Na Mele O Hawai'i Archives

Two things to celebrate this week: Hapa's coming to town, and it's Led Ka'apana's birthday! We'll hear music from these artists as we kick back for an hour of ono Hawaiian music. Enjoy!

"On August 12, 1898, everything ceased. Washington Place was shuttered, as was every other Hawaiian home. No Hawaiian stirred from his own house nor his own thoughts, while the annexationists celebrated. Henry Berger played "Hawaii Ponoi" for the last time, as a free nation's anthem." - Helena G. Allen, "The Betrayal of Liliuokalani," p. 365

What's being described here? Nothing less than the end of Hawai'i as a sovereign nation. Listen in as we play the songs of protest and allegiance that Hawaiians of the day, including Hawaii's last monarch, penned and sang in tribute to their love of the land, "aloha 'aina." Learn why "Kaulana Na Pua" was originally called "The Stone Eating Song," and reflect on why there remains to this day a strong sovereignty movement in Hawai'i. Oni pa'a.