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January 29, 2020 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Kuhina Nui

The Kuhina Nui was a unique position in the administration of Hawaiian government and had no equivalent in western governments of the day. It has been described in general terms as “Prime Minister,” “Premier” and “Regent.”

The Kuhina Nui held equal authority to the king in all matters of government, including the distribution of land, negotiating treaties and other agreements, and dispensing justice.

Kamehameha III established Hawai‘i’s first constitution, in 1840, where the office of Kuhina Nui was first codified.

The Kuhina Nui’s primary judicial responsibility over “life and death, condemnation and acquittal” became institutionalized in that constitution (1840.) The Kuhina Nui was also given the duty of presiding, with the King, over the Supreme Court.

Article 45 of the 1852 Constitution of Hawaiian Kingdom stated: “Art. 45. All important business of the kingdom which the King chooses to transact in person, he may do, but not without the approbation of the Kuhina Nui. The King and Kuhina Nui shall have a negative on each other’s public acts.”

The Constitution of 1852 further clarified some of the office’s responsibilities, including its authority in the event of the King’s death or minority of the heir to the throne. The office of Kuhina Nui functioned from 1819 to 1864, through the reigns of Kamehameha II, III, IV and V.

The following were Hawaiʻi’s Kuhina Nui.

Ka‘ahumanu (1819-1832)
Ka‘ahumanu, the favorite wife of Kamehameha I, created the office of Kuhina Nui. She ruled first with Kamehameha II until his departure for England in 1823 and then as regent for Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III).

Intelligent and shrewd, Ka‘ahumanu instigated the breaking of the ancient kapu system following Kamehameha I’s death in 1819. She converted to Christianity, supported the Protestant missionaries and proclaimed laws based on Christian principles.

Kaʻahumanu was such a powerful person and Kuhina Nui that subsequent female Kuhina Nui adopted her name, (Kaʻahumanu II, III & IV.)

Kīna‘u (Kaʻahumanu II) (1832-1839)
Kīna‘u became a Christian in 1830. She succeeded her aunt Ka‘ahumanu upon the latter’s death in 1832. She acted as the Regent for her brother Kauikeaouli when he became King Kamehameha III, from June 5, 1832 to March 15, 1833.

She would rule with him until her death. She was responsible for enforcing Hawaiʻi’s first penal code, proclaimed by the king in 1835.

Kekāuluohi (Kaʻahumanu III) (1839-1845)
Kekāuluohi succeeded her half-sister Kīna‘u as Kuhina Nui. Initially, she was considered something of a “place-holder” for Kīna‘u’s infant daughter Victoria Kamāmalu, who would later assume the office.

Kekāuluohi was a co-signer with Kamehameha III of Hawai‘i’s first Constitution in 1840, which provided for an elected representative body, a first step toward the common people gaining political power. The constitution also codified for the first time, the responsibilities and authority of the Kuhina Nui.

As the pressures of international diplomacy and economic development increased on the Hawaiian kingdom, it was necessary to structure the government for better administrative control. As her life came to a close, Kekāuluohi appointed Gerrit P. Judd as Minister of the Interior to administer on her behalf.

Keoni Ana (1845-1855)
Keoni Ana was appointed Kuhina Nui by Kamehameha III because Victoria Kamāmalu, the designated successor of her mother Kīna‘u, was still a minor.

Keoni Ana was a son of John Young, the English sailor who became a trusted adviser to Kamehameha I, and Young’s wife Ka‘ōanā‘eha. Keoni Ana held several government positions, including service in the House of Nobles and Privy Council, as a Supreme Court justice, and as chamberlain of Kamehameha III’s household.

Soon after Keoni Ana became Kuhina Nui in June 1845, the Legislative Assembly passed several acts that organized the executive ministries and departments of the government. This legislation provided that the Kuhina Nui serve dually as Minister of the Interior.

