Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young 3 Comments

Kapihe’s Prophecy

“When Kamehameha I was ruler over only Hawaii Island, and not all of the islands were his, and while the eating kapu was still enforced, and while he was living in Kohala, Kona, Hawaii, it was there that a certain man lived named Kapihe (also called Kamaloihi) and his god was called Kaonohiokala.” (Hoku o ka Pakipika, March 20, 1862)

“This man named Kapihe went before Kamehameha I and before the alii of Kona, and he said …”

E hui ana na aina
E iho mai ana ko ka lani
E pii aku ana ko lalo nei
E iho mai ana ke Akua ilalo nei
E kamailio kamailio pu ana me kanaka
E pii mai ana o wekea dek iluna
E ohi aku ana o Milu ilalo
E noho pu ana ke Akua me kanaka

The lands shall be united
What is heaven’s shall descend
What is earth’s shall ascend
God shall descend
And converse with mankind
Wakea shall ascend up above
Milu shall descend below
God shall live with mankind
(Kapihe; Velasco)

Spoken about three years before Christian missionaries arrived in the Hawaiian Islands with bibles and scriptures, the prophecy of Kapihe seemed to foretell the abolishment of the kapu and transformation to Christianity and westernization.

“The chiefs and commoners were astounded at these shocking words spoken by Kapihe, and they called him crazy. This perhaps is the truth, for some of his predictions came true and others were denied.” (Hoku o ka Pakipika, March 20, 1862)

“(I)t might be thought that Kapihe’s was a riddle and the land would not literally join together … Perhaps his words were not his alone, but from God.”

“Maybe … it was of Kapihe, the prophet of Hawaii; God gave the words for his mouth to speak, and Kapihe spoke what God of the heavens gave to us. And the nations of man joined as one, from America, and the other inhabited lands, they are here together with us. And the souls of the righteous are the same up above.”

“The alii of whom Kapihe predicted was Kamehameha I, who was victorious over Maui and Oahu, and Kauai was left, and his grandchildren now rule over his Kingdom. This is the nature of Kapihe’s words. (Kauakoiawe, Hoku o ka Pakipika, March 20, 1862)

The last High Priest under the old religion, Hewahewa, served as kahuna for both Kamehameha I and Liholiho (Kamehameha II.)

“He could not have known that, although the missionaries set sail on October 23rd (1819,) one day before the Makahiki began, they would take six months to arrive. Therefore, it was quite prophetic that, when he saw the missionaries’ ship off in the distance, he announced ‘The new God is coming.’ One must wonder how Hewahewa knew that this was the ship.” (Kikawa)

There were seven American couples sent by the ABCFM to convert the Hawaiians to Christianity in the Pioneer Company, led by Hiram Bingham.) The Prudential Committee of the ABCFM in giving instructions to the pioneers of 1819 said: “Your mission is a mission of mercy, and your work is to be wholly a labor of love”

“Your views are not to be limited to a low, narrow scale, but you are to open your hearts wide, and set your marks high. You are to aim at nothing short of covering these islands with fruitful fields, and pleasant dwellings and schools and churches, and of Christian civilization.” (The Friend)

By the time the Pioneer Company arrived, Kamehameha I had died and the centuries-old kapu system had been abolished; through the actions of King Kamehameha II (Liholiho,) with encouragement by former Queens Kaʻahumanu and Keōpūolani (Liholiho’s mother,) the Hawaiian people had already dismantled their heiau and had rejected their religious beliefs.

In 1820, the American missionaries arrived at Kailua (Kona) Hawai`i. Hewahewa expressed “much satisfaction in meeting with a brother priest from America”, the Reverend Hiram Bingham.

Hewahewa, the highest religious expert of the kingdom, participated in the first discussions between missionaries and chiefs. He welcomed the new god as a hopeful solution to the current problems of Hawaiians and understood the Christian message largely in traditional terms. He envisioned a Hawaiian Christian community led by the land’s own religious experts. (Charlot)

“Hewahewa … expressed most unexpectedly his gratification on meeting us … On our being introduced to (Liholiho,) he, with a smile, gave us the customary ‘Aloha.’”

