Ali’i / Chiefs / Governance | Page 17

September 8, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Ka‘ahumanu’s Kailua-Kona Home Site

For centuries, Kaiakeakua (also spelled Kaiakekua) was a favored place for royalty. Kamakahonu Royal Center at Kailua Bay was the residential compound of Kamehameha I from 1813 until his death in 1819. It had previously been the residence of a high chief, and it was undoubtedly a residential area back into the centuries prior to European contact.

During Kamehameha’s use of this compound reportedly 11 house structures were present. These included his sleeping house, houses for his wives, a large men’s house, storehouses and Ahuʻena heiau. Kamehameha’s entourage (wives and chiefs, etc) had homes surrounding Kaiakeakua Bay (we now call it Kailua Bay in Kona).

Liholiho’s (Kamehameha II) house was where the Kona Inn is; Keōpūolani (mother of Kamehameha II and III) had her house on the south side, at Oneo Bay; and Ka‘ahumanu’s house was adjacent to (on the south side of) what is now Mokuaikaua Church property.

Fast forward … a couple pioneers in neighbor island hospitality helped form Hawaiʻi’s early fledgling visitor industry. At the time, emphasis and facilities were focused in Waikīkī. However, two locally-grown chains saw the opportunities and put their attention on the neighbor Islands.

The first, Inter-Island Resorts under the Child family, grew into a number of ‘Surf Resorts’ on the neighbor islands; the other, Island Holidays, under the Guslanders, had several neighbor island ‘Palms Resorts.’

With several smaller business-oriented hotels downtown Honolulu and spotted across the neighbor islands, on November 1, 1928, the Kona Inn in Kailua-Kona (at the place of Liholiho’s house), the first neighbor island visitor-oriented resort hotel, opened with great fanfare. (Hibbard, Schmitt)

The Inter-Island Steam Navigation Co originally intended to build the Kona Inn on the site of Huliheʻe Palace. The idea was met with considerable opposition and the Territory bought the Palace and the company erected its new hotel on a 4-acre parcel adjoining the former Royal Residence. (Hibbard)

A Star-Bulletin editorial noted on February 7, 1928, “The land of the first Kamehameha; the land which cradled the old federation of the Hawaiian Islands, the storied land where an English ship’s captain was worshipped before natives found him human and slew him there …”

“… is to be opened at last to the comfort-loving tourists of the world. … Soon after the completion of the hotel, the territory will have cause to be grateful to the foresight and enterprise of Inter-Island.” (SB, Feb 7, 1928)

It wasn’t until 1955, in the area where Ka‘ahumanu lived, that Guslander brought his competing Palms Resorts to Kona, and was the third facility in the hotel chain that included the Maui Palms and the Coco Palms on Kauai. (HTH Sep 6, 1955)

“The former Kailua-Kona Hotel, now a part of the Kona Palms operation, provides an additional 16 rooms for a combined total of 38 rooms which will be available.” (HTH Aug 26, 1955) “A new restaurant and cocktail lounge, the Kona Marlin club will open between July 5 and 10 as a part of the Kona Palms development though operated by another lessee.” (Adv June 12, 1955)

At the dedication of the hotel and restaurant (Kona Palms and the Kona Marlin Club), “The Rev Abraham Akaka of Haili church gave the dedication prayer, anointed the old stone of King Kamehameha I and Queen Kaahumanu’s residence still at the site, and cut the cord which combined ‘the old and the new’ of Kona.” (Adv Sep 7, 1955)

In 1964, “The Kona Palms Hotel in Kailua-Kona has been sold to the former-publisher of the Honolulu Advertiser and his wife Mr. and Mrs Lorrin P Thurston … the property was sold because … [the owner] will make a substantial investment in the Outrigger Hotel being developed by Roy C Kelley between the Royal Hawaiian and Moana Hotels.” (SB July 11, 1964)

Then, in 1972, “HC [‘Pat’] Patterson … announced forthcoming development of The Dolphin Condominium in Kailua, Kona. The four-story condominium apartment is planned as 75 residential units and some 10,600 square feet for retail specialty shops and office condominiums”. (HTH Feb 27, 1972)

“HC Patterson, the creator of the Dolphin Condominiums in Kailua, Kona, has lived on the Big Island since his return from Japan in 1962. In Japan, he had been involved in plywood manufacturing in Osaka and the logging industry in Fiji.