Victoria Kamāmalu (Kaʻahumanu IV) (1855-1863)
Only 17 years old, Victoria Kamāmalu was appointed Kuhina Nui by her brother Kamehameha IV soon after he ascended the throne in December 1854. As the daughter of Kīna‘u, the second Kuhina Nui, and as the highest ranking female chief of the day, it had long been her destiny to assume the responsibilities of the office.

As Kuhina Nui, Victoria Kamāmalu presided over the King’s Privy Council. Perhaps her most important contribution as Kuhina Nui was to proclaim her brother Lot Kamehameha V the rightful successor to Kamehameha IV when the latter died unexpectedly in 1863.

Mataio Kekūanāo‘a (1863-1864)
When Lot Kapuāiwa (Kamehameha V) succeeded his brother Kamehameha IV in 1863, he selected his father, Mataio Kekūanāo‘a to be the Kuhina Nui. Kekūanāo‘a had a long and active career in Hawaiian government affairs.

He accompanied Kamehameha II on his ill-fated journey to England in 1823, served in the House of Nobles and the Privy Council, was a governor of O‘ahu, the King’s chamberlain, and president of the Board of Public Instruction.

His marriage to Kīna‘u, a daughter of Kamehameha I, made him the father of two kings, Kamehameha IV and V. He was also the father of Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani, whose great land holdings would pass to Bernice Pauahi Bishop and become the Kamehameha Schools / Bishop Estate.

As the last Kuhina Nui, Kekūanāo‘a essentially presided over the demise of the office. Kamehameha V proclaimed a constitution on August 20, 1864 in which there was no provision for a Kuhina Nui. It was “an unnecessary check upon the Legislative in giving to this Office an absolute control over the acts of a body of which he himself is a member and in which he has a vote.”

The image shows the six Kuhina Nui who ruled in Hawaiʻi, Ka‘ahumanu (1819-1832), Kīna‘u (1832-1839), Kekāuluohi (1839-1845), Keoni Ana (1845-1855), Victoria Kamāmalu (1855-1863), Mataio Kekūanāo‘a (1863-1864).

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Filed Under: Ali'i / Chiefs / Governance Tagged With: Kinau, Kekauluohi, Kuhina Nui, Hawaii, Victoria Kamamalu, Kaahumanu, Mataio Kekuanaoa, Keoni Ana

May 21, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Hānaiakamalama

In the mid-1880s, EP Adams was marketing for sale ‘Hānaiakamalama,’ “formerly occupied by WL Green, Esq, as a private residence”.

But this isn’t just *any* house; Hānaiakamalama, also known as the Queen Emma Summer Palace, was the ‘mountain’ home of Queen Emma, wife of Kamehameha IV. (Its name is Lit., the foster child of the light (or moon) – it is also the name for the Southern Cross.)

“It was a delightful country home for Queen Emma and many a happy reunion of the family took place there. The last I remember was a great reception given to the Duke of Edinburgh when he was here in the Galatea in 1869.”

“It was one of the most memorable of the luaus for which Hawai‘i nei has obtained a worldwide reputation.” (Girvin, Pacific Commercial Advertiser, July 18, 1906)

It was through this land that Kamehameha the Great marched during what would become the Battle of the Nuʻuanu in April 1795.

Coincidently, Kamehameha was aided by foreigners, including John Young, Queen Emma’s grandfather, who provided the cannons and tactical know-how used in the battle. (Rivera)

The house was originally constructed by John George Lewis in 1848. John Young II (Keoni Ana) bought it in 1850 and named the home “Hānaiakamalama” (after a favorite family homestead in Kawaihae.) (Rivera) Queen Emma inherited it from her uncle, John Young II, in 1857.

Queen Emma was born Emma Naʻea in Honolulu on January 2, 1836, the daughter of a British aristocratic woman and a Hawaiian high chief.

She became the hānai child of Dr and Mrs TC and Grace Rooke, her mother’s sister, who had no children of their own. Emma grew up speaking both Hawaiian and English, the latter ‘with a perfect English accent.’

