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Queen Lili’uokalani: Why she kicks ass

In 1881, she was left in charge of Hawaii when her brother went on a voyage around the world.  While he was gone, an epidemic of smallpox broke out, killing many Hawaiians. Laborers who worked in Hawaii’s sugar cane fields brought the disease, so to limit its spread, she temporarily closed Hawaii’s ports, which made the wealthy sugar growers very angry, but showed her strong concern for her people. 

In 1893, she sought to empower Hawaiians through a new constitution.  This caused the American minister in Hawaii, John L. Stevens to call for troops to illegally take over the Iolani Palace and other government buildings and in 1894, they deposed her. 

The Hawaiian people were on the side of their dethroned Queen, President Cleveland offered her the throne back if she granted amnesty to all involved in the take over of her kingdom.  She initially refused, but then changed her mind and agreed only to be denied her reinstatement by the Provisional Government. 

Lili’uokalani was arrested in January of 1895 after a failed revolution in which firearms were found on her property.  She denied knowing of their existence and the following year she was released and returned to her home. 

Queen Lili’uokalani was also an accomplished musician and wrote over 160 poetic melodies and chants over her lifetime.  One of her more famous pieces became one of Hawaii’s four National Anthems.  “Aloha Oe” is her best known composition, a story about two lovers who reluctantly must part. 

France, Garde du Corps du Roi M1814 Officer’s Helmet, c. 1814.

Black varnished leather body and visors trimmed entirely with silver-plated copped fixtures. The body has two large palm leaf scrolls on each side with their curls forward, and the ends terminating behind a silver band that covers the seam between skull and rear visor. The front visor is edged in silver. A large sun ray plate embossed with crown over intertwined scrolls of palms crossing above the face of a deity, all above clouds with a bannered motto “Nec Pluribus Impar” (”without comparison under the sun”). Screwed to the skull, a crest with feather plume designs on both sides, holds a black chenille of horse hair cropped like a mane and falling forward over the front of the helmet. The ear bosses are sun rays behind the godly face at centre, and hold the scalloped, graduating chinscales to the helmet. The chinstraps fasten at the wearer’s chin with a cloth ribbon tie. On the left side, forward to the ear boss, a silver squared tube plume socket holds a two-tiered tulip cup holding the stem of a white cock feather plume. Interior sweatband of leather only. Green colour under the front visor and black under the rear visor. Say what you will about the Borurbon Restoration, but the excellent taste in uniforms the French possessed continued under them.