Kahekili | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

May 12, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Death of Kekaulike

Maui’s King Kekaulike descended from Pi‘ilani (‘ascent to heaven’). The kings of Maui consolidated their strength, built up their armies and created a nation strong enough to threaten at times even the might of the powerful kings of Hawai‘i.

King Kekaulike and his children built an empire that enjoyed levels of power and prestige greater than any other royal family up until that point.

“Tradition speaks of Kekaulike’s return to Maui after a raid in Kohala, Hawaii, and while in Mokulau, Kaupo, Maui, Kekaulike was preparing for another raid on Waipio and Hāmākua.”

“He was suddenly stricken with fits or huki. Thus was derived the name of the High Chiefess Kamakahukilani. Kahunas or doctors were summoned to attend the sick King. In consultation they decided he could not be cured.”

“On the King learning his case was hopeless he summoned the High Chiefs, Ministers of State, and Counsellors to his presence, and declared his son Kamehamehanui (uncle to Kamehameha I) to be his successor.”

“The latter, a Prince of the royal house of Maui through his father Kekaulike, and also of the royal house of Hawaii through his mother Kekuiapoiwanui, the daughter of Keaweikekahialiiokamoku, King of Hawaii, and the tabued Queen Kalanikauleleiaiwi.”

“After this declaration, word was brought to the King that Alapainui was in Kohala, Hawaii, preparing to come to war with Maui.
When Kekaulike heard this, he immediately ordered his fleet of war canoes ‘Keakamilo’ and set sail for Wailuku. His wives, his children, high chiefs, ministers of state and counsellors accompanied him.”

“Others of his retinue traveled overland to a place called Kapaahu, where the King’s canoes landed at the cave of Aihakoko in Kula.”

“The chiefs then prepared a manele or palanquin to carry the sick King overland and at a place called Kalekii the King expired, which happened in 1736.”

“The High Chiefs being in fear of Alapainui coming to do battle with them, immediately performed the sacred ceremonies of Waimaihoehoe due their sovereign and decided to take the royal remains to ‘lao.”

“They again embarked, landing at Kapoli in Ma‘alaea, thence to Pu‘uhele, along the route relays of high chiefs bearing the remains of their beloved sovereign to Kihahale …”

“… at Ahuwahine they rested, thence to Loiloa, where the royal remains were placed in Kapela Kapu o Kakae, the sacred sepulchre of the sovereigns and the blue blood of Maui’s nobility. (Lucy Kalanikiekie Henriques)

“‘lao is the famous secret cave of (the island of) Maui. It is at Olopio close to the side of the burial place of Kaka’e and Kalahiki (‘Kalakahi’ in original).”

“The main entrance is said to be under water, the second opening on a steep precipice on the left [hema] side. This was the famous cave in the old days.”

“There were (laid) all the ruling chiefs who had mana and strength, and the kupua, and all those attached to the ruling chiefs who were famous for their marvelous achievements.”

“There were several hundred in all who were buried there. The first of all the well-known chiefs to enter the famous cave of ‘lao was Kapawa, a famous chief of Waialua, O‘ahu, and the last was Kalanikuikahonoikamoku (The-chief-standing-on-the-peak-of-the-island).”

“In the year 1736 the last of them died and no one now alive knows (the entrance to) the secret cave of lao.” (Kamakau; Tengan)

In the late-1780s, into 1790, Kamehameha I conquered the Island of Hawai‘i and was pursuing conquest of Maui and eventually sought conquer the rest of the archipelago.

In the early-1790s, Maui’s King Kahekili (son of Kekaulike) and his eldest son and heir-apparent, Kalanikūpule, were carrying on war and conquered Kahahana, ruler of O‘ahu.

By the time Kamehameha the Great set about unifying the Hawaiian Islands, members of the Kekaulike Dynasty were already ruling Maui, Molokai, Lāna‘i , O‘ahu, Kauai and Ni‘ihau.

