King Kalākaua, author of the anthem's lyrics.
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State anthem of Hawaiʻi |
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Lyrics | King David Kalākaua, 1874 |
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Music | Captain Henri Berger |
Adopted | 1967 |
Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī is the current state song of the State of Hawaii. The words were written in 1874 by King David Kalākaua with music composed by Captain Henri Berger, then the king's royal bandmaster. Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī was one of the national anthems of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and also was the National Anthem of the Republic of Hawaii , having replaced Liliuokalani's composition He Mele Lahui Hawaii. It was the adopted song of the Territory of Hawaiʻi before becoming the state symbol by an act of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature in 1967. The melody is reminiscent of "God Save the Queen" and the Prussian anthem "Heil dir im Siegerkranz". Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī is commonly sung at sporting events in Hawaiʻi, immediately after the national anthem.
In the Hawaiian language, Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī means "Hawaiʻi's Own".