“As ambassadors of the King of Heaven … we made to him the offer of the Gospel of eternal life, and proposed to teach him and his people the written, life-giving Word of the God of Heaven. … and asked permission to settle in his country, for the purpose of teaching the nation Christianity, literature and the arts.” (Bingham)

Within a few years, “a number of serious men putting off their heathen habits, and willing to be known as seekers of the great salvation, and as, in some sense, pledged to one another to abstain from immoralities and to follow the teachings of the Word of God, united in an association for prayer and improvement similar to that formed by the females a month earlier.” (Bingham)

Hewahewa became a devout Christian and composed a prayer which antedated the use of The Lord’s Prayer in Hawaiʻi. In part, it spoke of ‘Jehovah, a visitor from the skies’ thus putting a name to the god whom Kapihe, before him, had predicted as “god will be in the heavens”. (HMHOF)

The image shows Hiram Bingham preaching to Queen Kaʻahumanu and other Hawaiians at Waimea, Oʻahu, home of Hewahewa.

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by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Plundered

“Kalākaua’s crown has been robbed of its jewels. The theft was discovered on Monday morning when James Robertson turned over some property to the Government.”

“Ever since the monarchy was overthrown Robertson has been custodian of the Palace and everything was in his charge. The other day the Government decided to dispense with his services and his successor was appointed.”

“The dismissed custodian was ordered to turn over all property in his possession to his successor, and while doing so the robbery of the jewels was discovered.”

“The details of the sensational affair were hard to obtain and they are as follows:”

“Two Crowns, one formerly worn by the late King Kalākaua and the other by his wife, Kapiʻolani, were encased in a handsome plush box.”

“They were kept in a vault at Bishop & Co.’s bank for a long time, but eventually the coronets were turned over to the Chamberlain at the Palace. Whether they were first handed to George Macfarlane or to Robertson it could not be learned last evening.”

“When the jewels reached the place they were placed in a sole-leather trunk, where they remained for an indefinite time. The trunk was kept constantly locked, and for safekeeping it was deposited in the Chamberlain’s office, which is situated on the basement floor of the Palace.”

“When the trunk was brought forth on Monday it was found that the lock had been broken. The box containing the coronets had been opened and Kalākaua’s crown had been robbed of its ornaments. All that was left of it was the velvet cap.”

“The crown was nearly oval in shape, and was ornamented with a Maltese cross at the apex and brilliantly studded with diamonds and other precious stones, and on either side were gold kalo leaves. In the center of the cross was a large diamond about the size of a ten cent piece. It was taken along with a number of other smaller precious stones.”

“The Chamberlain’s office was searched, and some of the filigree work was found in a small closet.”

“Nobody knows who the thief is, but from a hurried examination made on the day the robbery was discovered, it is almost a certainty that it occurred during the old regime and not since the Provisional Government has been established.”

“The most curious portion of the affair is that the crown worn by Kapiʻolani was untouched and nothing else in the trunk was disturbed.”

“It is a strange coincidence.”

“It will be remembered by old residents that the crowns were made in London at a cost of $5000 each. They were worn by Kalākaua and Kapiʻolani on February 12, 1883, when the late king was crowned.”

“At the time the taxpayers of this country strenuously objected to the expenses of the coronation exercises, but their objections carried no weight and the expensive festivities went on.”

“Marshal Hitchcock will take up the case on his return from Hawaii today, and as there is a faint clue to the identity of the thieves he may be fortunate enough to capture them. (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, April 5, 1893)

George Ryan (an alias, he reportedly is really known as Preston Horner) was sentenced to a “three year term for the larceny of the crown jewels, with an additional sentence of six months imposed as a check to his jail break proclivities.”

“He escaped July 27, 1893, while awaiting trial, but was recaptured the same day. Ryan is a noted ‘crook’ and a smooth talker.”

“At his trial, be conducted his own case. He boasts of his sharpness and his ability to mislead one, and claims to be an escaped convict from the Oregon State Penitentiary. He has time and again bragged of his ability to break jail, and says that the Oahu prison is not strong enough to hold him.” (Hawaiian Gazette, March 16, 1894)

“He was pardoned by the Executive Council last year (1898) and left the prison on December 31. After leaving jail Ryan went to Hawaii. He worked a while for CVE Dove, the surveyor. The job was irksome, however, and he decided to go to Manila.”

