ASSOCIATION OF HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUBS
A RESOLUTION
No. 2019 -43
REQUESTING THE HAWAIʻI STATE LEGISLATURE TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR THE REPAIR, RESTORATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF ʻIOLANI PALACE AND NEARBY STRUCTURES LOCATED ON PALACE GROUNDS
WHEREAS, ʻIolani Palace is a living restoration of a proud Hawaiian national identity, a registered National Historic Landmark and the only palace of official royal residence in the United States; and
WHEREAS, while the Palace itself is of great importance, the significance of the land around the Palace stretches back to antiquity when it is said to have served as a heiau poʻo kanaka with the associated name of Kaʻahaimauli; and
WHEREAS, heiau poʻo kanaka were considered the greatest class of ancient temples that were built between the shoreline and the mountain ranges, hosting rituals to increase the population, enhance public health, preserve peace, and ensure success in battle; and
WHEREAS, during the period from 1820 to 1840, the land surrounding the intersection of Punchbowl and King Streets attracted an impressive concentration of hale mua (chiefly compounds) displaying the social, political, and economic power of the owner to other chiefs and missionaries; and
WHEREAS, these houses, built from stone and wood, were Western in design and featured Euro-American and Asian furnishings, and belonged to prominent historical figures such as High Chief Kalanimoku, British missionary William Ellis, Queen Kaʻahumanu, and later High Chiefs Charles Kanaʻina and Kekāuluohi; and
WHEREAS, upon the deaths of King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu, whose bodies were brought back from London in 1825, Kalanimoku designated the area surrounding his residence as the Royal Cemetery complete with the construction of a new stone mausoleum; and
WHEREAS, from 1825 to 1865; the area surrounding the royal mausoleum, clearly delineated as a quadrangle, took on the name Pohukaina, and all reigning monarchs and their consorts as well as the great majority of the highest chiefs were laid to rest here; and
WHEREAS, O‘ahu Governor Mataio Kekūanāoʻa built a new wooden palace named Hānaialoia in 1845 for his daughter, Princess Victoria Kamāmalu, only to be taken as the new official royal residence by Kamehameha III when he moved the capital from Lahaina to Honolulu, thereby shifting the seat of political power to the western end of the archipelago and just outside of the old Pohukaina boundaries; and
WHEREAS, in 1863 Kamehameha V would formally change the name of Hānaialoia to ʻIolani Palace in honor of his predecessor and brother, Kamehameha IV; and
WHEREAS, after the construction of the new mausoleum in Nuʻuanu called Mauna ‘Ala, King Kalākaua in the 1870s ordered that the former Royal Tomb site be raised as a mound in remembrance; and
WHEREAS, construction of the current ʻIolani Palace, with its cornerstone laid on December 31, 1879, with full Masonic rites, was completed in 1882 to better represent Hawai‘i’s standing within the “Family of Nations” and allow the head of state to hold official functions and royal balls, receive dignitaries and luminaries from around the world, and conduct international diplomacy; and
WHEREAS, the entire enclosed grounds of the palace complex became known as Pā Ali‘i during the reign of Kalākaua; and
WHEREAS, the Friends of ʻIolani Palace does not receive any financial subsidy from the State of Hawaiʻi for operational support, such the development of cultural exhibits and events which educate people about the Hawaiian monarchy and instead must rely solely on ticket and shop sales, donations, and special events held on the palace grounds; and
WHEREAS, the Friends of ʻIolani Palace have identified a critical need to renovate the palace roof and the coronation pavillion; and
WHEREAS, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the last major repair of the Coronation Pavilion was in 1983 and minor repair work since then have exposed the need for major repairs to the wooden and concrete elements of the structure; and
WHEREAS, the Friends of ʻIolani Palace have also identified a need to upgrade the security of the palace and its nearby buildings through the replacement of various doors and locks.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs at its 60th Annual Convention in Lāhaina, Maui, in the malama of Welehu and the rising of Lāʻau Pau, this 16th day of November 2019, requesting the Hawaiʻi State Legislature to appropriate funds for the repair, restoration, and maintenance of ʻIolani Palace and nearby structures located on palace grounds; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a certified copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Executive Director of the Friends of ʻIolani Palace, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, as well as the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the State of Hawai‘i, President of the State Senate, Speaker of the State House of Representatives, Chair of the State Senate subject matter committee on Hawaiian Affairs, Chair of the State House subject matter committee on Hawaiian Affairs, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and all County Mayors.
The undersigned hereby certifies that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted in the malama of Welehu and the rising of Lāʻau Pau on the 16th day of November 2019, at the 60th Annual Convention of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs in Lahaina, Maui.
Hailama V. K. K. Farden, President
