Queen Liliuokalani

Queen Liliuokalani (islandbreath.blogspot.com ())

Aloha and greetings to all kane and wahine. Let me tell you

a story about Queen Lydia Liliuokalani's childhood and royal life.

She was the only queen in Hawaii without a king ruler because

her brother, David Kalakaua, was a king but he died before

Lydia became queen.

Lydia Kamaka'eha Liliuokalani was born in Queen's

hospital. She was adopted by Laura Konia and Abline Paki.

When she was still a baby, she and her cousin always had play

dates together at 'Iolani palace. They would always play every

weekend.

At the age of 4, her adoptive parents said she had to go to

a royal school. The school's name was formally known as the

Chief's Children School. She went there with her two brothers,

James Kaliokalani and David Kalakaua.

As a young woman, Lydia married John Owen Dominis, the

governor of the islands of O'ahu and Maui. She had three

hanai, or adopted, children. Lydia Ka'onohiponikalani Aholo,

Kaiponhea 'Ae'a, and John Dominis.

On January 29th, 1891, Queen Liliuokalani inherited the

throne from her brother, King Kalakaua. As her first act as

Queen, she wrote a new constitution to give power back to the

monarchy and give voting rights to Native Hawaiians. Because

the new constitution never happened, it was the exact cause for

the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Government was

threatened by the queen's request for a new constitution. They

decided to dispose the queen for not supporting the original

constitution. On January 17th, 1893, the government locked

Queen Liliuokalani in her tower.

A few years later on January 16th, 1895, the queen was

arrested when firearms were found in her garden. She said she

didn't know anything about it. She was sentenced to 5 years of

labor by the military and fined $5,000 dollars. The sentence was

then changed to imprisonment in the upstairs bedroom of

the 'Iolani palace. She renounced her throne for the release of

friends Minister Joseph Nawahi, Prince Kawananakoa, Robert

Wilcox and Prince Jonah Kuhio. In the year of 1896, the

Republic of Hawaii restored her civil rights.

Queen Liliuokalani died on November 11th, 1917

because of a stroke. She passed at the age of 79. She is my

hero because she was respectful, a devoted Christian, and a

great leader for the Hawaiian Islands. She helped Hawaii by

protecting her people, their interests, and trying to give Hawaii

back to the Native Hawaiians. I would like to thank her for all

she has done to the island of O'ahu.