HWST 115 - Moʻokūʻauhau: Hawaiian Genealogies: Kūʻē Petitions

The Kūʻē Petitions, also known as the Anti-Annexation Petitions, are a collection of signatures of Hawaiian women, men, and children who opposed the Annexation of Hawaiʻi to the United States of America. The signatures were collected island by island by three Hui: the Hui Aloha Aina for Women, the Hui Aloha Aina for Men, and the Hui Kalaiaina. These three groups went island by island holding mass town meetings about annexation and obtaining signatures from those who opposed annexation. 

Getting Started
The Kūʻē petitions are organized by island and district, then by men and women. The first thing you want to do is generate a list of your kūpuna that you think lived around this time and were old enough to sign the petition. Then, try to think of where these kūpuna were located. Once you have all that information - go to the appropriate section in either the print or online version of the petitions, then search name by name, column by column. It is a tedious process but well worth it.

Where can I find all the Kū'ē petitions?
The original petitions are located at the United States Archives. However, facsimiles of the original petitions have been widely published and are available online. At WCC, we have physical copies of the petitions in the Hawaiʻi Collection Room.