jan. 17, 1893 - overthrow of the hawaiian kingdom

our last reigning monarch, queen lili'uokalani
on this day 119 years ago hawai'i was forever changed

NYTimes Blog: Hawaiian Monarchy Overthrown by America-Backed Businessmen

when i think of queen lili'uokalani, my mind often turns to my own great grandmother, tutu sarah.  what i know of her life reminds me of lili'u's love for her people and 'onipa'a, steadfastness.  she was a proud hawaiian, a master weaver, and stubborn as they come, continuing to 'olelo hawai'i and resisting the tides of change with the U.S. government.

as a young girl, tutu sarah meet queen lili'uokalani when the queen visited waihe'e school.  i like to think this event helped to shape her own steadfastness.  it is said that tutu sarah often reminisced of this day.

tutu sarah has been gone since 1969.  she was 13 years old when the kingdom was overthrown.    
and yet, 119 years later, here i am, on her land, caring for the next generation, proud to be hawaiian, and once again inspired by lili'u's message of 'onipa'a.

'onipa'a: fixed, immovable, motionless, steadfast, established, firm, resolute, determined 


a friend put it best, simply stating, "WE ARE STILL HERE"