In 1790, Kamehameha travelled to Maui. Hearing this, Kahekili sent Kalanikūpule back to Maui with a number of chiefs (Kahekili remained on O‘ahu to maintain order of his newly conquered kingdom.)

Kekaulike’s son, Kamehamehanui lost Hana, which was isolated from the rest of Maui.

Kamehameha then landed at Kahului and marched on to Wailuku, where Kalanikūpule waited for him. This led to the famous battle ‘Kepaniwai’ (the damming of the waters) in ‘Iao Valley (which Kamehameha decisively won.)

Maui Island was conquered by Kamehameha and Maui’s fighting force was destroyed – Kalanikūpule and some other chiefs escaped and made their way to O‘ahu (to later face Kamehameha, again; this time in the Battle of Nu‘uanu in 1795.)

There the war apparently ends with some of Kalanikūpule’s warriors pushed/jumping off the Pali. When the Pali Highway was being built, excavators counted approximately 800-skulls, believed to be the remains of the warriors who were defeated by Kamehameha.

The Kekaulike Dynasty was a powerful line that ruled multiple islands. Although they lost to Kamehameha, it should also be remembered that Kamehameha’s own mother, the Chiefess Keku‘iapoiwa II, was a Maui chiefess, and the Kekaulike lineage continued through the leadership of the future leaders of Hawai‘i.

Kamehameha’s wives of rank were chiefesses of Maui. These were Keōpūolani, Ka‘ahumanu, Kalākua-Kaneiheimālie and Peleuli. Keōpūolani, granddaughter of Kekaulike, was the mother of the Kamehameha II and Kamehameha III.

Others from this Maui lineage include King Kaumuali‘i (of Kauai,) Abner Pākī (father of Bernice Pauahi Bishop,) Kuakini, Keʻeaumoku II and Kalanimōkū. (Art by Brook Parker.)

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Kekaulike-Brook Parker

Maui Nui

Kaahumanu-(HerbKane)

‘John Adams’ Kuakini, royal governor or the island of Hawai’i, circa 1823

George Cox Kahekili Keʻeaumoku II (1784–1824) served as a military leader, and then became a convert to Christianity and Royal Governor of Maui

Abner Pākī (c. 1808–1855) was a member of Hawaiian nobility. He was a legislator and judge, and the father of Bernice Pauahi Bishop-1855

William Pitt Kalanimoku (c. 1768–1827) was a High Chief who functioned similar to a prime minister of the Hawaiian Kingdom

Mahiole_of_Kaumualii,_1899- Kaumualiʻi (c. 1778 – May 26, 1824) was the last independent Aliʻi Aimoku (King of the islands) of Kauaʻi and Niʻihau

Lydia Namahana Piʻia (c. 1787–1829) was one of the Queen consorts at the founding of the Kingdom of Hawaii. She was sister of Queen Kaahumanu

King_Kahekili_Approaching_Discovery_off_Maui-(HerbKane)

July 28, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Lo‘alo‘a Heiau

The Hawaiians called it Nāholokū, ‘The Cloak.’ It was a great fan of young lava with high nutrient content, combined with ideal climate conditions that provided the environmental potential for intensive agricultural production. Folks today refer to it a Kaupō Gap.

“Kaupō has been famous for its sweet potatoes, both in ancient times and in recent years. Sweet potatoes can be cultivated from sea level up to about 2,000 feet in the rich pulverized lava of this district. This old culture is unfortunately vanishing here, due to a combination of economic and climatic circumstances.”

“(T)he sweet potato was the staple food for a considerable population, supplemented with dry taro from the low forest zones. This is the greatest continuous dry planting area in the Hawaiian Islands. … (likewise) ‘formerly great quantities of dry taro were planted in the lower forest belt from one end of the district to the other”. (Handy)

Like other areas, two heiau at Kaupō stand out for their massive size and labor invested in their construction, Lo‘alo‘a and Kou. Lo‘alo‘a Heiau seems to have been situated on the edge of a dense part of the field system and overlooks Manawainui Stream.