“Patterson built the Marlin Plaza in 1962, which was Kona’s first modern shopping center, and the Dolphin Plaza in 1964, which is adjacent to the Marlin.” (HTH May 8, 1975)

Unfortunately, “Glenn Construction Corp, one of the Big Islands’ contracting firms, has gone out of the active construction business. The firm’s apparent financial demise leaves behind a tangled web of more than 80 unsettled lawsuits and countersuits [most involving subcontractors claims of not being paid] … The majority of these involve work on the Kona Dolphin condominium …” (SB Oct 31, 1974)

The Dolphin condominium property went into foreclosure and project lender, Independence Mortgage Trust Co of Georgia, was the only bidder and ended up with the property. (SB May 20, 1976) Shortly thereafter, the Dolphin project name was changed to Kona Plaza.

September 7, 2024 by Peter T Young 4 Comments

A Line on a Map

It was a line on a map … it was an innocent suggestion … we were on Maui and there was a road I had never been on. We were staying with our former Kailua neighbors at their house on Maui.

On the map the road winds from Waiheʻe up and around the northwest side of the island and ultimately connects with Honoapiʻilani Highway by Honolua.

I should have known – it’s called Kahekili Highway.

Born at Hāliʻimaile, Maui, Kahekili was the son of the high chief Kekaulike. In 1765, Kahekili inherited all of Maui Nui and O‘ahu and was appointed successor to his brother Kamehamehanui’s kingdom (not to be confused with Hawai‘i Island’s Kamehameha I.)

While he gained much through inheritance, Kahekili wanted recognition and influence through his own accomplishments and chose to prove himself through warfare.

Kahekili was a formidable adversary by defeating the Hawaiʻi army led by Kalaniʻōpuʻu in 1775. Kalaniʻōpuʻu promised revenge and, in 1776, he again went to battle against Kahekili – Kalaniʻōpuʻu was defeated, again.

Peace and tranquility returned. Kahekili took his leadership seriously; he was faithful to his people, made changes, established rules and took active interest in the welfare of his people and lands.

During times of peace and celebration, when tournaments that required great strength, stamina and ability were held, Kahekili continued to amass great respect with his victories. Such victories assisted in further cementing his position as the son of the divine ruling family of Maui.

Later, Kahekili and his eldest son and heir-apparent, Kalanikūpule, were carrying on war and conquered Kahahana, adding Oʻahu under his control.

Through subsequent inter-island conquest, the marriage of his brother to the Queen of Kauaʻi, and appointment of his son to alternately govern Maui, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe and Oʻahu during his periodic absences, by 1783, Kahekili dominated all the Hawaiian Islands, except for Hawaiʻi.

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

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 there.)

Kahekili’s rule stretched for almost thirty years. He became known for his extreme measures whether it was making sure his people were obeying the kapu and the gods, or by destroying his enemies.

(He ruled on Maui before he fell ill and returned to Waikīkī, until his death in 1793 at the age of eighty-seven. Kahekili’s son, Kalanikūpule, inherited his kingdom, but lost Maui and then Oʻahu to Kamehameha.)

OK, back to the road …

Another thing Kahekili was known for were the respective ‘Kahekili Leaps’ across the Islands; there is one ‘leap’ site along the route.

Kahekili excelled at the ancient Hawaiian sport of lele kawa (to leap feet first from a cliff into water without splashing.) Legend says that in the early morning, the King would climb up the hill and “leap” into the ocean below from about the 200-foot height.

That starts to give you a sense of what Kahekili Highway is like – a simple coastal line on a map, but once you get there, you see that goats would feel more at home here than autos.

Actually, calling it a ‘highway’ is being generous … although it has traffic in both directions, it’s a narrow, winding one-lane road, approximately 10 to 12-feet wide, cut into the side of the cliff.

It is said to follow an old pathway that was once used by King Kahekili and his court, known as the King Kahekili Trail.

