The State of Hawai‘i’s capital city of
Honolulu (which means “sheltered, or protected bay”) has many cultural
and historical attractions, the most prominent of which are described below:
[Insert
Map Here of Downtown
‘
Location: King and Richards Streets / Phone:
808-522-0832 / www.alike.lcc.hawaii.edu/openstudio/iolani. Guided tours offered to the public from 9 to
2:15, Tuesday to Saturday; Gallery 9-4.
[Photograph:
‘
History of
‘
The
cornerstone for ‘
‘
Hale
Ali‘i was originally constructed by Mataio Kekūanaō‘a, a high chief and the
Governor of O‘ahu, for his daughter, Princess Victoria Kamāmalu. The house was given to King Kamehameha III
(Kauikeaouli) in 1845 when the king moved his court to
Hale
Ali‘i was named ‘Iolani in 1863 at the request of King Kamehameha V (Lot
Kapuāiwa Kamehameha). The name “‘Iolani” was chosen by King Kamehameha
V, who wanted a name chosen to honor his deceased brother, the former king, Kamehameha IV (Alexander Liholiho ‘Iolani).
‘Iolani
was one of names of Kamehameha IV, and was also a sacred hawk of Hawaiian
mythology. ‘Iolani means “Hawk of heaven,” or “Royal hawk.” The flight of the ‘io (Buteo solitarius, Hawaiian hawk) is believed to
be a sign of royalty. (See Hawaiian Hawk, Chapter 7.)
[Photograph:
‘Io, Hawaiian hawk]
Hale
Ali‘i was demolished in 1876 due to termites.
The construction of ‘Iolani Palace began in 1879, and in 1882 ‘Iolani
Palace was completed and furnished.
Utilizing
three different architects, and measuring 140 feet (42.7 m) long and 100 feet
(30.5 m) wide, ‘
‘
Many valuable items were taken from ‘
After the overthrow of the
Hawaiian monarchy (see Chapter 11, Timeline: 1893), ‘
The
Throne Room was used for meetings of the House of Representatives, and the
State Dining Room was used as the Senate Chambers. The Minister of Finance used the Blue Room,
where heavy safes were installed, while the Minister of Foreign Affairs used
the Gold Room, and the Attorney General used Queen Kapi‘olani’s Bedroom. The Secretary of the Territory used the room
now known as Queen Lili‘uokalani’s Prison Chamber, which later housed the
Lieutenant Governor of the State of Hawai‘i.
In
1969, the new State Capitol was constructed and the long process of the
restoration of ‘Iolani Palace began.
The
Interior of ‘
At
least four years before the United States’ White House installed electricity,
the original gas lamps in ‘Iolani Palace were replaced with electric
lights. King Kalākaua [David La‘amea
Kalākaua] was very interested in new technology, and once met Thomas Edison. Electric lights were installed at ‘Iolani
Palace on July 21, 1886. Five lamps in all were
installed, including one at the Palace, one at the gate to the Palace on
Richards Street, two on King Street, and one at the Government Building.
Within two years Honolulu’s
streetlights, which were formerly gasoline lamps, were also replaced with
electric lights. ‘Iolani Palace was also ahead of its time in other
ways, including flushing toilets and bidets, hot and cold running water,
copper-lined tubs and other amenities.
Beautifully
crafted native and Polynesian-introduced woods such as koa (Acacia
koa), kou (Cordia subcordata), kamani (Calophyllum
inophyllum, Alexandrian laurel), and ‘ōhi‘a lehua (Metrosideros
species) were used throughout the interior along with other fine
hardwoods.
[Photograph:
Grand Hall entrance to ‘Iolani Palace showing koa staircase]
Formal
functions were held on the main floor of ‘Iolani Palace, and the royal family
resided on the second floor. An attic
helped keep the building cool, and the basement of the palace housed the Palace
kitchen. The basement was also where all
the silver, wines, food and other materials were stored in order to supply the
lavish social events held at the Palace.
A dumbwaiter transported the royal meals up to the first and second
floors.
The
basement also housed the office of the Chamberlain, who managed the many
activities occurring at ‘Iolani Palace on a daily basis. The basement had rooms to house more than
forty servants, and also a room that held the kāhili, the feather standards
that were symbols of Hawaiian royalty.
Many
of these kāhili are now on display in the basement of ‘Iolani Palace, along with other precious
cultural artifacts. The kitchen is also
beautifully restored to authentically represent the era of the monarchy.
Palace
to Prison to Capitol
On
January 6, 1895, there was a minor (and failed) attempt by a small group of
Hawaiians (apparently with no direct participation by Queen Lili‘uokalani), to
begin a counter-revolution to restore the queen (see Chapter 11, Timeline: 1895,
Jan. 6).
Queen
Lili‘uokalani denied any involvement, but Martial Law was declared on January 7
and a military commission was appointed to court-martial Queen Lili‘uokalani
and others. On January 16, 1895 Queen
Lili‘uokalani was imprisoned in ‘Iolani Palace.
On
January 24, 1895 the queen signed a formal abdication and called for the
recognition of the Republic of Hawai‘i as the lawful government. Queen Lili‘uokalani later claimed that this
abdication was invalid due to coercion.
On
February 5, Queen Lili‘uokalani was arraigned before the military commission
for treason, a charge later changed to misprision of treason (knowing of the
attempted counter-revolution but not disclosing it).
On
February 27, 1895, Queen Lili‘uokalani was found guilty of misprision of
treason and sentenced to a fine of $5,000 and imprisonment with hard labor for
five years. This sentence was not
carried out, though she remained imprisoned in ‘Iolani Palace for seven months.
Queen
Lili‘uokalani was released from ‘Iolani Palace on September 6, 1895, but was
then confined to Washington Place until February 6, 1896, and then island-restricted until October
6, 1896. Lili‘uokalani’s freedom was
restricted for 21 months in all, from Jan. 16, 1895 until October 6, 1896. (See
Chapter 11, Timeline: 1895, Jan. 6; 1879, Dec. 31.)
The defiling of ‘Iolani
Palace after the overthrow of the monarchy was followed by many decades of
use the Palace as a capitol building (1893 to 1969), for the Republic,
Territory, and State of Hawai‘i, leaving the Palace in disrepair. After extensive renovations, beginning in
1969, ‘Iolani Palace was opened as a museum in 1978.
The
non-profit organization Friends of ‘Iolani Palace now runs the museum,
offering guided tours of the United States’ only royal palace. Friends of ‘Iolani Palace also
continues to tackle the daunting task of retrieving (sometimes from distant
collections) the numerous original furnishings and effects that were taken from
‘Iolani Palace after the overthrow of the monarchy.
The
Restored ‘
The
various rooms of ‘Iolani Palace each have their own decor and their own
history, including the church-like Grand Hall, which spans the width of
the palace. Royal portraits line the
walls of the Grand Hall, with ten kings and queens of the monarchy on
display.
From
the Grand Hall guests were escorted into the adjoining reception rooms. A prominent koa wood staircase in the Grand
Hall leads to the second floor’s Upper Hall (described below).
The
stately Blue Room, which is directly on the left after entering the
Palace, was used for informal meetings and small receptions. The room’s blue satin drapes are trimmed with
velvet, and on display are matching portraits of Queen Lili‘uokalani and King
Kalākaua [David La‘amea Kalākaua], both painted by William
Cogswell.
Renowned
portraitist Franz-Xavier Winterhalter created the portrait of King Louis
Philippe of France, which is also on display in the Blue Room. The painting was a gift from the French
government to King Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli) in 1848. The Blue Room once held a grand piano that
was often played by members of the royal family, many of who were competent
musicians.
On
January 14, 1893, Queen Lili‘uokalani summoned her Cabinet Ministers to the
Blue Room and presented them with a new constitution whose principal aim was to
restore the royal prerogatives. This was
the initial event that led to the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy.
Adjoining
the Blue Room is the State Dining Room, which is adorned with portraits
of world leaders from England, France, Germany and Russia. Bohemian crystal and Paris porcelain add to
the aura of formality of this room. After
the overthrow of the monarchy, the State Dining Room was used as the Senate
Chambers by the Territory and then the State of Hawai‘i.
[Photographs:
Blue Room; State Dining Room]
Another
first floor room is the Throne Room, which contains numerous historic artifacts
such as the original thrones of King Kalākaua and Queen Lili‘uokalani.
Gold
and maroon colors decorate the Throne Room along with symbols of Hawaiian
royalty, such as kāhili (royal feather standards), and a pūlo‘ulo‘u, consisting of a gold sphere atop a
7-foot (2.1-m) spiral, ivory tusk from a narwhal whale (Monodon monoceros).
In ancient Hawai‘i, the ball
on top of a traditional pūlo‘ulo‘u was made of kapa (tapa) barkcloth,
and the pūlo‘ulo‘u was used to signal the presence of a chief.
[Photograph:
Throne Room]
The
Throne Room was used for formal receptions, and is also where King
Kalākaua [David La‘amea Kalākaua] and Queen Kapi‘olani threw elaborate
and grand balls. The king was also known
to dance the polka and Virginia reel, and sometimes waltzed through the
night.
On
a more somber note, the Throne Room is where Queen Lili‘uokalani was prosecuted by the Republic
of Hawai‘i after the 1895 rebellion led by her supporters who were attempting
to restore the deposed queen to power (see Chapter 11, Timeline: 1895, Jan.
6). The Throne Room was later used
by the House of Representatives of the new government.
The
Second Floor of ‘
A
grand koa wood staircase ascends to the second floor’s Upper Hall, which
was used for private dining and sometimes for displaying royal possessions,
such as kāhili (royal feather standards) and ahu‘ ula (royal feather capes and
cloaks).
Rooms
on the second floor include the King’s Suite (King Kalākaua’s bedroom), the
King’s Library, the Gold Room, and Queen Kapi‘olani’s Bedroom. Also on the second floor is Queen
Lili‘uokalani’s Prison Chamber, where she was imprisoned for eight months after
the overthrow of the monarchy.