“He stowed away on one of the transports here early in March and reached the Philippines on the 27th of that month.” (Hawaiian Star, May 22, 1899) Disguised as a soldier, Horner was murdered in Malolos, Philippines in 1899.

(A February 11, 1894 Chicago Tribune story notes his sister, Hattie McGinnis, notes his name as Preston Horner; George Ryan was his alias.)

While a few of the precious stones were recovered (including some Horner sent to his sister,) Kalākaua’s crown was repaired in 1925 with artificial gemstones.

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by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Poni

The new ʻIolani Palace was completed in the latter part of 1882 and was formally opened with a banquet given by Kalakaua for the Masonic fraternity of the capital on the evening of St John’s Day, December 27. (Liliʻuokalani)

The coronation of King Kalākaua and Queen Kapiʻolani on Monday, February 12, 1883, the ninth anniversary of his accession was an imitation of the custom of European monarchical states.

The native ceremony of the Poni, or an anointment, had in former times been practiced by the chiefs; but it was deemed desirable that the more modern Christian rite should be celebrated. (Kuykendall)

In 1891 her brother, King Kalākaua, died and Liliʻuokalani succeeded to the throne.

The name Poni means Coronation. Liliʻuokalani named her pet Poni.

Her poi dog was her companion and was trained only in Hawaiian. (Maui Historical Society)

“(Liliʻuokalani) loved all dogs, but Poni best of all” said Colonel Iaukea. “Poni was the king of dogs to his mistress.” (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, November 10, 1917)

Then, Liliʻuokalani fell ill.

“Word of the final dissolution will be announced to the public by the tolling of the bells of Kawaiahaʻo church and St Andrew’s cathedral, special arrangements having been made to inform the people of Honolulu immediately Her Majesty has breathed her last.”

“With little perceptible change, except the continual weakening of the life force, the aged Queen lies today as she lay all day yesterday, in a state of half consciousness, from which she arouses from time to time to turn tired, but still bright eyes, on those of her best loved friends who are permitted to go to her bedside.”

“On the floor at the foot of the great koa bed lies ‘Poni,’ Her Majesty’s small dog and faithful friend, his woolly little head resting on his paws, and his big brown eyes looking out mournfully on a world that has gone all wrong for him, for his beloved mistress no longer speaks to him.” (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, November 10, 1917)

Queen Liliʻuokalani died at Washington Place on November 11, 1917, at the age of 79. After a state funeral, her remains were placed in the Royal Mausoleum.

“Poni, small treasured descendant of many canine tribes, banished from the beloved presence of the queen by her death, has found a comforter in Mrs. Lahilahi Webb, who, through the expressed wish of Her Majesty a few weeks before her death, is now Poni’s mistress. The dog was the queen’s constant companion to her death.” (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, November 14, 1917)

The image shows Liliʻuokalani and Poni at Washington Place in 1917, the year she died.

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Kaluaikonahale

He was born about 1789 with the name Kaluaikonahale, the son of Keʻeaumoku and his wife Nāmāhana. He was the youngest of four famous siblings.

His sisters were Queen Kaʻahumanu, Kamehameha’s favorite wife who later became the powerful Queen Regent and Kuhina nui, Kalākua Kaheiheimālie and Namahana-o-Piʻia (also queens of Kamehameha) and brother George Cox Kahekili Keʻeaumoku.

His father, Keʻeaumoku, was a “tried friend of Kamehameha and one of the principal promoters of his fortunes. Being of prodigious personal strength, his valor powerfully assisted Kamehameha in securing the entire dominion of the group.” (Polynesian, January 4, 1845)

Kaluaikonahale was born on Maui, but as an infant he was taken to Keauhou to grow up; he excelled in canoeing and other sports. In his youth, he once jumped a stone wall and injured his foot; he almost died from the injury, but recovered and remained lame for the rest of his life. (Oaks)

He married Analeʻa (Ane or Annie) Keohokālole; they had no children. (She later married Caesar Kapaʻakea. That union produced several children (including the future King Kalākaua and Queen Liliʻuokalani.))

He later married Lydia Haʻaheo Kaniu. They had one son Keōua, who died in infancy, and one daughter Kamanele (1814–1834.)