Lo‘alo‘a Heiau is one of the largest on Maui and indeed in the entire archipelago and is associated in Hawaiian traditions with King Kekaulike, who ruled Maui in the 1700s.

Dating suggests that the earliest stages of construction date to 1440–1660. Lo‘alo‘a, like many large structures, has a complex construction sequence, and Kekaulike would have rebuilt and rededicated a previously existing structure in the early 1700s.

It was during the subsequent reign of Kekaulike’s son, Kahekili, that vast changes occurred in Maui society and social organizational changes were instituted. Through inter-island conquest, the marriage of his brother to the Queen of Kauai, and appointment of his son to alternately govern Maui, Lanai, Kahoolawe and Oahu during his periodic absences.

By 1783, Kahekili dominated all the Hawaiian Islands except for Hawai‘i, a position he was to hold for nearly a decade until Kamehameha I conquered Maui. In about 1800-1801, Kamehameha I, who was en route to conquer Kauai, rededicated Loaloa. Following Kamehameha I’s conquest of the islands in the early historic period, the power of the Maui kings and centers such as Kaupo declined. (NPS)

It is believed that Kaupō with its field system at one time played an important role in the emerging Maui population, particularly in the final century prior to European contact, when it became the seat of the paramount Kekaulike.

Given Lo‘alo‘a’s location at the eastern edge of a vast dryland field season, this orientation is especially poignant, signifying the close association between the king, Lono, and the sweet potato fields that supported this staple-financed society.

The enormous capacity of these field systems enabled the rise of a population center; Lo‘alo‘a and Kou heiau on either side of the Kaupō fields illustrate the inseparable links between agriculture and the religious traditions of ancient Hawai‘i. (Kirch)

The first written description of the region was made by La Pérouse in 1786 while sailing along the southeast coast of Maui in search of a place to drop anchor:

“I coasted along its shore at a distance of a league (three miles) …. The aspect of the island of Mowee was delightful. We beheld water falling in cascades from the mountains, and running in streams to the sea, after having watered the habitations of the natives …”

“… which are so numerous that a space of three or four leagues (9 – 12 miles, about the distance from Hāna to Kaupō) may be taken for a single village.” (La Pérouse, 1786; Bushnell)

“But all the huts are on the seacoast, and the mountains are so near, that the habitable part of the island appeared to be less than half a league in depth. The trees which crowned the mountains, and the verdure of the banana plants that surrounded the habitations, produced inexpressible charms to our senses…”

“… but the sea beat upon the coast with the utmost violence, and kept us in the situation of Tantalus, desiring and devouring with our eyes what it was impossible for us to attain … After passing Kaupō no more waterfalls are seen, and villages are fewer.” (La Pérouse, 1786; Bushnell)

Lo’alo’a Heiau is three-tiered rectangular heiau, the structure is basically a raised platform, probably originally walled, built up around a small hill or large rock outcrop.

Two major divisions are clear, an eastern and a western, separated by a transverse stone wall. The overall dimensions are about 115 feet by 500 feet (57,500 square feet.)

The eastern portion of the structure, built up to a height of nearly 20 feet in some places, measuring approximately 115 by 220 feet, probably was the scene of the heiau functions.

Lo‘alo‘a Heiau was for several centuries the center and prime site of a culture complex around Kaupō that included multiple village sites and other heiau. The earliest dates for the settlement of the Kaupō District are unknown, however, from at least the 1400s the area fell under the Hana kings until the East and West Maui Kingdoms were unified in the 16th century. (NPS)

Building a structure the size of Lo‘alo‘a would have required an inconceivably large workforce if constructed in one stage. State level heiau such as Lo‘alo‘a had become the focus of a complex and tightly interwoven set of social, economic, political and religious functions that guided ancient Hawaiian life.

In general, religious practices were divided between the sexes as well as along socio-political lines. Men of high rank, the ali‘i, worshipped the four major gods in public or temple ceremonies: Lono (peace, agriculture, fertility, etc.), Kane and Kanaloa (healing and general well-being), and Ku (war.)

