National Anthem Hawaii - He Mele Lāhui Hawaiʻi (1866-1876) (Instrumental)

During the 1780s and 1790s, chiefs often fought for power. After a series of battles that ended in 1795, all inhabited islands were subjugated under a single ruler, who became known as King Kamehameha the Great. He established the House of Kamehameha, a dynasty that ruled the kingdom until 1872.Show more

After Kamehameha II inherited the throne in 1819, American Protestant missionaries to Hawaii converted many Hawaiians to Christianity. They used their influence to end many traditional practices of the people. The islands' first Christan king was Kamehameha III. Hiram Bingham I, a prominent Protestant missionary, was a trusted adviser to the monarchy during this period.
Other missionaries and their descendants became active in commercial and political affairs, leading to conflicts between the monarchy and its restive American subjects. Catholic and Mormon missionaries were also active in the kingdom, but they converted a minority of the Native Hawaiian population.
Missionaries from each major group administered to the leper colony at Kalaupapa on Molokaʻi, which was established in 1866 and operated well into the 20th century. The best known were Father Damien and Mother Marianne Cope, both of whom were canonized in the early 21st century as Roman Catholic saints.

The Kingdom of Hawaii, established at the beginning of the 19th century, at first did not have a national anthem, and used the melody of the British “God Save the King”. In 1860, the melody of “God Save the King” was still used, but words by Prince (later King) Lunalilo were written as the result of a contest held in the islands to write Hawaiian lyrics for the tune, the work was titled “E Ola Ke Alii Ke Akua” (God Save the King) and these lyrics were used until 1866.

In that year, the king had mentioned that Hawaii lacks a Hawaiian tune for their national anthem, as they were still using that of the United Kingdom. Lydia Kamakaʻeha Dominis, a member of the royal family with a keen interest in music composition, composed “He Mele Lāhui Hawaiʻi” as a result. Kamakaʻeha Dominis was later the last Hawaiian monarch, reigning as Queen Liliʻuokalani from 1891 to 1893.

(Hawaiian Lyrics)
Ka Makua mana loa
Maliu mai iā mākou
E hāliu aku nei
Me ka naʻau haʻahaʻa
E mau ka maluhia
O nei pae ʻāina
Mai Hawaiʻi a Niʻihau
Ma lalo o kou malu

Chorus:
E mau ke ea o ka ʻāina
Ma kou pono mau
A ma kou mana nui
E ola e ola ka mōʻī

E ka haku mālama mai
I ko mākou nei mōʻī
E mau kona noho ʻana
Maluna o ka noho aliʻi
Hāʻawi mai i ke aloha
Maloko a kona naʻau
A ma kou ahonui
E ola e ola ka mōʻī
Hoʻoho e mau ke

Chorus:

Ma lalo o kou aloha nui
Nā Liʻi o ke Aupuni
Me nā makaʻāinana
Ka lehulehu nō a pau
Kiaʻi mai iā lākou
Me ke aloha ahonui
E ola nō mākou
I kou mana mau
E mau ke ea

Chorus:

(English Lyrics)
1. Almighty Father bend thine ear
And listen to a nation’s prayer
That lowly bows before thy throne
And seeks thy fostering care
Grant your peace throughout the land
Over these sunny sea girt isles
Keep the nation’s life, oh Lord,
And on our sovereign smile

Chorus:
Grant your peace throughout the land
Over these sunny isles
Keep the nations life, oh Lord
And upon our sovereign smile

Guard him with your tender care
Give him length of years to reign
On the throne his fathers won
Bless the nation once again
Give the king your loving grace
And with wisdom from on high
Prosperous lead his people on
As beneath your watchful eye
Grant your peace throughout the land

Chorus:

Bless O Lord our country’s chiefs
Grant them wisdom so to live
That our people may be saved
And to You the glory give
Watch over us day by day
King and people with your love
For our hope is all in You
Bless us, You who reign above
Grant your peace throughout the land

Chorus: