The Caledonian Society
of Hawai‘i
Upcoming Events
- June 21, 2025 — Annual General Meeting — “Flag Connections Between Hawaiʻi and Scotland”
- complete Celtic Calendar
- Looking forward: January 25, 2026 - Burns Night - this year will be on a Sunday, and his actual birthday!
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Caledonian Newsletter
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We can accept donations through Squareup - click here to visit.
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
June 21, 2025 Annual General Meeting
It’s again time for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Caledonian Society. Each year for 60 years we have had a meeting to take care of the business of the Society: 1) the financial health; 2) the membership; 3) the nomination and election of the officers and board of directors; and 4) discussion of events in the past and future. Enjoy camaraderie with other members with scones & coffee to begin, a luncheon after the business meeting, and a speaker or other entertainment to finish the day.
This year we are pleased to be returning to the Waioli Kitchen & Bakeshop in Manoa. The private room in the front of the building gives us a cozy quiet place to socialize and conduct our business. We will have limited space (only 32 people can be accommodated), reservations are required, so please get your reservations in soon.
Our guest speaker this year is “our very own” Tory Laitila, Caledonian Society vexillologist (someone who studies flags, including their history, symbolism, and design) and Curator of Textiles and Historic Arts of Hawaii, Honolulu Museum of Art—HoMA. The title of his talk is “Flag Connections Between Hawaiʻi and Scotland."
Further information:
- 9:30 Scones, coffee & tea will be served.
- 10:00 Introductions and business meeting. Election of officers.
- After bus. mtg “Flag Connections Between Hawaiʻi and Scotland" by Tory Laitila.
- Lunch: ½ BLTA & ½ egg ‘n cheese sandwiches; Dessert: Haupia bread pudding. Coffee & Tea
- 1:00 Adjournment
Required Reservations: Limited to 32 persons
$42 per person
If you would like to attend, please contact Susan MacKinnon via email at: susanmack1@mac.com
Documents (PDF)
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