OK, back to the home …

A notice in the Pacific Commercial Advertiser (November 11, 1890) noted that the government Water Works department purchased Hānaiakamalama for $8,000.

It was acquired “for the special purpose of a site for establishing (water system) filter beds, and a distributing reservoir for the city, which was looked upon then as one of the much-needed public works recognized, as a public necessity by the then administration.”

“The scheme then under consideration and practically settled upon was part of the plans in connection with the storage reservoir above Luakaha, for the increased capacity of the Nuʻuanu system.” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, April 30, 1906)

The water works plan waned and thoughts of a park at the site were considered; there was, reportedly, a proposal to tear down the house and put in a baseball diamond.

However, “Governor Carter has expressed his disapproval of the retention of the Queen Emma property in Upper Nuʻuanu valley for park purposes in a letter to the secretary of the Improvement Club in that district, which passed resolutions urging that that be done.”

“I beg to say that I do not approve of the setting aside as a public park of the Hānaiakamalama premises, for the following reasons: First. Public parks are for the relief of thickly populated districts, where the congestion is such that the residents do not have breathing spaces … “

“… Second. The taxpayers are contributing at present about all they can stand and this is not sufficient to properly take care of all those areas that are already parked.” (Carter, Pacific Commercial Advertiser, September 6, 1906)

On May 12, 1906, The Pacific Commercial Advertiser noticed, “there will be sold at Public Auction … the following certain portions of land situate in the District of Kona, Island of Oahu, TH: … The land known as ‘Hānaiakamalama’ or the ‘Queen Emma Place’ (upset price of $10,000, possession given September 1, 1906.)”

Hānaiakamalama was saved from demolition by the Daughters of Hawaiʻi.

(Daughters of Hawai‘i was founded in 1903 and is made up of women members who are directly descended from a person who lived in Hawai‘i prior to 1880. Their purpose is “to perpetuate the memory and spirit of old Hawai‘i and of historic facts, and to preserve the nomenclature and correct pronunciation of the Hawaiian language.”)

Then, the newspaper announced, “Rules and regulations bearing on Hānaiakamalama, the Nuʻuanu home of the late Queen Emma, were adopted at a meeting on Wednesday of the Daughters of Hawai‘i, which society now has charge of the home. The rules are as follows:”

“1. The object of Hānaiakamalama is to preserve articles formerly owned by the late Queen Emma and such other articles of historic interest as may be given the Daughters of Hawaii for safe keeping.”

“2. The building shall be open to visitors daily from 9 to 12 in the morning and from 2 to 4 in the after noon, excepting Sunday and other days that may be designated.”

“3. The house can only be used as a meeting place for the Daughters of Hawai‘i and cannot be engaged for any other purpose. 4. A fees of 25 cents will be charged all visitors, members excepted. 5. Visitors are requested not to handle or deface any article in the building.” (Honolulu Star Bulletin, October 19, 1916)

In addition to Hānaiakamalama, the Daughters own and maintain Kamehameha III’s birth site at Keauhou Bay, Kona. Through an agreement with the State of Hawaiʻi, the Daughters use and maintain Huliheʻe Palace in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island.

Hānaiakamalama is open to the public with docent-guided tours, daily 9:00 am – 4:00 pm; closed major holidays; Admission: Adult Self Guide $8, Adult Docent Guide $10; Child 17 and under $1, Kamaʻāina or Senior (62+) Self Guide $6, Senior Docent Guide $8; reservations required for groups of 20 or more.

The nearly 170-year-old Hānaiakamalama is in need of the public’s help again – and, there is a way you can help.

5:30 pm, Sunday, May 29, 2016, the Daughters of Hawai‘i are holding a fundraising dinner at Hānaiakamalama to recognize one of their longtime supporters and friends, Watters O Martin, Jr. (Individual tickets are $150 and the proceeds will go to help repair and maintain this significant structure.)

