
These are the words of Mrs. Abigail Kuaihelani Campbell, to an 1897 gathering at the Salvation Army in Hilo to protest annexation. Joined by Mrs. Emma ʽAima Nawahi, both representatives of the Women’s Hui Aloha ʽĀina, they had traveled on the inter-island ship, Kinaʽu, to Hilo to gather signatures on a petition that said a resounding “No!” to annexation.
“When Mrs. Campbell and Mrs. Nawahi arrived in Hilo harbor, they were greeted with honors. A delegation of the Hilo chapter of the Hui, consisting of Mr. Henry West, Mrs. Hattie Nailima, Mrs. Kekona Pilipo, and Mrs. J.A. Akamu met them at the harbor. The Hilo delegation showered them with leis, and proclaimed that a Hawaiian double-hulled canoe would carry them into the harbor. They had decorated five seats on the beautiful vessel with leis of maile, lehua, and other flowers, and had a Hawaiian flag waving at the back. The people of Laupāhoehoe had sent welcome gifts of ʽopihi, limu, and fish. Mrs. Campbell and Mrs. Nawahi attended meetings of the Hui Aloha ʽĀina all over the Hilo and Puna area, and returned with thousands of signatures.”
The attendees at the historic gathering in Hilo were so numerous that they spilled out the door of the 300 person capacity room like a lava flow forming new land. While most of the meeting participants were Hawaiian, a lone Caucasian woman, Miriam Michelson, a San Francisco Call reporter, sat as witness and later observed,
“For here in Hawai'i, the best beloved, the most richly endowed of all Mother nature’s beautiful family, the old, old struggle for Anglo-Saxon supremacy is going on. The centuries-old tragedy is being repeated upon a stage small comparatively, but with a perfection of gorgeous setting and characters whose classical simplicity gives strength to the impersonation. The only new phase in the old drama is that this time a republic is masquerading in the despot’s role. The United States, founded upon the belief that a just government can exist only by the consent of the governed, is calmly making up for the bloody fifth act - preparing to take a nation's life with all the complacent assurance of an old time stage villain.”
The numerous meetings that have taken place since, where many voices are raised against further encroachments into Hawaiian cultural practices, have had the same null results. Eventually voices are silenced in hopelessness and weary complacency. Not all are silenced though and one voice, that of Pua Case, drawing strength and power from her Mauna, calls out across the plains of Waimea to Mauna Kea from a chant written by Nona Beamer:
He lei keakea noho maila i ka mauna, Ka mauna ki'eki'e i luna kū kilakila Kilakila ʽo luna - ʽo luna I ke ao | The soft white lei encircles The crest of the mountain The mountain high above, standing in great majesty Majestic on high, veiled in the clouds |
So why bring this play to Waimea? In 1897 some of those that signed the petition were residents of Kohala, Waimea and Hāmākua; their descendants today may not know that their ancestors signed the petition. The names from the petition are being displayed to honor those who loved their queen and wrote their names in protest.
“This display has traveled around O’ahu and other places and was recently featured on the National Mall in Washington D.C. during the Hawaiian Civic Club Convention. On November 25, the signs will be set up on the lawn in the front of Kūhiō Hale. Everyone is invited to come and view the exhibit and at 1:00 we’re going to hold the re-enactment.”
Not only is the anti-annexation petition a historically significant document in general, but for individual families, it is also a historic genealogical resource. “I held a meeting about this re-enactment and invited 25 people to come, the community leaders, heads of organizations, teachers. Together we are planning to create an event that will be special for our entire community.”
The play will be a catalyst for a series of educational experiences hosted by several schools, one being ‘Ike Hawaii at Waimea Middle School. “Part of the Social Studies curriculum focuses on the issues surrounding annexation and the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy. We plan to present this re-enactment to students in the community so that they can learn about it beyond the pages of the textbook. Perhaps they will find their Kūpuna in the pages of the petition and discover a deeper connection to their history. I know that finding the signatures of my Kūpuna
changed my life.”