Queen Lili’uokalani

Lili’uokalani was Queen of the Independent Kingdom of Hawaii, from 1891 - 1895. She was the first queen as well as the last reigning monarch of Hawaii, with her reign ending in an overthrow and her imprisonment. She died in 1917 leaving her estate as a trust for Hawaiian children.

Born in 1838, in Honolulu, Hawaii, as a princess, she received a modern education. She was civic minded and created schools for the Hawaiian youth.  She toured the world in 1887 to strengthen international relations, including a visit with US President Grover Cleveland and Queen Victoria of England, who became a close friend.

When Queen Lili’uokalani sought more autonomy from control of trade and land use by the United States, angry US businessmen pushed her to abdicate her throne.  Even though President Cleveland backed her, the businessmen resisted and that sparked an uprising by her supporters. The US military then placed her under house arrest in her home, the Lolani Palace in Honolulu.  From her confinement in a room for eight months, she continued to speak for autonomy and rights for Hawaii and its people.  While imprisoned, she composed one of Hawaii’s most beloved tunes “Aloha Oe.”  In addition she used quilting to express her cultural identity.

Her quilt, in the embroidered crazy quilt style popular in her era, featured images of Hawaiian plants and animals, flags and symbols of independence, and names of supporters. She used materials and ribbons from her gowns and those of her companions.

“Queen Lili'uokalani's Imprisonment Quilt is much more than the single story cloth of a deposed Hawaiian monarch. Faded but arrested from total annihilation, the Queen's Quilt serves as an enduring historical and cultural metaphor for a sovereign nation that was struggling to maintain its cultural identity against all odds, as it had done many times before, narrowly escaping extinction.”  – Tim Ryan,  The Queen's Quilt.

More info:

Biography: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/queen-lili-uokalani.htm

The Queens Quilt:  https://archives.starbulletin.com/2003/03/10/features/story1.html


Join Peace Makers at the Queen Lili'uokalani  level now!

Above $100/month

  • One free virtual workshops

  • 1 Knitting4Peace tote bag

  • A dozen Knitting4Peace notecards

  • Three Entries into prize drawing

  • PeaceMake-a-Long virtual annual event 

  • Mention in Annual Report