HAWAIIAN JOSEPH APUKAI AKINA BORN—ATTORNEY & DIPLOMAT
Born of Native Hawaiian and Chinese descent, Joseph resided on the island of Kauai. In 1892, Akina was elected as a member of the House of Representatives as candidate for the conservative Reform Party. However, after the monarchy was overthrown and the Queen deposed, he joined the Hui Aloha ʻĀina (Hawaiian Patriotic League) which represented the case of the monarchy to Commissioner James H. Blount who was sent by President Cleveland to investigate the overthrow. With the creation of the Territory of Hawaii, Akina became a member of the Home Rule Party and, in 1901, was elected to the inaugural Territorial Legislature presiding as the first Speaker of the House of Representatives. In 1908, Akina was ordained as a pastor and preached in Kauai. He moved to Honolulu to enter business in 1918 and, in 1919, was appointed to the Territorial Board of Health as a specialist on the use and practice of traditional Hawaiian herbal medicine. Akina died in Kalihi, Honolulu, on March 16, 1920.
Source: “Joseph Apukai Akina,” People Pill. Retrieved 5/14/2020, https://peoplepill.com/people/joseph-apukai-akina/ Photo: Author unknown, pre-1920. Public Domain.
Indigenous America Calendar 