Hawaii

‘We didn’t have it in schools’: Why many Native Hawaiians don’t know parts of their own history

Published

1 year ago

November 28, 2024

‘We didn’t have it in schools’: Why many Native Hawaiians don’t know parts of their own history

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Ask anyone in the United States, “What day is Independence Day celebrated?” and most would respond with “July 4.”

They’re referring to the date in 1776 when the U.S. declared its independence from Great Britain.

But in 1843, the Hawaiian Kingdom had its own Independence Day, called Lā Kūʻokoʻa, celebrated on Nov. 28.

The day marks the formal recognition of Hawaiʻi’s independence by Great Britain and France.

But Lā Kūʻokoʻa, along with much of Native Hawaiian culture and history, was lost after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom 50 years later.

“They are not taught in the schools. They are not in the history books,” said Native Hawaiian historian Kauʻi Sai-Dudoit.

“In the early 1900s, posted in every government office during the territorial days, there were signs that hung in every government office that said, ‘Speak English, the language of America,’” Sai-Dudoit said.

John Waiheʻe, the state’s first and only Native Hawaiian governor, said he only recently learned about the holiday.

“We weren’t taught that much about Hawaiian history,” he said. “We didn’t have it in schools.”

Last year, the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education said, “Currently the department does not have any curriculum or standards that address the topic of Lā Kūʻokoʻa.”

This year, it says it has added resources about Lā Kūʻokoʻa to its curriculum design website, but its up to teachers and schools to formulate their own curriculum:

“The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) Core Standards in social studies provide a flexible framework that allows teachers to tailor learning experiences to their students’ unique needs. HIDOE’s curriculum design website offers resources on Lā Kūʻokoʻa, accessible to all HIDOE educators. These Lā Kūʻokoʻa resources align with the key learning outcomes outlined in the required Modern History of Hawaiʻi course. This year, a concerted effort was made to inform all teachers about the added curriculum resources on Lā Kūʻokoʻa. There is nothing preventing teachers from including a Lā Kūʻokoʻa curriculum into their course studies. Curriculum is set by individual schools and teachers to best meet the needs of their students.”

In the last year, at least half a dozen public schools, not including Hawaiian language immersion schools, teach the holiday. One of them is Julie Reyes Oda, who taught the holiday last year at Nānākuli Intermediate and High School.

She told HNN she personally hasn’t met any other teacher who teaches the holiday.

“I don’t think any if they weren’t at a Hawaiian immersion school,” said Reyes Oda.

Waiheʻe and three other former Hawaiʻi governors are now coming out in support of the holiday’s teaching: Ben Cayetano, Neil Abercrombie, and David Ige.

“Kids especially need to know about the past, the full past. Right now they aren’t getting it, I think,” said Cayetano.

“As you accumulate knowledge, whether it’s about Hawaiian history or anything else, you accumulate it, you correlate it, and you pass it on,” said Abercrombie.

“I don’t think there should be any limitation,” said Ige.

“I think it ought to be encouraged and part of the curriculum,” said Waiheʻe. “Young people growing up in Hawaiʻi ought to know what our history and what our legacy is all about.”

Hawaiʻi’s current governor and first lady are echoing the sentiments of support. A statement from Gov. Josh Green read:

“In April of last year, I signed SB731 into law, officially designating November 28 as Lā Kū‘oko’a. This annual commemoration holds deep significance for both me and the First Lady, who is Native Hawaiian, as it honors the often-overlooked recognition of the Kingdom of Hawai’i’s independence. We deeply appreciate the educators who incorporate the DOE’s curriculum into their lessons, highlighting Hawai’i’s unique distinction as the only U.S. state with a sovereign royal monarchy in its history.”

Although the HIDOE has yet to commit to changes to its current standards that look at more comprehensive Hawaiian history, the work by the Hawaiian people to restore their culture is reaching new heights.

In the past several years, Lā Kū‘oko’a celebrations happening from atop Mauna Kea, the streets of Honolulu, and across the island chain. They reflect a generation wanting to reconnect to the foundation their ancestors left for them.

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Hawaii

Hawaii senator introduces bill to reunite, protect immigrant families

Published

11 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Hawaii senator introduces bill to reunite, protect immigrant families

WASHINGTON, D.C. (HawaiiNewsNow) – U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) reintroduced a piece of legislation on Thursday to strengthen protections for immigrant families and address long-standing problems in the family immigration system.

The Reuniting Families Act aims to reduce visa backlogs, boost efficiency across the immigration process, and ensure a fairer, more humane process for immigrant families.

“Immigrant families currently experience unnecessary obstacles and delays due to our country’s broken immigration system, keeping families separated for potentially long periods of time,” Hirono said. “By reducing family-based immigration backlogs and making common sense updates to how we treat families, the Reuniting Families Act will help take the first step in the right direction to keeping families together as they navigate our immigration system.”

According to the senators behind this bill, nearly four million people with approved visa applications are currently trapped in a massive immigration backlog, with many waiting more than a decade to reunite with their loved ones.

