[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 76 (Tuesday, May 31, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H3780-H3781]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AUTHORIZING USE OF EMANCIPATION HALL TO CELEBRATE BIRTHDAY OF KING
KAMEHAMEHA
Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend
the rules and concur in the concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 16)
authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center
for an event to celebrate the birthday of King Kamehameha.
The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:
S. Con. Res. 16
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring),
SECTION 1. USE OF EMANCIPATION HALL FOR EVENT TO CELEBRATE
BIRTHDAY OF KING KAMEHAMEHA.
(a) Authorization.--Emancipation Hall in the Capitol
Visitor Center is authorized to be used for an event on June
5, 2011, to celebrate the birthday of King Kamehameha.
(b) Preparations.--Physical preparations for the conduct of
the ceremony described in subsection (a) shall be carried out
in accordance with such conditions as may be prescribed by
the Architect of the Capitol.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren) and the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms.
Hanabusa) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous
consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend
their remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such
time as I may consume.
I am pleased to support this resolution authorizing the use of
Emancipation Hall on June 5 to celebrate the birthday of King
Kamehameha of Hawaii.
King Kamehameha, often called Kamehameha the Great, is a legendary
figure in Hawaiian history and culture, and rightly so. He fought
heroically for its unity and independence at the end of the 18th and
beginning of the 19th centuries.
His law, or Rule of the Splintered Paddle, protecting noncombatants
during wartime has been commended for its justness and established a
human rights benchmark that would later be built upon in the Geneva
Conventions.
An illustrious statue of King Kamehameha is part of the National
Statuary Hall Collection, and it now sits in the Capitol Visitor
Center, visible to millions of our fellow citizens.
On June 11, the people of Hawaii will celebrate the 95th annual King
Kamehameha Day in Hawaii. In adopting the resolution, the Members of
the House will join our colleagues in the Senate in authorizing the use
of the Capitol Visitor Center for a similar celebration here in
Washington, D.C.
I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution.
House of Representatives, Committee on House
Administration,
Washington, DC, May 27, 2011.
Hon. John Boehner,
Speaker of the House, House of Representatives,
The Capitol, Washington, DC.
Dear Speaker Boehner: I write to formally notify you that
the Committee on House Administration hereby waives further
committee consideration of S. Con. Res. 16, a concurrent
resolution authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the
Capitol Visitor Center for an event to celebrate the birthday
of King Kamehameha, in order that the legislation may proceed
expeditiously to the House floor for consideration.
Sincerely,
Daniel E. Lungren,
Chairman.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. HANABUSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may
consume.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 16 is entitled, ``Authorizing the use of
Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for an event to
celebrate the birthday of King Kamehameha.'' It speaks to authorizing
the use on June 5, 2011, and states that the preparations for the
ceremony shall be carried out with such conditions as may be prescribed
by the Architect of the Capitol. This is not an unusual event. This
will be the 42nd time such a celebration has taken place within the
Capitol.
This is Hawaii's way to share its most unique history with all. June
11, the day of celebration, is the birthday of King Kamehameha the
great. He was born around 1758 and is credited with unifying the eight
major islands by the year 1810. Of course, the islands of Kauai and
Niihau claim that they eluded him.
This holiday was first decreed in 1871, when Hawaii was still a
kingdom, by Kamehameha V, his great grandson. It was the first holiday
proclaimed by the Governor and legislature when Hawaii became a State
in 1959.
The celebration in his honor is about 140 years old this year. And
what we identify with the celebration, the statue of King Kamehameha
and the traditional lei draping, is over 100 years old itself.
{time} 1820
The American sculptor, Thomas R. Gould, was commissioned by the
Kingdom of Hawaii to create the statue. He did so in 1879 from his
studio in Rome. It was completed in 1880, but the ship that was
transporting it from Germany sank. It was in 1883 when the second
statue made its way to Hawaii.
