‘Ihilani Lasconia, a 27‑year‑old graduate student in Indigenous politics at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, said the timing of today’s ‘Ilau Ka Hula festival at Bishop Museum feels meaningful, even if it came by happenstance.
“While America celebrates 250 years of existence, we celebrate 133 years of resistance,” Lasconia said. “Hawaiian cultural traditions endure and exist despite Americanization.”
Organizers originally scheduled the event for earlier in the year but Kona low storms in March forced them to postpone it, and July 4 was the next available date. Participants include 11 hula halau, Native Hawaiian and locally owned businesses and food vendors.
Lasconia, who is also a member of Halau Pua Ali‘i ‘Ilima, said hula represents far more than performance.
“Hula is a cultural, spiritual and political practice,” she said. “One of the greatest ways people can connect with Hawaiian history and culture is through engaging with hula.”
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For many Native Hawaiians, the Fourth of July is not only a celebration of American independence from British colonizers but also a reminder of the islands’ own complicated history — from the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893 to the formal establishment of the Republic of Hawaii a year later, annexation in 1898 and eventual statehood in 1959.
Those events continue to shape how residents interpret American independence, prompting some cultural practitioners, educators and families to mark the day by honoring hula, sovereignty and holidays rooted in the Hawaiian Kingdom rather than the United States.
“It invites people to ask, ‘Independence for who?’ and ‘Independence from what?’” Lasconia said.
ACCORDING TO historians, the Hawaiian Kingdom existed as an internationally recognized sovereign nation for more than 50 years before the overthrow of Queen Lili‘uokalani in 1893.
The kingdom maintained treaties and diplomatic relationships with major powers and operated its own government institutions, schools and health care systems. Historians say many residents today are surprised to learn that Hawaii entered the American orbit not as an unclaimed territory but as an internationally recognized nation.
UH Manoa political science professor Noelani Goodyear-Ka‘opua said Hawaii maintained diplomatic relations with countries including Britain, France and the United States during the 19th century.
“We do not celebrate U.S. Independence Day in Hawaii because that isn’t our national holiday,” Goodyear-Ka‘opua said. “We have our own national holidays.”
Among them is La Ho‘iho‘i Ea, observed July 31. The holiday commemorates the restoration of Hawaiian sovereignty in 1843 after a British naval captain briefly claimed authority over the islands before the British government restored recognition of the kingdom.
The phrase proclaimed by King Kamehameha III at the time — “Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ‘Aina i ka Pono,” commonly translated as “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness,” later became the Hawaii state motto.
Another important observance is La Ku‘oko‘a on Nov. 28, which marks international recognition of the Hawaiian Kingdom’s independence by Britain and France in 1843.
Both holidays have experienced a revival in recent decades as educators, cultural practitioners and community organizations work to increase public awareness of Hawaiian history.
“These holidays already exist in Hawaii and are celebrated in ways similar to how Americans celebrate Independence Day,” Goodyear-Ka‘opua said.
She noted that July 4 marks another pivotal event in Hawaiian history: the establishment of the Republic of Hawaii in 1894, one year after the overthrow of the monarchy.
For families connected to the Hawaiian Kingdom, she said, that anniversary can carry feelings of loss and remembrance.
“This is a day like any other day for our family,” Goodyear-Ka‘opua said. “We don’t teach our kids to hate America … . We just teach them to love the place that we’re from and to honor the history and the ancestors of this place who came before us.”
This year, she plans to attend annual events at ‘Iolani Palace, including historical reenactments and educational programs centered on Hawaii’s political history.
UH MANOA history professor Noah Dolim said Hawaii’s relationship with the United States evolved dramatically throughout the 19th century.
Early American influence arrived with Protestant missionaries in 1820, bringing new educational systems, legal concepts and cultural practices, though they did not formally represent the U.S. government, he said. By the 1840s, King Kamehameha III sought formal recognition from major world powers, establishing diplomatic relationships that acknowledged Hawaiian sovereignty.
Tensions grew later in the century as the sugar industry expanded and American and European business interests increasingly pressured the monarchy.
Dolim said many Native Hawaiians view July 4 through the lens of those historical events.
“Why would we celebrate a holiday that doesn’t really pertain to Hawaii?” he said. “U.S. independence was back in the 1700s. It has nothing to do with Hawaii.”
He also pointed to the symbolic significance of July 4, 1894, when the provisional government established after the overthrow formally declared the Republic of Hawaii.
“They were very intentional about using that date,” Dolim said. “July 4 is a sore spot because of the historical trauma and the historical rupture for Native Hawaiians.”
Questions surrounding annexation continue to shape contemporary discussions about sovereignty. Many Native Hawaiian activists argue that annexation lacked the consent of the Hawaiian people, while historians note that debates over its legal and political implications remain central to scholarship and public discourse.
For younger generations, both Lasconia and Dolim say interest in Hawaiian history and culture is growing.
From the movements to protect Maunakea from further astronomy-related development to concerns over contamination from the military’s Red Hill underground fuel storage facility and water rights, many young people seek historical context for contemporary issues.
“Learning about Hawaiian history and culture gives them a sense of place and responsibility,” Lasconia said.
Dolim said students today often arrive with a deeper awareness of Hawaii’s past than previous generations.
“Even if they don’t know the technical (language) of colonialism, they understand that something happened and that it had severe consequences. It’s cool to see younger generations being more aware of their place in Hawaii at a younger age,” he said.
Dolim said the growing awareness among young people reflects broader changes in Hawaii’s education system and public discourse. Courses, social media content, language revitalization efforts and community movements have made Hawaiian history more accessible than in previous generations.
“By the time many students reach high school today, they already understand that Hawaii was once an independent kingdom and that historical events continue to shape issues like land, water and cultural preservation,” he said.
For Lasconia, celebrating Indigenous culture on July 4 is less about rejecting one holiday than affirming another story.
“As Hawaiians, we celebrate culture every day,” she said. “The Fourth of July is no different.”
Instead, she hopes residents and visitors alike will learn about observances such as La Ho‘iho‘i Ea and the histories that continue to shape life in the islands.