Only the ali’i class was responsible for national or state religious observations for the well-being of the entire population. The common man worshipped individual family gods in a private family temple as well as observances of the four major gods at the direction of the high priests.

Women, because they were considered periodically unclean, were not allowed to participate in temple ceremonies. They also worshipped their own distinct and separate gods.

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Loaloa Heiau-(Kirch)

Loaloa Heiau-(NPS)-1985

Loaloa Heiau

January 25, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Reading, ‘Riting & ‘Rithmetic

Sir William Curtis (born January 25, 1752,) son of a British baker, became Member of Parliament for the City of London in 1790, holding the seat for 28 years. He was also Lord Mayor of London 1795-6.

Among many other products, the family made ships’ biscuits. After inheriting the business, expanding it and making a whole pile of money, satirists came to call him Sir Billy Biscuit. Sir Billy was nearly illiterate. (BBC)

The famous expression – “the three Rs—reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic”- is credited to Curtis.

He proposed it as a toast at a dinner given by the Board of Education in the days when folks were pleading for increased educational advantages for the poor. It was received with great applause and drunk amid much merriment.

But, though recognized as a jest at the time, it was afterwards taken up in earnest by Curtis’s detractors, who have handed his name down to posterity as a blundering ignoramus. (Walsh, 1893)

He chose the phrase simply as a joke. (Walsh, 1893) However, for decades, the definition of literacy was limited to the acquisition of reading, writing and arithmetic, usually referred to as the 3Rs. (UNESCO)

“(T)he three R’s,’reading, ’riting, ’rithmetic,’… belong to universal culture. They are the foundation of all education. We are speaking of the superstructure.” (Christian Union, September 4, 1878)

Curtis was not just an unexpected forward thinking, yet jokester, toaster; part of his wealth came from operations linked to the quip about his sea biscuit name …

Curtis was one of the principal financiers for the ‘Butterworth Squadron,’ a British commercial fleet of three vessels, the Butterworth, the Jackal, and the Prince Lee Boo.

These ships sailed for the Pacific Ocean from London via Cape Horn in late 1791 on a sealing and whaling expedition, following the Nootka Sound Convention, opening the Pacific Northwest Coast to British traders.

The Butterworth squadron first wintered at the Hawaiian Islands in February 1793, when control of the Islands was divided between Kamehameha who controlled Hawai‘i and much of Maui, and Kahekili who controlled the islands west of Maui including O‘ahu and Kauai.

They traded in weapons with both Kamehameha and Kahekili, but strongly favored the latter. The ship’s captain entered into a contract with Kahekili giving him title to the island of O‘ahu together with four islands to windward in return for weapons and military assistance, suppressing a revolt on Kauai.

It was during this period of alliance with Kahekili that the Butterworth squadron became the first European vessels that entered the inner Honolulu Harbor. (The contract to title to the Islands would have ended upon Kahekili’s death in 1794.) (Payne)

The first European entry of Honolulu Harbor is credited to Captain Brown of the British schooner Jackal, accompanied by Captain Gordon in the sloop tender Prince Lee Boo.

They called the harbor “Fair Haven” which may be a rough translation of the Hawaiian name Honolulu (it was also sometimes called Brown’s Harbor.)

Sir Billy Biscuit was a generous and hospitable man and in later years he became known as the “Father of the City”. When he died on January 18, 1829 every shop in Ramsgate closed in his honour and an immense crowd followed his funeral cortege. He’d had quite an effect on the place. (BBC)

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Sir William Curtis

by Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey, pencil, 1827

by George Cruikshank, published by Edward Knight, hand-coloured etching, published 12 August 1822

Sir William Curtis

Sloop_-Jackal-_c.1792

Prince_Lee_Boo-_c.1792

French Frigate comparable to Butterworth

December 12, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

400 hogs or O‘ahu and Kauai

It’s not clear if the deal was 400-hogs or “the whole right & property of the Islands Woahoo (O‘ahu) & Atooi (Kauai.)”

