A reporter from the San Francisco Examiner countered earlier disparaging reports about the Hawaiian royal family and described her as " the very flower of civilization," and added, "The Princess Kaiulani is a charming, fascinating individual." 8) Speaking clearly and calmly, Ka’iulani addressed the press, “Seventy years ago, Christian America sent over Christian men and women to give religion and civilization to Hawaii Today three of the sons of those missionaries are at your capitol, asking you to undo their fathers’ work… I, a poor, weak girl, with not one of my people near me and all of these statesmen against me, have the strength to stand up for the rights of my people Even now I can hear their wail in my heart, and it gives me strength.” 9) From New York, she proceeded to Washington D.C “She was invited to the White House and met with the President and his wife,” says Sharon Linnea, author of Princess Ka’iulani: Hope of a Nation, Heart of a People “No one else had been able to accomplish that.” The story of Kaiulani’s advocacy for her people was also widely covered in women’s magazines of the time “I think that was the way she won the hearts and minds of the American people,” says Linnea “She made [readers] understand the situation, and what was at stake in the Hawaiian Islands that they hadn’t understood before.” 10) Shortly after Ka’iulani’s arrival in America, and a few days into his new administration, President Grover Cleveland ordered the Senate to remove the annexation treaty from consideration, and dispatched James H Blount, former chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, to the Islands to investigate the situation Over a period of months, Blount conducted a thorough inquiry: his report was unequivocally critical of the takeover, and recommended that the Queen be restored to her throne 11) When Cleveland ordered the provisional government to return power to the Queen, they refused Unwilling to order the use of force, Cleveland appealed to Congress to demand that the new government cease what he called “lawless occupation…under false pretenses.” But he was unable to stop the tide He served only one term, and his successor, President McKinley, was an annexationist In 1898, the same year the U.S gained control of Cuba, the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico, the annexation of Hawaii was enacted Cleveland later wrote, “I am ashamed of the whole affair.” 12) Ka’iulani, who by then had returned to Hawaii from her long exile abroad, spent the day of annexation quietly, in the somber company of her aunt and other members and friends of the royal family For most Hawaiians it was a day of mourning The Hawaiian Gazette reported details of the ceremony held at Iolani Palace where the Hawaiian national anthem was being played “minus the 16 native [musicians] who were excused… all of them so overcome by events that they retired and would not play… before the lowering [of the Hawaiian flag].” 13) With battle for their people’s independence lost, Ka’iulani and Lili’uokalani turned their efforts toward voting rights for the Hawaiian people When President McKinley sent a delegation of commissioners to the islands, Ka’iulani invited them to a lavish, grand luau at Ainahau “She made sure that they were seated between obviously very well-educated Hawaiians who were nothing like what they had been led to believe Hawaiians were like,” Linnea explains “And once they had actually met Hawaiian people they could no longer pretend that [Hawaiians] did not deserve to vote as much as anyone else.” 14) In January of 1899, she became ill after riding her horse in a storm, and never fully recovered She died on March 6, 1899, at the age of 23 15) “All of us can’t help but feel the poignancy of what could have been achieved but never was,” Brown says And yet, what Ka’iulani was able to achieve was significant “The fact that it took as long as it did for the U.S to take over the country I think was very much due to Ka’iulani and her ability to sway not only politicians but the public,” says Linnea “She had a gift for influencing public opinion and for using her personal experience to change the hearts of people who were in power and had the ability to make decisions statehoo d pivotal accompli sh ruler interven ed stand promine nt childless sprawlin g pristine purporte dly lonelines s backed sought overthro w annex docked The status of being a state of the US Being of crucial importance Cause to happen; complete successfully A person who rules or commands Get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action Hold one's ground; maintain a position Conspicuous in position or importance The state of having no children Spreading out in different directions Completely free from dirt or contamination Believed or reputed to be the case Sadness resulting from being forsaken or abandoned Give support or one's approval to Try to get or reach Cause the downfall of; of rulers Take (territory) as if by conquest (Of a ship) tie up at a dock, especially to load or unload passengers or cargo disparagi Express a negative opinion of ng wail Emit long loud cries at stake To be won or lost; at risk annexati The formal act of acquiring something on (especially territory) by conquest or occupation treaty A written agreement between two states or sovereigns dispatch Send away towards a designated goal ed takeover A sudden and decisive change of government lawless occupati on mournin g lavish luau deserve illegally or by force Disobedient to or defiant of law The control of a country by military forces of a foreign power Sorrowful through loss or deprivation Characterized by extravagance An elaborate Hawaiian feast If you say that someone deserves something, you mean that they should have it because of their qualities or actions poignanc A state of deeply felt distress or sorrow y sway To persuade someone to believe or one thing rather than another Use the following red words in the sentences below: accomplish, ruler, intervene, stand, prominent, loneliness, overthrown, at stake, lawless, mourning, deserve • is different from being alone Being alone means you just have no one beside you but loneliness means that you cannot talk with others and share them with your feelings • Brazil’s National honor is at _ every time there is a World Cup football match • Coco Chanel was _ in the fashion industry • He who is not courageous enough to take risks will _nothing in life Muhammad Ali • In Greek mythology, Zeus was the _ of Gods and men • Politicians have to for something If they don’t stand for something, people have no reason to vote for them • The color black is traditionally associated with _ • The government recognized there are problems in urban areas but these should never be an excuse for behavior • The President tried to in the annexation of Hawaii but was unsuccessful • Those who deny freedom to others hardly _ it for themselves • When the commissioner determined that Liliuokalani had been illegally and that most Hawaiians opposed the coup, Cleveland's administration urged that the monarchy be restored The answers to the questions are found in the same paragraph number as the question How long has Hawaii been a State of the U.S.A? True/False Princess Kaiulani was only queen of Hawaii for a short time? Princess Kaiulani was a mixture of which two races? What did Robert Louis Stevenson, The author of the book Treasure Island for Kaiulani? What did her mother predict on her deathbed about Kaiulani’s life? Why was Kaiulani sent away to England? What did Kaiulani when she got news that Hawaii’s Queen had been deposed? Who did Kaiulani blame for perpetrating the overthrow of Hawaii’s government? Where did she go after she arrived in New York and who did she talk to? 10.What did Grover Cleveland after his meeting with Princess Kaiulani? 11.Did the provisional government in Hawaii yield to Grover Cleveland’s demands? 12.Where most Hawaiians happy about becoming a part of the United States? 13.What did Kaiulani for her people after the Annexation? 14.How did Kaiulani die? 15.Do you think Princess Kaiulani had much of an influence while she lived? ... State of the U.S.A? True/False Princess Kaiulani was only queen of Hawaii for a short time? Princess Kaiulani was a mixture of which two races? What did Robert Louis Stevenson, The author of the... day of annexation quietly, in the somber company of her aunt and other members and friends of the royal family For most Hawaiians it was a day of mourning The Hawaiian Gazette reported details of. .. his wife,” says Sharon Linnea, author of Princess Ka’iulani: Hope of a Nation, Heart of a People “No one else had been able to accomplish that.” The story of Kaiulani? ??s advocacy for her people was