 Aloha mai kākou, and welcome to Ukulale Songs of Hawaii. I'm your host, Walter Kawaiiā, and joining me today is Dr. Tiffany Alani Ng, Professor of English at Kapi Alani Community College. Aloha, Dr. Ng. Aloha. Nice to have you, gosh y'all, and your royal colors, your red, and your poor keny keny le. Thank you. Thank you for having me today. Oh, my pleasure, my pleasure. Well, let me just tell our viewing audience why we have Tiffany Ng, who is a lecturer at Kapi Alani Community College. She's written a book, and if I get the story right, this is part of her dissertation. Yes. I believe you have your doctorate in English, is that correct? I do. And so I guess that was her work, and she chose for her work a very interesting subject, one that is beloved, particularly in the Hulu world and in the Hawaiian community at large. We're talking about the book that was written, and it's entitled, Reclaiming Kalākaua. And so I'm going to ask Tiffany, what is Reclaiming Kalākaua? Just by the title alone, what is that all about? It's bringing to the surface the more complete or nuanced story of David Kalākaua, the 7th Moʻi of Hawaii after Kamehameha the Great, using Hawaiian language and English language newspapers and books, travel logs, periodicals, journals from the 19th century, written and published during his reign to tell us a more complete or nuanced story of his character. And so the stories that we've heard about him as the Mary Monarch, for one who enjoyed parties and entertainment, that's one side of the story. But I'm presenting in Reclaiming Kalākaua a more complete or a more, I guess, a more, versus the black and white picture that we already have of him, a color picture. Okay, I get it. So you're bringing to light and basically to a new audience, your generation, my generation and then your children's generation, this is going to give them an opportunity to have a different narrative, a different perspective from what traditionally we've seen by the authors of the 19th and 20th century authors. Yeah, that's right. I found it interesting. Okay, I have to confess, I mean, I just got her book and there's going to be a book launch. We should mention that right now this Friday. This is the official book launch. I mean, the books are available at your favorite bookstore, Barnes & Low. I should have mentioned it, but at your favorite bookstores, but the official book launch is this Friday from five to seven. It's open to the public. It's free and it's at Vai Vai Collective, 1100 University Avenue. So where exactly is that? So I'm unfamiliar with that place. For those of us who are a little more wise and mature, that would be the old Varsity Building. Yes, that circular building on University Avenue in Moileile. All right, ample parking on the backside from five to seven. Yeah, there'll be Hawaiian music and Hawaiian food and lomi lomi. Really? Yeah, so do come out. Okay. All right, all my friends out there who are in dire need of lomi lomi, come out. And I'm going to assume that the book will be available for purchase and I'll be signing books, too, so come and get your copy. And the books come in. This is the paperback and the hardcover. Yes, I found this. So I just wanted to start by thank you for sharing all the information. By the way, what I thought was interesting is how. And I've only gotten through the 16 pages of the introduction. Fine. And I've had to read it twice because there's a lot. Tiffany, you don't mind I call you Tiffany. Please, please do. So Tiffany goes through in her introduction to really explain in depth. What this whole book is about and the narrative. And so I want to I found this very interesting that she chose to start off by using the Hawaiian term hoa'ilona. And for those of us in the Hawaiian community, we're very familiar with the term hoa'ilona. It means sign or symbol or something to represent something. And she identifies three. And the first two have to do specifically to Kalakaua and maybe validating his ascent to the throne. Am I correct? Exactly. And so the first without we're not going to read it, some, you know, uncles are going to be reading stories from the book today. But the first hoa'ilona you identify to validate his ascent to the throne is kua, his connection to the gods. Is that correct? Yeah. Explain why that is significant in Hawaiian. Right. You know, when Kalakaua ascended the throne, he was the first Mo'i who wasn't kamehameha. And that's important because during the 19th century and before that. Our Kanaka Maoli people, they thought of Mo'i or Kanaka's right to the throne depended on genealogy. And Kalakaua being a non-kamehameha needed to prove himself in a sense. He was of Ali'i Nui descent. You know, both of his parents, Kapaakea and Keohokalole, were of Ali'i Nui status. But he had a lot to prove. And the hoa'ilona of the rainbow and his different fish. And all of the hoa'ilona that I mentioned in the introduction were signs confirming his right to the throne by a kua. And the Ali'i Nui were thought of by our Kanaka Maoli kupuna as part of a kua. Very, very close in lineage to the gods. And so having that confirmation from the a kua confirmed his right to be sovereign, to be a Mo'i after the kamehameha line. That was so important. Yeah, I mean, that was, you know, for the views out there that may not be familiar with the monarchy and, you know, the, the, the ascent of that. So what Tiffany's referring to is the kamehameha dynasty, which, you know, follows after the unification of the Hawaiian islands in 1819 by