The
King’s Library served as King Kalākaua’s office. On display are some of his original books
along with a large table and high-backed Elizabethan-style chairs. A telephone mounted on the wall was one of
the first in Honolulu.
[Photograph:
King’s Library]
After
the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893, the King’s Library as well King
Kalākaua’s bedroom was used by Sanford Ballard Dole, who was President of
Provisional Government (January 17, 1893—July 4, 1894); President of the Republic
of Hawai‘i (July 4, 1894—June 14, 1900); and first Governor of Territory of Hawai‘i
(June 14, 1900—November
23, 1903) (appointed by President McKinley; Dole’s term as governor ended on
November 23, 1903). Dole’s successors
also used the quarters.
The
Gold Room, also called the Music Room, was used for gatherings of the
royal family. After the overthrow of the
Hawaiian monarchy, the Minister of Foreign Affairs used the Gold Room.
Queen Kapi‘olani’s Bedroom, which is
on the Waikīkī side of the building, is decorated with red upholstery and
curtains, and mahogany furniture. After
the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, the Attorney General used the room.
On
January 16, 1895, when Queen Lili‘uokalani was imprisoned in ‘Iolani Palace,
she was confined to a sparsely furnished second floor room now referred to as Queen
Lili‘uokalani’s Prison Chamber.
The
deposed queen was allowed paper and pencils to write, but was not allowed to
read newspapers or books. Now on display
in the room (under glass) is the queen’s hand-stitched silk quilt. During her imprisonment, the queen stitched
into this quilt the Hawaiian flag as well as the names of people who remained
loyal to her during the political crisis.
After
Queen Lili‘uokalani was freed from her imprisonment in ‘Iolani Palace (her
former home), her room was used by the new government as the office for the Secretary
of the Territory. Later the room was
used as the office of the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Hawai‘i.
‘Iolani
Palace Grounds
The
medieval looking ‘Iolani Barracks building opened in 1871 (construction
began in 1866). Firing loops are built
into the walls of ‘Iolani Barracks and archery parapets are located atop the
building.
Designed
by Theodore Heuck, a German immigrant, the structure was used by the Kingdom’s
army, originally known as the Household Troops and comprised of about 60 soldiers. An inner courtyard area was used for roll
call. The army was later called the
Household Guard, or Royal Guard, and included the Royal Hawaiian Band.
‘Iolani
Barracks now houses The Palace Shop (selling books and gifts), and a small
theater where visitors are shown a short film about the history of ‘Iolani
Palace. ‘Iolani Barracks is also the
place to purchase ‘Iolani Palace tour tickets.
‘Iolani
Barracks was originally at an adjacent site, where the State Capitol now
stands. Stone by stone, ‘Iolani Barracks
was moved in 1965 to its present location, at 364 South King Street on the
‘Iolani Palace grounds, and completely restored. ‘Iolani Barracks was placed on the National
Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Another
structure on the grounds of ‘Iolani Palace is the Coronation Pavilion,
also known as Keli‘iponi Hale. The
Coronation Pavilion is an octagonal, copper-domed structure with eight tapered
columns. The Pavilion was built for the
coronation ceremony of King Kalākaua [David La‘amea Kalākaua] and
Queen Kapi‘olani, which took place on February 12, 1883.
The
coronation was a gallant ceremony during which King Kalākaua placed upon his
own head a jeweled crown, and then placed another slightly smaller crown on
Queen Kapi‘olani. These crowns are now
on display in the basement of ‘Iolani Palace.
Two
weeks of festivities included a grand lū‘au, parades, gun salutes, fireworks
and formal receptions. The ceremony also
included the unveiling of the statue of King Kamehameha I (see below)
in front of Ali‘iōlani Hale across the street from the ‘Iolani Palace. The Coronation Pavilion was also used for
King Kalākaua’s 50th birthday jubilee, which took place in November
of 1886.
[Photographs:
‘Iolani Barracks; Coronation Pavilion]
The
Coronation Pavilion is now used for inaugurations of Governors of the State of
Hawai‘i, as well as for concerts by the Royal Hawaiian Band. Originally the Coronation Pavilion was closer
to the Palace, near the steps on the King Street side and connected by a bridge
to the first floor veranda.
The
Pavilion was later moved to its current location a bit farther from ‘Iolani
Palace (near the King-Richards Street corner).
In the early 1900s a concrete basement was added, and concrete columns
and balustrades replaced what had been delicate woodwork. During World War II the Pavilion was used as
a bomb shelter.
On
the makai-Diamond Head side of ‘Iolani Palace grounds, a wrought iron fence
surrounds a grassy mound, which was once the Royal Tomb of King
Kamehameha II (Kalaninui ‘Iolani
Liholiho) and Queen Kamāmalu
[Kamāmalunuiomano], both of who died of measles in London, England in
1824. (See
Chapter 11, Timeline: 1824).
In
1865, with a solemn torchlight procession, their royal remains were moved to
Nu‘uanu Valley where the Royal Mausoleum at Mauna‘ala (“Fragrant mountain”[i])
had been completed (see Royal Mausoleum below). The bones of other Hawaiian royalty may still
be buried beneath the grassy mound on the Palace grounds.
Between ‘Iolani Barracks and
the Coronation Pavilion is a kukui tree (Aleurites moluccana, candlenut
tree) planted by Franklin Delano Roosevelt on July 26, 1934.
[Photographs:
‘Iolani Barracks; Coronation Pavilion]
An
8-foot (2.4-m) tall, coral block wall once surrounded the ‘Iolani Palace grounds,
with wooden gates allowing entry and exit. The Wilcox
Rebellion in 1889 (see Chapter 11, Timeline: 1889, July 30) resulted
in the lowering of the wall to 42 inches (107 cm), and then in 1891 an iron
fence was installed atop the wall.
The
four main Palace gates are designated for specific purposes: the Likelike
Gate was used by royalty; the Hakaleleponi Gate was used by
retainers; the Kīna‘u Gate was where tradesmen entered; and the Kauikeaouli
Gate was used for state ceremonies.
[Photograph:
‘Iolani Palace]
Ali‘iōlani
Hale
Location: 417 South King Street, Honolulu / Phone:
808-539-4999 / Website: Jhchawaii.org
Open free to general public for self-guided tours;
Mon.-Fri.,
[Photograph:
Ali‘iōlani Hale]
King
Kamehameha V (Lot Kapuāiwa Kamehameha) laid the cornerstone for Ali‘iōlani Hale
on February 19, 1872, and the building was completed in 1874. Ali‘iōlani Hale has housed Hawai‘i’s Supreme
Court since the days of the monarchy.
The building has also housed the Legislature.
Before
Ali‘iōlani Hale could be constructed, the O‘ahu Charity School had to be
removed from the site. The school had
been established in 1831 to provide education to children born to Hawaiian
mothers and foreign fathers. (See Chapter 11, Timeline: 1831.)
Hawai‘i’s
Supreme Court met in private houses in Honolulu until 1852, when the Honolulu
Courthouse was built (using coral blocks) on Queen Street near the old Honolulu
Fort.
A
year later a second story was added to the Honolulu Courthouse. At the time, the Honolulu Courthouse was one
of the largest buildings in Honolulu, and was also the site of many social
events including banquets, musical performances, church services and official
ceremonies. Hawai‘i’s Legislature also
met in the Honolulu Courthouse.
Following
the election of King Kalākaua [David La‘amea Kalākaua] in
1874 (see Chapter
11, Timeline: 1874, Feb. 12), the Honolulu Courthouse was
extensively damaged in a riot by supporters of Queen
Emma [Emma Na‘ea Rooke; Kalanikaumakeamano; Kaleleonālani], who had asserted a
claim to the throne but lost the election.
Ali‘iōlani
Hale became the new seat of the Hawaiian government, and the old Honolulu
Courthouse became the main office for Amfac (American Factors Ltd., a “Big Five” company). Though Ali‘iōlani Hale was never used as a
royal palace, that was the original purpose of the building.
Ali‘iōlani
was one of the names of King Kamehameha V (Lot Kapuāiwa Kamehameha), and is
thought to be a contraction of Ali‘i-iō-lani, which means “Chief unto heavens” referring to the heavenly nature of Hawaiian
royalty.
One
interpretation of the building name, Ali‘iōlani Hale, is “House of Heavenly Kings.”
King Kamehameha V planned and initiated the construction of the
building, which was designed by Australian architect Thomas Rowe and built with
concrete blocks. It was the first major
Western-style building constructed by the Hawaiian monarchy, and is notable for
its distinctive clock tower.
On July 30,
1889, Robert W. Wilcox (who was part Hawaiian) led about 150 armed insurgents
in a revolt against King Kalākaua. At 6
a.m. the men marched to Ali‘iōlani Hale and took over the building as well as
the grounds of ‘Iolani Palace.
The rebels
opposed reform measures instituted in 1887, and wanted the king to proclaim a
new constitution. King Kalākaua refused
and shots are exchanged between Wilcox’s men and government forces, who placed
sharpshooters in the tower of Kawaiaha‘o Church and surrounding buildings. Bombs made with dynamite were thrown into the
grounds of ‘Iolani Palace, scattering the rebels. Seven insurgents were killed and 12 more
wounded.
From 1874
until 1893, Ali‘iōlani Hale housed the Legislature of the Kingdom of
Hawai‘i. Sanford Ballard Dole stood on
the steps of Ali‘iōlani Hale in January of 1893 and announced that a
Provisional Government had been formed after the overthrow of the Hawaiian
monarchy (see Chapter
11, Timeline: 1893, Jan.).
The
Provisional Government renamed Ali‘iōlani Hale “The Court House.” The House
of Representatives and the House of Nobles met at Ali‘iōlani Hale until 1896,
when they moved to ‘Iolani Palace (renamed “The Executive Building”).
In 1911,
Ali‘iōlani Hale underwent reconstruction.
