September is Hawaiian History Month! Starting in 2020, the Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Coalition began the celebration in honor of Queen Liliʻuokalani’s birthday. Queen Liliʻuokalani was the last ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii (Ke Aupuni Hawaiʻi), which had existed for over 100 years before the United States helped overthrow the government in 1893.
The Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Coalition is one of many groups in Hawaiʻi that teach the long history of Hawaiʻi and its indigenous people. They belong to a wider Hawaiian sovereignty movement that struggled to return the islands to their residents. Interest in Hawaiian sovereignty jumped after the US government apologized for overthrowing and occupying Hawai’i.
The Indigenous people of Hawaiʻi, like Indigenous people throughout the world, have struggled to retain ties to their culture, history, and language through centuries of colonization. Expanding the use of Hawaiian language is one area where they’ve had some success. Starting in 1984, the use of Hawaiian in schools has greatly increased the number of people familiar with the language. NPR covered this in two reports you can listen to:
Use the term “Hawaii resident(s)” for the overall population of Hawaii. “Hawaiian” and “Hawaiians” should only be used to refer to members of the ethnic group indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands.
Additional resources
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