The original construction into a road is estimated to have taken place during the 1930s. The road was later used by the military during World War II to transport tanks and other military vehicles.

The military conducted road improvements and stabilizations during this time to accommodate an increased level of vehicular movement. However, the transportation pathway existed as a simple dirt road that would often get flooded and slippery with the onset of rains in the area.

In addition to military vehicles, the road also served the needs of plantation workers and other residents who lived in the area.

It wasn’t until sometime in the 1990s that this road was completely paved, and open to travel for rental cars (though some companies may still place it off-limits, so visitors should check their rental contracts.) This place is not safe, news reports confirm it.

“Kahekili Highway is a strip of one-lane paved road framed by rock on one side and sheer cliff drops on the other, with a length of 21 miles, running from Kapalua to Wailuku. It’s a legendary road known for its snaking turns, narrow passages, and dangerous road conditions”. (DangerousRoads)

“A deadly crash in a remote section of the Kahekili Highway on Maui claimed the life of the driver on Monday afternoon. Police say the operator of a 2019 four-door Nissan sedan was traveling East (in the Wailuku direction) on the Kahekili HIghway, when she failed to negotiate a curve in the road and drove off the cliffside, landing on the rocky shoreline 200 feet below.” (Maui Now, 2021)

“Maui firefighters recovered the body of a 26-year-old Wailuku man Wednesday morning, the day after the van he was driving went over an embankment and down a 200-foot cliff along Kahekili Highway in Kahakuloa, officials said.” (Maui News, 2016)

“A female suffered fatal injuries in a single-vehicle crash in which a vehicle dropped 100-feet down a cliff in Kahakuloa, Maui.

The incident was reported at 1:44 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014 near mile post 10 of the Kahekili Highway.” (Maui Now, 2014)

A local law firm is pretty direct …

“But while a number of Maui’s scenic highways can be treacherous, it’s the Kahekili that drivers most fear and that’s been the site of many serious accidents.”

“Despite numerous warnings online from motorists and public officials about the Kahekili Highway, some tourists choose to brave the road. Websites and guide books continue to promote the gorgeous landscapes along the route, including Pohaku Kani, the site of a natural pool where several tourists have died in recent years after being swept by waves into the sea.”

“And just as tragically, cars have gone over the cliffs along the highway, resulting in serious injuries and deaths. Locals say the highway needs more guard rails, reflectors, and caution signs. Unfortunately, the twisting road built on a mountainside has little room available for significant safety upgrades.”

“The Kahekili Highway and other treacherous Maui roadways often leave inadequate space for two cars. Drivers who see a car coming from the opposite direction in the distance often try to find a wider spot to pull off and allow the other car to pass.”

“Earlier this year, a man died when his vehicle failed to negotiate a turn and went over an embankment on the Kahekili Highway, landing at the bottom of a 200-feet-deep ravine. The driver was ejected from his vehicle and was fatally injured, police reported. Meanwhile, a passenger in the front seat was injured but climbed back to the road.”

“Many other accidents on the roadway have caused serious injuries and deaths among tourists and locals alike.” (Davis Levin Livingston)

For those who are vertically challenged, not in personal stature, but rather in the relationship of you to your surroundings, this is not the place to be.

I was a passenger – I still wasn’t able to get any photos along the way, I wouldn’t loosen my white knuckle grip … nor gander out to never-never land. (OK, been there, done that; there is no chance of a second chance – the photos do not give this ride justice – I, nor anyone else, was able to capture the ‘essence’ of this road.)

Stay away, there is nothing to see here.

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September 3, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kia Manu

“Feathers from certain birds were made into the highly-prized feather work artifacts of the alii – capes, cloaks, helmets, kahili, etc.” (Holmes)

“The plumage-birds, like everything else in Hawaii, were the property of the alii of the land, and as such were protected by tabu; at least that was the case in the reign of Kamehameha I, and for some time before.”

“The choicest of the feathers found their way into the possession of the kings and chiefs, being largely used in payment of the annual tribute, or land tax, that was levied on each ahupuaa.”

