The only all-Hawaiian entertainment lūʻau in Hawaii tells a dark story
OAHU — A gentle song filled the air as the hula dancers gracefully took the stage for the next performance of the Aliʻi Lūʻau ʻOnipaʻa at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Oahu. However, rather than wearing a traditional hula skirt – they were dressed in Victorian-era gowns.
Everyone’s eyes were drawn to one performer in a regal black gown with lace and intricate beadwork along the bodice and sleeves.
This dress was made to look like the famous gown that Queen Liliʻuokalani wore to the Jubilee Celebration of Queen Victoria in London in 1887, which she attended as a princess and direct heir to the throne of Hawaii with her sister-in-law, Queen Kapiʻolani.
The song playing was written by Queen Liliʻuokalani herself for the royal event.
Launched in 2022, the lūʻau at the PCC – Hawaii’s top paid visitor attraction – forgoes the fire-dancing and other Pan-Pacific performances you’d typically see at a contemporary lūʻau, which reflects the multi-cultural society of modern-day Hawaii through song, food and dance.
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PCC’s lūʻau is a tribute to Queen Liliʻuokalani – the last ruling monarch of Hawaii who reigned for just three years – and her life, including the tragic overthrow of Hawaiian Kingdom, to educate visitors on Hawaiian history. The result is an all-Hawaiian lūʻau.
“What can we offer to present the Queen’s story that does her memory justice, that brings pride to the Hawaiians, that brings understanding to our non-Hawaiians and people can leave feeling the spirit of aloha?” Delsa Moe, Director of PCC, said.
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An all-Hawaiian lūʻau
Since every dance, story and song is about Liliʻuokalani at Aliʻi Luau ʻOnipaʻa, making it “the only lūʻau with all Hawaiian entertainment in Hawaii,” according to Moe.
“The reason we can do that is we have a night show guests can go to afterward. Other lūʻau, this is their one shot,” Moe said. After the lūʻau, PCC puts on HA: Breath of Life Show, a show that brings together other Polynesian cultures and “where you get all the glitz, the glamour, the bells and whistles.”
This isn’t the first time PCC held an all-Hawaiian lūʻau. In 1997, the lūʻau was focused on Hawaiian culture only but visitors didn’t find it “very exciting.” At the time, PCC returned to a Pan-Pacific lūʻau.
“They wanted the Hawaii experience that was being portrayed in the media and the movies,” Moe said.
A few years ago, the team noticed how Hawaii visitors were seeking out more authentic experiences, and realized it was the perfect time to try again.
Why is Queen Liliʻuokalani’s story important to share?
Pomai Kruger, a kumu hula (hula teacher) from Maui, joined the PCC team and led the creation of the new lūʻau. He’s credited for choosing Liliʻuokalani’s story to share because “this is the kind of story that is very relevant and front of mind to our people here in Hawaii,” according to Moe.
To this day, some Native Hawaiians fight for sovereignty from the U.S. and protest against projects that go against their values, such as the Thirty-Meter Telescope being built on Mauna Kea, regarded as a highly sacred place.
Born Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Wewehi Kamakaʻeha, she succeeded her brother as, King David Kalākaua in 1891, as Queen Liliʻuokalani. She sought to strengthen the political power of the monarchy by introducing a new constitution to protect Hawaiian rights. Fearing the loss of trade profits – the Committee of Safety, a group of non-native American businessmen or politicians – and with support of the American Minister to Hawaii, staged a coup and announced itself as the Provisional Government.
Tension between the non-Hawaiians and Hawaiians grew. In 1895, Hawaiian royalists tried to regain power for the Queen in an armed revolt called the Wilcox Rebellion. Liliʻuokalani was arrested and imprisoned in her bedroom at ʻIolani Palace for almost eight months, also relinquishing the throne. Originally, it was a five-year prison sentence. Despite petitions and letters of protest sent to the U.S. government, she never regained power.
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“The overthrow led to annexation to the United States and a huge decline in the Hawaiian Kingdom’s power, influence, and economic status,” ‘Iolani Palace historian Zita Cup Choy said.
Like the name of the lūʻau, Liliʻuokalani’s motto was ‘ʻOnipaʻa,’ which means to be steadfast and resolute in Hawaiian. She is highly admired to this day for having been “steadfast in her desire to do what her people wanted,” Cup Choy said. The phrase is also associated with the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy.
Liliʻuokalani’s legacy lives on through the Liliʻuokalani Trust, a private-operating foundation established in 1909 offering direct services to vulnerable Hawaiian children.
Moe said the lūʻau’s script went through several iterations because it was difficult to present the overthrow in a way so “non-Hawaiians feel the sadness” but don’t think it is “divisive” or they are “being blamed for it,” Moe said.
Preserving Hawaiian culture and reviving is at the forefront of many people’s minds to this day, along with telling its history. When Western interests first touched down on the islands, they banned important parts of Hawaiian culture, such as hula and ʻOlelo Hawaiʻi, the language.
How did PCC recreate her story for the lūʻau?
“It was really a team approach,” Moe said.
The PCC team made field trips to ʻIolani Palace to learn more about what life was like during Liliʻuokalani’s time, such as the balls, dinners and gatherings she’d attend. They were also able to look closely at replicas of her dresses that are on display at the Palace, such as the famous ribbon gown, to see how it could be recreated for the show. (The train is detachable so the dress can be easily washed after the show.)
Small touches pay extra tribute to the Queen. There’s a gazebo onstage because she was known for adoring flowers. Even her favorite flower, the crown flower, is in the garden. The chef also reached out to ʻIolani Palace to learn more about her favorite desserts, which inspire the menu.
Then there’s the music. Liliʻuokalani was a prolific composer, with over 150 songs under her belt, including ‘Aloha ʻOe,’ a famously sweet tune that has been covered by Elvis and Bing Crosby. She even wrote songs during her house arrest, many having political meanings.
“The ‘Onipa‘a lūʻau exposes visitors to more of Queen Liliʻuokalani’s musical compositions, telling her life through her own words and songs, which are complemented by original music,” Cindy Ascencio, Director of Guest Services at ‘Iolani Palace, said.
Before the lūʻau’s public launch, PCC invited the Laie community and other Native Hawaiian community members to experience the lūʻau and give their feedback. “Have we done this right?” Moe said. “This isn’t about money, this isn’t about marketing. This is about receiving their approval that we’re presenting this correctly.”
The response was positive, and that gave the center the confidence they needed to make the lūʻau official. “They said, ‘we’re just so proud to be Hawaiian.’ “
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com