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Queen_Emma_Summer_Palace_(Hanaiakamalama) 1875
Queen_Emma_Summer_Palace_(Hanaiakamalama) 1875
Queen_Emma_Summer_Palace_(Hanaiakamalama) circa 1890
Queen_Emma_Summer_Palace_(Hanaiakamalama) circa 1890
Queen_Emma_Summer_Palace-front
Queen_Emma_Summer_Palace-front
Queen_Emma
Queen_Emma
Keoni_Ana_and_niece_Emma
Keoni_Ana_and_niece_Emma
Royal cabinet-a wedding gift from Prince Albert of England and Queen Victoria to Emma and Alexander
Royal cabinet-a wedding gift from Prince Albert of England and Queen Victoria to Emma and Alexander
Queen_Emma_Summer_Palace_Parlor
Queen_Emma_Summer_Palace_Parlor
Parlor of Hānaiakamālama — the Summer Palace of Queen Emma
Parlor of Hānaiakamālama — the Summer Palace of Queen Emma
Silver christening vessel
Silver christening vessel
Royal cabinet-a wedding gift from Prince Albert of England and Queen Victoria to Emma and Alexander
Royal cabinet-a wedding gift from Prince Albert of England and Queen Victoria to Emma and Alexander
Fire Truck
Fire Truck
Trousers and coat
Trousers and coat
Fire Outfit
Fire Outfit
Hanaiakamalama - Queen Emma Summer Palace
Hanaiakamalama – Queen Emma Summer Palace

Filed Under: Ali'i / Chiefs / Governance, Buildings Tagged With: Hanaiakamalama, Hawaii, Kamehameha IV, Queen Emma, Keoni Ana, John Young, Queen Emma Summer Palace

March 31, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

US Annexation (almost, in 1854)

“I have positive and undeniable information, from the highest sources at Honolulu, to the effect that a Treaty is about concluded between Mr (David Lawrence) Gregg, the United States Commissioner, and the Government of the Islands, for their annexation to the United States forthwith. “

“The only unsettled question in relation to the annexation is, whether the Islands shall come in as a Territory or a State. Mr Gregg insists on the former.” (New York Daily Tribune, July 20, 1854)

Whoa, let’s look back …

The subject of annexation to the United States was for the first time seriously considered by the Hawaiian Government in 1851. (Alexander)

Through a Protectorate Proclamation (March 10th, 1851,) King Kauikeaouli “By and with the advice of our kuhina nui and counsellors of native chiefs … hereby proclaim as our royal will and pleasure that all our islands and all our rights as sovereign over them are from the date hereto placed under the protection and safeguard of the United States of America …”

“… until some arrangements can be made to place our said relations with France upon a footing compatible with my rights as an independent sovereign under the laws of nations and compatible with my treaty engagements with other foreign nations; or, if such arrangements be found impracticable, then is our wish and pleasure that the protection aforesaid under the United States of America be perpetual.”

On March 31, 1851, an appeal to the President of the US, by Robert Crichton Wyllie, Hawai‘i’s Minister of Foreign Relations and Luther Severance, Commissioner of the United States (and signed by King Kauikeaouli and Keoni Ana (Kuhina Nui,)) noted, in part:

  • “the King and chiefs remembering the events of 1839 and 1849, distrust France and fear her”
  • “France has not kept her engagement with Great Britain and does not mean to treat this Kingdom as under the protection of international law”
  • “The King … believes that Great Britain is so fettered with France that she can afford him no certain hope of present relief”
  • “the King, … appealed in his helplessness to the Commissioner of the United States, and now solemnly appeals to the President”
  • “the King would prefer that this Kingdom be received as an Independent State, under protection merely from foreign aggression”
  • “If that cannot be done, rather than continue to be the victim of foreign aggression, the mere shadow of a king without the power, but with responsibilities measured out by the arbitrary rule of the strong, We will resign the Sovereignty of these Islands into the hands of the United States”

On June 21, 1851, a Joint Resolution by the Nobles and Representatives of the Hawaiian Islands in Legislative Council Assembled, resolved that “if France should persist … it will be the duty of the King to shield himself and his kingdom from insult, and oppression by placing this kingdom under the protection of some friendly state …”

“The discovery of gold in California in 1848, which led to the speedy settlement of that State, and to the opening of new routes across the American continent, ushered in a new era in the history of the Hawaiian Islands. It opened a new market for their productions, and brought them into closer commercial relations with the United States.”

