Honoring Prince Kūhiō’s Legacy

A free play in Ho’olehua outlined Prince Kūhiō’s legacy. Photo by Léo Azambuja

By Léo Azambuja
A free theatrical play honored the legacy of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Piʻikoi before a crowd of nearly 100 Molokai residents at Lanikeha Community Center last week. The play was part of the Prince Kūhiō Day celebrations that had been postponed due to the Kona Low storms in March .
“Although our kingdom is lost, we are still the Hawaiian people, and as an aliʻi, part of me stands outside of any government, and I’m determined to serve,” the actor portraying Prince Kūhiō said during the “Ka Kauā o Ka Lāhui: The Life of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Piʻikoi” play April 26.
As a 20-year delegate in the U.S. Congress, despite holding a non-voting seat that affected his ability to leverage partnerships with his peers, Prince Kūhiō was responsible for a number of accomplishments that helped shape modern Hawaiʻi while aiming to preserve his native culture and way of life.
Written by Victoria Kneubuhl and directed by Sammie Choy, the play followed Prince Kūhiō’s journey as a member of the Hawaiian monarchy — he was the grandson of Kaumualiʻi, Kauaʻi’s last king. The play portrayed the prince’s early years, the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in a coup d’etat in 1893, and highlighted his steadfast commitment to represent his people until his death on Jan. 7, 1922.
Prince Kūhiō — known as Kealiʻi Makaʻaina, or Prince of the People — fought for his people and against prejudice during his career as a statesman. First elected to represent Hawaiʻi as a non-voting member in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1902, he was a champion of Native Hawaiian rights and culture.
Prince Kūhiō created the bill that led to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act signed into law by President Warren Harding on July 9, 1921. The law set aside roughly 200,000 acres of homestead lands to Native Hawaiians with a blood quantum of 50%, despite the bill’s original intention to benefit those with a Hawaiian blood quantum of at least 1/32.
The theatrical play debuted in 2022 at ʻIolani Palace on Oʻahu, and has since toured the Islands, including a performance on Molokai at Kulana ʻOiwi in November 2024.
Most people connect Prince Kūhiō with the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, but the play also reveals his personal life and struggles, along with many of his accomplishments in Washington D.C. during his 10-consecutive terms in Congress from 1902 to 2022.
He introduced legislation establishing county governments in the Islands.
He got the Department of Commerce and Labor to commit money for the construction of the Makapuʻu Point Lighthouse on Oʻahu, ensuring safer shipping to Hawaiʻi.
In 1909, he introduced the first bill to turn Hawaiʻi into a state, because he felt local civil rights would be more secure. The bill was unsuccessful but it planted the idea of Hawaiʻi as a state.
Prince Kūhiō lobbied and secured funding for improvements at Honolulu and Hilo harbors. He also secured $27 million for improvements in Pearl Harbor.
In 1916, he introduced legislation to make Kilauea, Mauna Loa and Haleakalā part of the National Park System, protecting and preserving them in eternity.
For many years, Prince Kūhiō fought to secure women’s right to vote, which was granted in Hawaiʻi in 1920.
After the play, the six actors engaged with the community in an informal talk about how different islands react to the performances, and how important portions of Hawaiian history, including Prince Kūhiō’s legacy, had been left out of local schools for many years.
Everyone was graced with a free Hawaiian plate lunch before going home.
The event was made possible by many partners, including the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawaiʻi Ponoʻi, ʻAhahui Sīwila Hawaiʻi, Maui County Office of Economic Development, Kaiāulu and the Hoʻolehua Homesteaders Association.