Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī

"Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī" is the regional anthem of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It previously served as the national anthem of the independent Kingdom of Hawaii in the 19th Century, and has continued to be Hawaii's official anthem ever since annexation by the United States in 1898.

Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī

King Kalākaua, the author of the song's lyrics.
Regional anthem of  Hawaii
Lyrics	King David Kalākaua, 1874
Music	Captain Henri Berger
Adopted	1967

History

The words were written in 1874 by King David Kalākaua with music composed by Captain Henri Berger, then the king's royal bandmaster. "Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī" is one of the national anthems of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and also was the National Anthem of the Republic of Hawaiʻi.

It was adopted as the national anthem in 1876,[1] replacing Liliuokalani's composition "He Mele Lāhui Hawaiʻi". It was the adopted song of the Territory of Hawaiʻi before becoming the state symbol by an act of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature in 1967. The melody is reminiscent of "God Save the Queen" and the Prussian anthem "Heil dir im Siegerkranz".[2] "Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī" is commonly sung at sporting events in Hawaii, immediately after the U.S. national anthem.

In the Hawaiian language, "Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī" means "Hawaiʻi's Own".

Lyrics

Hawaiian	English
Hawai’i ponoʻī	Hawaiʻi's own true sons,
Nānā i kou mōʻī,	Be loyal to your king,
Ka lani aliʻi,	Your only ruling chief,
Ke aliʻi.	Your liege and lord.
Hawaiʻi ponoʻī,	Hawaiʻi's own true sons,
Nānā i nā Aliʻi,	Honor give to your chiefs,
Nā pua muli kou,[3]	Of kindred race are we,
Nā pōkiʻi.	Younger descent.
Hawaiʻi ponoʻī,	Hawaiʻi's own true sons,
E ka lāhui ē,	People of this our land,
ʻO kāu hana nui	Duty calls fealty,
E ui ē.	Guide in the right.
Hui:	Chorus:
Makua lani ē,	Royal father,
Kamehameha ē,	Kamehameha,
Na kāua e pale,	We shall defend,
Me ka ihe.	With the spear.

References

1. Stevenson, Robert Louis; Jolly, Roslyn (2008). South Sea Tales. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 273. ISBN 978-0-19-953608-5. OCLC 1003039815.
2. The melody was based on the Prussian hymn originally titled "Heil Dir Im Siegerkranz". "Hawaiʻi ponoʻī". Archived from the original on 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
3. In 2017 Dr. Kalena Silva & Kapena Achiu made an extensive investigation of the original lyrics of the anthem and found that the original line was "Nā pua kou muli" rather than "Nā pua muli kou." This is both more grammatically correct and fits with the rhyme scheme. This somehow changed over time, probably post-overthrow. It means, "the flowers (children), your youngest ones."

Resources

• Huapala ~ Hawaiian Music and Hula Archives ~ recording of melody available at website