The Betrayal of Liliuokalani: Last Queen of Hawaii, 1838-1917

by Helena G. Allen

A woman caught in the turbulent malestrom of cultures in conflict. Treating Queen Liliuokalani's life with authority, accuracy and detail, Betrayal is tremendously informative concerning the entire period of missionary activity and foreign encroachment in the Islands.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, American History, The United States Of America, Royalty, Indigenous

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Terry Cornell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last year I read 'To Steal a Kingdom' about how native Hawaiians were manipulated by foreigners (mostly Americans) to give up their 'kingdom' and become a territory of the United States. This is similar, but is mostly a biography of Liliuokalani, the last queen of Hawaii, as well as a history of Hawaiian leadership leading to annexation.

Helena Allen was approached by Lydia Aholo who was Liliuokalani's Hanai (foster) daughter to work with Liliuokalani's own writings and diaries to compile 'her' story. Allen heavily researched the material through multiple sources including the Bishop Museum Library, the Hawaiian Historical Society, and various other libraries and historical collections. Sometimes the material is a little dry, but very informative. Much of the material is genealogical by nature, but Allen still incorporates a personal element. Besides being a well-educated and compassionate leader Liliuokalani also was a prolific songwriter. Perhaps her most famous song being 'Aloha Oe'.

One misconception I had from reading 'To Steal a Kingdom' was about Samuel Dole, who was the first territorial governor of Hawaii after Liliuokalani was forced from her rule. Dole was not related to the pineapple Dole family, and although responsible for Liliuokalani's house arrest I believe he tried to treat her well. My own conclusion is that if the U.S. had not eventually annexed Hawaii another country (Japan, Britain, Russia) would have. The book is footnoted, has some photos, and an extensive bibliography. If political intrigue and the history of Hawaii is interesting to you, this is a must read.

[Tamhack · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is sad how the Hawaiian people were taken advantage of for the (the same old story of one peoople overriding another --avarice) and the Hawaiian race wiped out. The Kameheameha royal line was not prepared tp rule in the 1800s and deal with the 'modern' civilization.
"Liliuokalani's life dramatized the Hawaiian story as lived by a high born Hawaiian Chief, an alii, from 1838 to 1917. More important it reveals the amazing elasticity of the human spirit, if endowed with the Hawaiian aloha, to survive intact monumental historical, social, economic, and political changes while caught in the vortex of clashing cultures and mores."
The miscommunication/misunderstanding across cultural lines and language.
"The last queen of Hawaii, Liliuokanli, "..was betrayed from the moment of her birth by the changing concept of hanai; she was betrayed by the lack of understanding of the Hawaiian alii at the Royal school. She was betrayed by cultural difference in her marriage. She was betrayed by her brother's ambivalence; by both haole and natives during the two years she was queen--by her cabinet, by her friends, and members of her household. Even after the overthrow of her government, she continued, she continued to be betrayed in her personal life.

[Bianka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly sad story of the unfortunate events and circumstances leading up to the annexation of Hawaii by the United States. Power and Money hungry foreigners (mostly American) pretty much took Hawaii from the Native Hawaiians.

[Adela]

This book covered Hawaii's last Queen and how the royal monarchy ended in sadness and betrayal.

Queen Liliuokalani while imprisoned in the royal place, wrote many songs during this time. She wrote "Hawaii's Anthem" and many more songs. She loved her people and forgave the ones that imprisoned her. She truly was a "Queen" for the people.

Hawaii is the only state with a royal palace and to this day, events are held in honor of the royal monarchy.

[Julienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, though long and hard to read (because it is a non-fiction history book and the names are hard to pronounce and even read), is poignant and heartbreaking. Imagine a nation, full of grace, trust and love, and then conquered by a nation with only has self-interest in mind. That's what had happened to Hawaii. It was once a bright nation wherein everything is based on their trust to the monarchy and their culture. And then, white missionaries came, slowly turning them into Christians and finding fault to the tradition of Hawaii. Though, missionaries are not to blame for this but those people who find Hawaii as a good spot to acquire lands and properties for free -- the conquerors. The fall of Hawaii's monarchy is not to be blamed to the last Queen of Hawaii. Hawaii from the Kamehameha's reign was slowly being set-up to fall. Liliuokalani's only fault was she trusted non-Hawaiian to run the cabinet with all her heart. Yet, again, we cannot blame her for that as trust is deeply rooted with their culture.