“During the years 1850-54 a considerable immigration from California took place. It embraced many restless, ambitious spirits, some of whom came for the purpose of exciting revolution. They found the foreign community already split into factions, between which bitter feuds existed of long standing.”

“Many of the newcomers naturally joined the opposition party, which claimed to be the liberal and progressive element in the country. The plan of the leaders of the new movement seems to have been to reconstruct the government, and then to turn it over to the United States.” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, May 11, 1909)

In February 6, 1854, an order of the King to Wyllie noted, “that plans are on foot inimical (unfavorable) to the peace of Our Kingdom and the welfare of our people, and such as if carried out would be wholly subversive of Our Sovereignty, and would reduce Us to the most deplorable of all states, a state of anarchy …”

“Whereas, exigencies (emergencies) may arise of such a nature as to render it imperative upon Us, for the security of the just rights of Our chiefs and people, that We should seek the alliance of the United States of America.”

“We Do Hereby command you, Our Minister of Foreign Relations, to take such immediate steps as may be necessary and proper, by negotiation or otherwise, to ascertain the views of the United States in relation to the Annexation thereto of these Islands …”

“… and also the terms and conditions upon which the same can be affected, with the object of being fully prepared to meet any sudden danger that may arise, threatening the existence or independence of Our Kingdom.” (Signed by the King and Keoni Ana (Kuhina Nui))

Subsequent instructions from the King to Wyllie (February 21, 1854) noted, “You will immediately enter upon a negotiation ad referendum with the Commissioners of the United States of America, in case of necessity, and which shall fully secure Our rights and the rights of Our chiefs and people …”

“When the treaty ad referendum as aforesaid, is completed, you will submit the same to Us, which will be subject to Our approval, modification or rejection; and in case We shall deem it wise and necessary, to submit it to the Representatives of Our people, subject also to their approval.” (Signed by King Kamehameha III, and approved by Prince Liholiho, Keoni Ana and all the Ministers)

“On the 4th of July, 1854, the foreign community expressed their hopes of annexation by a grand celebration of the day. A car, decorated with evergreens, in which were seated thirty-two girls of American parentage, dressed in white, wreathed in flowers, each bearing the name of a State on her sash, in large gold letters, was drawn by a power unseen.”

“Next followed ‘Young America,’ a company of very young men in uniform, with another triumphal chariot, on which was placed a beautiful boy, the very personification of health, strength, and beauty. ‘Young Hawaii’ was in tow, and represented by a boat gaily trimmed, in which were eight young native lads, fancifully dressed, and carelessly eating sugar-cane.”

“The procession marched through the principal streets to the stone church, where an eloquent address was delivered by the American Commissioner, in which it was more than hinted that a new star was about to be added to the glorious constellation.” (Judd)

As noted above, “a Treaty is about concluded … (for Hawaiʻi’s) annexation to the United States … The only unsettled question in relation to the annexation is, whether the Islands shall come in as a Territory or a State.” (New York Daily Tribune, July 20, 1854)

The issue of State vs. Territory was a little deeper than that simple choice – it related to when Hawai‘i was annexed whether Hawai‘i would or would not allow slavery. (US President Franklin Pierce wanted Hawai‘i to have Territorial status.)

At that time, the US was on the verge of a civil war over the slavery issue.