“As prerequisites of royalty, they were made up into full length cloaks to be worn only by the kings and highest chiefs. Besides these there were capes, kipuka, to adorn the shoulders of the lesser chiefs and the king’s chosen warriors, called hulumanu, not to mention helmets, mahiole, a most showy head-covering.”

“The supply needed to meet this demand was great, without reckoning the number consumed in the fabrication of lei and the numerous imposing kahili that surrounded Hawaiian royalty on every occasion of state.”

“It is, therefore, no surprise when we learn that in the economic system of ancient Hawaii a higher valuation was set upon bird feathers (those of the mamo and o-o) than upon any other species of property, the next rank being occupied by whale-tooth, a jetsam-ivory called palaoa pae, monopolized as a prerequisite of the king.” (Emerson)

“Bird-catching and feather gathering were frequently done by commoners in their ahupua‘a. These were people who were also farmers and fishermen, and not full-time specialist bird-catchers.” (Cordy)

“[M]en and women … are joined together in great numbers in climbing into the forests to snare birds [kapili manu; kawili manu]. And the number of birds caught by a person in a day is from six to thirty. The bird being caught is the Oo of the forests.” (Kuokoa, Mar 17, 1866) The bird-catchers were known as lawai‘a manu (those people who ‘fished for birds’) or kia manu.

“Initial bird-catching or feather-gathering was probably conducted by commoners (maka‘āinana) of each community land (ahupua‘a) as part of their tribute to chiefs, rather than exclusively by a special class of chiefly retainers (bird-catchers).”

“Wives of bird-catchers sometimes accompanied their husbands and plucked, sorted and fastened together feathers. Women probably wove the helmet and cloak fibre frameworks and nets (of ‘ie‘ie and ‘olonā fibers).”

“Women may have attached the feathers to cloaks and helmets – manufactured the cloaks and helmets. These cloaks and helmets were probably made in chiefly households by skilled female retainers.”

“Capes (cloaks) and helmets were probably not sacred and kapu until the finished products became identified with certain wearers.” (Cordy)

“The methods used by one hunter in the capture of the birds differed from those used by another. They also varied somewhat, no doubt, in different district, on the different islands, at different seasons of the year and seen in the different islands, at different hours of the day.”

“There could be nothing stereotyped in the way the hunter of birds practiced his art. While the method might remain essentially the same, it was necessarily subject to a wide range of modification, to suit the skill and ingenuity of each hunter in his efforts to meet the habits and outwit the cunning of the birds themselves.” (Emerson)

“A bird-hunting campaign was not an affair to be lightly entered upon. Like every other serious enterprise of ancient Hawaii, a service of prayer and an offering to the gods and aumakuas, must first be performed….”

“Having selected a camp, he erects the necessary huts for himself and his family. His wife, who will keep him company in the wilderness, will not lack for occupation. It will be hers to engage in the manufacture of kapa from the delicate fibers of the mamake bark, perhaps to aid in plucking and sorting the feathers.”

While some suggest, “‘When you take a bird do not strangle it, but having plucked the few feathers for which it was sought, set it free that others may grow in their place.’ They inquired, ‘Who will possess the bird set free? You are an old man.’ He added, ‘My sons will possess the birds hereafter.’” (Brigham)

Perez, however, notes. “Some authors prefer to disingenuously believe that birdcatchers plucked only a few feathers from each bird, then ‘set it free to raise its family and grow a new crop of feathers.’” (Perez)

This is substantiated in the first writing of Hawai‘i; Captain Cook’s Journal notes, “Amongst the articles which they brought to barter this day, we could not help taking notice of a particular sort of cloak and cap, which, even in countries where dress is more particularly attended to, might be reckoned elegant.”

“The first are nearly of the size and shape of the short cloaks worn by the women of England, and by the men in Spain, reaching to the middle of the back, and tied loosely before.”

“The ground of them is a network upon which the most beautiful red and yellow feathers are so closely fixed that the surface might be compared to the thickest and richest velvet, which they resemble, both as to the feel and the flossy appearance. …”

At the time of ‘Contact’, it was clear that when collection feathers birds were killed, as Cook’s Journal goes on to note, “We were at a loss to guess from whence they could get such a quantity of these beautiful feathers; but were soon informed as to one sort …”

“… for they afterward brought great numbers of skins of small red birds for sale, which were often tied up in bunches of twenty or more, or had a small wooden skewer run through their nostrils.”

