Mahealani Kamau, 12, left, and Kristin Lancaster, 13, of Na Opio O Ko'olau, perform a hula during a Sovereignty Restoration Day celebration yesterday at Thomas Square.
Activities recalled July 31, 1843, when English Admiral Richard Thomas pulled down the Union Jack and hoisted the Kanaka Maoli (Hawaiian) flag, ending five months of British occupation.
Nearby, children play happily on the roots of one of Thomas Square's many banyan trees, unaffected by the surrounding pomp and ceremony.
