HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

81

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

supporting the designation of april 6th of every year as tartan day in hawaii.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, Hawaii has a strong and flourishing Scottish heritage, which has been present since the early days of the monarchy when Scotsman John Young served as an advisor to King Kamehamemeha the Great; and

 

     WHEREAS, among notable persons of Scottish heritage who have contributed to the history of Hawaii are Captain Alexander Adams, who was also a confidant of King Kamehameha the Great; Robert Crichton Wyllie, who was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1789 and was successful in getting Hawaii recognized as an independent nation; Robert Louis Stevenson, who had a great love for the native Hawaiian people; James Makee, owner of Ulupalakua Ranch and celebrated in the "Hula O Makee"; and James Campbell, who discovered the underground fresh water table that irrigated the dry Ewa plain to grow sugarcane; and

 

     WHEREAS, for over two hundred years the Scottish and other Celtic cultures have been integrated with the Hawaiian culture through intermarriage, with the most notable historical figure being Princess Victoria Kaiulani Cleghorn, whose parents were Princess Likelike and Archibald Cleghorn, who was appointed by King Kalakaua to the House of Nobles and by Queen Liliuokalani as Governor of Oahu; and

 

     WHEREAS, from 1976 to 1982, the Caledonian Society of Hawaii sponsored an oral history project involving Scots in Hawaii, which resulted in interviews that can be found in The Story of Scots in Hawaii, which was published by the Caledonian Society of Hawaii in 2000; and

 

     WHEREAS, the tartan is a recognized symbol of Scottish and Celtic cultures; and

 

     WHEREAS, at the annual Highland games held in 1997, the Hawaii Handcrafters Hui and the Caledonian Society of Hawaii held a public viewing and vote to select a tartan to represent the State of Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, a tartan designed by a local craftsman, Douglas Herring, was selected (with colors) to represent the State of Hawaii:

 

(1)  Blue to represent Hawaii's oceans and skies;

 

(2)  Green to represent Hawaii's forests and landscapes;

 

(3)  Brown to represent the aina of Hawaii;

 

(4)  Red to represent Hawaii's volcanoes;

 

(5)  Gold to represent the monarchy of the Kingdom of Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, this tartan, known as the Hawaii Tartan, has been registered with the Scottish Tartan Authority in Scotland and is currently used by citizens of Hawaii in tartan clothing and worn by members of organizations such as the Celtic Pipes and Drums of Hawaii during ceremonial and official events; and

 

     WHEREAS, approximately twenty-four states and all branches of the armed forces have tartans that symbolize their cultures and that are worn by any citizen of the United States or member of the armed and public services; and

 

     WHEREAS, on March 9, 2005, the United States House of Representatives unanimously adopted House Resolution 41, which designates April 6th of each year as National Tartan Day, to recognize the contributions that were made by Scottish-Americans to the development of the United States; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature recognizes the contributions that were made by the people of Scottish heritage to Hawaii and supports the designation of April 6 of every year as Tartan Day in Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Hawaii Handcrafters Hui, The Caledonia Society of Hawaii, and the Celtic Pipes and Drums of Hawaii, who in turn are asked to transmit copies to local organizations and institutions that celebrate Scottish heritage.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Scots; Heritage; Tartan Day in Hawaii