Queen Lili’uokalani grappled with issues still relevant today

By Stu Glauberman
Advertiser Staff Writer
As printed in the Honolulu Advertiser

Saturday, January 16, 1993

A woman with regal bearing stood at a rostrum in the rotunda of Aliiolani Hale and spoke with great dignity of the problems facing the Kingdom of Hawaii 100 years ago.

Recession, reduced government revenue, the poor outlook for agricultural exports, and controversy surrounding a proposed lottery occupied her thoughts.

Problems, in short, very much like those facing Hawaii today.

Despite those problems, however, the Queen spoke with great optimism, firmly committed to preserving the authority and absolute independence of the kingdom.

The voice of the Queen heard yesterday was that of actress-songwriter Leo Anderson Akana, who portrays and resembles Queen Lili’uokalani, Hawaii’s last monarch.

The words spoken by Anderson were from the Queen’s speeches to the monarchy’s last Legislature.

Although she did not know it, Lili’uokalani’s brief closing address on Jan. 14, 1893, was her last official act as monarch.

In it, she touched on Hawaii’s treaty relations with “our great and friendly neighbor, the United States of America.”

Her final words were: “Nobles and Representatives, I pray the Almighty may continue to pour out upon you and our country blessings and prosperity as heretofore.”

With that said, she returned to Iolani Palace, followed by a throng of Hawaiians clamoring for a new constitution that would bestow more power on the monarchy and more voting rights on the people.

The Queen’s decision to promulgate a new constitution was seized by her opponents as the flashpoint for increasing their efforts to overthrow her and seek political union with the United States.

Anderson recreated the century-old scene on the threshold of what was the kingdom’s legislative chamber. Aliiolani Hale, which also housed the executive branch of government for a time, remains home to the Hawaii Supreme Court.

A portrait of Queen Lili’uokalani looked upon yesterday’s audience, which included Gov. John Waihee, members of Hawaiian royal societies, lawmakers and justices and judges of the state Judiciary.

Hawaiian flags were trooped by the Royal Guard of the Hawaii Air National Guard, but the American flag was not displayed.

At noon, the Kamehameha Schools Children’s Choir filled the rotunda with song. The shining faces of the choir members illustrated the words they sang: “We are children of Hawaii. We make a rainbow.” The Queen, an accomplished song-writer herself, might have smiled at the thought.

Outside the building, tourists from East and West milled about the statue of Kamehameha I, taking pictures, or listening to a concert by the Royal Hawaiian Band.

Bernie Kale, 35, a tourist from Anchorage, Alaska, who videotaped the ceremony in the rotunda, found the morning’s events educational.

“I think it’s good that the younger generation can see and understand what actually took place,” Kale said. “Too many times, people read other people’s opinions (about themselves) and get it from different media.”

Earlier yesterday, Waihee, wearing the cloak of the Royal Order of Kamehameha, was first to enter Iolani Palace to offer silent tribute to Queen Lili’uokalani.

Waihee was accompanied by members of the Kawananakoa family, who trace their ancestry back to Hawaii’s monarchs.

Waihee first visited the Blue Room, where Lili’uokalani met with her ministers of state 100 years ago.

“It was the first time for me to see the portrait of Queen Lili’uokalani that used to hang in Washington Place,” said Waihee, who as governor now lives in Washington Place, which was her home.

Waihee also visited the Throne Room, marveling at what he called “Hawaiian treasures.”

“I can tell you it was a very spiritual experience,” Waihee said as he emerged from the palace with Edward Kawananakoa. “It is a very sacred place. The mood there was almost like being in a cathedral.”

Throughout the morning, invited members of royal societies and Hawaiian organizations were escorted up the palace stairs by the Royal Guard. Inside, they reflected on the events of a century ago.

Later, they presented floral tributes at the statue of the Queen, which was bathed in sunlight under cloudless skies.

“It was beautiful,” said John Serrao, an invited participant, of his visit to the chambers where the Queen held the fate of her nation in her hands in January 1893.

“It gave us an opportunity to reflect upon what she was going through during the last days of the monarchy,” he said.

Serrao said it was characteristic of the Queen to take responsibility for resolution of the turmoil upon herself. “The community at that time did not know what was going on inside this palace. She did not let it out. She kept it in.”