With the introduction of Christianity and adoption of western names, he changed his name and chose the name John Adams after John Quincy Adams (the US President at the time.)

From then, he was called John Adams Kuakini.

His physical appearance was formidable; standing 6-feet, 3-inches “and even heavier than this gigantic stature would indicate.” Ellis noted he was “tall, stout, well made and remarkably handsome.” (Oaks)

His wife “was like himself, a royal chief of highest rank, and not quite equally ponderous. I remember seeing the princely pair lolling on their own pile of rich Niʻihau mats, with many attendants busily kneading their bodies and limbs (lomi-lomi). Ages of nourishing diet and massage for digestion had bred a royal Hawaiian race of immense stature and girth.” (Bishop)

Kuakini was an important adviser to Kamehameha I in the early stages of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. His “first office of importance under Kamehameha I was that of captain of the ordnance at Oʻahu. Upon the King’s last return to Hawaiʻi in 1813, he was raised to the rank of counselor.”

“Immediately after the death of the King, Kaʻahumanu made him Governor of Hawaii; his original charge was limited to the district of Kona. In 1830, she further appointed him to the governorship of Oahu, which office he retained until December, 1831, when he returned to Hawaiʻi.”

“(Kuakini’s) administrations were vigorous and effective. Energetic in action, but reserved in manners, he assumed to himself much responsibility. It was difficult to secure his confidence in matters of council, as he relied much upon his own judgment.”

“While in Hawaiʻi, being remote from the seat of government and the influence of other chiefs mostly assembled around the King, he acted in a great measure independently of them, and sometimes contrary to their opinions.”

“His acquaintance with the English language, and his thirst for knowledge, gave him a superiority in general intelligence, over most of the chiefs of his rank; and afforded him a better insight into the nature of things than others attained.”

“He was more enterprising in deed than other native rulers, and many of the objects which claimed his attention, such for instance as the building of churches and the making of roads, were intended for the public benefit”.

“(Y)et in most of his enterprises, his aim was to accumulate property. But he was correct in his business transactions and a man of his word.” (Polynesian, January 4, 1845)

“By sea and by land we have enjoyed the protection of God, and the countenance and patronage of the king and chiefs. Especially would we notice the kindness of Kuakini, the Governor of Owhyhee (Hawaiʻi,) who received us with great hospitality, and freely lent his influence and authority to aid us in the attainment of our immediate objects”.

“… with a view to the permanent establishment of a missionary station there, (Kuakini) has promptly commenced the erection of a chapel at Kairua for the worship of Jehovah, whose rightful and supreme authority he has publicly acknowledged.” (Ellis)

Kuakini gave land to missionary Asa Thurston to build Mokuʻaikaua Church. “This was erected by Governor Kuakini about 1828. It was a wholly native structure, framed with immense timbers cut and dragged from the great interior forest by Kuakini superintending his subjects in person.” (Bishop)

“(I)n 1835, the great church was burned by some incendiary, and the services were then conducted in a large canoe-shed of the Governor, which was vacated for the purpose.”

“The energetic Kuakini immediately set about building the great stone church now standing on the site of the old one. … the corners were built up with large square blocks of pāhoehoe lava, which were transported by the people from some heiau at a distance. They were smoothly hewn, evidently with great labor. (Bishop)

During his tenure, Kuakini built other historical sites that dominate Kailua-Kona today. The Great Wall of Kuakini, probably a major enhancement of an earlier wall, was one of these.

The Great Wall of Kuakini extends in a north-south direction for approximately 6 miles from Kailua to near Keauhou, and is generally 4 to 6-feet high and 4-feet wide.

He built Huliheʻe Palace in the American style out of native lava, coral lime mortar, koa and ‘ʻōhiʻa timbers. Completed in 1838, he used the palace to entertain visiting Americans and Europeans with great feasts.

The Palace was constructed by foreign seamen using lava rock, coral, koa and ʻōhiʻa timbers. Kuakini oversaw the construction of both Mokuʻaikaua Church and Huliheʻe Palace and these landmarks once shared a similar architectural style with exposed stone.

Kuakini died December 9, 1844 in Kailua-Kona; the Palace passed to his adopted son, William Pitt Leleiōhoku. Leleiōhoku died a few months later, leaving Huliheʻe to his wife, Princess Ruth Luka Keʻelikōlani. It became a favorite retreat for members of the Hawaiian royal family.