Whatever the agreement, Kalanikūpule was able to overcome attacks by Kā’eo and held O‘ahu (which he later lost to Kamehameha.)

Let’s look back …

In 1791, Kahekili, King of Oahu, Molokai and Maui, was on Maui with his brother Kāʻeokūlani (Kā‘eo,) King of Kauai, preparing to resist the threatened invasion of Maui by Kamehameha of Hawai‘i. (Cartwright)

Kahekili agreed with Kā’eo that after his death Kā’eo was to be regent of Maui and Molokai while Kalanikūpule, the son and heir of Kahekili, was to be King of Maui, Molokai, and Oahu, but was to reside on O‘ahu and allow Kā’eo to govern Maui and Molokai for him.

Fast forward to 1793 and Captain Brown … he was a British trader, “one of that numerous group of commercial adventurers who flocked into the north Pacific Ocean in the wake of Cook, drawn thither by the chance discovery, as one result of the last expedition led by that great navigator, of the possibilities of wealth in the fur trade between China and the coast of America.” (Kuykendall)

Brown’s three-vessel trading squadron included the ‘Butterworth’ (under Captain Brown,) ‘Prince Lee Boo’ (under Captain Sharp) and the ‘Jackal’ (under the command of Captain Alexander Stewart.)

At Maui Captain Brown seems to have entered into some sort of a politico-commercial agreement with Kahekili. Brown “had left the Isld, only a fortnight before we arrived had given them a number of Muskets, a very large quantity of Powder, and two pieces of Cannon (4 pounders)”. (Boit)

However, for these weapons, Boit says that Kahekili had “given to him the whole right & property of the Islands Woahoo (O‘ahu) & Atooi (Kauai)”. Later, Kamakau notes Kalanikūpule bargained for Brown’s assistance for “four hundred hogs”.

In July 1794, Kahekili died and, according to the prior arrangement, Kalanikūpule took control of O‘ahu and Kā‘eo ruled over Maui and Kauai.

Kā‘eo, who was residing on Maui, decided to return to Kauai. On the way he stopped with a considerable force on the northeast coast of O‘ahu, across the mountains from Waikiki, the capitol of the island.

Some fighting took place between his followers and those of Kalanikūpule, but this trouble was settled by a personal conference between the two chiefs, and Kaeo continued on around the island to Waianae, the usual point of departure for Kauai.

While resting here Kā‘eo learned of a plot among his warriors directed against himself. In this emergency he resorted to a measure not infrequently used by more civilized generals. He proposed an immediate attack on Kalanikūpule and the conquest of O‘ahu.

The plot collapsed and his followers rallied about him with enthusiasm, augmented in numbers by several bands of disaffected Oahuans. The advance toward Waikiki was begun at once and within a few days the two armies were in contact west of Honolulu. (Kuykendall)

Kalanikūpule at once engaged Captain Brown to aid him in this war (in return for four hundred hogs.) A battle was fought on the plains of Puʻunahawele in which some foreigners were killed by Mare Amara. Kalanikūpule was forced to retreat. Six days later, another battle was fought in which Kāʻeo was again victorious.

On December 12, 1794, a great battle was fought; Kalanikūpule himself with the main army held the middle ground between ʻAiea and the taro patches; Captain Brown’s men were in boats guarding the shoreline.

Thus surrounded, Kāʻeo with six of his men escaped into a ravine below ʻAiea and might have disappeared there had not the red of his feather cloak been seen from the boats at sea and their shots drawn the attention of those on land. Hemmed in from above, Kāʻeo was killed. (Kamakau)

After the victory of Kalanikūpule, a victory won by the aid of Captain Brown (and possibly also by the aid of Captain Kendrick (who was also at Honolulu on the Lady Washington,)) a salute was fired from the ships in the harbor.

One of the saluting guns on the Jackal was, through an oversight, loaded with round and grape shot, and this shot passed through the Lady Washington, killing Captain Kendrick and several of his crew.