The building was in disrepair due to termite damage, and was set on fire
so only the exterior walls remained.
Architects Ripley and Reynolds designed the new floor plan, which still
exists today.
The new
design included a rotunda and double staircase, along with steel beams to
reinforce the structure. A new wing was
completed in 1944, and a second story was added to the new wing in 1949.
The
interior of the building was completely refurbished in 1965, and in 1972,
Ali‘iōlani Hale was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. A new series of renovations and restoration
began in 1978.
Today
Ali‘iōlani Hale includes the King Kamehameha V—Judiciary History Center of
Hawai‘i, founded in 1989. The
Judiciary History Center provides educational exhibits, and includes the
Center Theater, which presents two multi-media shows, Law of the Land,
and Kānāwai, that discuss how today’s law evolved in the Hawaiian
Islands.
The Monarchy
Courts Gallery provides information about Hawai‘i’s judicial processes in
the 19th century (and earlier), and the 1913 Court Room
displays a complete courtroom from that era.
The Temporary
Exhibit Room features educational exhibits such as Hawai‘i Under Martial
Law: 1941-1944, with artifacts and displays that give the visitor a unique
understanding of the topics. In front of
Ali‘iōlani Hale is a statue of King Kamehameha I (see below).
Statue of King Kamehameha I
Location: 417 South King Street—in front of Ali‘iōlani
Hale.
‘Oni kalalea ke ku a ka lā‘au loa.
A tall tree
stands above the others.
Said of a person of outstanding achievements.
(Pukui:
2520-275)
[Photograph: King Kamehameha I with Ali‘iōlani Hale in background]
Now an
O‘ahu landmark, the statue of King Kamehameha I was unveiled in 1883 in front
of Ali‘iōlani Hale, the judiciary building opposite ‘Iolani Palace. The King Kamehameha I statue was unveiled as
part of King Kalākaua’s coronation ceremony at ‘Iolani Palace.
The former
king, also known as Kamehameha the Great, remains the most renowned and revered
warrior and ruler of the Hawaiian Islands.
King Kamehameha was responsible for uniting the Hawaiian Islands under
one rule and establishing the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, which lasted until the
overthrow of the monarchy in 1893.
A royal
proclamation in 1872 began the recognition of what was then known as Commemoration
Day but is now known as King Kamehameha Day, which is celebrated every June
11. On this date the King Kamehameha I
statue is draped with many different types of lei, some more than 26 feet (8 m)
long.
The statue
of King Kamehameha I in front of Ali‘iōlani Hale is a replica of the original
9-ton (8-mton) statue cast by American sculptor Thomas Gould in Italy in 1883
(based on an early engraving). That
statue was lost in transport to the Hawaiian Islands, but later found in the
Falkland Islands soon after the duplicate statue arrived in Honolulu.
The
original statue is now on Hawai‘i Island where it stands in front of the North
Kohala Civic Center in Kapa‘au, near to where the future ruler of the Hawaiian
Kingdom was born. (See
Chapter 11, Timeline: 1753.)
The
King Kamehameha I statue is about 8½ feet (2.6 m) tall, showing the warrior
king holding an ihe (spear), and wearing a mahiole (feather-crested
helmet). He is also wearing an ‘ahu ‘ula
(royal feather cloak) a malo (loin cloth), and kāma‘a‘ie (braided
sandals). The statue is said to
represent King Kamehameha I at the age of about 45.
Washington
Place—The Governor’s Residence
Location: 20 South Beretania Street / Phone:
808-586-0157
Open to the public on special occasions / www.firstlady.state.hi.us/washingtonplace.htm.
[Photograph:
Washington Place]
Washington Place is a two-story home
built in the Colonial Greek Revival style by sea captain and merchant John
Dominis, the husband of Mary Dominis and the father-in-law of Queen Lili‘uokalani [Lydia Kamaka‘eha
Pākī-Dominis Lili‘uokalani]. The home
was completed in 1847 after five years of construction.
John Dominis was a wealthy
New England trader. In 1846, he sailed
for China where he intended to purchase elegant furnishing for Washington
Place. Unfortunately he never returned,
apparently lost at sea.
The residence was
named Washington Place by King Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli), who was impressed by the stories he had heard about
George Washington from the American ambassador to the Hawaiian Islands, who
rented a room in the home from Mrs. Dominis.
The widow Dominis was often seen gardening on the grounds.
The
son of Mr. and Mrs. Dominis, John Owen Dominis, married Princess Lili‘uokalani
in 1862, and they inherited Washington Place.
Queen Lili‘uokalani lived in Washington Place for 55 years, including
when she was heir to the throne, as well as after she was deposed.
Queen
Lili‘uokalani was confined to Washington Place after she was released from her
imprisonment in ‘Iolani Palace on September 6, 1895. She remained confined to Washington Place
until February 6, 1896, and was then island-restricted until October 6, 1896. (See Chapter 11,
Timeline: 1895, Jan. 6.)
The
queen lived at Washington Place until she died in the home’s downstairs bedroom
in 1917.
In
1921, due to the political efforts of Prince
Kūhiō [Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole Pi‘ikoi], the Territory of Hawai’i
purchased the stately Washington Place so it could be used as a governor’s
mansion. Twelve different governors of the
State of Hawai‘i, and their families, have lived in Washington Place since 1922
(the last was the Cayetano family).
Renovations
to Washington Place took place in 1922, 1929, and 1953, and in 1973 the
building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The historic home still contains many of
Queen Lili‘uokalani’s prized possessions, including fine furniture and Ni‘ihau
shell lei.
Also
on display are musical instruments belonging to the queen, including a grand
piano made of koa wood. The sidewalk to
the left of Washington Place displays a plaque with the words Aloha ‘Oe,
the name of a well-loved song written by Queen Lili‘uokalani.
Private
fundraising efforts led by the Washington Place Foundation raised more than $1 million to build a new
governor’s residence. The 5,000-square-foot (465-sq-m) structure was
built on an acre of land directly behind Washington Place, where the service
quarters were formerly located.
Washington
Place is now a Museum with historical exhibits primarily dedicated to telling
the story of Queen Lili‘uokalani. The
museum, known as a historic interpretive center, includes displays of the
Queen’s personal effects as well as important personal papers and historical
documents. Washington Place also
continues to be used as a public reception area.
Washington
Place was named a National Historic Landmark in 2007.
Bust of
Queen Emma
Location:
Adjacent to Washington Place, in front of St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls.
Queen Emma [Emma Na‘ea Rooke; Kalanikaumakeamano;
Kaleleonālani] (1836-1885) was the great-granddaughter of the brother of
King Kamehameha I and queen as wife of King Kamehameha IV (Alexander Liholiho ‘Iolani), who she married in 1856.
Also given
the name Kalanikaumakeamano, Emma Na‘ea Rooke was the daughter of Fanny Keku‘iapoiwa
Kekelaokalani Young and George Na‘ea.
She was adopted by her maternal aunt, Grace Kamaikui Young Rooke and
Grace’s husband, Dr. Thomas Charles Byde Rooke.
Queen Emma
and King Kamehameha IV gave birth to Prince
Albert [Albert Edward Kauikeaouli Leiopapa o Kamehameha] (1858—1862),
who died at age four.
(See Chapter 11, Timeline: 1836 for Biographical Sketch of
Queen Emma.)
Location: 415 South Beretania Street (at Richards
Street / Phone: 808-586-0178
Public tours by appointment. Open Mon.-Fri.,
7:45-4:30.
[Photograph:
State Capitol]
The
State Capitol is supported by tall columns and has an open central court area
and volcano-shaped Legislative chambers.
The whole complex is encircled by large reflecting pools that are
symbolic of the ocean surrounding the Hawaiian Islands. The sloped walls of the Legislative chambers
are symbolic of volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands.
A
major renovation of the State Capitol was completed in 1997. The public may walk through the open-air
rotunda area with a view into the Legislative chambers.
In
front of the State Capitol is a statue of Father Damien (see below), as well
as a replica of the Liberty Bell, which was presented to the Hawaiian
government by the United States Treasury Department on July 4, 1950. Just across the street is an eternal flame
that burns as part of a palm-lined Memorial to the men and women who served in
the United States Armed Forces.
Statue of
Queen Lili‘uokalani
Location: South Beretania Street side of the State
Capitol, facing Washington Place.
‘Onipa‘a.
Stand firm.
Motto of Lili‘uokalani.
(Pukui:
2521-275)
[Photograph:
Statue of Queen Lili‘uokalani]
Between ‘Iolani Palace and the State
Capitol is a bronze statue of Queen
Lili‘uokalani [Lydia Kamaka‘eha Pākī-Dominis Lili‘uokalani], the last
queen of the Hawaiian Islands.
Marianna Pineda sculpted the statue
in 1982. The statue faces Queen
Lili‘uokalani’s former home, Washington Place.
Queen Lili‘uokalani’s reign lasted
from January 29, 1891 to January 17, 1893, when the monarchy was
overthrown and a Provisional Government was declared (see Chapter 11, Timeline: 1893, Jan. 14).
Queen
Lili‘uokalani spent the rest of her life working toward the good of the
Hawaiian people. She made numerous trips to Washington D.C. to appeal for a
settlement of the disputed crown lands and fair treatment for “her people,” the
native Hawaiians.
The
statue of the queen, who was the last monarch of the Hawaiian Islands, shows
her holding the Kumulipo (Hawaiian creation chant) and Aloha ‘Oe, a
favorite song she wrote.
The
statue also holds the constitution that Queen Lili‘uokalani wrote in 1893,
which resulted in the events that led to the overthrow of the monarchy.
Statue of
Father Damien
Location: In front of the State Capitol Building,
facing Beretania Street.
[Photograph:
Statue of Father Damien]
Father
Damien is renowned for ministering to victims of Hansen’s Disease (leprosy) at
the Moloka‘i colony. Sculpted by Marisol
Escobar of Venezuela in 1969, the statue of Father Damien in front of the State
Capitol shows him as he appeared after being ravaged by the disease.