It stands 8\1/2\ feet tall with the king in his royal garb. The
helmet is depicted to reflect that it is made out of red, very rare
feathers, as is his cloak. The spear in his left hand is the symbol
that his kingdom is willing to defend itself, and yet his right hand is
extended in the gesture of aloha, to welcome, that gesture which is
synonymous with Hawaii.
The statue that stands here is the mold of the second statue which
stands in front of Ali'iolani Hale, the home of the Hawaii Supreme
Court. Many, actually, would recognize it as the new headquarters of
``Hawaii Five-0.'' This was dedicated as a gift to the National
Statuary Hall from Hawaii in the year 1969.
Of note is the first statue was found and brought to the Big Island
of Hawaii, the birth isle of King Kamehameha I. The tradition of the
lei draping dates back to 1901, when Hawaii was still a territory. I
personally recall it as a child with firefighters draping the leis on
the statue using their very long ladders. We remember it clearly with
the longest strands of the yellow plumeria blossoms being the flower of
choice. These lei drapings take place on the Big Island as well and
have for 42 years also taken place in the Capitol.
[[Page H3781]]
On June 20, 2010, President Obama issued Proclamation 8534 in honor
of the bicentennial of the unification of Hawaii. The President, who
like me and others who were born in Hawaii, recognizes the significance
of King Kamehameha to our history. A relevant part of his statement is,
``On this bicentennial King Kamehameha Day, we celebrate the history
and heritage of the Aloha State, which has immeasurably enriched our
national life and culture. The Hawaiian narrative is one of both
profound triumph and, sadly, deep injustice. It is the story of Native
Hawaiians oppressed by crippling disease, aborted treaties, and the
eventual conquest of their sovereign kingdom. These grim milestones
remind us of an unjust time in our history, as well as the many
pitfalls in our Nation's long and difficult journey to perfect itself.
Yet, through the peaks and valleys of our American story, Hawaii's
steadfast sense of community and mutual support shows the progress that
results when we are united in a spirit of limitless possibility.''
I would like to also add, as Chairman Lungren pointed out, what King
Kamehameha is also known for is creating the law of the land, the law,
as we call it, the Law of the Splintered Paddle. In Hawaii we also call
it Ke Kanawai Mamalahoe. This is an interesting story, and one that
people may not believe. It is really the story of a warrior king and
his humanity. It was a law to protect the civilians at a time of war.
It is a lesson in human life because the king, warrior king, decreed
that any human life was precious, and it was wrong for the powerful to
mistreat the weaker.
Though many of us think of it as a celebration with parades and, as
we call it at home hoolauleas, festivities, and parties, it is more
importantly a symbol of that which is Hawaii, that which makes us so
unique.
I would like to express my appreciation on behalf of the people of
Hawaii, to Speaker Boehner, Chairman Lungren, the architect of the
Capitol, the Capitol Police, and all others who assist in this event.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would
just say that it gives me great pleasure to join my colleague from
Hawaii in bringing this resolution to the floor, particularly because
my daughter, who was married in this town on Sunday, is on her way to
Hawaii to celebrate her honeymoon and I believe will actually still be
there on the 5th of June, so that she will see that up close and
personal.
I would urge all my colleagues to support this resolution.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S.
Con. Res. 16, legislation to authorize the use of the Emancipation Hall
in the Capitol Visitor Center for the Lei Draping Ceremony to celebrate
the birthday of King Kamehameha on June 5, 2011. The concurrent
resolution, already passed in the Senate, is cosponsored by the two
Senators and my good friends from the State of Hawaii, Senator Akaka
and Senator Inouye. And I wish to thank all the Hawaiian congressional
delegation for their support of this resolution to commemorate this
historical event.
Mr. Speaker, the Kamehameha Lei Draping Ceremony in the Statuary Hall
of the U.S. Capitol has been hosted by the Hawaii congressional
delegation and Hawaii State Society of Washington, D.C. since 1969. For
more than 40 years now we have conducted this ceremony each year on or
about the second week of June to coincide with the celebration of King
Kamehameha Day in the State of Hawaii.
