Iolani Palace Quotes

Kamehameha was the only one with the audacity to blaspheme the name of ‘Io by mentioning it openly. He named his son Liholiho ‘Iolani. The name ‘Iolani was then given to Liholiho’s grand nephew, Alexander Liholiho, who then named the royal palace ‘Iolani. Ahuena attributes the extinction of the royal family and of the monarchy to this sacrilege by the royal family.

ʻIolani Palace also stands in equally strong rebuttal to the notion that the will of Hawaiʻi's Kings and Queens was simply overborne by outsiders. Hawaiʻi's Monarchs from King Kamehameha I on worked diligently and often brilliantly to find the path to draw together traditional Hawaiian culture and values and the forces of Westernization and modernization spreading across the world. This was not an easy path, for there was no model to follow. Each monarch in his or her way remained true to their land and their people. If you look closely and listen carefully, the Palace itself speaks to that path. That it was ultimately force of arms that brought the journey of modern Hawaiian Kingdom to an end makes it a tragedy and not a denial of honor, integrity, and achievements of that journey.