The
statue of Father Damien, known as the “Martyr
of Moloka‘i” stands as a reminder of selflessness and good will toward
others. A servant to those in need, Father Damien was beatified by Pope John Paul
II on June 4, 1995 in Brussels, Belgium.
(For more information about
Father Damien, see Damien Museum (below); Moloka‘i section; and Chapter
11, Chapter 11, Timeline: 1865; 1873; 1889; 1969; 1995.)
Bishop
Street is the hub of banking and other major businesses in the Hawaiian
Islands. This is particularly
significant given that Honolulu is also considered the financial center of the
Pacific.
Bishop
Street is named after Charles Reed Bishop (1822-1915), a prominent banker and public official, and the husband of Princess Pauahi [Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop] (1831—1884), a Hawaiian
princess and the granddaughter of King Kamehameha I.
In 1858,
Charles Reed Bishop founded the firm Aldrich & Bishop, later called Bank of
Bishop & Co. Ltd., and today known as the First Hawaiian Bank. He also founded the Bishop Museum in 1889 in
honor of his wife, Princess Pauahi, whose will endowed
Kamehameha Schools to educate children of Hawaiian blood. (See Chapter 11, Timeline: 1887; 1894.)
Today the
Bishop Estate, officially renamed Kamehameha Schools, continues to operate
Kamehameha Schools, including the 600-acre (243-ha) Kapālama Heights campus in
Honolulu as well as smaller campuses on Maui and Hawai‘i Island. The Estate has vast land holdings and
investments with an endowment worth an estimated $7.66 billion during the 2005—2006
fiscal year, with $897 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30,
2006.
In that
same fiscal year, $221 million was spent by the trust to educate children of
native Hawaiian ancestry, with a total of 6,715 students enrolled at its
various campuses including the Kapālama Heights campus, preschools, and schools
on the outer Islands.
The trust
also supports 14 charter schools as well as community outreach programs, and
these schools and programs serve another 22,000 children. (See Kamehameha Schools and Bishop Museum;
and The Bishop Estate Scandal, Chapter 12.)
Mission
Houses Museum—Nā Hale Hō‘ike‘ike O Nā Mikanele
Location: 553 S. King Street, Honolulu (across from
Kawaiaha‘o Church / Phone: 808-531-0481
Open 9 to 4, Tues.—Sat. / www.lava.net/ormhm/main.htm
[Photograph:
Mission Houses Museum]
Now
known as Nā Hale Hō‘ike‘ike O Nā Mikanele (“Exhibition House of the Missionaries”), the Mission Houses Museum
includes the home of the first missionaries as well as an early printing press
brought by the missionaries to help spread their Christian message in the Hawaiian
language.
The
Sandwich Islands Mission was established in 1820 by American Protestant
missionaries who arrived in the Hawaiian Islands aboard the brig Thaddeus
with the First Company of American missionaries (see Chapter 11, Timeline: 1820, Mar. 31). By the 1840s at least 17 mission
stations were found throughout the Hawaiian Islands.
The
original missionary buildings in Honolulu, known as Missionary Row, were built
for the missionaries by order of the King Kamehameha II (Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho).
The original Hale Pule (Christian Meeting House) was built in 1821 where
Kawaiaha‘o Church now sits, just across the street from the Mission Houses
Museum.
The Mission
Houses Museum is a Registered National Historic Landmark. The three buildings still standing from the
original Sandwich Islands Mission headquarters are: the Frame House (Hale
Lā‘au), the Chamberlain House (Hale Kamalani), and the Printing Office (Hale
Pa‘i). Across the street is a historic
adobe schoolhouse that is now a Hawaiian Immersion School.
Newer
buildings on the Mission Houses Museum site include the Museum Shop, which
offers books and crafts for sale, as well as the Tea Parlor. The Mission Houses Museum also sponsors
educational classes, workshops, and instruction in researching the materials of
the Hawaiian Historical Society and the Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society
Library.
The
Frame House—Hale Lā‘au
Also
known as Hale Lā‘au (Lā‘au means “Wood”),
the Frame House was built in 1821. The
two-story prefabricated structure was brought around Cape Horn by the
missionaries.
The
Frame House served as a residence for different missionary families, including Hiram Bingham (1789—1869), Gerrit Parmele Judd (1803—1873), and Elisha Loomis (1799—1836) (the printer), as well as boarders and visitors. In 1841 a coral block structure was added.
The
Frame House is the oldest wood frame house in the Hawaiian Islands, and is now
restored to reflect its original architecture and decor, including furnishings
representing its appearance more than 180 years ago.
Chamberlain
House—Hale Kamalani
Constructed
in 1831, the Chamberlain House is built of coral blocks and was the home of the
Mission’s business agent, Levi Chamberlain (1792-1849), who had arrived in the
Hawaiian Islands as a lay missionary in 1823.
The Chamberlain House was also was used to store the considerable amount
of supplies of the mission.
Levi
Chamberlain later helped to found O‘ahu’s Punahou School for missionary children and chiefs’ children,
which was established in 1841 by Hiram Bingham (1789—1869).
(See Chapter 11, Timeline: 1841.)
The school was originally
known as Ka-puna-hou (“The new spring”)
referring to an ancient legend. In 1843,
the school was designated Punahou School and Oahu [O‘ahu] College.
The
Printing Office—Hale Pa‘i
Also
known as Hale Pa‘i (Pa‘i means “To print”),
the Printing Office was the home of the Mission Press, and is also known as the
birthplace of the written Hawaiian language.
The missionary’s Ramage printing press was originally installed in the
nearby grass thatched Christian Meeting House (Hale Pule) until the coral stone
Printing Office (Hale Pa‘i) was built in 1823.
Utilizing
the lead-type press and native Hawaiian assistants (nā kānaka pa‘i) such as
John Papa ‘Ī‘ī as language teachers and translators, the Printing Office
produced many books, broadsides, hīmeni (hymns), newspapers, rules, primers, Bible
translations, and other items published in the Hawaiian language. The Press was the first to print the Bible
in the Hawaiian language.
The
most prominent of the early missionary printers included Elisha Loomis, Stephen
Shepard, Edmund Rogers, Lemuel Fuller, and Edwin Oscar Hall.
[Photograph:
Hale Pa‘i (The Printing Office)]
Kawaiaha‘o
Church
Location: Corner of South King and Punchbowl Streets /
Phone: 808-522-1333
[Photograph: Kawaiaha‘o
Church]
The historic and still functioning
Kawaiaha‘o Church is O‘ahu’s oldest church and largest church. The original church on the site was built in
1821. Known as the Christian Meeting
House, or Hale Pule, (pule means “church”).
The structure was framed and thatched
by Hawaiians, and then the missionaries installed imported windows, doors, a
pulpit, and a bell. The grass-thatched church
was built to hold 300 people, and was dedicated in 1821 (see Chapter 11,
Timeline: 1821, Sep. 15).
On January 7, 1822 the first printing
in the North Pacific region was done in this 54-foot (16-m) by 22-foot (6.7-m)
building. This was the beginning of the
Mission Press, which eventually printed millions of pages, many in the Hawaiian
language. (See Chapter 11, Timeline: 1822, Jan. 7.)
In 1837, construction began
on a large, new church, following plans drawn by missionary Reverend Hiram Bingham
(1789—1869). More than 1,000 people worked on the
construction of Kawaiaha‘o Church, using blunt axes to cut coral reef from
beneath 10 to 20 feet (3 to 6 m) of water.
Approximately 14,000 coral
blocks were cut from the reef for the church.
Many of the blocks weighed more than 1 ton (.8 mton). Logs for the church were brought from Ko‘olau
Loa in northern O‘ahu to Kāne‘ohe Bay by canoe, and then hauled over the
mountain.
Built in the New England style with
Gothic influences, the structure was originally known as Stone Church, and was
dedicated on July 21, 1842 (then named Kawaiaha‘o Church in 1862). The church’s clock tower was a gift of King
Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli). The clock
was built in Boston and continues to keep accurate time.
Kawaiaha‘o Church was later the site
of many important historic events, including an 1843 service for the
restoration of the monarchy. This took
place after King Kamehameha III had been forced into a formal “provisional
cession” of the Hawaiian Islands to Britain on February 10, 1843, by Lord
George Paulet of Britain, who had arrived on the frigate Carysfort and
demanded the cession under the threat of military force.
King Kamehameha III acquiesced and
the British flag was raised in Honolulu. (See Chapter 11, Timeline: 1843,
Feb. 10.)
On July 31, 1843, the provisional
cession of the Hawaiian Islands to Britain was rescinded by Admiral Richard
Thomas (1777-1851) of Britain, who had arrived in the Hawaiian Islands on July
26, 1843 on the H.M.S. flagship Dublin.
The Islands were restored to Hawaiians and King Kamehameha III, and the
British flag was lowered and the Hawaiian flag was raised.
Later that day, King Kamehameha III
gave a speech at a Kawaiaha‘o Church service, and is said to have spoken the
words which later became Hawai‘i’s official state motto: “Ua mau ke ea o ka
‘āina o ka pono” (“The life of the land is perpetuated [preserved] in
righteousness”). The date of July 31
was later proclaimed Restoration Day.
Kawaiaha‘o Church was also the site
of the 1854 coronation of King Kamehameha IV (Alexander
Liholiho ‘Iolani) as
well as his wedding to Emma in 1856. (See Chapter 11, Timeline: 1821,
Sep.15; 1843, July 31; 1872, June 11.)
In 1885 a bigger bell tower was installed at the church, and electricity
was installed in 1895. A complete
reconstruction of all but the coral took place in 1925 due to extreme termite
damage.
Today Kawaiaha‘o Church
still reserves pews for descendants of the Hawaiian royalty that once
worshipped there. These velvet-lined
pews at the rear of the church are marked with kāhili, the traditional feather
standards that are symbols of Hawaiian royalty.
