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Hawaiian Independence Day events across Oʻahu

Loren Javier
/
Flickr

Before the Thanksgiving holiday was celebrated in Hawaiʻi, the Hawaiian Kingdom had its own November holiday — Independence Day.

Lā Kūʻokoʻa is observed annually on Nov. 28. It was on that day in 1843 that Hawaiʻi was formally recognized as an independent nation by other world powers, including England, France and the United States of America.

King Kamehameha III was the first Hawaiian monarch to send a delegation to the U.S. and Europe to secure recognition of Hawaiʻi's sovereignty.

The achievement was celebrated as a national holiday known as Lā Kūʻokoʻa from 1843 through the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893.

Renewed efforts have been made in recent years to revive Hawaiian Independence Day celebrations in communities across the islands.

Lā Kūʻokoʻa events include:

  • Nov. 26 @ 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
  • Nov. 27 @ 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi is a general assignment reporter at Hawaiʻi Public Radio. Her commitment to her Native Hawaiian community and her fluency in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi has led her to build a de facto ʻōiwi beat at the news station. Send your story ideas to her at khiraishi@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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