The communities of Hāmākua and Paʻauilo come together on Sunday, July 31, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Paʻauilo School Field to celebrate the 173rd anniversary of Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea, also known as Sovereignty Restoration Day.
The event is organized by the grassroots organization Hui Mālama i ke Ala ʻŪlili (huiMAU).
Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea is recognized as Hawaiʻi’s first national holiday and was celebrated annually for over a half-century in the Hawaiian Kingdom.
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The holiday commemorates the ending of a five-month British occupation of Hawaiʻi by Admiral Richard Thomas on July 31, 1843. Thomas recognized the sovereign authority of Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli), and restored life and sovereignty (ea) to the Hawaiian Kingdom.
It was on this day that Kamehameha III stated his famous words—what is now the Hawaiʻi State Motto, “Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono,” which is commonly translated as “The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness.”
“Our hope for this event in Paʻauilo is to bring our Hāmākua community together to celebrate our own ea—the abundance of knowledge, skills, values and life-giving practices in our community, past and present, that hold the potential for our return to a thriving Hāmākua and Hawaiʻi Island community in the future,” said Peralto.
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Community members of all ages are welcome to attend. This is a drug- and alcohol-free event featuring local food, craft vendors, farmers, educational and game booths, speakers and live music by Kainani Kahaunaele, Ho-a, and Jon & Jamaica Osorio.
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