WHO WAS THE GREATEST HAWAIIAN OF ALL? - KE AUPUNI UPDATE - JUNE 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kamehameha from Conqueror to Statesman 

In my 26 years of interacting with the international community as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Hawaiian Kingdom, I never tire of sharing this part of our Kingdom’s story.

This past Thursday was the 155th anniversary of the celebration of King Kamehameha Day. Of the three official holidays of the Kingdom, the other two being Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea and Lā Kuʻokoʻa, Lā Kamehameha is the only one that has been celebrated continuously through regime changes and occupation. And rightly so…

Mōʻī Kamehameha ʻEkāhi (King Kamehameha I) transformed the Hawaiian Islands from fragmented, warring chiefdoms into a unified, prosperous, and globally recognized kingdom. By blending aggressive military conquest with shrewd diplomatic policies and progressive social laws, he successfully guided Hawai'i into the modern era.

Kamehameha The Conqueror

Prophecy and Preparation: Born Paiʻea around 1758, his life was shaped by ancient prophecy. He gained immense credibility and spiritual authority by overturning the massive, 2.5-ton Naha Stone—a feat rumored to signify the man who would conquer all the islands. He trained rigorously for war and forged strategic alliances with other chiefs and surrounded himself with loyal advisors.

Military Prowess: Launching his campaign in the early 1780s, Kamehameha utilized his formidable tactical mind. He secured decisive, brutal victories at the Battle of Kepūwahaʻulaʻula (the Red-Touted Mouth) and the dramatic Battle of Nuʻuanu Pali on Oʻahu.

Adapting Technology: He was quick to embrace Western weaponry, employing foreign advisors, cannons, and muskets to breach opposing defenses.

Kamehameha The Statesman

Upon finishing the conquest stage, Kamehameha switched from a fierce warrior to a wise statesman to unify the islands into a nation…

Law of the Splintered Paddle (Kānāwai Māmalahoe): A defining moment in his political transition was the enactment of this pioneering human rights law. It protected the sick, the elderly, and non-combatants from harm, fundamentally shifting his public image from a ruthless warlord to a protector of his people.

Centralized Governance: While maintaining traditional Hawaiian kapu systems and religious structures, Kamehameha established a centralized administration. He used this consolidated power to maintain order, uniting differing island chiefdoms under one cohesive royal dynasty.

Global Diplomacy and Trade: He recognized the inevitability of foreign influence and leveraged it for economic gain. Kamehameha created a royal monopoly on the lucrative sandalwood trade with China, using the generated revenue to modernize Hawaii's economy and purchase imported goods and arms.

Kamehameha and the Kings and Queens that followed in his footsteps provided such a firm foundation for our nation that, despite all the abuse, adversity and efforts to erase us, the nation still stands, maintains continuity and grows stronger every day.

Aloha ʻĀina —
“Love of country is deep-seated in the breast of every Hawaiian, whatever his station.” — Queen Liliʻuokalani

Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono.
The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.
------
For the latest news and developments about our progress at the United Nations in both New York and Geneva, tune in to Free Hawaii News at 7 PM, the first Friday of each month on ʻŌlelo Television, Channel 53.

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"Remember, for the latest updates and information about the Hawaiian Kingdom, check out the twice-a-month Ke Aupuni Updates published online on Facebook and other social media."

PLEASE KŌKUA…
Your kōkua, large or small, is vital to this effort...
To contribute, go to:

• GoFundMe – CAMPAIGN TO FREE HAWAII

• PayPal – log in to PayPal and pay to the account, info@HawaiianKingdom.net

• Other – To contribute in other ways (airline miles, travel vouchers, volunteer service, etc...) email us at: info@HawaiianKingdom.net  

Malama Pono,
Leon Siu
Hawaiian National
Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Hawaiian Kingdom (since 2001)

HAWAI`IʻS EARLY IMMIGRANTS ON “VOICES OF TRUTH - ONE-ON-ONE WITH HAWAI`IʻS FUTURE"

““Hawai`iʻs Plantation Village - A Visit With Deanna Espinas""

With immigration being in the news these days we had a chance to see what life was like for Hawai`iʻs immigrants during the plantation period around the early 1900ʻs. We spent the afternoon at Hawai`iʻs Plantation Village with Deanna Espinas who not only described what it would have been like as an immigrant laborer in Hawai`iʻs sugar cane fields, but also showed us amazing replicas of houses they lived in. As she explained to us just how hard life had been back then, we quickly wondered if any of us would have survived if we attempted that today. Join us in our extraordinary visit with Deanna and youʻll both feel and hear the voices of the past of those who gave up what they had to come and start a new life in Hawai`i - Watch It Here

Now you can become a fan of Voices Of Truth on Facebook by clicking Here and see behind the scenes photos of our shows and a whole lot more.  

