THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	39
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

URGING THE GOVERNOR TO HONOR JOHN PAPA 'Ī'ī BY DECLARING AUGUST 3, 2007, AS JOHN PAPA 'Ī'ī DAY.

     WHEREAS, John Papa 'Ī'ī was a leading citizen of the Hawaiian kingdom during the nineteenth century.  Born in Waipi'o, O'ahu, on August 3, 1800, and raised under the traditional kapu system, John Papa 'Ī'ī was trained from earliest childhood for a life of service to the high chiefs; and

     WHEREAS, at the age of ten he was taken to Honolulu by his uncle Papa, a kahu, or attendant, of Kamehameha I, to become a companion and personal attendant to Liholiho, later King Kamehameha II; and

     WHEREAS, John Papa 'Ī'ī was close to Liholiho during the young heir's instruction in the conduct of government and ancient religious rites; and

     WHEREAS, after the death of Liholiho, 'Ī'ī continued to serve the rulers of Hawaii, and throughout his life he was in constant contact with the political, religious, and social concerns of the court; and

     WHEREAS, John Papa 'Ī'ī was among the first Hawaiians to study reading and writing with the missionaries, yet although he adopted Christian teachings, he retained a profound love and respect for the culture of his ancestors; and

     WHEREAS, among his many duties, 'Ī'ī served as a general superintendent of Oahu schools and was an influential member in the court of Kamehameha III; and

     WHEREAS, in 1842, he was appointed by the King to the Treasury Board, served as a member of the Privy Council, and in 1845, was appointed to the Board of Land Commissioners; and

     WHEREAS, in 1852, 'Ī'ī represented the House of Nobles in the drafting of the Constitution, and he served from 1846 to 1864 as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii; and

     WHEREAS, John Papa 'Ī'ī died in 1870, after a long and distinguished career; and

     WHEREAS, he left a first-hand account chronicled in "Fragments of Hawaiian History", which describes life under Kamehameha, through his personal experiences and descriptions of the pattern of Hawaiian culture during a period of great significance in the history of the Hawaiian Kingdom; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, that the Governor is urged to declare August 3, 2007, as John Papa 'Ī'ī Day, in honor of his long service to the people of Hawaii; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Requests Governor to declare August 3, 2007, as John Papa 'Ī'ī Day