“At the first, those that were bought consisted only of the skin from behind the wings forward; but we afterward got many with the hind part, including the tail and feet. The first, however, struck us at once with the origin of the sable formerly adopted, of the birds of paradise wanting legs, and sufficiently explained that circumstance. … (Cook’s Journal, Jan 1778)

September 2, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

$25,000 Annuity

“In an interview, ex-Queen Liliuokalani said of the proposed treaty between the United States and Hawaii: ‘Fifteen hundred people are giving away my country.’”

“‘The people of my country do not want to be annexed to the United States. Nor do the people of the United States wants annexation. It is the work of 1,500 people, mostly Americans, who have settled in Hawaii. Of this number those who are not native born Americans are of American parentage.’”

“‘None of my people want the island annexed. The population of the islands is 109,000. Of this number 40,000 are native Hawaiians. The rest are Americans, Germans, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, English and a small proportion from other countries. The 1,500 Americans who are responsible for what was done to-day are running the affairs of the islands.’”

“‘There is no provision made in this treaty for me. In the Harrison treaty I was allowed $20,000 a year, but that treaty never went into effect. I have never received one dollar from the United States.’”

“‘No one looked after my interests in the preparation of this treaty. Yet my people, who form so large a part of the population of the islands, would want justice done me.’” (Los Angeles Herald, June 18, 1897)

Then, a couple American newspapermen (Charles L MacArthur, a former New York state senator and then editor of the local newspaper in Troy NY and William Shaw Bowen, a journalist with the New York World newspaper) independently supported an effort to arrange a $25,000 annuity to Liliʻuokalani.

In responding to questions noted in the Morgan Report, MacArthur stated, “I went to Mr. Dole. I had trouble in my own mind as to whether the Queen had not some personal rights in the crown lands, for the reason that the treasury department had never asked her to make a return on the income …”

“… which was about $75,000 a year, from these lands and which she had received, and as the treasury had never asked her for a return I thought she had an individual right in the lands.”

“I said to the people, ‘She has individual rights, and you have not asked her to make a return to the treasury of what she has received and what she did not receive.’ The President explained it all to me, the grounds of it. “

“When Mr. Neuman indicated that they were willing – I had made the suggestion and others had – that they ought to buy her out, pay her a definite sum, $25,000 or some other sum per year for her rights.”

“Her rights had been shattered, but I thought they ought to pay for them, and so I went, in accordance with Mr. Neuman’s suggestion, or by his consent, to see President Dole.”

“Mr. Neuman said he wanted to talk with President Dole about this matter, but he had not been there officially, and he could not go there publicly to his official place. I talked with Mr. Dole, and Mr Dole said he could not officially do anything without consulting his executive committee …”

“… but he said he would be very happy to meet Mr. Neuman and see what they wanted – see if they could come to any terms about this thing by which the Queen would abdicate and surrender her rights.”

“Mr. Neuman and his daughter called, nominally for the daughter to see Mrs. Dole, so that it could not get out, if they made a call, they could say it was merely a social call, not an official call.”

“Of course, I do not know what their conversation was; but Mr. Neuman, acting on that, called on the Queen. Mr. Dole and Mr. Neuman both impressed on me the importance of not having this thing get out, or the whole thing would go up in smoke. Mr. Neuman said he could bring this thing about if he could keep it from the Queen’s retainers – her people.”

“He said, ‘That is the difficulty about this thing.’ This matter went on for three or four days. Mr. Neuman saw the Queen and she agreed not to say anything about it, so Mr. Neuman tells me, and I got it from other sources there which I think are reliable. They came to some sort of understanding; I do not know what it was.”

“They went so far as to say this woman would not live over three or four years; that she had some heart trouble; and if they gave her $25,000 a year it would not be for a long time. … Mr. Neuman said she assented to it, if she could satisfy one or two of her people.”