“As Donald Trump’s inhumane mass deportation campaign rips apart families and communities across the country, it’s paramount we address the unnecessary barriers in our immigration system that have created backlogs and kept families apart for years,” Duckworth said. “Our legislation would implement commonsense reforms to help end family-based backlogs, which keep too many with approved green card applications stuck in bureaucratic limbo, and help get more families where they belong—together.”

The Reuniting Families Act would shorten delays by recapturing unused visas, rolling them into future years, expanding who qualifies as a family member to include permanent partners, and increasing both the total number of available family preference visas and per-country limits.

The bill would also put a time limit on visa processing, so no applicant has to wait more than 10 years for a visa if they have an approved application.

Click here to read the full bill.

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Hawaii

Rouhliadeff scores 16, Hawaii beats D-II Hawaii Hilo 98-46

Published

23 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Rouhliadeff scores 16, Hawaii beats D-II Hawaii Hilo 98-46

HONOLULU (AP) — Henry Rouhliadeff scored 16 points to lead six Hawaii players in double figures and the Rainbow Warriors beat Division-II Hawaii Hilo 98-46 on Wednesday night.

Rouhliadeff made 6 of 9 from the field and finished with nine rebounds and five assists. Dre Bullock scored 12 points for Hawaii (9-2) and Hunter Erickson, Aaron Hunkin-Claytor, Gytis Nemeiksa and Isaac Finlinson added 11 points apiece.

Jamal Entezami led Hawaii Hilo with 11 points and Jessiya Villa scored 10.

Hawaii shot 51% overall and made 13 3-pointers. The Rainbow Warriors, who went into the game averaging 13.4 assists per game, had a season-high 25 assists on 35 made field goals.

The 52-point margin of victory was Hawaii’s largest since a 106-49 win over Redlands on Jan. 28, 1972, and the third largest in program history. The Rainbow Warriors beat BYU Hawaii by 67 (106-49) in the 1962-63 season.

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Hawaii

Chef Sam Choy: America’s best poke not from Hawaii is a ‘slap in the face’

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Chef Sam Choy: America’s best poke not from Hawaii is a ‘slap in the face’

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Poke is a dish created by Native Hawaiians and perfected by local immigrants. But according to online reviews, the best poke in the country is not from Hawaii. And one world-renowned chef who’s credited with poke’s popularity calls it a “slap in the face.”

People are willing to stand in long lines every day for poke. So to say the best in the country is not in Hawaii – that’s fighting words for some.

“So for you to say that, yeah, I kinda like scrap kine,” said Branden Machado, poke connoisseur.

“Nah, I laugh, I laugh,” said Mike Sablay, poke connoisseur.

The restaurant in Big Bear, California, is called Tropicali and was recently reported to have America’s best poke, based on Yelp.

“When I heard that, I was very upset, because I well know, and as you well know, and our millions of listeners and watchers of our station, they well know that the best poke is in Hawaii,” said Sam Choy, world-renowned celebrity chef/restaurateur.

“When I read that, I felt a little slighted,” said Chris Kam, Alicia’s Market. “Understandable, people from the mainland don’t really know what Hawaiian poke is about.”

With a large shark’s head as the front entrance, the decor – just like the menu – is said to be based on Hawaiian culture, but not to emulate it. So poke there – and elsewhere on the continent – looks much different from the poke bowls we’re used to seeing in Hawaii.

“It came with cucumbers, it came with won ton strips, I ordered the spicy one, so it came with the spicy sauce, and then I ordered unagi sauce on the side, and it tasted so good,” said one anonymous local who tried Tropicali and liked it. “It tasted so fresh, I was so surprised it was crazy.”

“That’s not poke, that’s like a salad,” said Kam.

“Nah, nothing can beat back home,” said Sablay. “Everything over here is like the best. Everything’s all local, everything’s all fresh.”

“Like on Oahu, we have the freshest fish, we have the best recipes, like and it’s not only us,” said Justin Tanioka, Tanioka’s Seafood & Catering. “It’s other companies around the island that have mastered poke.”

Since this is a Yelp award, having great Yelp reviews does help. Tropicali currently has more than 4,000 reviews and maintains a 4.9 Star rating. However, locals say to declare themselves the best in the country for a food that’s not only born in Hawaii, but beloved in Hawaii, is extremely bold.

“It’s definitely a slap in the face for all the poke makers in Hawaii who work unbelievably hard to create their magical dishes,” said Choy. “Two things. One, we use fresh fish. And the other one is tender loving care, TLC is in there. We’re putting our heart and soul in that. We’re representing our history, we’re representing our aina, we’re representing all the people in the past that made poke.”

“It’s all preference, and you know where you are,” said Tanioka. “But to me, the best poke in the world, honestly, is in Oahu.”

“Cuz check that out, Big Bear ain’t got nothing on this, my cuz,” said Machado. “We get the best poke in the world. Bumbye, we teach you.”

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