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Location:
Story starts at ‘Iolani Palace, Honolulu in the sovereign nation of Hawaii. Ka’iulani spends her teen years in England, then visits America before returning home.
Characters:
Princess Ka’iulani: niece of the king. Scottish father, Hawaiian mother. English family calls her Victoria, a middle name.
King David Kalakaua: educated, traveled, modern King. Built palace. wife Queen Kapiolani.
Princess/Queen Lili’uokalani: Sister of King David Kalakaua. (Ka’iulani also calls her Aunt Lydia.) Educated, musician, singer, composer. Devoted Christian
Archibald Cleghorn: Ka’iulani’s father. Scottish. late wife: Princess Mariam Likelike.
Lorrin Thurston: son of American missionaries to Hawaii. Leader of the anti-monarchy movement. Lawyer, member of legislature.
Sanford Dole: cousin of James Dole, who started Dole Pineapple Plantation. Became President of Hawaii during the overthrow, then Governor after annexation. Dole is portrayed positively in this movie, but he goes along with everything Thurston does and personally benefits from it.
Theo Davies: Ka’iulani lives with this family friend in England. He owns HI sugar plantations.
Fictional characters: the Hawaiian twins, Clive the boyfriend.
Major events:
1778 Western world comes to Hawaii: Captain James Cook comes to Hawaii
1820 Christian missionaries come to Hawaii.
1886 Palace electrified
1887 Bayonet constitution (King David Kalakaua forced to sign at gunpoint.)
1888 Honolulu streets electrified, Kaiulani throws the switch (age 12)
1889 Ka’iulani sent to England for education
1891 King David died age 54, sister Lili’uokalani becomes Queen, writes a new
constitution.
1893 overthrow begins, Queen Lili’uokalani placed under house arrest.
1985 Rebellion. Queen Lili’uokalani put on trial and convicted of treason.
Ka’iulani visits US President Cleveland (age 17)
1897 Natives petition against annexation
1898 President McKinley: US annexes HI
1899 Ka’iulani dies, age 23
1900 Hawaii becomes a territory, Dole is governor
1917 Queen Lili’uokalani dies, age 79
1941 Japan attacks Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, spurring US to join WWII
1959 Hawaii becomes 50th state
1993 US President Clinton gives formal apology for the annexation
Cultural notes:
Victorian time period (named for British Monarch, Queen Victoria.) Full-coverage dresses, and ankles are scandalous! The Hawaiian royal family dresses like westerners despite the tropical climate. Ka’iulani goes over the top with manners, decor etc. to prove that she’s just as “civilized” as the westerners. King David Kalakaua and Queen Lili’uokalani travel the world, exchange gifts with other royalty, build a modern palace, and pursue education and refinement. Yet, it’s not enough for America to respect their independence and stop pursuing greed.
Biracial Ka’iulani is valued for being pretty according to white beauty standards (Queen Lili’uokalani doesn’t get same respect)
Queen Kapiolani and Princess Lili’uokalani attended Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887.
England: often sent children away to boarding school. England once overthrew Hawaii: but they stopped and apologized. As an act of friendship, Hawaii incorporated the British flag.
Hawaii: had nearly a100% literacy rate: the best in the world! In this movie, the commoner twin writing a letter to the Princess makes sense. Hawaii chose to have electrical energy before Buckingham Palace and Washington DC. King David Kalakaua was a world traveler who befriended Thomas Edison. Before the western world came to Hawaii, land was divided by community, not private ownership. White land-owners had sugar and pineapple plantations; the natives don’t own their ancestral land.
Hawaiian Words:
ali’i: chiefs, leaders, royalty
ola: life, sometimes health
kanaka: native people
poi: ground up taro (kalo) root - a purple paste
Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono: May the life of the land be perpetuated in righteousness.
Discussion Guide
Thurston says only white men with property should vote, but “I look forward to other races being able to govern someday.” Sometimes we don’t recognize racism. How can we learn to see more clearly?
When missionaries came to Hawaii, they didn’t just bring Jesus. They brought modern Western culture. This included some good things, like a written language. But they also got rid of Hawaiian dancing, clothing, and many cultural practices. Is there a right way for missionaries to interact with a different culture?
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