A highway is named “Kuakini Highway,” which runs from the Hawaii Belt Road through the town of Kailua-Kona, to the Old Kona Airport Recreation Area. He is also the namesake of Kuakini Street in Honolulu, which is in turn the namesake of the Kuakini Medical Center on it.

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Ranks of Chiefs

Each Hawaiian was born into a class of people, and at the top were the rulers, a small but powerful class of chiefs, known as the aliʻi and in those days, the aliʻi was the government.

Of all the people, it was the king who held the greatest respect and the one whom no one questioned. But this class of royalty did not just consist of the king and his family, the aliʻi or the government system was more complicated and consisted of more than what most people think of when they hear of the Aliʻi. (Seleska)

The aliʻi were not all equal in rank, it is just a word that people are accustomed to using – they give the name aliʻi to all those from the very high to very low rank. In olden times, the kinds of aliʻi were classified according to their birth and the height at which each aliʻi stood. (Kamakau)

Special care was taken in regard to chiefs of high rank to secure from them noble offspring, by not allowing them to form a first union with a woman of lower rank than themselves, and especially not to have them form a first union with a common or plebeian woman (wahine noa.) (Malo)

To this end diligent search was first made by the genealogists into the pedigree of the woman, if it concerned a high born prince, or into the pedigree of the man, if it concerned a princess of high birth, to find a partner of unimpeachable pedigree …

… and only when such was found and the parentage and lines of ancestry clearly established, was the young man (or young woman) allowed to form his first union, in order that the offspring might be a great chief. (Malo)

Aliʻi Niʻaupiʻo:
The father was a high chief, an aliʻi nui, with no one low in rank on the side of either his father or mother; the kapu moe, the prostrating kapu, and his kapu. So also on the side of the mother. Their kapu were equal – one need not remove the oneʻs kapa in deference to the kapu of the other, and their regard of each other was equally warm. Their children were aliʻi niʻaupiʻo.

Aliʻi Piʻo
If two aliʻi niʻaupiʻo united to guard their kapu against loss to another and had great affection for each other, their children would be aliʻi piʻo. The kapu of these aliʻi were of the very highest, and they were called gods; they conversed with men only at night.

Aliʻi Naha
The kapu of the two fathers were equal – they were both niʻaupiʻo – and the mother was a niʻaupiʻo. She had children, a boy, kane, by one and a girl, wahine, by the other, who united to preserve the kapu. The children of these two were aliʻi naha, and they were sacred chiefs, aliʻi kapu.

Aliʻi Wohi
The mother was an aliʻi niʻaupiʻo, and the father was from the family of the high chief; or the father was an aliʻi niʻaupiʻo, and the mother was from the family of the aliʻi nui. Their children were called aliʻi wohi.

Lo Aliʻi
The chiefs of Lihuʻe, Wahiawa, and Halemano on Oʻahu were called lo aliʻi. Because the chiefs at these places lived there continually and guarded their kapu, they were called lo aliʻi. They were like gods, unseen, resembling men.

Aliʻi Papa
The mother was an aliʻi niʻaupiʻo or an aliʻi piʻo, and the father was a kaukau aliʻi; their children were aliʻi papa.

Lokea Aliʻi
The father was a niʻaupiʻo or an aliʻi piʻo, and the mother was from the family of the aliʻi nui; their children were called lokea aliʻi and sometimes aliʻi wohi.

Laʻauli Aliʻi
The father was from a chiefly family and so was the mother; their ranks were equal; their children were laʻauli chiefs.

Kaukau Aliʻi
The father was a high chief, an aliʻi nui, and the mother was a chiefess of little rank, he wahi aliʻi iki; their children were kaukau aliʻi.

Kukae Popolo
The father was a chief of little rank, and the mother was a noanoa, a woman of no rank; or the mother was a chiefess, and the father was a noanoa. Their children were called hana lepo popolo.

Because they were the ruling class, the aliʻi had special things that only they could use. As signs of royalty, they wore feather cloaks, lei and helmets. Nobody else could wear those symbols. (Wong) The image shows ‘Gathering of Chiefs’ by Brook Parker. (Lots of information here is from Kamakau.)

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