KE AUPUNI UPDATE - APRIL 2025
King Kalākaua – the Visionary
Watching the Merrie Monarch Festival reminds me of what an amazing visionary King Kalākaua was. Not only did he champion the revival of Hawaiʻi’s proud culture and traditions, he was an innovator; the first head of state to circle the globe promoting trade, parity and friendship. He was quick to embrace and apply advanced technology to his kingdom, installing modern marvels such as electric lights and the telephone at ʻIolani Palace years before they appeared at the White House or at any other capitol.
By the mid-19th Century, the major European powers had recognized the Hawaiian Kingdom as a sovereign, independent state under international law, enjoying bi-lateral and multi-lateral equal treaties with the sovereign nations of Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania. The Hawaiian Kingdom was a member of the Universal Postal Union; and had over 130 diplomatic posts (embassies and consulates) around the world.
King Kalākaua pursued creating a confederation of Polynesian nations for mutual support and to stave off encroachment by European colonial powers. Unfortunately, by the end of the 19th Century, the Pacific Islands, even the sovereign, independent Hawaiian Kingdom, fell under foreign domination.
But since the latter half of the 20th Century, most of the Pacific nations became sovereign and self-governing. The supreme irony is that the Hawaiian Kingdom remains a nation in captivity. The U.S. used the same UN decolonization process that set the rest of the Pacific free to deviously hijack the Hawaiian Islands, calling it “The 50th State of the United States”.
One of the saddest results is the glaring absence of Hawaiʻi from being politically engaged with our Pacific Island family. Organizations such as the Pacific Islands Forum and the Polynesian Leaders’ Group are addressing critical Pacific concerns and advancing Pacific positions and solutions. Hawaiʻi’s voice in these Pacific matters has been suppressed, hijacked by the US State Department in Washington, D.C., and driven by America’s interests and priorities.
As we draw closer to liberating our country from the U.S., efforts are underway to rejoin our Pacific Islands family and to engage in the critical discourse affecting our Ocean and the Planet. We also seek our family’s kōkua to sway the international community to support the reinstatement of our sovereign, independent nation.
Nearly a hundred and fifty years ago, King Kalākaua cast the vision and set the course for us to follow today to rejoin our ocean ʻohana to manifest a free Hawaiʻi in an Ocean of Peace…
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
