"In the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, Nov. 28 was an official holiday called Lā Kūʻokoʻa, or Independence Day. This was the day in 1843 when England and France formally recognized Hawaiʻi's independence," according to a letter published on the subject.
The recognition of Hawaiian Independence was detailed on the HawaiianKingdom.org website:
"Faced with the problem of foreign encroachment of Hawaiian territory, His Hawaiian Majesty King Kamehameha III deemed it prudent and necessary to dispatch a Hawaiian delegation to the United States and then to Europe with the power to settle alleged difficulties with nations, negotiate treaties and to ultimately secure the recognition of Hawaiian Independence by the major powers of the world.
"In accordance with this view, Timoteo Haʻalilio, William Richards and Sir George Simpson were commissioned as joint Ministers Plenipotentiary on April 8, 1842. Sir George Simpson, shortly thereafter, left for England, via Alaska and Siberia, while Haʻalilio and Richards departed for the United States, via Mexico, on July 8, 1842.
"The Hawaiian delegation, while in the United States of America, secured the assurance of US President Tyler on Dec. 19, 1842 of its recognition of Hawaiian independence, and then proceeded to meet Sir George Simpson in Europe and secure formal recognition by Great Britain and France. On March 17, 1843, King Louis-Phillipe of France recognizes Hawaiian independence at the urging of King Leopold of Belgium, and on April 1, 1843, Lord Aberdeen on behalf of Her Britannic Majesty Queen Victoria, assured the Hawaiian delegation that:
"'Her Majesty's Government was willing and had determined to recognize the independence of the Sandwich Islands under their present sovereign.'
"On Nov. 28, 1843, at the Court of London, the British and French Governments entered into a formal agreement of the recognition of Hawaiian independence, with what is called the Anglo-Franco proclamation:
"Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and His Majesty the King of the French, taking into consideration the existence in the Sandwich Islands (Hawaiian Islands) of a government capable of providing for the regularity of its relations with foreign nations, have thought it right to engage, reciprocally, to consider the Sandwich Islands as an Independent State, and never to take possession, neither directly or under the title of Protectorate, or under any other form, of any part of the territory of which they are composed.
"Nov. 28 was thereafter established as an official national holiday to celebrate the recognition of Hawaiʻi's independence."
In a Dec. 11, 2014 letter by Patty Nishiyama of Na Kupuna O Maui, published in Lahaina News, she said:
"As a result of this recognition, the Hawaiian Kingdom entered treaties with the major nations of the world and had established over ninety legations and consulates in multiple seaports and cities.
"But in 1893, an illegal intervention into Hawaiʻi's affairs by the US resulted in a "fake revolution" against the legitimate Hawaiian government, and a puppet oligarchy set itself up with its main purpose being Hawaiʻi's annexation to the United States.
"After an attempted counterrevolution in 1895, the oligarchy announced that Nov. 28, 1895 -- a Thursday -- would not be celebrated as Lā Kūʻokoʻa.
"The American holiday Thanksgiving would become the official national holiday instead. Holidays are of course important aspects of a collective national identity, particularly a holiday like Independence Day, and this was essentially a way to cover up and try to destroy the history and identity of the Hawaiian national population.
"At first Hawaiians protested and celebrated Lā Kūʻokoʻa anyway, telling the story of the national heroes who had travelled to Europe to secure Hawaii's recognition. But over time, this history - knowledge of the holiday and how it was replaced - was almost lost, until Hawaiian language scholars in the last few years started translating Hawaiian language newspapers and uncovered the history.
"Recently there has been a renewed effort to revive the celebration of Nov. 28 as Lā Kūʻokoʻa - Hawaiian Independence Day, to remember that Hawaii was a fully recognized member of the world family of nations, and that's its independence is still intact under prolonged illegal occupation."
During the early 1840s, the Hawaiian Kingdom sought recognition of its independence among world nations. Britain, France, Russia, and the United States all hoped to gain some control over the Islands, whether through political, economic or military means.
Prompted by the British consul's complaints of harassment of British subjects in Honolulu, Lord George Paulet, captain of the frigate Carysfort, arrived Feb. 10, 1843 and confronted Kamehameha III.
To avoid bloodshed, Kamehameha III gave in to Paulet's demands and relinquished the Islands to British rule. Ashamed of Paulet's actions, which contradicted official British policy, Rear-Admiral Richard Thomas, commander-in-chief of the British Pacific Squadron, was sent to restore Hawaiian sovereignty and arrived in Honolulu July 26 from Valparaiso. On July 31 Kamehameha III's sovereignty was returned and the Hawaiian flag was raised again.
In a speech of Thanksgiving delivered at Kawaiahao Church, Kamehameha III uttered the phrase, "Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono," the sovereignty of the land is preserved in righteousness. Today, this is the Hawaiʻi state motto.
*****Thoughts expressed in this piece are those of the author's alone and do not reflect or represent the opinions, policies or positions of Maui Now.*****