Portraits of Hawaiian
royalty and important figures associated with the church line the walls along
the upper balconies of the church. The
rear upper balcony is dominated by the church’s spectacular pipe organ.
To the left of the front
door of the church, near the original cornerstone, is a centennial memorial
plaque honoring Reverend Hiram Bingham (1789—1869),
one of the founders and the architect of Kawaiaha‘o Church. Bingham preached his first sermon in the
Hawaiian Islands on April 25, 1820. The
cornerstone of the church was laid on June 8, 1839.
The 10:30 a.m. Sunday service at
Kawaiaha‘o Church is said in Hawaiian as well as English, and for a small
offering visitors are welcomed to a breakfast following the service. Across the
street from Kawaiaha‘o Church is the Mission Houses Museum (see above), home to the first
missionaries to come to the Hawaiian Islands.
Located just inside the main entrance
gate to Kawaiaha‘o Church is the Tomb of King Lunalilo (see below). (See Chapter 11, Timeline: 1821,
Sep. 15; 1837; 1843, July 31; 1872, June 11; and Mission Houses,
Chapter 12.)
Tomb of
King Lunalilo
Location: On the grounds of Kawaiaha‘o Church—South
King and Punchbowl Streets.
[Photograph:
Tomb of King Lunalilo]
The remains
of King Lunalilo (See Chapter
11, Timeline: 1835, Jan. 31)
are housed in a substantial memorial, known as the Tomb of King Lunalilo, which
is just inside the main entrance gate to Kawaiaha‘o Church.
Born in
1835, King Lunalilo succeeded King Kamehameha V (Lot Kapuāiwa Kamehameha) on
January 8, 1873, and then reigned until he died on February 3, 1874. Many of early missionaries in the Hawaiian
Islands are buried in a cemetery behind Kawaiaha‘o Church.
Honolulu
Hale—City Hall
Location:
South King and Punchbowl Streets.
[Photograph:
Honolulu Hale]
Construction
on Honolulu Hale began in 1927, and the building opened in 1929. Honolulu Hale is comprised of pillars and
arches, decorative balconies, ceiling frescoes, and a tiled roof.
The
building was modeled after Florence, Italy’s Bargello Palace, which was built
in the 13th century. Much of
the building’s Italianate work was created by Italian sculptor Mario Valdastri.
Honolulu
Hale was designed by architects Charles William Dickey (1871—1942), a famous architect of the time, along with Hart Wood
(1880—1957) and
others. Inside the front door is a bell
from the World War II ship U.S.S. Honolulu, with a commemorative plaque
that states, “Launched August 26,
1937. Commissioned June 15, 1938.”
The
spacious lobby of Honolulu Hale is also the site of art exhibits and other
events. The center of the building is an
open-air courtyard where musical performances and other events are held.
A grand
double stairway at the rear of the courtyard leads a wraparound mezzanine. The structure was placed on the National
Register of Historic Places in 1978.
In front of
Honolulu Hale is a small memorial burning an eternal flame in honor of the
victims of the attack on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on September
11, 2001. The plaque is inscribed with
the following words:
“Let this eternal flame unite our
country in memory of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and honor
the brave men and women who put themselves in Harm’s Way to save others. The love and spirit of our grateful nation
and the hearts and prayers of our people will always be with them. Dedicated on November 11, 2001 by the people
of the City and County of Honolulu.”
Hawai‘i
State Library
Location: 478 South King Street / Phone: 808-586-3500
/ Reference Services Phone: 586-3621; 1-800-390-3611.
[Photograph:
Hawai‘i State Library]
The central
branch of Hawai‘i’s statewide library system (just to the west of Honolulu
Hale) is housed in a restored historic building designed by architect Henry D.
Whitfield, brother-in-law of philanthropist and renowned American industrialist
Andrew Carnegie, whose bust greets visitors entering the library.
The
building’s style is Classical Revival.
The main building is four stories and rectangular in shape, with a
six-story tower at the rear.
The
original “Reading Room” opened in
1879, and only men were allowed to check out books from the original collection
of 5,000 volumes. This was sponsored by
the Hawai‘i Workingmen’s Library Association, who were trying to keep rowdy
seamen out of trouble.
After the Hawaiian Islands were
annexed to the United States, industrialist Andrew Carnegie donated $100,000
toward the construction of a library, which began in 1911 o the corner of King
and Punchbowl Streets on the former site of Pohukaina School, which was
relocated to Kaka‘ako.
Particularly notable is the library’s
entrance, consisting of 20-foot (20.1 m) high “Tuscan” columns atop a six-step riser, and 18-foot (5.5 m) arches.
Two wings were designed by Charles William Dickey (1871—1942) to expand the
library, and these additions were completed in 1930, creating the open-air
center courtyard.
Hawai‘i’s
State Library traces its roots back to the days of the monarchy, beginning with
the Honolulu Library and Reading Room Association, formed in 1879.
Initial
collections and financial contributions came from Princess Pauahi [Bernice
Pauahi Pākī Bishop], Queen Emma [Emma
Na‘ea Rooke; Kalanikaumakeamano;
Kaleleonālani], Queen Kapi‘olani, and King Kalākaua [David La‘amea
Kalākaua].
The
Association donated 20,000 books and other resources to form the Library of
Hawai‘i in 1909, which also benefited from grants provided by Hawai‘i’s
Legislature and from Andrew Carnegie (who donated $100,000).
Today the
Hawai‘i State Library is a wonderful resource for the community and
beyond. The first floor includes the
Young Adults Section, containing materials suitable for teenagers, and an
exemplary children’s section that fills two large rooms. It includes the Mural Room, which is
wonderfully decorated with Juliette May Fraser artwork depicting ancient
Hawaiian legends.
Also on the
first floor is the Information Desk, and the Hawai‘i & Pacific section,
with a wide variety of books about the Hawaiian Islands, Australia, New
Zealand, and the South Pacific. A lovely
palm-edged center courtyard with three large native fan palms (loulu) in the
middle provides a great place to relax and read a book.
The second
floor of the library is an official Federal Depository Library, containing
various federal documents. The second
floor also serves as the Hawaiian Islands’ only Patent and Trademark Depository
Library, with CD-ROMs that may be used to conduct patent and trademark
searches.
A Business,
Science, & Technology section is also found on the Library’s second floor,
along with the Social Science & Philosophy section, the Language, Literature
& History section, the Art, Music & Recreation section, and an
Audiovisual section.
The
basement of the Hawai‘i State Library houses a Serials section with many
different newspapers and magazines, as well as microfilm and computerized
materials (including indexes), and periodicals in European and Asian languages.
Hawai‘i
State Archives—
Location: ‘Iolani Palace Grounds, behind the
Territorial Archives Building (Old Archives Building—Kana‘ina Building) / Phone: 808-586-0329.
[Photograph:
Hawai‘i State Archives—Kekāuluohi Building]
Next door
to the Hawai‘i State Library, on the ‘Iolani Palace grounds, is the Hawai‘i
State Archives. The building preserves a
historic collection of vintage photos (some on display) along with a multitude
of government documents.
The new Hawai‘i State Archives was constructed in 1953 on the grounds of
‘Iolani Palace behind the Old Archives Building (Kana‘ina Building), which was
built in 1906 (See Chapter
11, Timeline: 1906, Aug. 23.)
The Hawai‘i
State Archives allows public access to important historical documents of
Hawai‘i’s past, including historical photographs and documents, private papers,
records, manuscripts, maps, books, and items from various collections,
including the Captain Cook Memorial Collection.
The
Archives also contains approximately 100,000 photographs, 1,800 maps, and 9,000
books, many of which contain past government publications. Many papers associated with the Hawaiian
Kingdom (before 1893), the Republic of Hawai‘i (1893-1900), the Territorial
Government (1900-1959), and the government of the State of Hawai‘i
(1959-present) are found in the Archives.
The records
span all aspects of the government, including the Executive Branch,
Legislature, and Judiciary. The
Governors’ Records span from 1900 to the present and include press releases,
speeches, and personal papers.
Catalogs
and indexes in the Reference Room include the Computerized Library Catalog,
which makes it easy to locate information and photos.
In 1959, when officials decide
that State of Hawai‘i buildings should have Hawaiian names, the new Hawai‘i
State Archives building was renamed Kekāuluohi
Building after King Lunalilo’s mother, Kekāuluohi (Miriam ‘Auhea,
1794-1845), who was the mother of King Lunalilo and also Kuhina Nui (Premier)
of the Hawaiian Kingdom from 1839 to 1845 during the reign of King Kamehameha
III (Kauikeaouli). (See Hawai‘i State Archives—Kekāuluohi Building in O‘ahu
section, Chapter 2.)
Location: ‘
[Photograph:
The
The building was designed by architect
Oliver Green Traphagen in the Renaissance Revival style and constructed at
The
Archives contents (now in the newer Hawai‘i State Archives) includes historical
photographs and documents, private papers, records, manuscripts, photographs,
maps, books, and items from various collections, including the Captain Cook
Memorial Collection, papers associated with the Hawaiian Kingdom (before 1893),
the Republic of Hawai‘i (1893-1900), the Territorial Government (1900-1959),
and the government of the State of Hawai‘i (1959-present).
Virtually fireproof, the
Additions to the building
were constructed in 1929, including another vault area, a basement in the back,
and a bay added to the front left side of the building. In 1949, a small addition was made to the
rear of the right side wing of the building.
In 1959, when officials decide that State of
The
In 1953, the new Hawai‘i
State Archives Building (see 1953)
was completed, and the old Archives Building housed the State Attorney
General’s office, and then later served other functions including housing the
State of Hawai‘i Identification Office and the Office of Children and
Youth.
In 1987, the Friends
of ‘Iolani Palace restored the original interior colors and design of the
Old Archives Building, which still retains its domed, stained-glass skylight in
the foyer as well as the original terrazzo floor.
Friends of ‘
The State Museum of Natural & Cultural History
Location:
1525 Bernice Street, Honolulu.
Phone—Visitor
Services: 808-848-4160, 847-3511.