kamehameha, the first kamehameha, the great. Yeah. And then his, his two sons, the second and the third, and then you had the fourth and the fifth, his grandsons, his grandsons. And so those that are not familiar, why did the kamehameha dynasty not continue? Cause there were kamehamehas out there. For example, Princess Ruth, Kayli Kulani Nui. I mean, you know, kamehameha, the fifth had no, he had no posterity. He wasn't married. Um, so he, you know, there was no one to take his place so the dynasty could continue, but there were other kamehamehas. And I mentioned Kayli Kulani specifically because she was, she was powerful. Yes. Uh, she, um, she had a lot of land. I mean, amongst all of those Ali that were living at the time, she was the most property rich of them all. Right. And that's how we, we get the Bishop of State or kamehameha schools and all of that property from Pohi and she received that from Kayli Kulani. And Pohi was another, you know, um, candidate for the throne too. She had, she loves somebody else. Huh? Even though the fifth are proposed, but yeah. Right. Right. So she married Charles Reed Bishop and, um, and so Lunalilo took the throne after La Capoeba. And then after Lunalilo passed and then Kala Kawa. So was Lunalilo the first elected? He was the first elected in the first ever, um, yeah, uh, election in the Hawaiian kingdom. He won out, um, and he, uh, was on the throne less than a year before he succumbed to, to illness. And correct me if I'm wrong, it's been a while, uh, since I, you know, I was in pursuit of Hawaiian studies. Um, it seemed as though the young Kala Kawa, uh, befriended and, uh, you know, this is neither good or bad, but it was befriended by many of the, the, the white businessmen in the community at the time. And after reading just your introduction and with what little knowledge I have, uh, it appears it's apparent that they had some ulterior motive in mind and befriending Kala Kawa because it all comes through fruition in their favor in the end with the overthrow. Am I correct? Yes. And, you know, it's important to, to also make the statement that they befriended Luna Lilo too. And they were a large part of his cabinet when he became Mui. Um, and, you know, Kala Kawa was known to have a waiver quite a bit before his election. He was against, uh, the seeding of Pearl Harbor or Pearl River. You know, and then just before he was elected to the throne, he decided to support that. You know, um, but there was, uh, or at least supposedly, but he, he will claim, you know, and in many of his records that he never wanted to give up Pearl Harbor, you know, to the US as part of the reciprocity treaty, but, um, he did, he did, um, you know, have that American support as the Luna Lilo and he, um, allowed them to be part of his cabinet as the Luna Lilo. So I don't know if it was so much of a break from, you know, what the Mui, the previous to him were, were actually doing. Am I correct in my understanding that in, so after Luna Lilo, uh, you know, passed away, there was another election. And am I correct in stating that amongst the Hawaiian community, at least a more favorite, uh, uh, individual was, uh, was Emma. Ah, this is so interesting that you would bring this up because, um, there was a small, very powerful and very, uh, loud. You know, um, uh, community of, um, for example, backed by Joseph Navahee. You know, yes, backed by George Washington, Peeley Paul. And they were my very active, uh, Patriots, you know, in the, in the, um, native Hawaiian political circle. Um, and they favored Emma. They did. And, um, on the day that, that the representatives elected Kalakaua as the new king, there was a riot at the courthouse and her supporters were said to have been a very boisterous and very, uh, loud about, um, their disappointment with this new announcement. And so they rioted at the courthouse and, um, furniture was broken and the courthouse was, uh, said to be destroyed. And yeah. But, um, so when they, when they say in, in the history books, um, that Emma was the more popular than Kalakaua, is that true? And when they say more popular, was that amongst the Hawaiian community? I want to say that from the newspaper articles that I've researched and the different letters that this was a small part of the Hawaiian community. They were loud and they were active. And I think we can understand that a little bit better today. Yeah. How that kind of voice and that activity can, you know, can play a part in getting your, um, your agenda heard. I mean, I want to think that, um, for the Makai Nana, um, election must have been a new thing, wasn't it? Yes. So was that, was that, and maybe this is unfair of me to ask this question or to even pose it, but was that another ploy on the part of, you know, the businessmen in the community knowing, I mean, it's just, it's just like the great Mahele. You know, I mean, yeah, a land was now made available for purchase by anybody that had the means. But those people that created at Mahele knew very well that the Hawaiians themselves would not have the financial means, at least the majority of that in the Makai Nana to purchase land. Henceforth, you know, that plan went through. So could this be, but in the political arena, um, you know, to further their candidates, so to speak, Kalakaua, uh, because, um, perhaps they had him where, you know, they wanted him, um, and that smaller group within the Hawaiian community. So the larger group in the Hawaiian community, henceforth, I'm going to assume were in favor of