Hawaii's history made me realize many things about Philippines' own history. That every domination start with a simple token of "friendship" - may it be education, religion, civilization or infrastructure. That we are not naturally racist, conquerors brought it upon us. That conquerors only have their selfish interest.

I can't tell you enough how timely this book is to what is happening to my country, the Philippines. This book serves as a reminder how one once a trusting nation has ended by their own trusting culture.

[Chase · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a 4th generation haole kama’aina (who sadly no longer lives on the islands), I am always interested in books on the history of Hawai'i. The time of the overthrow of the monarchy is a particularly complex time in the story of the islands, so I was excited to find this book at a local book fair. It did not even look like it had ever been open!

It must be said that this could have been because the book is somewhat off putting - it is very dense with text and does not very appealing. Whoever designed the cover and the typeface could have done a much better job.

As to the book itself, well - the author sure did her research. The book is dense with facts and is well referenced... but that does not always translate into interesting or easy to read. I think sometimes the facts very much get in the way of the flow of the story. There are also a LOT of names to juggle and they aren't always referred to the same way. A family tree and/or glossary of names would have been extremely helpful. I resorted to pencilling one in the back of the book myself.

I also really enjoyed the photos and would have loved it if there had been more of them.

All in all, it is probably a book that only real enthusiasts on Hawaiian history are going to enjoy.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been lucky enough to visit Hawaii twice, and both of those times, I spent a day at Iolani Palace, learning about the history of the Hawaiian monarchy and the illegal overthrow of the institution by the United States. On my most recent visit, I picked up a copy of this book from the Palace gift shop.

Helena G. Allen paints a portrait of a formidable and strong woman, caught in the clash between the old Hawaiian ways of alii and the encroaching haole culture. The book is a very comprehensive history of the Hawaiian monarchy from the perspective of Liliuokalani. It was at times somewhat dry, and I found I still did not fully understand the politics of the overthrow, but it was a very enjoyable read about a very admirable female figure in Indigenous histories. I would definitely recommend it to those who want to know more about the Kamehameha and Kalakaua dynasties, and about Liliuokalani.

[Jadie · Rating 3 out of 5]

More than a biography of Liliuokalani, this book sets the stage and provides the proper context (albeit very slowly) to explain the unraveling of Hawaii and Liliuokalani's reign at the hands of American "annexationists." It's clear from the get-go how native Hawaiian culture (particularly that of hanai, if not also aloha) is perverted by Christian missionaries, and this theme is carried through right to the end - through Hawaii's shifting economy, the Provisional Government's rule, Liliuokalani's trial for misprision, and her ultimate abdication (along with Hawaii's annexation).

This book was undoubtedly enlightening and interesting, but it was particularly dense. At times, I felt I was consuming more than my fair share of superfluous detail, making the overall read a slog.

[Jennifer Canaveral · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the Queen's autobiography but felt I learned so much more about her in this book. The information in this book was passed down from her hanai (a traditional Hawaiian form of adoption) daughter and namesake, Lydia Aholo. As I discovered so much I didn't know about the Queen, I realize it is because she was humble and not one to lament on her struggles, only of what brought her joy through all the adversity she faced. Helena G. Allen did a tremendous job of telling the Queen's story. A must-read for those interested in Hawaiian History.

[Dominic Krile · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating account of the life of Hawaii’s last monarch, Queen Liliuokalani. The book is extremely detailed and covers her entire life, while providing plenty of additional context as to the factors behind the invasion and annexation of the island by American settlers. It’s a really sad history, but it opened my eyes as to why the Hawaiian independence movement is still so strong today. The book was quite dense so it wasn’t the easiest read, but it left me with a much deeper understanding of the factors that have shaped modern Hawaii.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever want another excuse to be mad at white men, read this (from: a white man).