Mr. Speaker, the King Kamehameha statue has now been moved to
Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, and in doing so,
under section 103 of Public Law 110-437, it requires the enactment of a
congressional resolution to authorize this annual celebration- hence,
the resolution before the House floor today.
Mr. Speaker, King Kamehameha was one of the greatest Hawaiian warrior
kings known among the Polynesian people. After some 2,000 years of
tremendous rivalries among the warring chiefs of the Hawaii Islands, it
was prophesied among the Hawaiian priests that there will one day be
born a high chief who will be a slayer of other high chiefs and he will
unite all of the Hawaiian Islands under one rule. King Kamehameha
fulfilled that prophecy, after almost 10 years of fighting against
other rival chiefs of the Hawaiian Islands.
Mr. Speaker, King Kamehameha was about 6 feet, 8 inches and weighed
almost 300 pounds. He learned the ancient martial arts, known among the
Hawaiian people as lua. He also learned military tactics and the art of
warfare from his warrior chief, Kekuhaupio. He was able to lift the
ancient Naha Stone, which weighed 4,500 pounds. One of his favorite
sports to prove agility and combat readiness involved the ability to
dodge spears thrown at him simultaneously. King Kamehameha was able to
do this with six spears--he would grab two, parry two more, and let the
last two go by.
Mr. Speaker, King Kamehameha unified the islands and established
peace and stability. He was shrewd in building prosperity for his
people by encouraging agricultural development and promoting commercial
trade in Europe and even with the United States. While he was open to
new ideas, he was cautious and circumspect in the old way. He
instituted the Law of the Splintered Paddle, or Mamalahoe as known
among the Hawaiian people, which protected elderly men and women and
children from any harm as they'd travel along the roadside.
Mr. Speaker, S. Con. Res. 16 reaffirms that the United States is
built upon diversity, and we all share the same ideals of freedom and
democracy and a commitment to justice for all people. These ideals
embody the legacy of King Kamehameha the Great. It is only fitting that
we not only honor the birth date of this great Hawaiian warrior king,
but we continue to have the special ceremony of draping hundreds of
flower leis on his statue that now stands prominently in the
Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.
I urge my colleagues to support S. Con. Res. 16.
Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, aloha. I rise today in support of S. Con.
Res. 16, which authorizes the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol
Visitor's Center for the 42nd Annual Kamehameha Day Lei Draping.
I would like to thank Speaker Boehner, Chairman Lungren, and Ranking
Member Brady for their support of this bill. The location of the
Kamehameha statue in Emancipation Hall requires that a concurrent
resolution be passed to authorize the use of the space for this event.
The Kamehameha Day Lei Draping has been hosted by the Hawaii
Congressional Delegation and the Hawaii State Society of Washington
D.C. since 1969. The event has been held on or about June 11th to
coincide with the celebration of Kamehameha Day, a state holiday in
Hawaii. This year, the event will be held on Sunday, June 5.
Born in 1758, Kamehameha was the first monarch to unify the Hawaiian
Islands and is fondly remembered as a leader who was daring, strong,
and courageous.
As King of all Hawaii, Kamehameha appointed governors for each
island, made laws for the protection of all his people, planted taro,
built houses and irrigation ditches, restored important cultural sites,
encouraged industries like farming and fishing, managed the island's
natural resources, and entered into trading agreements with other
nations. The flag design he ordered for his kingdom later became the
Seal of the State of Hawaii. He would rule the islands until his death
in 1819.
I would like to close by thanking the staff of the Committee on House
Administration, the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, and the
Office of the Sergeant At Arms who each year help make this event
possible. I urge my colleagues support of S. Con. Res. 16.
Mahalo nui loa (thank you).
Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren) that the House
suspend the rules and concur in the concurrent resolution, S. Con. Res.
16.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was concurred in.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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