Bowen noted in testimony in the Morgan Report, “One day while dining with Paul Neuman I said: ‘I think it would be a good thing if the Queen could be pensioned by the Provisional Government; it would make matters harmonious, relieve business, and make matters much simpler.’”

“I also said that I was aware that certain gentlemen in Washington were opposed to pensioning the Queen; that certain Senators raised that objection to the treaty that was brought from the islands because it recognized the principle of the right of a queen to a pension.”

“There was one Senator, especially, from the South, who said, without discussing the treaty, that that was objectionable to him; that his people would object to it. I said, “If there is no annexation it is a serious question; if there is, the Queen should be taken care of.”

“Neuman agreed with me. He was a strong friend of the Queen, disinterested and devoted. But he said it could not be done. I told him that I had become acquainted with the members of the Provisional Government who were high in authority, and I thought I would try to have it done.”

“Mr. Dole said he would not make any propositions himself and asked me what I thought the pension ought to be. On the spur of the moment, not having considered the matter, I said I thought the Queen ought to get a very handsome pension out of the crown lands.”

“I asked if there was any question about raising the money, and he said none whatever. He finally asked me to name the figures. He had the idea that the figures had been suggested. I said, ‘You ought to give $20,000 a year to furnish her followers with poi. That is the native dish.’ Mr. Dole said he would consider that question.”

“The result was that Mr. Dole told Mr. Neuman that if the Queen would make such a proposition to him it would receive respectful attention and intimated that he thought it would be accepted. Mr. Seaman saw the Queen and told me that he thought it would be done; that the more he thought of it the more convinced he was that it would be better all around.”

“In the meantime he (Blount) had been to the Queen, to Mr. Dole, and had done what he could to prevent the carrying out of the plan. Mr. Neuman had an interview with the Queen.”

“She told him that she would do nothing more in the matter, and asked him to give back her power of attorney, and he tore it up in her presence. This was the 22d, that he tore up his power of attorney.”

“On the 21st instant Mr. Claus Spreckels called to see me. He said that he suspected there was an effort at negotiation between the Queen and the Provisional Government, and that he had urged the Queen to withdraw her power of attorney from Paul Neumann.”

“How much or how little Mr. Spreckels knows about this matter I am unable to say, as I do not know how to estimate him, never having met him before. He promised to see me again before the mail leaves for the United States on next Wednesday, and give me such information as he could acquire in the meantime.”

“I have no doubt whatever that if Mr. Blount had not prevented, and secondarily Mr. Claus Speckels, the agent for the sugar trust, that plan would have been carried out. I have no doubt of it in my own mind.” (Bowen; Morgan Report)

“Thus Blount intervened to scuttle negotiations between the Queen and President Dole that were strongly on track toward a mutually agreeable settlement whereby the Queen would give up all claims to the throne in return for an annuity.” (MorganReport)

Liliuokalani_in_1917

August 31, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kalāke‘e

In 1804, King Kamehameha I moved his capital from Lāhainā, Maui to Waikīkī; in 1809, he moved his Royal Residence to Pākākā at Honolulu Harbor in 1809.

“Kamehameha’s first residence at Kailua, Kona was at Kalakee.” “On this land, Kalakee [site of Hulihee Palace], was the first site of the king’s [Kamehameha] residence, and his house was called Papa.”

“There stones had been heaped up like a wall at the edge of the sea to make a foundation level with that of the inland side. This was done in order to set apart the makai trail that came down from Pa O Umi, a trail used since remote times. The place where the heir of the kingdom lived”. (John Papa ‘Ī‘ī)

“Between 1810 and 1812, Kamehameha set up governorships on each island, after which he returned to Kalakee, Kona, where the Hulihee Palace now stands.”

“Shortly after, he appropriates land from the Keawamahi family at Kamakahonu and rebuilt the Ahuena heiau that had been there since the 15^th century”.

