Preservers of Hawaii culture, history win HTA awards

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) recently presented the Daughters of Hawaii and the Friends of Iolani Palace with its 2012 Tourism Legacy Awards. This is in recognition of the established lifelong efforts by both organizations to perpetuate the Hawaiian culture and to sustain a “legacy of aloha.”The Daughters of Hawaii is a non-profit organization founded in 1903 to perpetuate the memory and spirit of old Hawaii and of historic facts, and to preserve the nomenclature and correct pronunciation of the Hawaiian language. The organization owns and maintains the Queen Emma Summer Palace, the Hulihee Palace and the site of Kamehameha III’s birth at Keauhou Bay in Kona on Hawaii Island. The Friends of Iolani Palace was established to preserve, restore, interpret, share and celebrate the cultural, historical, and spiritual qualities of Iolani Palace. Designated as a national historic landmark and as the only royal palace in the US, Iolani Palace embodies Hawaiian cultural heritage and offers opportunities for residents and visitors to experience our authentic Hawaiian culture. (http://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org)