Voices Of Truth interviews those creating a better future for Hawai`i to discover what made them go from armchair observers to active participants. We hope you'll be inspired to do the same.
 
Voices Of Truth airs throughout Hawai`i on all islands and reaches over 24 million households across the US and throughout the world. Check your local cable TV listings.

For news and issues that affect you, watch Free Hawai`i TV. 

And for news from a kanaka point of view, watch Free Hawaii News.

All a part of the Free Hawai`i Broadcasting Network.

Please share our Free Hawai`i Broadcasting Network videos with friends and colleagues. That's how we grow. Mahalo.

DID YOU KNOW?

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IS STRIVING FOR SOVEREIGNTY BEING SELFISH?

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THE FREE HAWAI`I BROADCASTING NETWORK  

 

"WHATʻS THE HAWAIIAN KINGDOMʻS SECRET WEAPON"
 

The Hawaiian Kingdom Pulled Off Some Amazing Accomplishments.

It Not Only Got The Super Powers Of The World At That Time To Recognize It.

It Was The First Non-Western Nation To Become A Member Of The Family Of Nations.

Watch This To See What Their Secret Weapon Was To Achieve All This.  

SIGN OF THE TIMES

DONʻT MISS THIS - ITʻS FREE & ONLINE

LEAVING A LEGACY ON “VOICES OF TRUTH - ONE-ON-ONE WITH HAWAI`IʻS FUTURE"

“Leaving A Legacy - A Visit With Kim Ku`ulei Birnie"

Kim Ku`ulei Birnieʻs family history goes back an amazing eighty generations in Hawai`i. So naturally many of her ancestors played important roles in Hawai`iʻs past. It should come as no surprise therefore that Kim herself is no different, focusing on the health of todayʻs Hawaiians. Join us in our fascinating visit with Kim in beautiful Manoa Valley as she explains why her past as well as her present work is dedicated to a legacy of helping Hawaiians thrive - Watch It Here

Now you can become a fan of Voices Of Truth on Facebook by clicking Here and see behind the scenes photos of our shows and a whole lot more.  

Voices Of Truth interviews those creating a better future for Hawai`i to discover what made them go from armchair observers to active participants. We hope you'll be inspired to do the same.
 
Voices Of Truth airs throughout Hawai`i on all islands and reaches over 24 million households across the US and throughout the world. Check your local cable TV listings.

For news and issues that affect you, watch Free Hawai`i TV. 

And for news from a kanaka point of view, watch Free Hawaii News.

All a part of the Free Hawai`i Broadcasting Network.

Please share our Free Hawai`i Broadcasting Network videos with friends and colleagues. That's how we grow. Mahalo.

 FREE HAWAI`I

 

JUNE FREE HAWAII NEWS - IS STRIVING FOR SOVEREIGNTY SELFISH?

Then How Molokai Residents Are Taking Their Land Back. Also Is The US Trying To White-Wash Hawaiian History By Combining Them With Asian Americans? Plus Why Diplomacy Is The Secret Ingredient For A Free Hawaii & A New Kumu Hinaʻs Mana`o Asks Does Being Hawaiian Give You Hawaiian Knowledge?

 

The June 2026 “Free Hawaii News” debuting tonight Friday, June 5th airs at 7 PM on `Olelo Television Channel 53 on O`ahu, on all neighbor islands and also at FreeHawaiiNews.com

“Does the word aloha mean just to give & give? How do we achieve alignment today with our cultural values with intentional balance? And how do we live inside a system that penalizes us for practicing those very cultural values? And is striving for sovereignty selfish? These are some of the questions we ask Dr. Michelle Manu, PhD, a Hawaiian elite athlete, a master of Lua and other martial arts and an educator. We promise a fascinating and eye-opening conversation with her.”

“Also on the June Free Hawaii News, we visit with Zhantell Dudoit Lindo of the Molokai Heritage Trust about their goal of buying back fifty-five thousand acres of Hawaiian lands from a foreign corporation which had planned to built luxury homes. What we discovered is an exciting community led and highly driven land back mission the likes of which we have never seen before,” reports Free Hawaii News co-host Leon Siu.

“We also interview Hawaiian historian and writer Adam Keawe Manalo-Camp about how Asian-Americans, native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders came to be lumped together over time by many historians, yet each group has such a distinct culture and history of how they arrived in Hawaii. Adam shares his amazing answers and insights,” states Free Hawaii News co-host Hinaleimoana Wong.

Finally, a new Kumu Hinaʻs Mana`o asks if being Hawaiian automatically gives one Hawaiian knowledge.

Free Hawaii News presents Hawaiian or kanaka maoli perspectives on a broad range of issues and topics affecting the Hawaiian Islands, the Pacific and the world.

