Free events celebrate Queen Liliʻuokalani and Hawaiian History Month
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Queen Liliʻuokalani, Credit: Hawaiʻi State Archives
ʻUmeke lāʻau at Kapolei Hale where a special opening is set for Sept 2. City and County of Honolulu
(File) ʻŌlapa (dancers) perform at ʻIolani Palace.
Link to video (details below): https://go.hawaii.edu/rW8
***VOSOT script below for consideration***
This September, Hawaiʻi will mark its first official Hawaiian History Month, following the state’s adoption of Act 167 earlier this year. The month honors Queen Liliʻuokalani and celebrates Native Hawaiian contributions, inviting the public to reflect, learn and envision the future together.
Presented by the Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Coalition and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, this year’s observance offers free concerts, films, walking tours, cultural presentations and virtual events designed to connect people across generations.
“This designation affirms our collective responsibility to share Hawaiʻi’s true story,” said State Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, who sponsored the legislation. “It honors Queen Liliʻuokalani while inspiring civic participation rooted in aloha ʻāina.”
Honoring her legacy
Hawaiian History Month honors the legacy of Queen Liliʻuokalani while highlighting the islands’ history and heritage. Born Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Wewehi Kamakaʻeha in 1838 at her family home in Puōwaina (Punchbowl), she was Hawaiʻi’s last reigning monarch. A gifted composer and staunch defender of her people, her September 2 birthday anchors the month’s observance and keeps her legacy at its center.
“By designating September as Hawaiian History Month, the State has given us space to reflect and to celebrate,” said Soulee Stroud, Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Coalition organizer. “But more than that, it reminds us of our responsibility to carry forward the values Queen Liliʻuokalani stood for—aloha, resilience and hope for her people.”
Overthrow reflections, sacred Kumulipo
Among this year’s most anticipated events is the return of Mai Poina: The Overthrow Walking Tours, where actors guide participants through pivotal moments of January 1893 at ʻIolani Palace. The tours were initially created as part of the 100th anniversary commemoration of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Another highlight is The Kumulipo Experience, a rare performance of the sacred 2,102-line genealogy chant that connects the Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) of today to more than 100 generations of their ancestors, tracing back to the time of source darkness—the genesis of the universe.
“This month is a living classroom,” said Malia Nobrega, director of strategic partnerships at Hawaiʻinuiākea who is helping organize events. “It’s about carrying forward Queen Liliʻuokalani’s vision and creating opportunities for our communities to connect, reflect and be inspired.”
Event highlights (All events are free and open to the public.)
- August 31—Eō e Liliʻu Concert, Kawaiahaʻo Church
Celebrate the Queen’s musical legacy with a community sing-along.
- September 2—Hau‘oli Lā Hānau e Lili‘uokalani, ʻUmeke Lāʻau at Kapolei Hale
Commemorate Queen Liliʻuokalani’s 187th birthday and the milestone passage of Act 167.
- September 6—Free Palace Tours and Memory Walk, ʻIolani Palace
Walk in remembrance and enjoy free admission to Hawaiʻi’s historic seat of monarchy.
- September 6, 7 and 13—Mai Poina: The Overthrow Walking Tours, ʻIolani Palace
Experience history where it happened. These dramatic walking tours, originally created in 1993 by playwright Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl, recreate the pivotal days of January 1893 and illuminate untold stories of the Hawaiian Kingdom’s overthrow.
B-ROLL: (53 seconds)
0:00-0:19 - (File) Concert at Kawaiahaʻo Church
0:19-0:30 - Queen Liliʻuokalani (Credit: Hawaiʻi State Archives)
0:30-0:53 - (File) Various Hawaiian cultural events
SUGGESTED VO SCRIPT
INTRO
September in Hawaiʻi now carries new meaning. For the first time, the state is officially recognizing Hawaiian History Month — honoring the islands’ last monarch.
TAKE NATS
[Hawaiian chanting]
VO
Queen Liliʻuokalani, remembered as Hawaiʻi’s last reigning monarch, is at the center of this month-long observance. Hawaiian History Month became official with the signing of Act 167 earlier this year.
Throughout September, the community is invited to free concerts, films, palace tours and cultural presentations. Festivities are presented by the Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Coalition and UH Mānoa.
Organizers say it’s like a living classroom, keeping the Queen’s legacy alive while encouraging people of all ages to connect, reflect, and imagine Hawaiʻi’s future together.
For a full schedule of events, head to (station website).