Some of the state's largest and most influential Native Hawaiian organizations have formed a coalition aimed at educating the broader public about what it believes are the truths and misconceptions of Hawai'i's history.

The Hawai'i Pono'i Coalition will start its efforts with a celebration of the 169th birthday of Queen Lili'uokalani at 'Iolani Palace from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 2. The event, which is free, will include exhibits on Native Hawaiian history and culture, as well as all-day entertainment by Hawaiian musicians and hula halau. Families are encouraged to bring their own lunches, although there will be food booths.

The formation of the coalition and the Sept. 2 event come just as Native Hawaiian institutions and programs are facing new challenges. Most recently, a group of non-Hawaiians said it wants to become part of the Kau Inoa Native Hawaiian registry process.

Meanwhile, opponents of Kamehameha Schools are seeking students who have been denied admission to the institution that gives admissions preference to Hawaiian youths. And recent changes to the makeup of a key advisory committee dealing with civil rights and the Akaka bill has shifted in favor of those opposed to federal recognition.

Hawaiian activist Vicky Holt Takamine said she and other organizers of the coalition have been meeting since earlier this year.

"I think there's some misunderstanding about the history of Hawai'i," Takamine said. "I think there's a lot of effort by (opponents of Native Hawaiian rights) to share their interpretation of what happened during the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy. .

"A lot of people don't really recognize that the overthrow was illegal by the United States, and that there is a trust relationship that exists there," she said.

While Hawaiians have different interpretations of what constitutes Native Hawaiian rights, they are unified when it comes to the notion that they are entitled to some rights as the indigenous people of the Islands, Takamine said.

"I think there's a consensus among most of the groups that we should be entitled to have our own programs and use our own lands to educate our own people."

For some opponents, "it's not enough just to take our government and annex us illegally to the United States, but then to take away our resources that can provide economic and educational benefit for Native Hawaiians on top of that," she said.

Among those listed as members of the coalition are Kamehameha Schools, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Alu Like Inc., the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, the Friends of 'Iolani Palace, the King William Charles Lunalilo Trust, the Queen Lili'uokalani Trust and Learning Center, the Queen Emma Foundation, the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. and Takamine's 'Ilio'uokalani Coalition.

Materials issued by the group say participation in the coalition is "open to any group or individual who supports Native Hawaiian rights."

The Hawai'i Pono'i Coalition gets its name from the Hawai'i national anthem written in 1874 by King David Kalakaua. Literally translated, Hawai'i Pono'i means "Hawai'i's own." For more information about the group, call 224-8068.

The Sept. 2 event is the first of several events that the coalition expects to put on. Free parking will be available at the nearby Kamehameha Schools' Kawaiaha'o Plaza parking structure through 6 p.m.

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.