Ka Leo O Hawaii

Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: Mixed Plate

Media Credit: Courtesy of www.iolanipalace.com King Kalākaua is remembered for making ‘Iolani Palace alive with additions in modern technology and constant parties.

Media Credit: Courtesy of www.merriemonarchfestival.org The Merrie Monarch Festival, created in honor of King Kalākaua, who held strong to Hawaiian art and culture, is held every spring in Hilo, Hawai‘i.

This Friday, Nov. 16, will bring celebrations honoring King David Kalākaua, the last reigning king of Hawai‘i. Kalākaua is credited with reviving Hawaiian culture, particularly music and dance, as well as signing the reciprocity treaty with the United States during his 17-year reign over the Hawaiian Islands. This year will mark his 171st birthday.

Born in Honolulu on Nov. 16, 1836, to Chief Kahana Kapa‘akea and Chiefess Anale‘a Keohokalole, David Kalākaua was adopted by Ha‘aheo Kaniu and taken to the island of Maui as part of Kamehameha III's Royal Court. He returned to O‘ahu at the age of 4 and began his studies at the Royal School, becoming fluent in Hawaiian and English.

In his late teens, he began to study law, but his government position as a military major on the staff of King Kamehameha IV prevented his completion of law school. He also served in the Department of Interior and was later appointed postmaster general of Hawai‘i.

Then, in December 1872, King Kamehameha V died after several years of failing health. The last of the Kamehameha dynasty, Kamehameha V fathered no children, and refused to name a successor. So, in 1873, Hawai‘i held a democratic election for the first time in its history.

The election was between two candidates, William Charles Lunalilo and David Kalākaua. Lunalilo won by a landslide and the Legislature appointed him king of Hawai‘i. On Feb. 3, 1874, one year after he took the throne, Lunalilo died of tuberculosis. He is entombed in Kawaiaha‘o Church cemetery, now located on the block bordered by King, Punchbowl and Queen streets, across from Honolulu Hale.

On Feb. 12, 1874, David Kalākaua was elected King of Hawai‘i. Unlike Lunalilo, who wanted to make Hawai‘i's government more democratic, Kalākaua wanted to return to the government of Native Hawaiian values.

At the time of his election, Hawai‘i was in heavy economic depression. Kalākaua began negotiating a reciprocity treaty with the United States to remove the taxation on Hawai‘i's exports. The treaty was signed in 1875 and allowed mainly sugar and rice to be exported tax-free to the United States. The sugar industry in Hawai‘i boomed and the islands enjoyed a period of economic stability.

In 1881, Kalākaua left Hawai‘i for a trip around the world to improve foreign relations and examine how other countries were ruled. He first traveled to San Francisco then to Japan, China, Siam, Burma, India, Egypt, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Austria-Hungary, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal and through the United States before returning to Hawai‘i. He thus became the first king of Hawai‘i to personally circumvent the globe.

Upon his return to Hawai‘i in 1882, Kalākaua built ‘Iolani Palace modeled after buildings he had seen in his travels. The palace was often filled with guests, for Kalākaua loved to throw lavish parties and had no qualms with drinking, gambling and singing long into the morning hours. These lavish extravaganzas were what earned him the nickname "The Merrie Monarch."

Historically, Kalākaua will always be remembered as the ruler who saved Hawaiian culture by revitalizing Hawaiian arts, which had been banned by missionaries since the late 1700s. In the 1870s, Kalākaua revitalized the almost-extinct practices of Hawaiian chant, music and especially hula.

Because ancient Hawaiians had no written language, their heritage resided in hula, a combination of dance and chant, which Kalākaua felt preserved and passed culture, history and Hawai‘i life through generations.

After all these triumphs, Kalākaua began to falter in his later years, particularly with his licensing of opium and the minting of a Kalākaua coin. Then, in 1887, his signing of the Bayonet Constitution made him little more than a figurehead and removed much of his power.

By 1890, Kalākaua's health was failing and he traveled to San Francisco to seek treatment. He died on Jan. 20, 1891, at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, of symptoms stemming from a stroke, kidney failure and cirrhosis of the liver.

Today, Kalākaua is remembered in various ways, but mostly through music and dance. The Merrie Monarch Festival was created in 1970 by the Hawai‘i Island Chamber of Commerce and dedicated to Kalākaua for his patronage of Hawaiian dance. The three-day festival, held in the spring on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, is an annual hula competition.

Kalākaua is also remembered in popular music. The Hawaiian music renaissance of the 1970s started with one song, "Kawika" ("David" in Hawaiian). The song is a 19th-century name chant for Kalākaua that The Sunday Mānoa turned into a radio hit. This chant for the man responsible for the revitalization of Hawaiian music in the 1870s revitalized interest in Hawaiian music in the 1970s.

Musician and scholar Palani Vaughn released, from 1973 to 1980, the epic four-album box set, "‘Ia ‘Oe E Ka Lā," one of the largest musical albums in Hawaiian music history. The album features dozens of original compositions chronicling Kalākaua's achievements as king.

As Vaughn worked on this project, he grew a thick mustache and sideburns and began to physically resemble Kalākaua. Vaughn also held elaborate concerts, which featured large casts in authentic period costumes and even a replica of the ‘Iolani Palace gazebo. This album is Vaughn's biggest hit and most recognizable work.

Kalākaua's last remaining mark on Hawai‘i is the lyrics to our state song, "Hawai‘i Pono‘ī," which he composed. Kalākaua Park, at the intersection of Kalākaua and Kūhiō avenues in Waikīkī, will host a birthday celebration this Friday, Nov. 16, at 9 a.m. The celebration includes a lei presentation at his statue and a musical tribute by the Royal Hawaiian Band. ‘Iolani Palace will also hold the annual Kalākaua birthday commemoration at 12:30 p.m.

Let's all wish a happy birthday to Hawai‘i's Merrie Monarch. May his spirit be at peace.

Join the celebration Friday at the ‘Iolani Palace

Royal Gaurd Review at 11:45 a.m.
Kālakaua Program at 12:30 p.m.
Royal Hawaiian Band Concert at 6 p.m.
For more info: www.royalhawaiianband.com
or 922-5331

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