Website: www.bishop.hawaii.org;
bishopmuseum.org
Open Daily,
9 a.m.—
[Photograph: Bishop Museum]
History and Purpose
Charles Reed Bishop founded the
Princess Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop, known as Princess Pauahi, died in 1884,
leaving an extensive collection of royal family heirlooms and historic
artifacts of the Kamehameha era.
An
expressed goal of Charles Reed Bishop in founding the Bernice Pauahi Bishop
Museum was to provide enjoyment and education for the Hawaiian people. The Hawaiian name of Bishop Museum,
Hale-hō‘ike‘ike-o-Kamehameha, means “Exhibition
house of Kamehameha.”
The
artifacts and other items that make up the substantial collection of
The
Hawaiian National Museum had its beginning in 1854 when Hawai‘i’s Legislature
appropriated $1000 to procure Hawaiian artifacts. The growth of a museum collection was further
encouraged by the desire of King Kamehameha V (Lot Kapuāiwa Kamehameha) that
the Hawaiian Islands should participate in the 1867 Exposition Universalle in
Paris, France.
King
Kamehameha V had been impressed by collections he had seen in
In
1872, the Legislature authorized the Board of Education and its Chairman of the
Board, Charles Reed Bishop, to establish the “National Museum of Archaeology,
Literature, Botany, Geology and Natural History of the
The
Hawaiian National Museum was established in Ali‘iōlani Hale on September 9,
1874, and opened on November 8, 1875.
The Museum’s collection included the items mentioned above as well as
many artifacts donated by Hawaiian royalty.
Other
artifacts were purchased from the estate of Kana‘ina (the father of King
Lunalilo), and from the collection of Samuel and Mercy Whitney. The Whitneys were missionaries that had
acquired many items during their 50 years in the
In 1890,
the
In 1893,
however, the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown, and when the
Bishop Museum was built on the site of the
Kamehameha School for Boys, which was established in 1887 under the terms of
Princess Pauahi’s will to provide educational resources for children in the
Hawaiian Islands. The first buildings of
Bishop Museum were Polynesian Hall and Hawaiian Hall.
The cut and dressed volcanic stones used for
the construction were quarried from the site, and the first
The
Lawe i ka ma‘alea a kū‘ono‘ono.
Take wisdom and make it
deep.
(Pukui:
1957-211)
Bishop Museum Today—An Overview
Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum is now the
world’s most prominent museum of Polynesian culture and anthropology. As a non-profit organization, the Bishop
Museum is associated with a whole array of scientific and cultural endeavors
that share the common goal of investigating, preserving and sharing the rich
historical legacy and cultural heritage of Hawaiians and other Pacific
cultures.
Research and education efforts sponsored by
Bishop Museum’s Hawaiian and Pacific Studies Department researches and preserves historical materials and information about the
Hawaiian Islands and other Pacific cultures, while the Pacific Biological Survey studies the species of the Pacific
Basin.
The Pacific Center for Molecular Biodiversity uses DNA analysis techniques to investigate plant origins, speciation,
and dating of cultural artifacts, and also conducts scientific research
relating to modern agricultural issues.
Other
Pacific region initiatives developed at the
The Museum
Library and Archives contains an extensive collection of historical
materials (more than one million
items), while the Bishop Museum Press
continues to produce quality publications relating to the
Other
facilities sponsored by Bishop Museum include the Hawai‘i Maritime Center in Honolulu; the Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden on the island of Hawai‘i;
and the Bishop Museum at Kālia,
located in Waikīkī’s Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel, with exhibits of
ancient artifacts and interactive educational programs (see below).
Overall,
the sheer quantity of objects possessed by
Visiting
the
The main
buildings of the Bishop Museum are Hawaiian Hall and Polynesian Hall, which are
both entered through the Vestibule Gallery.
Straight ahead from the entrance are stairs leading to the upper floors
of Polynesian Hall, where a plaque above the door states, “To the Memory of
Bernice Pauahi Bishop, Founder of Kamehameha Schools. A bright light among her people, her
usefulness survives her earthly life.”
Vestibule Gallery
Upon
entering the Vestibule Gallery, directly to the left is the Kāhili Room (see below). Directly to the right is the Royal Racing
Canoe of Prince Kūhiō [Jonah Kūhiō
Kalaniana‘ole Pi‘ikoi], beyond which is the entrance to Hawaiian
Hall.
Prince Kūhiō
commissioned Henry Weeks Jr., a Kona cabinetmaker, to build the 42-foot
(12.8-m) racing canoe in 1902. Known as
the ‘Ā, the six-man racing canoe was praised for its design as well as the
crews that placed it first in many competitions from 1906 to 1910.
The
Prince’s widow, Princess Elizabeth Kalaniana‘ole, donated the canoe to the
Bishop Museum in 1923. Fully restored in
1952, the canoe was instrumental in the founding of O‘ahu’s Lanikai Canoe Club.
Kāhili Room
The Kāhili
Room contains a rich display of royal standards, or kāhili, consisting of
feather clusters attached to long poles.
In ancient Hawai‘i, kāhili were symbols of chiefly rank, and continued
to be used throughout the period of the Hawaiian monarchy.
Lele kāhili, holo ka uha‘i, uhi kapa.
Kāhili sway, the
door covering is closed, the tapa is drawn up.
The chief sleeps.
(Pukui: 1977-213)
Bishop
Museum has the world’s largest collection of kāhili, including at least 75
kāhili kū (tall kāhili) as well as 175 kāhili pa‘alima (hand-held, or waving
kāhili).
Many of
these historic artifacts are on display in the Kāhili Room. Also on display in the Kāhili Room are
numerous portraits of Hawaiian monarchs.
Hawaiian
Hall
[Photograph:
Interior of Hawaiian Hall]
Hawaiian Hall is a large rectangular room with an interior space that is
open to the three stories high, with many exhibits on display on the first
floor as well as on the second and third story balconies on all four sides of
the room.
The first
floor of Hawaiian Hall contains a full-size hale pili, which is a
traditional Hawaiian house thatched with pili grass (Heteropogon contortus,
twisted beardgrass). There is also a model of a heiau
(traditional Hawaiian sacred place of worship).
A stage in the center of the room is where educational Hawaiian shows
are performed.
Various
exhibits around the perimeter of the first floor include Hawaiian featherwork,
calabashes, ancient weapons and an exhibit on traditional hygiene (including a
kilo pōhaku, or stone mirror) among other displays.
The second
floor of Hawaiian Hall contain exhibits of kapa (tapa) barkcloth, displays
on adze production, and numerous items of Hawaiian featherwork, including
mahiole (feather crested helmets), ‘ahu ‘ula (feather capes and cloaks),
feather lei, and other adornments. Also
on display are quilts from the post-contact period.
An exhibit
on whaling includes many historic maritime items as well as lei niho palaoa,
the prized necklaces made from the teeth of the palaoa (Physeter
macrocephalus, sperm whale). Also on the
second floor is a portrait of Sanford B. Dole with the caption, “The Grand Old Man of Hawai‘i.”
Recognizable
by his bushy gray beard, Sanford B. Dole was the first President of the
Provisional Government after the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, then
President of the Republic of Hawai‘i from 1895 to 1898, and then the first
governor of the Territory of Hawai‘i from 1898 to 1903.
The third
floor of Hawaiian Hall presents traditional Hawaiian musical instruments as
well as historic artifacts relating to the mixed Hawaiian heritage of
immigrants from China, Okinawa, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Puerto Rico,
Portugal, Spain, and Germany.
Also found
on the third floor is information about the skeleton of the sperm whale that
hangs from the ceiling of Hawaiian Hall.
This sperm whale skeleton measures 55 feet, 7 inches long (17 m), and
weighs more than 4,300 pounds (1,950 kg).
When it was alive, the whale weighed an estimated 50 tons (45
mtons).
The sperm
whale skeleton exhibit, when it was completed in 1902, may have been the
world’s first full-size whale exhibit.
The enormous skeleton of the whale is fully visible from one side, while
the other side shows the full body of the whale that has been recreated using
papier mâché.
[Note:
Hawaiian Hall is currently undergoing renovations, and when these changes are
completed they will be reflected in an update of this information, along with
other recent changes to the Museum.]
Polynesian
Hall
[Photograph:
Polynesian Hall]
The second
and third floors of Polynesian Hall are dedicated to “Peoples of the Pacific,”
with exhibits, artifacts, and information about the many different cultures of
Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia.
Photographs,
masks, clothing items, and hundreds of other ancient artifacts provide a
glimpse into the rich history and culture of such regions as
Hall of
Hawaiian Natural History
[Photograph:
Hall of Hawaiian Natural History]
On
the second floor between Polynesian Hall and Hawaiian Hall is the Hall of
Hawaiian Natural History, with exhibits explaining the volcanic origins of the
There
are also exhibits and information about the insects, birds, and plants, as well
as the evolutionary processes that created the diverse flora and fauna found
throughout the
E kuhikuhi pono i na au iki a me na au nui o ka ‘ike.
Instruct well in the little
and the large currents of knowledge.
In teaching, do it well; the small details are as important
as the large ones.
(Pukui:
325-40)
Other Museum Areas
The Bishop Museum Planetarium features multi-media shows exploring topics related to astronomy,
celestial navigation, and the telescopes atop
The Hall
of Discovery provides hands-on learning opportunities for children as well
as Hawaiian quilting displays and lessons.
The Cooke
Rotunda-Explorers Center holds items relating to the ocean voyages of the
Polynesians who discovered the
Atherton
Hālau and Canoe Hale was built to provide an area for the construction of
the Hawai‘iloa, a traditional
Polynesian Voyaging Canoe that is now moored in
Castle Hall opened in
1984, and displays special exhibits, often on topics not related to the
Hawaiian Islands and Polynesia. Past
exhibits have included; animated robots; a 45-foot (13.7-m) long, life-sized
cast of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossil ever discovered;
science exhibits developed in partnership with the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA); and a genetics and DNA exhibit sponsored by the
Pacific Science Center (Oct. 2002—Jan. 2003).
