This moolelo (story) focused on Dr. Iaukea's family connection to Colonel Curtis P. Iaukea and her extensive research done for her book, The Queen and I.
Sydney Iaukea is from Maui. She holds a Ph.D. in political science with a specialty in Hawai'i politics. Her book publications are The Queen and I: A Story of Dispossessions and Reconnections in Hawaiʻi, and Kekaʻa: The Making and Saving of North Beach West Maui. Sydney is a dedicated community member, instructor, author and an avid surfer.
In her book, The Queen and I: A Story of Dispossessions and Reconnections in Hawaii, "Sydney L. Iaukea ties personal memories to newly procured political information about Hawai`i’s crucial Territorial era. Spurred by questions surrounding intergenerational property disputes in her immediate family, she delves into Hawai`i’s historical archives. There she discovers the central role played by her great-great-grandfather in the politics of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Hawai`i-in particular, Curtis P. Iaukea’s trusted position with the Hawaiian Kingdom’s last ruling monarch, Queen Lili`uokalani. As Iaukea charts her ancestor’s efforts to defend a culture under siege, she reveals astonishing legal and legislative maneuvers that show us how capitalism reshaped cultural relationships. She finds resonant parallels and connections between her own upbringing in Maui’s housing projects, her family’s penchant for hiding property, and the Hawaiian peoples’ loss of their country and lands."
Na Moolelo Lecture Series:
The Na Moolelo Lecture Series is an opportunity for the public to learn from Hawaiian cultural experts, historians and other museum professionals who prompt discussion of Hawaiian history and culture as well as museum practices. The free series supports Iolani Palace’s mission to preserve and share Hawaii’s unique cultural and historical qualities with the community.
For the months of October, November, and December, Iolani Palace Na Moolelo Lecture Series will be featuring 3 intimate conversations inside Iolani Palace to share na moolelo (the stories) of those who walked these rooms and served the Hawaiian Kingdom.