Brought to you by the Koani Foundation, Free Hawaii News airs every month on `Ōlelo Television on O`ahu, on all neighbor islands and on stations around the world as well as online on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Substack, Pinterest, X, BlueSky and over thirty different Facebook pages and other online sites.

Hinaleimoana Wong is a kumu hula, filmmaker, cultural activist, Hawaiian language speaker, preservationist and community leader. She has served in the past as a member of the O`ahu Island Burial Council.

Leon Siu has for many years served as Foreign Minister of the Hawaiian Kingdom. He is active in that role at the United Nations in both New York City and Geneva, Switzerland. Besides being a diplomat, he is also an award-winning musician, composer and political analyst.

TOMORROW ON THE JUNE FREE HAWAII NEWS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is Striving For Sovereignty Being Selfish?

Then We Show How Molokai Residents Are Taking Their Land Back.

Also We Ask Is The US Trying To White-Wash Hawaiian History By Combining Them With Asian Americans?

Plus Why Diplomacy Is The Secret Ingredient For A Free Hawai`i.

And A New Kumu Hinaʻs Mana`o Asks Does Being Hawaiian Automatically Give You Hawaiian Knowledge?

Join Hosts Hinaleimoana Wong & Leon Siu As They Give The Kanaka Perspective On Issues In Hawaii You Wonʻt Get Anywhere Else.

7 PM TOMORROW ON `OLELO TELEVISION -CABLE CHANNEL 53 ON O`AHU - FreeHawaiiNews.com

FREE HAWAI`I TV
THE FREE HAWAI`I BROADCASTING NETWORK  

 

"WHAT DOES THE US MILITARY DO FOR HAWAI`I?"
 

What Does The US Military Do To Hawai`i Is More Like It.

A Recent Study Shows The Negative Impacts.

Like Destroying The Land & Poisoning Hawai`iʻs Water.

Watch This & See Why Itʻs Time For The US Military To Say Aloha.
  

 FREE HAWAI`I

 

 

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A LEGACY OF HELP ON “VOICES OF TRUTH - ONE-ON-ONE WITH HAWAI`IʻS FUTURE"

“Leaving A Legacy - A Visit With Kim Ku`ulei Birnie"

Kim Ku`ulei Birnieʻs family history goes back an amazing eighty generations in Hawai`i. So naturally many of her ancestors played important roles in Hawai`iʻs past. It should come as no surprise therefore that Kim herself is no different, focusing on the health of todayʻs Hawaiians. Join us in our fascinating visit with Kim in beautiful Manoa Valley as she explains why her past as well as her present work is dedicated to a legacy of helping Hawaiians thrive - Watch It Here

Now you can become a fan of Voices Of Truth on Facebook by clicking Here and see behind the scenes photos of our shows and a whole lot more.  

Voices Of Truth interviews those creating a better future for Hawai`i to discover what made them go from armchair observers to active participants. We hope you'll be inspired to do the same.
 
Voices Of Truth airs throughout Hawai`i on all islands and reaches over 24 million households across the US and throughout the world. Check your local cable TV listings.

For news and issues that affect you, watch Free Hawai`i TV. 

And for news from a kanaka point of view, watch Free Hawaii News.

All a part of the Free Hawai`i Broadcasting Network.

Please share our Free Hawai`i Broadcasting Network videos with friends and colleagues. That's how we grow. Mahalo.

KE AUPUNI UPDATE - MAY 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Role of Diplomacy
 

Serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hawaiian Kingdom for the past 26 years has taught me a lot. Today, we’re going to take a cursory glance at the history of foreign affairs and the Hawaiian Kingdom and why diplomacy has played such an important in our nation.

Earlier this month, we witnessed the triumphant premiere of the Hawaiian Opera, Kamalehua: the Sheltering Tree. It was an outstanding production, receiving well-deserved standing ovations by packed houses at each of its three performances at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. We say, Hoʻomaikaʻi! Congratulations! to creator Patrick Makuakane and all those who collaborated in the production of this amazing work of art.

The story is about Hawaii’s first diplomat, Timoteo Haʻalilio, who in 1842 was commissioned and sent by King Kamehameha III as his emissary to secure recognition of the Hawaiian Kingdom’s sovereignty by the world’s superpowers of the day. Haʻalilio and his assistant, the Rev. William Richardson, crossed two oceans in traveling to the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Belgium.

Against all odds, in November of 1843, Haʻalilio, this first Hawaiian Kingdom diplomat, a native man from a tiny far-off country in the middle of the Pacific, succeeded in convincing the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of France, the top colonial powers of the world, to issue a joint proclamation recognizing and respecting the Hawaiian Kingdom, a non-Western nation, as a sovereign, independent country.

This was followed months later with recognition by the United States and Belgium. From that point on, Hawaii was considered a member of the “family of nations”, on equal terms with the colonial powers of the world.