From
February to April in 2004, an exhibit about the Titanic disaster will be
featured. Developed by the
Hawaiian
Courtyard
Located
between Hawaiian Hall and Pākī Hall is the Hawaiian Courtyard. Developed in 1954, the Courtyard includes
many well-labeled native and Polynesian-introduced plants intermingled with
historic stone artifacts, such as a shaped image of a shark god that was
originally in front of Mo‘okini Heiau at ‘Umiwai on the island of Hawai‘i.
Another
hidden treasure in the Hawaiian Courtyard is a large papa kōnane, a stone with
indentations in it that were used to play the checker-like, traditional
Hawaiian game called kōnane.
Sports Hall
of Fame
Duke
Kahanamoku was known as Hawai‘i’s “Ambassador of Aloha.” (See Duke
Kahanamoku, Chapter 3.) Another famous surfer in the
Sports Hall of Fame is Rell Kapoiloka‘ehukai Sunn (1950-1998), an outstanding
waterwoman, pioneer woman surfer, hula dancer, canoe racer, and mentor for many
others. (See Chapter 11, Timeline: 1998.)
Rell
Kapoiloka‘ehukai Sunn was the first female lifeguard in the Hawaiian Islands,
and like Duke Kahanamoku, she was also a community leader, and a well-respected
and loved Hawaiian “ambassador of aloha.”
The Sports
Hall of Fame also displays many photographs, medals, and memorabilia of other
sports heroes of Hawai‘i’s past, including football players, boxers, golfers
and other star athletes. Famous
broadcasters and sports promoters of Hawai‘i’s past are also featured.
Bishop
Museum Library and Archives
Location:
Pākī Hall, directly behind Hawaiian Hall.
Phone:
Library: 808-848-4148 / Archives: 808-848-4182
The
Bishop Museum Library and Archives contain more than 115,000 historical
documents and publications along with an extensive collection of manuscripts
(personal papers and other unpublished materials), audio recordings (including
oral histories), photographs, artistic works, films, movie images, maps, and
other important historical items relating to the Hawaiian Islands and the
Pacific. In all, the collection totals
more than one million items.
Ka waihona o ka na‘auao.
The repository of learning.
Said in admiration of a learned person.
(Pukui:
1650-178)
The
Museum Library and Archives maintains various indexes available for online
public access. These include the Mele
(Chant & Song) Index and the Genealogy Collection.
The
extensive photograph collection of
Hale Kā‘eo
&
[Photograph:
Hale Kā‘eo &
Native
and Polynesian-introduced plants that had traditional and medicinal uses in
ancient Hawai‘i are cultivated in the
Plants
growing in the
A
stand of pili grass (Heteropogon contortus, twisted beardgrass) allows the visitor to see the grass
that was traditionally used to thatch houses in ancient Hawai‘i. The indigenous ‘uhaloa (Waltheria
indica) is the
same species that was used to strain many medicinal preparations in ancient
Hawai‘i.
Also growing in the Science
Garden is makaloa (Cyperus laevigatus), which Hawaiians used to
make the finest sleeping mats in all of ancient Polynesia. A small, irrigated lo‘i kalo (taro patch)
provides a close-up look at the heart-shaped leaves of the
Polynesian-introduced kalo (Colocasia esculenta, taro). The underground tubers of taro are used to
make poi, a staple food of ancient Hawai‘i.
Various
other native and Polynesian-introduced plants are found in the Hale Kā‘eo &
Science Garden, including ma‘o (Gossypium sandvicense, Hawaiian cotton);
the indigenous fern kupukupu (Nephrolepis cordifolia); and the
endemic kulu‘ī (Nototrichium sandwicense).
Bishop
Museum staff provide educational talks about the traditional Hawaiian uses of
the plants. (See Native and Polynesian-Introduced Plants sections, Chapters
8 and 9, for more information about the plants mentioned above.)
Bishop
Museum Press
The
Bishop Museum Press was founded in 1892, and today maintains its uninterrupted
record of producing quality publications.
Known as Hawai‘i’s oldest continuous publisher, Bishop Museum Press
prints a wide array of books relating
to the cultural and natural history of the Hawaiian Islands and other Pacific
cultures.
Scholars
associated with the Bishop Museum include prominent geologists, biologists,
anthropologists and others who have published hundreds of academic studies
relating to the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific region.
Other
Bishop Museum Sites
Also
affiliated with Bishop Museum is the Hawai‘i Maritime Center in
Honolulu, and docked there, the ship Falls of Clyde as well as
the Hawai‘iloa and Hōkūle‘a Voyaging Canoes (when they are not
away on voyages or undergoing repairs).
Other
Bishop Museum sites include the Bishop Museum at Kālia in Waikīkī’s
Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel and the Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical
Garden on the island of Hawai‘i.
These locations are described below.
Hawai‘i Maritime Center
Location: Pier 7, Honolulu Harbor / Phone:
808-535-6373 / Open 8:30-8 daily
The Hawai‘i Maritime Center is located at
Pier 7 in Honolulu Harbor in the King
Kalākaua Boathouse Museum. The Hawai‘i Maritime Center contains a wealth
of information and exhibits on everything from canoe racing and surfing to the
whaling era, including a complete skeleton of a koholā (Megaptera novaeangliae, humpback whale). Information is presented on many significant
events associated with the maritime history of the Hawaiian Islands.
Docked next to the Boathouse is the 266-foot
(81-m) Falls of Clyde, as well as the Hōkūle‘a Voyaging Canoe and Hawai‘iloa Voyaging Canoe, when the sailing vessels are not away on
journeys.
Educational talks include information about
the voyaging canoes and the renaissance of Hawaiian long-distance ocean
voyaging (see below).
King Kalākaua Boathouse Museum
[Photograph:
Hawai‘i Maritime Center (King Kalākaua Boathouse Museum) also showing Falls
of Clyde and voyaging canoe(s).]
The King
Kalākaua Boathouse Museum is named after the old Kalākaua Boathouse, which
stood about two blocks away from the present site one century ago.
The first
floor of the Museum has exhibits on surfing, windsurfing, and Hawaiian voyaging
canoes. Also on display are ancient
Hawaiian artifacts, the Makahū‘ena Point Light from Kaua‘i, and an exhibit
entitled “Na La‘au Lapa‘au O Ke Kai—Medicines From the Sea.” Books for sale include many titles related to
the maritime history of the Hawaiian Islands.
Second floor
exhibits include a display on seaplanes, the Transpacific Yacht Race, undersea
communication, disasters at sea, Pearl Harbor, Matson Liners, the Whaling era,
the old Honolulu Fort, early Hawaiian naval history, Captain Cook, and Honolulu
Harbor.
There is
also an exhibit of scrimshawed panbone, the jawbone of the palaoa (Physeter
macrocephalus, sperm whale),
and an informational display about the humpback whale skeleton that is
suspended from the atrium of the Boathouse.
The
skeleton comes from a humpback whale that was discovered
dead in a cave in 1986, on Kaho‘olawe’s northwest shore. The whale was subsequently recovered by
volunteers, and the whale’s skeleton was reassembled in 1991.
A contest
among schoolchildren resulted in the name “Leiiwi” (lei of cherished bones)
being chosen for the whale. The whale
skeleton measures about 38 feet (11.6 m) with a skull that measures nearly 12
feet (3.7 m).
The Falls of Clyde is the world’s last
remaining full-rigged, four-masted ship.
Constructed in 1878 by Russell & Company of Port Glasgow, Scotland,
the wrought iron Falls of Clyde has a length of 266 feet (81 m) on its
deck, and a breadth of 40 feet (12 m).
The ship also has a mast height of 138 feet
(42 m), and a net tonnage of 1,740 tons (1,579 mtons). Named after the waterfalls on the river
Clyde, the Falls of Clyde was the first of nine vessels of the Falls
Line built by Russell & Company.
Matson Navigation purchased the Falls of
Clyde for $25,000 in 1899 after the ship had already completed 20 years of
service in ports around the world. A
deck house, chart house, and after quarters for paying customers were added to
the ship, and then from 1899 to 1907 the Falls of Clyde was used to
transport sugar and people between the ports of San Francisco and Hilo on
Hawai‘i Island, a trip that took about 17 days.
The Falls of Clyde was the first four-masted ship to fly the
Hawaiian flag.
In 1907 the Falls of Clyde was sold to
the Associated Oil Company, and used to carry petroleum from Gaviota,
California to Honolulu. On the return
trip the ship carried loads of molasses, a sugarcane derivative, which was used
for cattle feed.
The Falls of Clyde is the world’s only
extant sail-driven oil tanker. Ten tanks
built into the ship’s hull carried three quarters of a million gallons.
In 1922 the ship’s masts were removed and she
was stripped down and used as a barge.
Towed to Ketchikan, Alaska, the ship was ingloriously used by the
General Petroleum Company as a fuel depot to supply the local fishing
fleet. More than thirty years later the Falls
of Clyde was purchased by a private owner and towed to Seattle, Washington.
In 1963, just days away from being sunk to
provide a breakwater for a British Columbia logging operation, the Falls of
Clyde was rescued with funds raised by a Hawaiian group seeking to save the
ship from a watery grave.
The Bishop Museum then assisted in returning
the ship to the Hawaiian Islands and restoring it. Registered as a National Historic Landmark in
1973, the Falls of Clyde was the largest ship ever employed by the
Hawaiian Islands’ burgeoning sugar industry.
Hōkūle‘a
and Hawai‘iloa Voyaging Canoes
[Photographs:
Hōkūle‘a and Hawai‘iloa Voyaging Canoes]
Docked
next to the Hawai‘i Maritime Museum at various times (when not away on voyages
or being repaired) are the Hōkūle‘a and Hawai‘iloa Voyaging Canoes. Staff at the Museum provide educational talks
about the voyaging canoes, sometimes allowing the public onboard the vessels. Some museum staff members were also actual
members of the crews that completed open ocean voyages on the sailing vessels.