Combining a unique tale of royalty unlike many we’ve seen in nonfiction - basically begging to be made into a Netflix series, a la The Crown - with an opposing perspective of the United States’ Manifest Destiny, Allen’s study into the last queen of Hawai’i sweeps you away to the beauty of the islands and tragedy of the end of its royalty

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up hearing many stories of Queen Liliuokalani, and knew she was amazing. The betrayals mentioned in the title were frequent, multi-faceted and nearly at every stage of her life. Her strength, passion and love for the Hawaiian people was her primary guiding principal. She embodied the true spirit of aloha. I felt humbled by reading of this extraordinary woman, who in many ways was so ahead of her time, while showing respect to the traditions of Old Hawai'i.
Remarkable.

[Maeve · Rating 1 out of 5]

I traveled to Hawaii a few years ago and visited the royal palace where the last queen of Hawaii was imprisoned when the United States took over Hawaii. I thought what an interesting life. The only biography I could find of her was this book, which did a terrible job telling that interesting story! If there's a better one, please let me know!

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned much about Hawaii's history from this book, which has great research behind it. The florid writing style got a bit old & for a book written in 1982, the style seemed much older. I've had this on my shelf for years & am glad to have finally gotten around to reading it, since I've been intrigued by her since I was a girl.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read and a must for all that want to know Lili'uokalani and the last of the ali'i of Hawai'i.

[Danielle Humphrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

History of Hawaii, the people and of their last queen. This tells about the US gov’t overtaking Hawaii and obtaining the Hawaiian islands. The book is fascinating, heartbreaking, and intriguing.

[Mills College Library]

996.902 L7286a 2018

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad but unsurprising story of the Hawaiian culture being usurped by the white Christians. Nice insights into Hawaiian culture.

[Sam Wesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this years ago and just remembered it because of a conversation regarding Hawaiian history. If you have any interest in Hawaii it is well worth a read.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book details the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy by a small collection of greedy Americans, who had no respect for native Hawaiians or their values. I read the book with disgust.

[Why-why · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly wish more people, more American minorities & women in particular, were more familiar with Hawaiian history.

[Donna LaValley · Rating 3 out of 5]

My great grandmother sailed straight to Kauai from Germany at age 5, and the family lived in Hawaii during part of the time this history traces. I was interested in reading it for this personal reason as well as to enjoy a book about the royal Hawaiian family's history. Unfortunately, the book suffered from either too many editors cutting/pasting or from the main editor not knowing how to put a book together so that it is sustainably readable. The history is certainly worth knowing: few American citizens are aware of the political maneuverings that took place in the islands, and of the injustices that were done to the Hawaiian people, and we should be.

The book might have been improved by sticking to a simple, chronological approach, even if it had to do so by switching from storyline to storyline. Many authors handle complex material this way. I think the "editor" (she claims the author is Liliuokalani herself) was unschooled in writing such a large book. I found myself first skipping, and then giving up, despite the fact that I'm still interested in learning more. I just think the book is barely readable, and I'll look for other sources.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting much from this book. I bought it because it was 40% off at the closing Borders in Maui. It was written by a haole who came on the scene after the fact (sounds like a familiar and too close to home situation). Overall, it shouldn't have added up to much, but it was really good. It had just enough ignorance to the culture to make it necessary to explain details that a native would have missed, and it treated the overthrow with the respect it deserves.

[Cheryl Knapp]

This book has a rich history in which a very complicated system was used to keep the offspring of royalty were kept safe. The Queen were raised by her aunt and uncle as were some of her siblings. This was done to keep the linage going. The alphabet is very creative as a few letters can make a lovely sound language. Long book as there is quite a few family members to keep track of but worth the time if you are a history buff.

[Renee]

It is a sad, sad, tale. White missionaries do it again. A beautiful woman betrayed by those closest to her and those that sought to take her throne and ultimately her country. My heart breaks for the people who suffered this tragedy. You have to wonder what Hawaii would be like today if things had gone a different way.

[Lauren Erdmann-Rued · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great reference for anyone wanting to learn more about Hawaiian history from the early 1800s- early 1900s. If you are interested in more books like this Hawaii’s Story, which is mentioned several times in the book is also another good read.

[Paul Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhaustively researched, written well with enough respect while still maintaining an historian's eye.

[Toni Olivieri-barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cultures in conflict. Difficult with Hawaiian names, but extremely interesting biography. Talked about the struggle within oneself and between two cultues.

[Rebekah Sheppard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of a sad ending to a culture and society lost.

[James F · Rating 4 out of 5]

this and the paperback edition (ISBN 0935180893) should be combined