The Caledonian Society
of Hawai‘i
Upcoming Events
- June 23rd,Saturday, Annual General Meeting,
- July 4th Celtic Picnic, Bellows, Pavilion B. RSVP required.
- August 25th, Saturday, New Member Welcome and Aloha Party
- January 26th, 2019, Saturday, Burns Night
- view Celtic Organization Calendar
About Us
Awards
Caledonian Newsletter
Scholarships
Resources
Donation
The Caledonian Society of Hawaii is a qualified non-profit 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Donations are gratefully accepted and deductible to the full extent of the law. Please consult your tax advisor regarding specific questions about your deductions.
Welcome
Annual General Meeting
Saturday, June 23, 11:00am to 2:00pm
The Oahu Country Club
The beautiful Oahu Country Club will again be the venue for our annual AGM. A short meeting before lunch will include the election of Board members. A sandwich & salad buffet luncheon will be served at 11:30am. The Society with help defray costs for this luncheon for members of the Society. The prices are: Members price $30; Non-Members $40. Please send your check to The Caledonian Society P.O. Box 4164, Honolulu, HI 96812, or you can pay with PayPal. Lisa Gomes will play for us during the social times.
| Member Price $30 + $2 processing |
Non-Member Price $40 + $2 processing |
The program for June 23rd, titled "Who Lived in Scotland Before it Was Scotland?" will take us back 5,000 years to the Neolithic Age when our ancestors built amazing stone circles long before Stonehenge. It will make special reference to Orkney, the group of islands 7 miles north of Mainland Scotland, which has long been known for its rich archaeological heritage of Stone Age structures, such as the huge chambered tomb of Maesehowe and the cozy underground houses of Skara Brae. New scientific techniques have recently revealed an enormous multi-building temple complex on the scale of the Acropolis in Greece, but 2,500 years older and currently being excavated.
Brian Richardson and Bruce McEwan are coordinating this program with help from others members and featuring some spectacular photography.
Annual New Member Welcome & Aloha Party
Saturday, August 25th
5:00pm to 8:00pm
Hokua Condominium Cabanas 1288 Ala Moana Blvd
More information will be following ASAP.
Pictures From Recent Events
Highland Games, 2018 - forthcoming
The Caledonian Society was established in 1965 by a group of ex-Scots and other interested people who were living in Hawai'i, and who wanted to educate themselves and others and enjoy the culture of Scotland while honoring their new home. Most months there are activities such as a soup supper, a movie night, or a ceilidh (a gathering with entertainment).
Each January the Society honors the Scottish poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796), with a dinner to celebrate his birth. His poetry is read, sung or performed and of course there is haggis and bagpipes! Anyone interested in Scotland or Scottish culture is welcome to join the Caledonian Society. You do not have to be Scottish (by birth or by ancestry) to be a member.
From 1976-1992, The Caledonian Society sponsored an oral history project involving Scots in Hawaii, which resulted in 26 oral interviews being taped and transcribed for research purposes. In 1986 a monograph entitled "Speaking of Scots in Hawaii" was published. Many of the stories from the interviews and from some of the more famous Scots who visited and came to live in Hawaii can be found in The Story of Scots in Hawaii, a book published by The Caledonian Society in 2000. An order form for the book is available (PDF).
Please consider becoming an active member of the Society.
The Scots in Hawai‘i
Scots have been coming to Hawai‘i since the end of the 18th century. They arrived with other Westerners soon after Kamehameha the Great unified the islands and Captain James Cook, a part-Scot, opened Hawai‘i to the West. Hawai‘I’s own Princess Ka'iulani was half Scottish. Her father, Archibald Scott Cleghorn, who arrived in Hawai‘i in 1851, was born in Edinburgh. He married Princess Miriam Likelike, sister of Queen Liliuokalani and King Kalakaua. Cleghorn served in several government positions under the monarchy and was Governor of Oahu under Queen Liliuokalani.
Many Scots either immigrated to Hawai‘i or passed through as visitors, since the first seafaring Scots discovered our beautiful islands. A visit by the author Robert Louis Stevenson in 1889 was well publicized and has an historical note because of his friendship with King Kalakaua and Princess Ka'iulani. There have been many immigrant Scots who brought Scottish values of education, integrity, hard work, democracy, and community service to the sugar industry, banking, government, business, and horticulture, enriching life here for everyone as Hawaii developed.
Please consider becoming an active member of the Society.
Scottish Education Research Grant (SERG)
The Caledonian Society makes awards to young people for study related to Scotland through the Scottish Education Research Grant (SERG). Awards of up to $2000 may be given each year to students to undertake and complete a project about Scotland, Scottish history or culture. The award is generally granted by the Awards Committee in the Spring of each year and the project must be completed during the following summer or academic year.
Previous awards have included a look at organic farming on farms in Scotland; a study of the Gaelic (Scottish language) at a college in Scotland; and a re-creation of the route taken by David Balfour in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Kidnapped. The Committee will be happy to consult on ideas for research, projected costs involved, or other matters to make the application process and project a success. To learn more about the Grant and to print an application click here.
Please Donate
The Caledonian Society of Hawaii is a qualified non-profit 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Donations are gratefully accepted and deductible to the full extent of the law. Please consult your tax advisor regarding specific questions about your deductions.
Email us at info@scotsinhawaii.org