The
Hōkūle‘a Voyaging Canoe has two 62-foot (18.9-meter) long hulls (kuamo‘o), and
was built in the 1970s to demonstrate that migrating Polynesians were able to
sail east against the prevailing winds to reach the Hawaiian Islands. The Hōkūle‘a was launched on March 8, 1975,
and completed its first voyage, to Tahiti, in 1976.
When Nainoa
Thompson led the crew that sailed the Hōkūle‘a to Tahiti and back in 1980, he
became the first Hawaiian to navigate a voyaging canoe in more than 600 years. Many more Hōkūle‘a voyages have now been
completed, totaling well over 100,000 miles (161,000 km).
The Hōkūle‘a recently underwent a complete
restoration, which finished in January of 2003 after nearly a year of
work. The restoration included replacing
the approximately 5 miles (8 km) of ropes and cordage holding the canoe
together.
The
Hawai‘iloa voyaging canoe is 57 feet (17.4 m) long, and is the first of the
voyaging canoes to be built almost entirely out of traditional materials,
unlike the Hōkūle‘a voyaging canoe, which was built to be as performance
accurate as ancient Hawaiian voyaging canoes, but was built with modern
materials.
The
Hawai‘iloa voyaging canoe was launched in 1993, then modified and launched
again in 1994, making its first voyage in 1995.
With no navigational instruments, the crew sailed the boat more than
6,000 miles (9,660 km), from the Hawaiian Islands to Tahiti and the Marquesas,
and then back to the Hawaiian Islands.
The crews
of the Hōkūle‘a and Hawai‘iloa recovered the art of non-instrument wayfinding
and celestial navigation that was used by ancient Polynesian voyagers. The voyagers used many natural clues as aids
to navigation, including the positions and movements of the sun, moon, stars
and constellations, as well as prevailing winds and seas.
Hōkūle‘a,
the star that Westerners call Arcturus, was important to ancient navigators
sailing to the Hawaiian Islands from the Marquesas or Tahiti because it helped
them determine how far north to sail.
They knew
that at the latitude of the
Many other navigational clues were
used by the ancient Polynesian voyagers, and by the crews that have now sailed
the Hōkūle‘a and Hawai‘iloa Voyaging Canoes on many long journeys. (See First Polynesians—First Hawaiians,
Chapter 3; and Rediscovering the Past: The Revival of
Polynesian Voyaging Traditions, Chapter 3.)
Bishop Museum at Kālia (in Waikīkī)
Location: Kālia Tower—Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel.
This 8,560-square-foot (795-sq.m) facility
contains hundreds of artifacts from the
Gardens surrounding the
The Kālia area was the childhood home famous
Hawaiian waterman and Olympic gold medallist Duke Kahanamoku. An exhibit at the Museum provides information
about the famous swimmer, and one of Duke’s surfboards is on display.
The Bishop
Museum at Kālia also includes a wonderful display of traditional native
Hawaiian musical instruments including a nī‘au kani (mouth harp), hōkiokio
(gourd whistle), kūpe‘e niho ‘īlio (dog-tooth anklets), ‘ulī‘ūlī (gourd rattle
with seeds), ‘ohe hano ihu (bamboo nose flute), pū‘ili (bamboo rattles), lā‘au
ho‘okani pahu (drumming sticks), pū‘ili (bamboo rattle), and other instruments.
The
[Bishop Museum at Kālia, 808—949-4321. open 9-9 daily,
Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden
(Hawai‘i
Location:
Phone:
808-323-3318, www.bishopmuseum.org/greenwell, open M-F, 8:30-5.
[Photograph: Amy B. H. Greenwell
Ethnobotanical Garden]
This
15-acre (6-ha) ethnobotanical garden on the
The Garden’s collection of about 250
different native and Polynesian-introduced plants includes many food and fiber crops
such as kalo (Colocasia esculenta, taro), mai‘a (Musa
species, banana), ‘ulu (Artocarpus
altilis, breadfruit), ‘uala (Ipomoea batatas, sweet potatoes), uhi (Dioscorea alata, yam), kō (Saccharum
officinarum, sugarcane),
‘awa (Piper methysticum, kava), ‘ōhi‘a ‘ai (Eugenia
malaccense, mountain apple)
and wauke (Broussonetia papyrifera,
paper mulberry).
(See Native
and Polynesian-Introduced Plants sections, Chapters 8 and 9,
for more information about the plants mentioned above.)
Bernice Pauahi
Pākī Bishop—Princess Pauahi (1831-1884)
[Photograph: Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop]
Princess
Pauahi [Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop] was born in
Bernice
Pauahi Pākī Bishop’s namesake
was Kalani Pauahi, a
granddaughter of King Kamehameha I. Kalani
Pauahi was a daughter of Pauli
Ka‘oleiokū (Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop’s grandfather) and Keōuawahine.
With Mataio Kekūanaō‘a, Kalani Pauahi was also
the mother of Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani, and the grandmother of William Pitt
Kīna‘u (son of William Pitt Leleiōhoku (I) and Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani).
When Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani died in 1883,
her will bequeathed to Princess Pauahi her elaborate mansion, Keōua Hale (on
Princess
Pauahi also inherited the house known as Haleakalā (near King and Bishop
Streets), which was the home of her parents, Abner Pākī and
[Photographs:
Pākī,
Princess Pauahi was said to have once
been engaged to the young Lot Kapuāiwa Kamehameha (who became King Kamehameha
V), but instead she chose to marry Charles Reed Bishop. They wed on
Just an
hour before King Kamehameha V passed away on
Bernice
Pauahi Pākī Bishop and Charles Reed Bishop lived in their
In 1875, King
Kalākaua [David La‘amea Kalākaua] gave Princess Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop
the Grand Cross of the Order of Kamehameha.
When Princess Pauahi died in 1884, her will left 434,000 acres (175,634
ha) of land in perpetual trust to assist in the establishment of two schools in
the Kamehameha name, and thus the Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate was
founded.
Ka wahine hele lā o Kaiona, alualu wai li‘ulā o ke kaha pua
‘ōhai.
The woman, Kaiona, who
travels in the sunshine pursuing the mirage
of the place where the ‘ōhai
blossoms grow.
Kaiona was a goddess of Ka‘ala and the Wai‘
compared to Kaiona in songs.
(Pukui:
1643-177)
Under the
terms of the endowment of benefactor, Princess Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop,
Kamehameha School for Boys opened in Honolulu on October 4, 1887, and
then Kamehameha School for Girls opened on December 19, 1894.
Today
Kamehameha Schools include the 600-acre (243-ha)
In that
same fiscal year, $221 million was spent by the trust to educate children of
native Hawaiian ancestry, with a total of 6,715 students enrolled at its
various campuses including the
The trust
also supports 14 charter schools as well as community outreach programs, and
these schools and programs serve another 22,000 children. (See Chapter 11,
Timeline: 1831, Dec. 19 for a Biographical Sketch of Princess Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop; also see
Kamehameha Schools and Bishop Museum;
and The Bishop Estate Scandal, Chapter 12.)
Charles
Reed Bishop (1822-1915)
[Photograph:
Charles Reed Bishop]
Born in
At age 24,
Bishop sailed around
Bishop
later opened a mercantile business with A. W. Aldrich. In 1858, out of an office near
Much of the bank’s initial business involved
loans to companies involved in the whaling and sugar industries, and later
significant business with “Big Five”
companies: Alexander & Baldwin, Castle & Cooke, Amfac, Theo H. Davies,
and C. Brewer. In 1969, the Bank
of Bishop & Co. Ltd. was renamed First Hawaiian Bank, and remains today as
the State of
Charles
Reed Bishop served on the Board of Education under King Kamehameha V (Lot
Kapuāiwa Kamehameha), King Lunalilo, and King Kalākaua [David La‘amea Kalākaua],
and then belonged to the Privy Council of Queen Lili‘uokalani [Lydia Kamaka‘eha
Pākī-Dominis Lili‘uokalani].
With
his wife, Princess Pauahi [Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop] (1831—1884), Charles Reed Bishop
traveled to
Charles
Reed Bishop was known for his philanthropy, serving on the boards of various
charities and contributing generously to many needy causes. After Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop
passed away in 1884, her husband played a large role in carrying out the wishes
stated in his wife’s will, which included the establishment of Kamehameha
Schools.
Princess
Pauahi’s estate was incredibly wealthy in land assets but very limited in
available cash, so Charles Reed Bishop contributed much of his own money to
help construct the first school buildings at the original Kalihi location on
O‘ahu.
The first
buildings included the Preparatory Department facilities constructed in 1888, as
well as Bishop Hall, constructed in 1891.
Bishop Hall became part of the
To honor
his wife, Charles Reed Bishop founded the
Collection
materials initially came from three prominent women who passed away in the
mid-1880s: Ruth Ke‘elikōlani (granddaughter of King Kamehameha I); Bernice
Pauahi Pākī Bishop (great-granddaughter of King Kamehameha I); and Queen Emma [Emma Na‘ea Rooke; Kalanikaumakeamano;
Kaleleonālani], wife of King Kamehameha IV (Alexander
Liholiho ‘Iolani)
and great-granddaughter of the brother of King Kamehameha I.
The
In 1894,
Charles Reed Bishop moved to
Charles
Reed Bishop is remembered for his many years of service to Hawai‘i as a public
official, a prominent banker and financier, and a philanthropist. He is also remembered as the husband of the
beloved Princess Pauahi [Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop] (1831—1884).
(
[i] Pukui, Mary Kawena, and Elbert,
Samuel H. & Mookini, Esther T. Place
Names of Hawaii: Revised & Expanded Edition. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1974.
[ii] Pukui, Mary Kawena, and Elbert,
Samuel H. & Mookini, Esther T. Place
Names of Hawaii: Revised & Expanded Edition. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1974.