“It was completed in 1813, and Kamehameha moved there. He educated his heir, Liholiho, in agriculture, fishing and statesmanship.” (Akana, SB June 11, 1980)

“John Papa ‘Ī‘ī began serving in the royal household of Mō‘ī Kamehameha as a kahu ali‘i (attendant and guardian ofr an ali‘i) in 1810, when he was ten years old. As a kahu ali‘i, ‘Ī‘ī was highly familiar with the inner workings of the royal household.” (Brown) ‘Ī‘ī shared the following:

“Kamakahonu was formerly the place of Keawe a Mahi, the kahu of Keawe a Heulu. When Keawe a Heulu died, it went to his son Naihe, who, it is believed, caused the death of Keawe a Mahi. Kaawa, a favorite kahu of Naihe is said to have been responsible for the king’s residing there”.

“Kamakahonu was a fine cove, with sand along the edge of the sea and islets of pahoehoe, making it look like a pond, with a grove of kou trees a little inland and a heap of pahoehoe in the center of the stretch of sand. A stone wall ran inland from the right side of Kamakahonu, and on the other side of that wall there was sand as far as a rock promontory.”

“This sandy stretch, called Kaiakekua was a canoe landing, with some houses mauka of it. The rock promontory above Kaiakekua is the Pa O Umi. Beyond it are the sands of Niumalu, and next, the spot where Hulihee Palace now stands.”

“On this land, Kalakee, was the first site of the king’s residence, and his house was called Papa. Outside of the enclosure, by the edge of the sea, was a spring called Kiope. Its fresh water came up from the pahoehoe and mixed with the water of the sea.”

“It was a gathering place for those who went swimming and a place where the surf rolled in and dashed on land when it was rough. It was deep enough there for boats to land when the tide was high, and when it was ebb tide the boats came up close to its rocky pahoehoe side.”

“From there the sea was shallow as far as the spring of Honuaula, where there was a house side on a raised pavement. There the young chief lived. Just makai was a patch of sand facing north, where canoes landed, in front of the heiau of Keikipuipui.”

“A Hale O Lono faced directly toward the upland, and toward the north there was a bed of pahoehoe which reached to the sea, where there was a surfing place for children. To the south was where the waves dashed onto the land. West of the Keikipuipui heiau was a surfing place called Huiha, north of Kapohonau. Later, a heiau was built there by the king ….”

“Ii went with them, and the canoe landed where the water was shallow. Then the women led the way to the main trail. They went past the Kaaipuhi spring, between the houses on both sides of the trail, and on until they arrived at the mauka side of the Honuaula cave. On the upper side of this trail, about 5 or 6 chains from where their canoe had landed, was a small group of houses standing apart.”

“Where the houses began on the south side of the trail that ran through the village another trail branched off, ascending the mountain and leading to the food patches. A stone wall to protect the food plots stretched back of the village from one end to the other and beyond ….”

“Soon after the building of the king’s [Kamehameha] houses at Kamakahonu, two ti-thatched houses were built for the young chief [Liholiho] at Papaula in Honuaula.”

“One was a mua [men’s house] for the heir of the kingdom; the other, a hale ʻaina [woman’s eating house] for his young wife. The name of the woman’s eating house was Kawaluna; that of the husband was Hookuku. “

“Two or three storehouses, some work sheds (halau), and work houses in which women could print their tapa were also built. There were two kinds of work sheds, all thatched with pili grass, behind the white sands of Kaiakeakua and the brine-covered sands close to the pahoehoe.”

“Behind these houses was the trail that went up to the plains, to the area overgrown with thickets, to the bottom of the mountain slope, to the region where the ʻamaʻu ferns grew wild, and on to the mountain.”

“In the storehouses were piled bundles of surplus paʻu, malos, and tapa sheets. These had been given to the chiefs as makahiki taxes that were presented to the gods when they made a circuit of the island every twelfth month.”

“Because the profit received from these taxes on the land was so large, combined with the king’s personal sharesfrom his other lands, goods were piled in great heaps. If one looked into the storehouses, one saw small, large, extra large, and medium-sized bundles and wooden bowls filled with hard poi. There were separate bundles for women and for men.”

“Consequently, separate storehouses were provided for the food to be eaten by each sex. There was no separation of the fishes, however, because either men or women could take what they wanted.” (John Papa ‘Ī‘ī)