Since King Kalakaua did not leave an heir, he was succeeded by his sister, Queen Liliuokalani. The Iolani palace was built in 1882 by HawaiiвЂ™s last king, David Kalakaua. But even though I have read a fair bit about its history, I felt I was lacking a personal connection to the islandвЂ™s past. Ever since we moved to Hawaii, I have felt very well connected and welcome by the land, the ocean and the spirits. In the afternoon, I suggested we visit the Royal Iolani Palace where once the Hawaiian kings and queens resided. Royal Iolani Palace(an excerpt from my travelogue) * * * UPDATE, вЂ“ PM вЂ“ ART EXHIBIT, FIRE CEREMONY Whenever we are in residence, we also fly the sovereign Kingdom of Hawaii flag in from of the Rainbow Shower (right and below). Here at the Rainbow Shower, we are flying the Hawaiian flag upside-down today. Which is why today, Jan 17, 2015, I invite all my fellow Americans to join me in a minute of silence, with our heads bowed in honor of the native Hawaiians вЂ“ dead andВ alive. YetВ the world needs to know howВ this proud nation lost its sovereignty. You will not find that in the tourist brochures or in postcards depicting happy vacationers.

(demonstrators for Hawaiian sovereignty carrying upside-down state flags)ДЄs you can see, theВ real story of Hawaii is a tragedy. The US Census Bureau of 2011 reported that native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders accounted for only 10.1% of the total population. Over the last 122 years, theВ native population has been decimated, mostly by disease and malnutrition. Hawaii was recognized as an independent country by Britain, France, GermanyвЂ¦ and yes, the United States, too.Д®ver since Jan 17, 1893, however, Hawaii hasВ beenВ treated like aВ United States colony. Marines from USS Boston, and stole thisВ Pacific paradise from the native population.Д«efore then, thisВ beautiful archipelago, originally namedВ Sandwich Islands by Captain Cook, was actually known as the Kingdom of Hawaii (thus the British Union Jack in our state flag even today). It was the day United States overthrew the Hawaiian QueenВ backed by bayonets of the U.S. Januis theВ day modern WashingtonВ would rather forget. But few realize there was a much darker Day of Infamy, half a century before. Most Americans have heard of the вЂњDay which will live in infamy.вЂќ It is a much quoted FDR (President Roosevelt) phrase that refers to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941. Marines from вЂњUSS Boston,вЂќ staged a coup dвЂ™etat in Honolulu, overthrewВ by force the Hawaiian Queen, and stole the Islands from the nativeВ Hawaiians Today, native Hawaiians account for only 10% of HawaiiвЂ™s population On Jan 17, 1893,В a group of US businessmen, backed by the bayonets of the U.S.

Day of infamy bayonet