Kalakaua, perhaps because they were paying attention to what was being purported by the white business community. The, I mean, it could be so, but in the Hawaiian language newspapers during that time, um, I found that majority of the population of the Makai Nana population supported Kalakaua. You know, there, again, there was that small, you know, group that supported Emma. They were loud and they were active and they were angry to add, you know, at, you know, Kalakaua's victory. Um, but the election was exciting. It was an exciting time for Makai Nana too, because they could get their voices heard and they came out, they came out in numbers to, um, to vote because there was, um, a kingdom white political site before that. Um, and they came out in numbers. There was a report of a hundred, um, Makai Nana from Laie, who came all the way into Honolulu to vote. You know, and, and so they're, they're making their voices heard. And I also want to say that, um, the election is an exciting opportunity to understand the complexity of Kanakaua, the political climate, you know, and that they enjoyed voting. They saw it as a privilege. And I think that's a lesson that we can learn from today. Um, and they, they valued, um, the hands that would lead the Hawaiian kingdom. You know, they, that was important to them. And, um, I think a lot of those who did support Emma, um, supported Kanakaua after the election for the sake of the continuance of the Hawaiian kingdom. You know, so that they, they didn't support Kanakaua in the beginning, but then after that, they got behind them as Kanakaua, because they had to, because they had to, they had to, and that was a good thing. And that was a good thing. I will talk more when we come back from our break with Dr. Tiffany Inge about why that was a good thing. I'm your host, Walter Kovai. I, we're here on ukulele songs of Hawaii talking to Dr. Tiffany Inge about her new book, Reclaiming in Kalakaua. Stay tuned. We'll be right back. Aloha. I'm Marcia Joyner, inviting you to join us on Wednesdays at one o'clock for Cannabis Chronicles, the 10,000 year Odyssey, where we take a look at cannabis as food, cannabis as medicine, cannabis and religion, cannabis, and dear old Uncle Sam. So please join us to learn all about cannabis. Again, Wednesdays at one o'clock. Thank you. Hi guys. I'm your host, Lillian Cumick from Lillian's Vegan World. I come to you live every second Friday from 3pm. And this is the show where I talk about the plant-based lifestyle and veganism. So we go through recipes, some upcoming events, information about health regarding your health, and just some ideas on how you can have a better lifestyle, eat healthier and have fun at the same time. So do join me. I look forward to seeing you and Aloha. We're back here at Ukulele Songs of Hawaii. I'm your host, Walter Kauai. And today we're talking with our special guest, Dr. Tiffany Lani Ng and her new book, Reclaiming Kalakaua. So just before the break, we were getting into going down rabbit holes, as I like to call it. So I have a question. Is it true that more people outside of Hawaii like to David Kalakaua than those within his own kingdom? No. And that's the supposed belief. When Kalakaua ascended the throne, he made several trips outside of Hawaii. In 1874 and five, he went to Washington, D.C. to speak to Congress on behalf of the reciprocated treaty. And the U.S. loved him. They loved him wherever he went. They greeted him at train stations and down the street in Washington, D.C., at the White House. And Ulysses S. Grant, who was president then, he welcomed Kalakaua with the first ever official White House dinner given to any sovereign, any leader. And on his way back, they loved Kalakaua. They greeted him and they welcomed him with pomp and circumstance, with royal bands and city officials came out. And when he returned home, they also welcomed him with parades and bonfires and fireworks. And it was just a beautiful welcome, beautiful tribute. When he made his way around the world in 1881, becoming the first sovereign to do so, the people all over Asia, Europe and the U.S. again loved him. And they honored him as the King of Hawaii. And when he came home, the people welcomed him again with the same kinds of parades and processions and tributes and arches, even made of flowers and signs and plants. And it was beautiful. And the people in Hawaii were able to follow the King on each of these travels. The Hawaiian language newspapers and the English language newspapers printed in Hawaii reported in all of these stops that he made. And it helped. In 1881, the people in Hawaii were suffering from the smallpox epidemic. There was a large outbreak. And the queen, who was regent at the time, Lily O'Colony, she took her brother's place while he was away. And she had to deal with it. And it was heavy on her shoulders. And it was heavy on the King's shoulders, too, as he was away. But while the people were dealing with the smallpox epidemic and seeing loved ones succumbed to that, the reports of the trip were able to boost their spirits and really make them feel proud, proud of their King and proud of themselves and proud of their home. And I think that they loved it even more. And where there might have been wavering between he and Emma, I think that he was able to garner more support for his campaign and what he wanted to do. I mean, when you think about it in today's political scene within America and Hawaii, I mean, not much has changed. I mean, I guess it goes back. We're human beings. And