Anthem · 1874 · Oceania

Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī

The anthem of Hawaii, with words written by King Kalākaua in 1874 when Hawaii was an independent kingdom.

Words
David Kalākaua
Music
Henri Berger
Culture
Native Hawaiians; the Hawaiian Kingdom and the people of Hawaii
Language
Hawaiian
Place
Hawaiian Kingdom (present-day Hawaii, United States)
Date
words 1874; adopted as national anthem 1876
Type
Anthem
The words
Public domain (words by King David Kalākaua (1874; he died in 1891))

The story

"Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī" ("Hawaii's Own") was written in 1874 by King David Kalākaua of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The music is by Captain Henri Berger, then the king's royal bandmaster. Its melody recalls "God Save the King" and the Prussian anthem "Heil dir im Siegerkranz".

In 1876 it was adopted as the national anthem of the Hawaiian Kingdom, replacing "He Mele Lāhui Hawaiʻi", a composition by Liliʻuokalani. It remained the national anthem under the Republic of Hawaii, and after the United States annexed Hawaii in 1898 it continued in use as the islands' own song, the adopted song of the Territory of Hawaii.

In 1967 an act of the Hawaii State Legislature made it the official anthem of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is commonly sung at sporting events in Hawaii immediately after the national anthem of the United States, and at many schools and at the meetings and events of local service organisations.

What it says

A national anthem of loyalty to Hawaii and its own people, written by a reigning king. Its tone is stately, in the manner of the European royal anthems its melody recalls.

The words

Hawaiʻi ponoʻīHawaiʻi's very own

Nānā i kou mōʻīLook to your king

Ka lani aliʻiThe royal chief

Ke aliʻi.The chief.

Makua lani ē,O royal father,

Kamehameha ē,O Kamehameha,

Na kāua e paleWe two shall defend

Me ka ihe.With the spear.

Hawaiʻi ponoʻīHawaiʻi's very own

Nānā i nā aliʻiLook to the chiefs

Nā pua muli kouThe offspring after you

Nā pōkiʻi.The younger ones.

Hawaiʻi ponoʻīHawaiʻi's very own

E ka lāhui ēO people (nation)

ʻO kāu hana nuiYour great work

E ui ē.Strive [?] for it.

Original: King David Kalākaua (1874); the Hawaiian text as quoted in Wikipedia's article. Text from Wikipedia; public domain.

The English is the Institute’s own translation, made from the original for this page.

Notes on the translation (7)
  • line 1.1 (and 3.1, 4.1): 'Hawaiʻi ponoʻī' is 'Hawaiʻi's own', i.e. the true, native people of Hawaiʻi, whom the song addresses.
  • line 1.3: 'Ka lani aliʻi' can be 'the heavenly (royal) chief'; 'lani' is sky, heaven, and a word for royalty.
  • line 2.1: 'Makua lani' is 'royal (heavenly) father', meaning Kamehameha I, not God.
  • line 2.3: 'kāua' is the dual inclusive 'you and I', so 'we two (you and I) shall defend'.
  • line 3.3: 'Nā pua muli kou' is literally 'the flowers after you': the descendants, the generations that follow.
  • line 3.4: 'pōkiʻi' is younger sibling(s); here the younger generation, the people as younger kin of the chiefs.
  • line 4.4: 'E ui ē': 'ui' in the dictionaries is 'to ask, to question'; the line is usually understood as an urging ('strive, press on'), but the sense is not certain. 'Uʻi' (youthful, vigorous) is another possible reading of the unmarked word.

Listen

On YouTube, from the channel Sounds of Aloha Chorus. Pressing play loads YouTube’s player. Watch on YouTube

What it drew on

People, places and events

David KalākauaHenri BergerLiliʻuokalaniHawaiiAnnexation of Hawaii

Sources

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī. In Songs in History. https://the-epoch-institute.org/songs/hawaii-ponoi
MLA
“Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī.” Songs in History, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/songs/hawaii-ponoi. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī.” Songs in History. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/songs/hawaii-ponoi.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī’, Songs in History. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/songs/hawaii-ponoi (Accessed: ).

All songs in history →