Prince Kuhio Day

March 21, 2022

One of the most interesting figures in Hawaiian history is Prince Kuhio. Born on the island of Kauai in 1871, this relative of the queen studied on the U.S. Mainland and England before joining the Royalist uprising in 1895. He was captured and convicted of treason.

At some point, the prince came to believe that in order to help his people the most, he would cooperate and join the industrialists by running for the office of territorial delegate to congress. Not only did he win, but he was also reelected ten times due to his focus on developing Pearl Harbor, mail delivery to the islands, and several movements aimed at empowering native people.

Due to his devotion to the Hawaiian people, many celebrations are observed in his honor throughout the entire month of March. There are awareness rallies, parades, and exhibitions throughout the state to celebrate the life of Prince Kuhio. He died in Waikiki, near Honolulu, on January 7, 1922. The holiday was created to honor him in 1949, just ten years before Hawaii became the 50th state of the union.

It was Prince Kuhio who put forth the bill for Hawaii to become part of the United States in 1929. Thanks to him, people from all over the world have experienced the nani (beauty) and mana (spiritual power) of Hawaii. Not only does this make him an important contributor to the Hawaiian people, but to the rest of the world as well.