The body of Kendrick was taken on shore for burial and the natives, who had never seen anything of the kind before, thought the prayer and burial service were “an act of sorcery to procure the death of Captain Brown.” (Kuykendall)

Toward the end of December a plot was formed among the natives for the seizure of the two vessels (Jackal and Prince Lee Boo.) On the first day of January, 1795, the plan was put into execution.

A large number of hogs having been brought to the shore for the ships, the English sailors were employed on the beach salting the pork and preparing it for shipment. Several of the crew with an officer had been sent for salt to a place some distance away.

The Englishmen being thus scattered and the vessels almost deserted, except for the two captains, who remained on board.

“Capt. Brown was walking the poop, by himself, when one of ye Savages gets up on the poop, & made a pass at the Good old Captain with an Iron dagger, which he fend’d of, & seizd a Swivell worm & drove the fellow of, he was soon followed by a number more which the captain likewise beat of …”

“… but at last he was overpower’d by numbers, & receiv’d a fatal stab in the back of the neck and was pitch’d from the poop on to the main deck where he soon expir’d, & so by there savage artfulness they got possession of both Vessells without the loss of a man on there side, in the mean time they had seiz’d the Boats & People that where on shore”. (Boit; Kuykendall)

Being in possession of the two ships, with a large quantity of arms and ammunition, Kalanikupule and his advisers conceived this to be an opportune moment for striking a decisive blow at Kamehameha.

The surviving members of the crews were compelled, under guard, to fit the vessels for sea, and when all was ready the king and his chiefs went on board and the ships were warped out of Fairhaven harbor and anchored in Waikiki bay.

The next day Mr. Bonallack, mate of the Prince Lee Boo, and Mr. Lamport, mate of the Jackal, agreed upon a plan for retaking the vessels that night. It was a desperate venture but the attempt was entirely successful, the natives on board being killed or driven off, with the exception of the king, queen, and three or four of their personal attendants.

The ships immediately put to sea, but at daybreak they again came near the shore and, after placing the king and queen in a canoe with one attendant, made all sail for the island of Hawaii, and from there, after procuring supplies, took their departure for Canton.

Within less than five months after the death of Captain Brown, Kamehameha over-ran Maui and Molokai, defeated Kalanikūpule in the great battle of Nuʻuanu, and became ruler of all the islands except Kauai. (Kuykendall)

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Dessin_du_Machault_(1791)-Frigate comparable to Butterworth

Sealing_camp,_Cape_Horn,_Jackal_and_Prince_Lee_Boo

Prince_Lee_Boo-_c.1792

May 15, 2016 by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Niuhelewai

The ahupua‘a of Kapālama has two streams, the Kapālama and the Niuhelewai (“coconut going (in) water”). They merge and extend through the central fertile area also called Niuhelewai. This area drained into a pond called Kūwili II.

John Papa ‘Ī‘ī described the appearance of the trail (around the year 1810) from Nuʻuanu to Moanalua through Kapālama: “When the trail reached a certain bridge, it began going along the banks of taro patches, up to the other side of Kapālama, to the plain of Kaiwiʻula …”

While somewhat general, the ‘Ī‘ī account supports that of von Kotzebue in relating an abundance of lo‘i where the main trail crossed Nuʻuanu Stream, a relatively uncultivated plain as the trail traversed Kapālama and Kaiwi‘ula, and then more lo‘i on Kalihi Stream (Cultural Surveys)

“(O)n the south and west, spread the plain of Honolulu, having its fish-ponds and salt making pools along the sea-shore, the village and fort between u and the harbor, and the valley stretching a few miles north into the interior, which presented its scattered habitation and numerous beds of kalo in its various stages of growth …”

“Through this valley, several streams descending from the mountains in the interior, wind their way, some six or seven miles watering and overflowing by means of numerous artificial canal the bottom of kalo patches, and then, by one mouth, fall into the peaceful harbor.” (Hiram Bingham)

