Ka La Ho'iho'i Ea - Sovereignty Restoration Day
Check out the Ka La Ho'iho'i Ea event today at
Thomas Square.Ka La Ho'iho'i Ea, or
Sovereignty Restoration Day, commemorates July 31, 1843, when British Adm.
Richard Thomas — for whom Thomas Square was named — ordered the
Union Jack removed and replaced with the Hawaiian kingdom flag, ending five
months of military occupation by Britain's Lord George Paulet and replacing it
with Britain's recognition of Hawaii's
independence.King Kamehamea III
proclaimed a 10-day holiday and July 31 became an annually celebrated holiday.
From this event came the motto of the kingdom (later adopted as the motto of the
"state" of Hawaii) "Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka 'Aina I Ka Pono" - The sovereignty of the
land is perpetuated in righteousness. ("Ea" here is most often interpreted as
"life" of the land, but it is clear from the context of the origin of this
saying that the meaning of Ea as "sovereignty" was obviously
intended.)Largely unobserved for years,
the holiday was revived in 1985 and has become an annual celebration at Thomas
Square.In 1990, Gov. John Waihee issued
a proclamation
acknowledging the history of the flag including the 1843 events with the
British, and officially making July 31 "Ka Hae Hawaii - Hawaiian Flag
Day."
Posted: Sun - July 30, 2006 at 06:08 AM