News Release
Office of Hawaiian Affairs
At the state capitol this morning, Governor David Ige held a commemorative bill presentation marking the passage of HB2475, which designates July 31 of each year as a special day of observance in honor of Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea, or Sovereignty Restoration Day. In 1843, Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea commemorated the reinstatement of the government of the Hawaiian Kingdom after the British ambassador and a British Navy captain illegally seized control of the nation. It was King Kauikeaouli Kamehameha III who established this first national holiday of the Hawaiian Kingdom following the return of the government by the United Kingdom, proclaiming “Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono – the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness,” which would become the motto of the monarchy and in 1959 the official motto of the State of Hawaiʻi.
Each year, this proclamation will present an exceptional opportunity to inform all of Hawai’i and especially our future generations of the important and unique history of our islands. It has been said that only by remembering our past can we breathe ea – sovereignty and independence — into our future. Mahalo to Representative Mark Nakashima for introducing this bill, to our state legislators and to Governor Ige, by signing it into law, recognizing the importance of King Kamehameha III’s established holiday in a days-long celebration following the rightful return of sovereign government to Hawaiʻi by the United Kingdom.
About the Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Established by the state Constitutional Convention in 1978, OHA is a semi-autonomous state agency mandated to better the conditions of Native Hawaiians. Guided by a board of nine publicly elected trustees, OHA fulfills its mandate through advocacy, research, community engagement, land management and the funding of community programs. Learn more at www.oha.org.
