Remembering Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea
Hope in the Face of Occupation
Written by: Kilika Bennett
On July 31, 1893, readers of the Hawaiian-language newspaper Hawaii Holomua encountered a simple but profound reminder of who they were and what they still believed. Although the Hawaiian Kingdom had been illegally overthrown just months earlier, the newspaper remained steadfast in its loyalty to the Kingdom and its people. Rather than accepting the new political reality, it continued to speak from the perspective of a nation whose sovereignty and dignity endured.
The article marked Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea (Sovereignty Restoration Day), commemorating the 50th anniversary of the restoration of Hawaiian sovereignty in 1843. It recalled the temporary seizure of Hawaiʻi by Admiral Lord George Paulet and celebrated the return of the Kingdom's authority. The article also noted that Hawaiians observed the occasion by preparing pigs for the celebration in honor of their beloved homeland and by rejoicing beneath the Beautiful Hawaiian Flag, which waved proudly in majesty.
Published during one of the darkest periods in Hawaiian history, these words carried far greater significance than a remembrance of the past. They were an affirmation of identity and a declaration that justice had not been extinguished. Even under an oppressive regime, the editors and readers of Hawaii Holomua refused to surrender their hope.
The choice to commemorate Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea in 1893 was itself an act of resilience. It reminded the lāhui that they had endured injustice before. Fifty years earlier, to be exact, Hawaiian sovereignty had been threatened, but ultimately restored. That history offered more than comfort…it offered a conviction that righteousness would prevail once again.
Throughout Hawaiian history, the concept of ea has carried layered meaning: sovereignty, life, breath,and rising. It reflects the understanding that the life of a nation is inseparable from the righteousness with which it is governed. The enduring national motto, “Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono, (The sovereignty/life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness,)” expresses a faith that justice is stronger than corruption and that truth outlasts the ambitions of corrupt power.
The voices preserved in Hawaii Holomua remind us that hope is not passive. It is sustained by memory, language, ceremony, and the courage to tell the truth, even when doing so carries a risk. By continuing to honor Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea, the newspaper affirmed that the Hawaiian Kingdom's history, identity, and aspirations could not be snuffed out.
Today, more than a century later, these words still resonate. They invite us to remember not only a restoration achieved in 1843, or the unwavering faith of those who, in 1893, believed that justice would ultimately overcome oppression, but also the need to ʻonipaʻa (be steadfast) in this present day, holding fast to the same belief that corrupt powers are temporary, but that righteousness shall always endure in the end.
Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono!