Haumea, the goddess of childbirth, had a home at Niuhelewai in Kapālama; Haumea, sometimes identified with Papa, or the Earth mother, was a female akua that with ‘great source of female fertility.’ She married Wākea and later married Hāloa, her husband’s son by his own daughter Hoʻohokukalani. She is considered the mother of Pele and of Pele’s siblings

In chants she is called Haumea ‘of mysterious forms, of eightfold forms, of four hundred thousand forms.’ One of her commonly known forms, however, is the breadfruit tree. There is no single word haumea in Hawaiian, but hau can mean “a ruler” and mea can mean “reddish (like red earth). (King)

Niuhelewai was the location for a famous battle between Kahekili’s forces and the O‘ahu ruling chief Kahahana.

At the time of Captain Cook’s arrival (1778,) the Hawaiian Islands were divided into four kingdoms: (1) the island of Hawaiʻi under the rule of Kalaniʻōpuʻu, who also had possession of the Hāna district of east Maui; (2) Maui (except the Hāna district,) Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi and Kahoʻolawe, ruled by Kahekili; (3) Oʻahu, under the rule of Kahahana; and (4) Kauaʻi and Niʻihau, Kamakahelei was ruler.

Kahahana was high-born and royally-connected. His father was Elani, one of the highest nobles in the ʻEwa district on Oʻahu, a descendant of the ancient chiefs of Līhuʻe. While still a child, Kahahana was sent to Maui to live with Kahekili. (Fornander)

Then, Oʻahu chiefs selected Kahahana to be their leader (this was the second island chief to be elected to rule Oʻahu; the first was Māʻilikūkahi, who was his ancestor.)

Kahahana left Maui and ruled Oʻahu. When war broke out between Kalaniʻōpuʻu of Hawaiʻi Island and Kahekili in 1779, Kahahana had come to the aid of Kahekili. Later, things soured.

“At that time Kahekili was plotting for the downfall of Kahahana and the seizure of Oʻahu and Molokaʻi, and the queen of Kauaʻi was disposed to assist him in these enterprises.” (Kalākaua)

In the beginning of 1783, Kahekili sought to add Oʻahu under his control. Kahekili invaded Oʻahu and Kahahana, landing at Waikīkī and dividing his forces in three columns (Kahekili’s forces marched from Waikīkī by Pūowaina (Punchbowl,) Pauoa and Kapena to battle Kahahana and his warriors.)

Kahahana’s army was routed, and he and his wife fled to the mountains. For nearly two years or more they wandered over the mountains, secretly aided, fed and clothed by his supporters, who commiserated the misfortunes of their former king. Kahahana was later killed.

Some of the remaining Oʻahu chiefs sought revenge and devised a wide-spread conspiracy against Kahekili and the Maui chiefs. The plan was to kill the Maui chiefs on the same night in the different districts.

However, before they could carry out their plan, Kalanikūpule found out their intentions and informed his father, Kahekili. Messengers were sent to warn the other chiefs, who overcame the conspirators and killed them. (Apparently the messenger to warn the chiefs in Waialua was too late and the Maui chiefs there were killed.)

Gathering his forces together, Kahekili overran the districts of Kona and ʻEwa, and a war of extermination ensued. This event was called Kapoluku – “the night of slaughter.” (Newell)

Men, women, and children were massacred; all the Oahu chiefs were killed and the chiefesses tortured. (Kamakau) The waters of the Niuhelewai stream were turned back, the stream being dammed by the corpses. (Fornander)

Kalaikoa, one of the Maui chiefs, scraped and cleaned the bones of the slain and built a house for himself entirely from the skeletons of the slaughtered situated at Lapakea in Moanalua. The skulls of slain Oʻahu chiefs adorned the doorways of the house. The house was called “Kauwalua.” (Lots of information here is from Fornander, Kamakau and Cultural Surveys.)

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Niuhelewai-Fish_Ponds_at_Honoruru,_Oahu,_by_John_Murray,_after_Robert_Dampier-(WC)-1836