CULTURAL FAIR : Hawaiians will sing praises to songwriter-queen.

The memory of Queen Lili’oukalani, the last reigning monarch of independent Hawaii, will be honored Saturday at the Carson Community Center during the second annual Hawaiian Cultural Faire, a festival of island dance, music and arts.

Lili’oukalani, credited with writing 166 songs, will be recognized for her talents as a poet, songwriter and ruler, said Sharon Paulo, president of the Hawaiian Cultural Center Assn., the organization sponsoring the event.

The 1993 fair also marks the centennial of the revolution that dismantled the Hawaiian monarchy and will be one of many events held by Hawaiian activists this year to honor the queen, Paulo said.

Lili’oukalani was chosen by her brother King Kalakaua, the Merry Monarch, to succeed him on the throne in 1891. But her reign was brief and troubled.

Shortly after taking the throne, Lili’oukalani rewrote her nation’s constitution to restore power to the crown, angering powerful business interests, according to some historians.

A group led by Americans, British and German island residents sought to overthrow the queen and recruited help from U.S. Marines. In 1893, Lili’oukalani was removed from power. The following year the revolutionaries formed the Republic of Hawaii, and the island began its 55-year journey to statehood.

The queen was imprisoned in the palace, fined and sentenced to hard labor. Her sentence was later suspended and she was pardoned. But the episode divided Hawaiian people, Paulo said.

The Hawaiian Cultural Center Assn. is a nonprofit organization founded in 1989 to promote cultural and educational programs for Native Americans of Hawaiian descent, said Ken Dickmann, festival spokesman. The association presents the cultural festival to promote Hawaii’s rich cultural heritage in Southern California and to introduce Pacific Islander arts and crafts to the public.

Tomorrow’s tribute to the queen, who died in 1917, will include performances by 11 halaus , or hula schools, from throughout Southern California, Paulo said. Each troupe of 10 to 20 dancers will perform to music written by or for Queen Lili’oukalani. The pageant-like presentation will tell the story of the queen, her accomplishments and her era, Paulo said.

Between performances, visitors can shop among 20 booths selling traditional arts and crafts from Hawaii and other Pacific islands. Demonstrations on how to make tapa, a cloth made of tree bark, weave mats and create other indigenous crafts are also scheduled.

The fair will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger. Proceeds will help fund a community center the organization plans to build in Carson.

The Carson Community Center is at 801 E. Carson Blvd. Information: (213) 663-9700.