19th-Century Artifacts Return to Hawaii’s Iolani Palace

News February 3, 2020

(Iolani Palace)
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Hawaii Helmet Plaque
(Iolani Palace)

HONOLULU, HAWAII—CNN reports that 113 objects, including royal orders, military accessories, historic documents, photographs, and a helmet plate worn by a volunteer in the Prince’s Own, a Hawaiian artillery unit, have been returned to Iolani Palace through a donation made by the descendants of Antone and Emily Rosa. Now a museum, the palace was the seat of the Hawaiian monarchy, which was overthrown by the U.S. government in 1893. Antone Rosa served as a government official under Hawaii’s last monarchs—King Kalakaua and his sister and successor Queen Liliuokalani. The artifacts are thought to have been given to the Rosas as gifts. “Donations like this one help us better understand this time period of Hawaiian history,” said Iolani Palace curator Teresa Valencia. “When objects return home, it really helps us with the stories we share with visitors, how we define this history.” To read more about Hawaii’s monarchy, go to “In Search of History’s Greatest Rulers: Kamehameha I, King of Hawaii.”

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