If the Islands came in as a State, it would have been with a constitution forever excluding slavery, while if came in as a Territory, the people of the Territory would decide the slavery question for themselves. (Alexander)

It is interesting (and important) to note that, “The protestant missionaries at these Islands have never engaged in any scheme of annexation. It has been their cherished wish, that the government may remain independent under the present constitution and rulers.”

“Whatever may have been done by merchants, planters, or others, the protestant clergymen at the Islands have neither advised, nor signed any memorial to the King touching annexation.” (American Protestant Missionaries Ephraim Weston Clark and Peter Johnson Gulick, in a statement in The Polynesian, September 10, 1853.)

Later, “In a letter published in August, 1864, Mr. Clark stated that at the annual convocation in May, 1853, he had frequent conversations with other missionaries on this engrossing subject. ‘Not one of them expressed an opinion in its favor …”

“… but on the contrary, they did express doubts as to its expediency, and grave apprehensions of disaster to the natives from the influx of lawless and unprincipled foreigners.’” (Alexander; Pacific Commercial Advertiser, May 11, 1909)

The Annexation Treaty was never finalized, “The signatures were yet wanting; His Majesty more determined and impatient than ever, when he was taken suddenly ill, and died in three weeks (December 15, 1854.)” (Judd)

As Mr Severance truly said, “His partiality to Americans has always been strong, and it will be universally conceded that by his death they have lost a faithful and honorable friend.”

His adopted son and heir, Alexander Liholiho, was immediately proclaimed king, under the title of Kamehameha IV. Soon afterwards he expressed his wish that the negotiations that had been begun with Mr Gregg should be broken off, which was done. (Alexander)

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Photo_of_Kamehameha_III_(PP-97-7-003)-1853
Photo_of_Kamehameha_III_(PP-97-7-003)-1853
Keoni_Ana
Keoni_Ana
Kamehameha_IV_(PP-97-8-006)
Kamehameha_IV_(PP-97-8-006)
David_Lawrence_Gregg
David_Lawrence_Gregg
Robert_Crichton_Wyllie
Robert_Crichton_Wyllie
President_Franklin_Pierce
President_Franklin_Pierce
Ephraim Weston Clark
Ephraim Weston Clark
Peter_Johnson_Gulick
Peter_Johnson_Gulick
Wyllie Report to Kamehameha III-Feb_13_1854-copy-1
Wyllie Report to Kamehameha III-Feb_13_1854-copy-1
Wyllie Report to Kamehameha III-Feb_13_1854-copy-2
Wyllie Report to Kamehameha III-Feb_13_1854-copy-2
Wyllie Report to Kamehameha III-Feb_13_1854-1
Wyllie Report to Kamehameha III-Feb_13_1854-1
Wyllie Report to Kamehameha III-Feb_13_1854-2
Wyllie Report to Kamehameha III-Feb_13_1854-2
Wyllie at Privy Council Chambers to Wm Lee-Feb_13_1854-1
Wyllie at Privy Council Chambers to Wm Lee-Feb_13_1854-1
Wyllie at Privy Council Chambers to Wm Lee-Feb_13_1854-2
Wyllie at Privy Council Chambers to Wm Lee-Feb_13_1854-2
Wyllie at Palace to Wm Lee-Feb_13_1854-1
Wyllie at Palace to Wm Lee-Feb_13_1854-1
Wm Lee_and_Ministers-Approval of Order of King Kamehameha III to Wyllie-English-Feb_6,_1854
Wm Lee_and_Ministers-Approval of Order of King Kamehameha III to Wyllie-English-Feb_6,_1854
Proclamation-Government Threatened-Kamehameha III to Kuhina Nui & Wyllie-Hawaiian-Dec_8,_ 1854
Proclamation-Government Threatened-Kamehameha III to Kuhina Nui & Wyllie-Hawaiian-Dec_8,_ 1854
Proclamation-Government Threatened-Kamehameha III to Kuhina Nui & Wyllie-English-Dec_8,_ 1854
Proclamation-Government Threatened-Kamehameha III to Kuhina Nui & Wyllie-English-Dec_8,_ 1854
Order of King Kamehameha III to Wyllie-Hawaiian-Feb_6,_1854
Order of King Kamehameha III to Wyllie-Hawaiian-Feb_6,_1854
Order of King Kamehameha III to Wyllie-English-Feb_6,_1854-copy
Order of King Kamehameha III to Wyllie-English-Feb_6,_1854-copy
Order of King Kamehameha III to Wyllie-English-Feb_6,_1854
Order of King Kamehameha III to Wyllie-English-Feb_6,_1854
King Kamehameha III to Wyllie-Hawaiian-Feb_21,_1854-1
King Kamehameha III to Wyllie-Hawaiian-Feb_21,_1854-1
King Kamehameha III to Wyllie-Hawaiian-Feb_21,_1854-2
King Kamehameha III to Wyllie-Hawaiian-Feb_21,_1854-2
King Kamehameha III to Wyllie-English-Feb_21,_1854-1
King Kamehameha III to Wyllie-English-Feb_21,_1854-1
King Kamehameha III to Wyllie-English-Feb_21,_1854-2
King Kamehameha III to Wyllie-English-Feb_21,_1854-2

