E mau ke ea!

Today marks 129 years since the unjust illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i.

Despite every effort to silence us, displace us, and erase us - we are still here.

Our power is in the strength of our memory and in the persistence of our spirit. The stories of our kūpuna live in our bones, in our blood, in our chants, and in our dances - in our every inhale and in every exhale. This ea that lives within the people of this land is strong and enduring.

Those who lived in the time of the Queen remembered what happened that day, 129 years ago. The made sure to write about it in intricate detail and continued tell the story so that we would never forget the wrongs that have been done onto our people and so that we would never forget that our ancestors stood, protested, organized, signed the petitions, and protected everything they could. We are the descendants of the ones who survived every attempt to end us.

Tonight, I look to the sky and smile as I lift my pule of love and gratitude to those who came before who made way for us to become all that we all are.

I am proud to have been born Kānaka ‘Ōiwi in this lifetime to a family of aloha ‘āina.

E mau ke ea!

📸: @jalena.kl