Hawaii Aloha

"Hawaii Aloha," also called "Kuu One Hanau," is a revered anthem of the

native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii ...

people and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

residents alike. Written by the Reverend

Lorenzo Lyons Lorenzo Lyons or "''Makua Laiana''" (April 18, 1807 – October 6, 1886) was an early missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was a songwriter who wrote the lyrics of "''Hawaii Aloha''", which was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in ...

, (1807-1886), also known as Makua Laiana, a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

minister who died in 1886, to an old hymn, "I Left It All With Jesus," composed by

James McGranahan James McGranahan was a nineteenth-century American musician and composer, most known for his various hymns. He was born 4 July 1840, in West Fallowfield or Adamsville, Pennsylvania, and died 9 July 1907 at his home in Kinsman, Ohio. He composed ...

(1840-1907), "Hawai‘i Aloha" was considered by the

Hawaii State Legislature The Hawaii State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state legislature is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Hawaii State House of Representatives, with 51 representatives, and an upper house, the ...

in 1967 and by the Hawaii State Constitutional Convention in 1978 to become the official state song, but " Hawaii Pono‘ī," written by King David Kalākaua and composed by Royal Hawaiian Band Master

Henri Berger Henry or Henri Berger (August 4, 1844 – October 14, 1929) was a Prussian Kapellmeister, composer and royal bandmaster of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1872 to 1915. Biography Berger was born Heinrich August Wilhelm Berger in Berlin, and became a ...

, was chosen instead. "Hawaii Aloha" is typically sung in both small and large, formal and informal gatherings, both in Hawaii and abroad, while participants stand in a circle with joined hands. It is a feature of the inauguration of the

Governor of Hawaii , insignia = Logo of the Office of the Governor of Hawaii.png , insigniasize = 110px , insigniacaption = Gubernatorial logo , flag = Flag of the Governor of Hawaii.svg , flagborder = yes , flagcaption = Standard of the Governor , image ...

(called Ke Kiaaina), and the opening sessions of the Hawai‘i State House of Representatives and

Hawaii State Senate The Hawaii Senate is the upper house of the Hawaii State Legislature. It consists of twenty-five members elected from an equal number of constituent districts across the islands and is led by the President of the Senate, elected from the member ...

. Traditionally, the last chorus is sung with hands raised above heads; the act of raising hands is especially important to advocates of the

Hawaiian sovereignty movement The Hawaiian sovereignty movement ( haw, ke ea Hawaiʻi), is a grassroots political and cultural campaign to re-establish an autonomous or independent nation or kingdom of Hawaii due to desire for sovereignty, self-determination, and self-gove ...

. : Listen to an excerpt: (The Rose Ensemble) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS3DcFwPsac Hawaiian music Symbols of Hawaii Songs about Hawaii Year of song unknown {{folk-song-stub