Ka Poʻe Alona ʻĀina 1894 He Moʻolelo Hoʻonaue Puʻuwai: Hawaiian Defiance A Year After The Overthrow

Abstract

Abstract There were different and opposing national identities claiming to represent Hawaiʻi in 1894. A year after the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, the same insurgents now calling themselves the Provisional Government of Hawaiʻi (PG) were putting on a one-year anniversary celebration. Depending on the newspapers and other records from the day, completely different stories could be told on this same event. The PG attempted to spread political myth as fact, to legitimize their cause, and give them the appearance of embodying American values. Opposing English language newspapers however, were able to unravel many of these political myths, thus delegitimizing the PG and highlighting President Cleveland’s rejection of annexation. Meanwhile, Hawaiian language writers, first demonstrating an intimate and expert knowledge of Hawaiʻi’s situation, then published and used this knowledge to express themselves and find answers in a very Hawaiian way – through the use of metaphor and kaona - to further delegitimize the PG. Because these writings were published and kept, these writers simultaneously preserved Hawaiian thought and action from this turbulent time for Hawaiians today. These stories can act as an example of Hawaiian identity and Hawaiian Nationalism in a time of great political change, thereby perhaps showing one way to move forward in today’s politically changing environment.