so just by our very nature, we all have differences of opinion. And we express ourselves. We express our views and our opinions. Some are louder than others. And so the Hawaiians were no different than the Hawaiians of today than the community that we live in today, Hawaiians. Just switching gears for a second. I know he's well loved in the hulu community because of his resurgence. So just so that we get the record straight, that when the missionaries first came here and they saw the Hawaiians in their dancing, they classified that as paganistic, very heathen. And so it became, it just got forced, slowly got forced underground, not to be performed publicly. And Kalakaua made that one of his things. And you indicate that. And I'm trying to find it in your introduction here, where Kalakaua makes it a point. I just want to read what was here it is. If I could read this for a second. The Mo'i's encouragement of hulu's public performance throughout his reign was a direct, defiant reply to missionary-based newspaper opposition, even in the Hawaiian language, to any claim, the past and present, to combine, to nurture and increase Hawaiian nationalism. So there's a lot that is in that sentence, or that statement. So, I mean, as much as Kalakaua wanted to let his Hawaiian people know, no, it's fine to dance, and don't feel that, don't listen to them, and what they have defined hula as, dance. And so at his coronation, it was a gala affair of dancing. Every halau from every community came out and performed oike, and to show their love and Allah for the king. Right. And it went on for weeks, day and night. And part of it, Dr. Noe Noe Silva tells us that part of the reason for the ban was because hula prevented the Hawaiians from according to missionaries working. They couldn't work during the day. And that was, according to missionaries, that was the ideal. And so, Kalakaua having the hula performed night and day for hours and on the palace lawn, in such a public arena. I mean, so that was during his coronation and then during his jubilee. Again, it went on for weeks, day and night. And there was also the creation of Numele. And again, very defined, very exciting. And I love that he used his position as Mo'i to do this. To take that agency and to say that this is what I'm doing, this is my idea, and I have control. I have the authority to do this. Well, and decisions on his part to do that just endeared the Hawaiian people even more to him. It did. And it's gone on for centuries. It did. And the hula, during that time, we should understand too that it was performed, even against this ban, in pockets here and there, maybe at parties and banquets and here and there, but not in such a public display as Kalakaua had it done. And also, in the face of the, we talked about population decimation in the smallpox epidemic and all of these diseases that were taking the lives of Nakamali in the celebration. The celebration of who we are and the thought that we are continuing to grow or that we can grow as a people. I mean, that's beautiful. And that's hopeful. And I think that's what the people needed then. So I want to get back to this portion in the introduction of your book, where you distinctly identify three distinctive periods. The first period you talk about is, it serves as a detailed review of this historical and critical literature. The misrepresentation or distortions are examined within three time periods, the first being the attacks written during his reign, from 74 to 91. The second, assessments produced between the tumultuous years of 91 to 1900. And then the third period is all of the historical accounts of the Mou'i published between 1900 and present. So I guess you're talking about publications that came out in that third period giving their point of view. So we're running out of time. But what I'd like you to do in the remaining minute or so that we have, Dr. Ng, is capitalize what this dissertation, what this book reclaiming kalakaua from this point. Because it's obvious that there were three English newspapers that were written. And there was two Hawaiian newspapers that were written. And I guess for most of us, we always got the perspective of the English written newspaper as the absolute fact and true about kalakaua. But in your studies of all of this combined and his personal letters as he traveled around the world, you came to discover something much different than what was perpetrated. Am I correct? Yes, well the Hawaiian language newspapers represent this really special, rich archive of Hawaiian history. And this is what most of the information about kalakaua is taken from. And if you want to know anything about the king, anything new about the king, you've got to tap into this rich resource. And so the Hawaiian language newspapers show us that during his period, the native people loved him. And the people outside of Hawaii loved him. There are people who didn't support him. But they ended up supporting him for the sake of the Hawaiian kingdom. And afterward, after his death in 1891, people were trying to overtake his kingdom. And so there's another narrative there. And you can find out more about that in the book. I'm going to have to cut Dr. Tiffany Ng off. We've completely run out of time. I want to say mahala nui. And if you want to hear the rest of that discussion, Friday, 5 to 7, Hawaii Collective on University Avenue, reclaiming kalakaua, Dr. Tiffany Ng, our guest today on Ukulele Songs of Hawaii. Thank you so much, Dr. Ng. Thank you for being Aloha. Aloha.