Filed Under: General, Ali'i / Chiefs / Governance, Missionaries / Churches / Religious Buildings, Prominent People Tagged With: Missionaries, Ephraim Weston Clark, Kauikeaouli, Peter Johnson Gulick, Kamehameha III, Annexation, Keoni Ana, Robert Wyllie, Kuhina Nui, Hawaii, American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions, Kamehameha IV, ABCFM, Alexander Liholiho, Chiefs, Gulick, David Lawrence Gregg

June 29, 2014 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Peter Young Kāʻeo Kekuaokalani

Peter Young Kāʻeo Kekuaokalani was born March 4, 1836 in Honolulu.  His mother was Jane Lahilahi Young, the youngest daughter of John Young (advisor to Kamehameha I;) his father was Joshua Kāʻeo, Judge of the Supreme Court of Hawaiʻi (great-great grandson or great grandson of King Kalaniʻōpuʻu.)

At birth, he was hānai to his maternal uncle John Young II (Keoni Ana) (Kuhina Nui (Prime Minister) (1845-1855) and son of John Young, the English sailor who became a trusted adviser to Kamehameha I)

Kāʻeo was declared eligible to succeed to the Hawaiian throne by Kamehameha III and attended the Chief’s Children’s School.  (In 1839, Kamehameha III formed the school to groom the next generation of the highest ranking chief’s children of the realm and secure their positions for Hawaii’s Kingdom.)

King Kamehameha selected Missionaries Amos Starr Cooke (1810–1871) and Juliette Montague Cooke (1812-1896) from the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to teach the 16-royal children and run the school.

Another student there was his cousin, Emma Naʻea Rooke (January 2, 1836 – April 25, 1885,) daughter of High Chief George Naʻea and High Chiefess Fanny Kekelaokalani Young and hānai by her childless maternal aunt, chiefess Grace Kamaʻikuʻi Young Rooke, and her husband, Dr. Thomas CB Rooke.  (Emma later became Queen, wife of Alexander Liholiho, Kamehameha IV.)

Kā’eo later served as a member of the House of Nobles (1863–1880) and on the Privy Council of King Kamehameha IV (1863–1864.)

At about this time, leprosy (later known as Hansen’s Disease) was noted in the Islands and it rapidly spread on Oʻahu.  In response, the Legislative Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands passed “An Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy” in 1865, which King Kamehameha V approved.

This law provided for setting apart land for an establishment for the isolation and seclusion of leprous persons who were thought capable of spreading the disease.

On June 10, 1865, a suitable location for incurable cases of leprosy came up for discussion.  The peninsula on the northern shore of Moloka’i seemed the most suitable spot for a leprosy settlement.

The first shipment of lepers landed at Kalawao (Kalaupapa) January 6, 1866, the beginning of segregation and banishment of lepers to the leper settlement.

