November 28 is Lā Kūʻokoʻa – the Hawaiian Independence Day. First celebrated in 1844, Lā Kūʻokoʻa commemorates Great Britain’s and France’s acknowledgement of the Hawaiian Kingdom as an independent nation. Following the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893, however, the celebrations were discontinued.
On Monday, Makawalu, a group of students at faculty at UH-Mānoa, will hold festivities at the Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies for the first time to revive Lā Kūʻokoʻa. The eventʻs goal is to encourage open discussion about many pressing issues facing Native Hawaiians and the larger community throughout the islands. Hawaiian crafts, food, and educational demonstrations will be on site. Festivities start at 10am.
The ʻIke Kūʻokoʻa Initiative is also launching its drive to document more than 60,000 pages of Hawaiian language newspapers. The group is seeking 3,000 volunteers at their event taking place on the ʻIolani Palace grounds on Monday, November 28, from 11am-2pm.
Check out the Community section on ʻŌiwi.tv to get more information about these events.