Formal treaties followed, along with internationally leading-edge policies such as the abolition of slavery (1852) and neutrality, non-involvement in other countries’ wars (1854 and 1861). By the 1890s the Hawaiian Kingdom enjoyed bilateral treaties and conventions with sovereign nations worldwide. These agreements established formal diplomatic relations, friendship and trade with global powers such as the United States, Great Britain, France, Japan, the German Empire, Italy, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark and more.

The Hawaiian Kingdom was a member of the Universal Postal Union, the first multilateral treaty body of its kind and the precursor to treaty bodies that would come decades later… like the League of Nations and the present-day United Nations.

By the 1890s the Hawaiian Kingdom had 136 embassies and consulates located in 26 foreign nations around the world.

All this was the result of the Hawaiian Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs whose diplomats served admirably following in the footsteps of Hawaii’s first diplomat, Timoteo Ha’alilio.

After Kamehameha ʻEkāhi united our islands into the Hawaiian Kingdom, our greatest successes as a nation came through our reliance on diplomacy, not through conflicts on the battlefield or in the courts. That is the way of our kūpuna and our aliʻi. The way of Aloha…

Aloha ʻĀina —
“Love of country is deep-seated in the breast of every Hawaiian, whatever his station.” — Queen Liliʻuokalani

Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono.
The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.
------
For the latest news and developments about our progress at the United Nations in both New York and Geneva, tune in to Free Hawaii News at 7 PM, the first Friday of each month on ʻŌlelo Television, Channel 53.

-----
"Remember, for the latest updates and information about the Hawaiian Kingdom, check out the twice-a-month Ke Aupuni Updates published online on Facebook and other social media."

PLEASE KŌKUA…
Your kōkua, large or small, is vital to this effort...
To contribute, go to:

• GoFundMe – CAMPAIGN TO FREE HAWAII

• PayPal – log in to PayPal and pay to the account, info@HawaiianKingdom.net

• Other – To contribute in other ways (airline miles, travel vouchers, volunteer service, etc...) email us at: info@HawaiianKingdom.net  

Malama Pono,
Leon Siu
Hawaiian National
Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Hawaiian Kingdom (since 2001)

FREE HAWAII NEWS SHORT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KUMU HINAʻS MANA`O

FREE HAWAII NEWS SHORT

WATCH IT HERE

Want More? Watch The Full Episode Here - FreeHawaiiNews.com

 FREE HAWAI`I

 

REPEAT AFTER ME

YES, TODAY IS A DAY YOU SEE FLAGS EVERYWHERE

IF THE OCEAN DIES, WE DIE ON “VOICES OF TRUTH - ONE-ON-ONE WITH HAWAI`IʻS FUTURE"

“We Are The Ocean - A Visit With Dr. Brittany Kamai, PhD"

On a beautiful late afternoon we met with Brittany Kamai, a Hawaiian astrophysicist, for a walk along the beach. She shocked us right away by telling us that if the ocean dies, we die. She also reminded us that our oceans replenish half of the worldʻs oxygen and they are now calling for our help to stop deep sea mining which would disturb the oceanʻs ability to supply that oxygen. Filmed along the shore of O`ahuʻs westside, join us in our fascinating visit with Brittany who not only impressed us with her amazing knowledge, but inspired us to answer the oceanʻs call - Watch It Here

Now you can become a fan of Voices Of Truth on Facebook by clicking Here and see behind the scenes photos of our shows and a whole lot more.  

Voices Of Truth interviews those creating a better future for Hawai`i to discover what made them go from armchair observers to active participants. We hope you'll be inspired to do the same.
 
Voices Of Truth airs throughout Hawai`i on all islands and reaches over 24 million households across the US and throughout the world. Check your local cable TV listings.

For news and issues that affect you, watch Free Hawai`i TV. 

And for news from a kanaka point of view, watch Free Hawaii News.

All a part of the Free Hawai`i Broadcasting Network.

Please share our Free Hawai`i Broadcasting Network videos with friends and colleagues. That's how we grow. Mahalo.

WHICH ONES ARE YOU?

FREE HAWAII NEWS SHORT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WAHINE WARRIORS

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WATCH IT HERE

Want More? Watch The Full Episode Here - FreeHawaiiNews.com

HE SAID WHAT ABOUT CAPTAIN COOK????

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ADAM KEAWE MANALO-CAMP REPORTING FROM LONDON WITH THIS HILARIOUS POST

Convo with the money changer (MC) in London:
*Looks at my passport*
MC: You're from Hawaii?
Me: Yes, I was born and raised there.
MC: Lovely. Are you here for that British Museum exhibit?
Me: Yes that and to visit.
MC: Isn't Hawaii where Captain Cook died?
Me: Yes.
MC: It was probably for the best.