In 1876, shortly after David Kalākaua started his reign as Hawaii’s last king, the Hawaiian anthem was replaced with “Hawaiʻi ponoʻī”, which Kalākaua himself had written the lyrics to; the music was by the royal bandmaster.

When the Hawaiian monarchy was replaced with first a republic then with American control, the anthem was abolished. It was a natural choice, however, for a state song after Hawaii became a state in 1959, and was officially decreed as a state symbol in 1967. The last anthem of the Kingdom of Hawaii, now the state song, is still sung at sporting events, after the national anthem.

Special thanks to: Pavel Zinovatny for the sheet music and Keith Terrett for the music file.