Receiving and detention centers were established on Oʻahu.  Kalihi Hospital was the first hospital for leprosy patients in Hawaiʻi opening in 1865. Kapiʻolani Home opened in Kalihi Kai in 1891 adjacent to the Kalihi Hospital and Receiving Station; Kalihi Plague Camp (1900-1912) and Meyers Street, Kalihi Uka (1912-1938.)  (NPS)

Kāʻeo contracted leprosy and on June 29, 1873 joined the many others exiled to the leper colony at Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai (joining him were two servants.)

During his exile at Kalawao (Kalaupapa,) he and his cousin Emma, exchanged letters.  Kāʻeo reported in one such letter to his cousin (dated November 4, 1873) that he recently visited the settlement store and bought several yards of cotton twill “to make me some frocks palaka” this is the first known use of the word palaka to describe the style shirt with no tail and meant to be worn outside of the pants.  (Korn)

In another letter (August 11, 1873) calls attention to the conditions at Kalawao:  “Deaths occur quite frequently here, almost dayly. Napela (the Mormon elder and assistant supervisor of the Kalaupapa Settlement) last week rode around the Beach to inspect the Lepers and came on to one that had no Pai (poi) for a Week but manage to live on what he could find in his Hut, anything Chewable.”

“His legs were so bad that he cannot walk, and few traverse the spot where His Hut stands, but fortunate enough for him that he had sufficient enough water to last him till aid came and that not too late, or else probably he must have died.”

Mortality rates were confirmed by Dr JH Stallard, Board of Health in 1884:  “The excessive mortality rate alone condemns the management (of the settlement.) During the year 1883, there were no less than 150 deaths … more than ten times that of any ordinary community of an unhealthy type.”

“The high mortality has not been caused by leprosy, but by dysentery, a disease not caused by any local insanitary conditions, but by gross neglect.”  (Voices of Kaulapapa; SanDiego-gov – 1884)

Father Damien himself succumbed to leprosy on April 15, 1889.  Sister Mary Leopoldina Burns describes the place: “One could never imagine what a lonely barren place it was. Not a tree nor a shrub in the whole Settlement only in the churchyard there were a few poor little trees that were so bent and yellow by the continued sweep of the birning wind it would make one sad to look at them.” (Voices of Kaulapapa; SanDiego-gov)

Kāʻeo was released from Kalawao in 1876 and lived the remainder of his life quietly in Honolulu, returning to his seat in the upper house of the Hawaiian legislature.  (Korn; Spurrier)

The Hawaiian Gazette, December 1, 1880, noted his death, “The Hon. Peter Y Kaeo died at his residence, Emma street, on Friday night (November 26, 1880.) The funeral took place on Sunday, and was largely attended by the retainers and friends of the family. The hearse was surrounded by Kahili bearers as becomes the dignity of the chief.”

About 8,000 people have been exiled at Kalaupapa since 1865.  The predominant group of patients were Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian; in addition there were whites, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Filipino and other racial groups that sent to Kalaupapa.  The law remained in effect until 1969, when admissions to Kalaupapa ended.

Peter Young Kāʻeo was interred in the Wyllie Crypt at Mauna ʻAla (Royal Mausoleum in Nuʻuanu) along with many of the Young Family.  (Though the names are the same, I am not related to this Young family.  On my father’s side, Jack, youngest brother of Young Brothers, is my grandfather; on my mother’s side, Hiram Bingham is my GGG grandfather.)

The image shows Peter Young Kāʻeo Kekuaokalani.  In addition, I have added other images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook and Google+ pages.

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© 2014 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Filed Under: General, Ali'i / Chiefs / Governance Tagged With: Hansen's Disease, Keoni Ana, Kalawao, Hawaii, John Young, Molokai, Mauna Ala, Queen Emma, Chief's Children's School, Saint Damien, Kalaupapa, Peter Young Kaeo Kekuaokalani

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