Events
Bishop Museum Celebrates Lā Kūʻokoʻa, the Independence Day of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Special evening event to include presentations, exhibition walkthroughs, mele, hula, and mea ʻai (food).
# Bishop Museum Celebrates Lā Kūʻokoʻa, the Independence Day of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Special evening event to include presentations, exhibition walkthroughs, mele, hula, and mea ʻai (food).
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi — Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History, celebrates Lā Kūʻokoʻa, the Independence Day of the Hawaiian Kingdom on Wednesday, Nov. 27 from 3-7 p.m. on its Gallery Lawns and in its Hawaiian Hall Complex.
The special evening event will include presentations, exhibition walkthroughs, mele, hula, and mea ʻai (food) provided by Hale Kealoha.
Lā Kūʻokoʻa is a Hawaiian national holiday that commemorates the independence of the Hawaiian Kingdom. On Nov. 28, 1843 the sovereignty of the Kingdom was formally recognized by England and France through the signing of the Anglo-French Proclamation and a verbal acknowledgement with the United States. Lā Kūʻokoʻa has been revered and celebrated annually ever since.
"Lā Kūʻokoʻa is a beloved celebration for many Bishop Museum staff, and we're pleased to once again hold this annual event at the Museum," said Taylour Chang, Bishop Museum director of public programs and community engagement. "Our goal is to continue presenting the Museum as a place where gatherings such as this can be had, and to pay tribute to the legacy of our kūpuna and our aliʻi. In this way, we honor our living culture."
Bishop Museum's Lā Kūʻokoʻa event includes a special presentation by Jonathan Kay Kamakawiwoʻole Osorio, Ph.D. and Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio, Ph.D., as well as a walkthrough of the Museum's Kū a Lanakila! exhibition by Curator Sarah Kuaiwa, Ph.D.
"In our collections, we have source materials that represent what Hawaiʻi's aliʻi and lāhui stood for in their lifetimes," shared Chang. "It is our responsibility to honor and celebrate the lives and work of our aliʻi and the people of the Hawaiian Kingdom through these observances."
The Lā Kūʻokoʻa event is free with registration. Updated information can be found at BishopMuseum.org/LaKuokoa.
About Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History
Bishop Museum’s mission is to inspire our community and visitors through the exploration, celebration, and perpetuation of the extraordinary history, culture, and environment of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. The Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in memory of his wife Bernice Pauahi Bishop, a royal descendant of King Kamehameha I. Today, the Museum thrives as an educational center for the community and is widely regarded as the world’s premier institution for Hawaiian and Pacific content.
Bishop Museum’s vast collections of more than 25 million objects and specimens represent nine disciplines and include more than 22 million biological specimens, over 2 million cultural objects, 115,000 historical publications, and 1 million photographs, films, works of art, audio recordings, and manuscripts. These collections tell the stories of the cultures and biodiversity of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific as well as the proud legacy of scholarly research spanning 130 years.
Bishop Museum proudly serves more than 200,000 visitors each year, including 20,000 children on school visits. Guests are encouraged to pre-plan their trip to #HawaiisMuseum with its free digital guide, available through Bloomberg Connects.
To learn more about the Museum’s research, collections, exhibits, and programs, visit BishopMuseum.org, follow @BishopMuseum on Facebook and Instagram, visit Bishop Museum’s YouTube channel, or call (808) 847-3511. Bishop Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Bishop Museum is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer, and welcomes applicants from the military, veterans, and those with disabilities. Learn about careers at Bishop Museum at BishopMuseum.org/Careers and on its LinkedIn page.
Bishop Museum Press is Hawaiʻi’s oldest book publisher and one of the first scholarly publishers in the Western Hemisphere, and has published over 1,200 titles and distributed over 1 million books in 72 countries worldwide. Bishop Museum hosts a restaurant and gift shop on campus, Tūtū’s Place by Highway Inn and Shop Pacifica by Nā Mea Hawaiʻi.