Part 1

Complete Timeline of Hawaiian History

A Chronology of the History of the Hawaiian Islands

[Illustration: King Kamehameha I]

Introductory Charts and Information

 

Nā Mō‘ī Hawai‘i—The Hawaiian Monarchy

Hawaiian Monarch

King Kamehameha I

[Kamehameha] (c.1753-1819) 

King Kamehameha II

[Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho] (1797-1824) 

King Kamehameha III

[Kauikeaouli] (1814-1854)

King Kamehameha IV

[Alexander Liholiho ‘Iolani)] (1834-1863)

King Kamehameha V

[Lot Kapuāiwa Kamehameha] (1830-1872)

King Lunalilo

[William Charles Lunalilo] (1835-1874)

King Kalākaua

[David La‘amea Kalākaua] (1836-1891)

Queen Lili‘uokalani

[Lydia Kamaka‘eha Pākī-Dominis Lili‘uokalani] (1838-1917)

Other Hawaiian Ali‘i (Royalty) and Chiefs

Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] (c.1713-1794)

Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe (c.1736-1804)

Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo] (1748-1794)

Ka‘iana‘ahu‘ula

[Keawe-Ka‘iana a ‘Ahu‘ula; Ka‘iana] (c.1756-1795)

Kalanikūpule (1760-1795)

Kaikio‘ewa (1765-1839)

Kalanimoku

[Kālaimoku; William (Billy) Pitt] (1768-1827)

Queen Ka‘ahumanu (c.1768-1832)

Ulumāheihei

[Ulumāheiheihoapili; Hoapili] (1776-1840)

Queen Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani] (1778-1823)

King Kaumuali‘i (c.1780-1824)

Queen Kapi‘olani (1781-1841)

‘Ōpūkaha‘ia (1792-1818)

Queen Kamāmalu [Kamāmalunuiomano] (1802-1824)

Kīna‘u (1805-1839)

Princess Nāhi‘ena‘ena

[Nāhi‘ena‘enaikekapuewela‘aikapēkapuokeakua;

Nā‘ahi‘ena‘ena; Nahienaena;

Harriet Keōpūolani] (1815-1836)

Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani (1826-1883)

Princess Pauahi

[Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop] (1831-1884)

Queen Kapi‘olani (II) (1834-1899)

Queen Emma

[Emma Na‘ea Rooke;

Kalanikaumakeamano; Kaleleonālani] (1836-1885)

Princess Victoria Kamāmalu (1838-1866)

Prince Kūhiō

[Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole Pi‘ikoi] (1871-1922)

Princess Ka‘iulani

[Victoria Kawēkiu Ka‘iulani] (1875-1899)

Governors of Hawai‘i

Governors of the Territory of Hawai‘i

Appointed by U.S. President

Governors of the State of Hawai‘i

Elected after Statehood

Introduction to the Timeline

Complete Timeline of Hawaiian History

 

Nā Mō‘ī Hawai‘i

The Hawaiian Monarchy

The Eight Rulers of the United Hawaiian Kingdom

 

Monarch: King Kamehameha I [Kamehameha]

Reign: 1795—May 8, 1819

Birth: 1753

Death: May 8, 1819

Monarch: King Kamehameha II [Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho]

Reign: May 20, 1819—July 14, 1824

Birth: 1796

Death: July 14, 1824

Monarch: King Kamehameha III [Kauikeaouli]

Reign: June 6, 1825—Dec. 15, 1854

Birth: Mar. 17, 1814

Death: Dec. 15, 1854

Monarch: King Kamehameha IV [Alexander Liholiho ‘Iolani]

Reign: Dec. 15, 1854—Nov. 30, 1863

Birth: Feb. 9, 1834

Death: Nov. 30, 1863

Monarch: King Kamehameha V [Lot Kapuāiwa Kamehameha]

Reign: Nov. 30, 1863—Dec. 11, 1872

Birth: Dec. 11, 1830

Death: Dec. 11, 1872

Monarch: King Lunalilo [William Charles Lunalilo]

Reign: Jan. 8, 1873—Feb. 3, 1874

Birth: Jan. 31, 1835

Death: Feb. 3, 1874

Monarch: King Kalākaua [David La‘amea Kalākaua]

Reign: Feb. 13, 1874—Jan. 20, 1891

Birth: Nov. 16, 1836

Death: Jan. 20, 1891

Monarch: Queen Lili‘uokalani

[Lydia Kamaka‘eha Pākī-Dominis Lili‘uokalani]

Reign: Jan. 29, 1891—Jan. 17, 1893

Birth: Sep. 2, 1838

Death: Nov. 11, 1917

Kuhina Nui

Premiers, or Regents, Sharing Power with the King 

 

Years:1819-1824

Kuhina Nui: Ka‘ahumanu

During Reign of: King Kamehameha II

Years: 1824-1832

Kuhina Nui: Ka‘ahumanu

During Reign of: King Kamehameha III

Years: 1832-1839

Kuhina Nui: Kīna‘u

During Reign of: King Kamehameha III

Years: 1839-1845

Kuhina Nui: Kekāuluohi [Miriam ‘Auhea]

During Reign of: King Kamehameha III

Years: 1845-1854

Kuhina Nui: John Young (II) (Keoni Ana)

During Reign of: King Kamehameha III, IV

Years: 1854-1863

Kuhina Nui: Victoria Ka‘ahumanu Kamāmalu

During Reign of: King Kamehameha IV, V

Years: 1863-1864

Kuhina Nui: Mataio Kekūanaō‘a

During Reign of: King Kamehameha V

 

Historic Periods

of the Hawaiian Islands

Note: Historic periods listed below, except the Modern Period, are based on classifications proposed by Patrick Vinton Kirch in Feathered Gods and Fishhooks (Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 1985).

 

Colonization Period

A.D. 300 (±200)—600

Initial arrival and colonization of the Hawaiian archipelago by Polynesians, most likely from the Marquesas Islands about 2,500 miles (4,000 km) to the southeast. Relatively little is known about the culture, social customs, and rituals of this time period.

Developmental Period

600—1100

Development of food production and acquisition strategies; utilization of plentiful native and Polynesian-introduced resources, including plants, birds, shellfish, and fish (including large game fish); the population reaches an estimated 20,000 people, moving beyond the windward valleys into arid leeward valleys and coastal areas; a unique Hawaiian culture begins to develop.

Expansion Period

1100—1650

Major increase in population; increased agriculture; the first true loko ‘ia (fishponds) and the aquaculture techniques used to manage them; development of ahupua‘a system (natural watershed land divisions extending from the mountains to the sea) with land divisions under the control of sub-chiefs responsible to a paramount chief; and other significant changes in social and political structures.

Protohistoric Period

1650—1778

Further increases in food production, including irrigation in lower valleys; continuing social and political changes with independent chiefdoms competing for rule; changes in architecture of heiau (sacred places of worship), including increasingly large luakini heiau where human sacrifices occur.

Modern Period

1778—Present

Western goods and weapons bring dramatic changes in traditional ways of living; the Hawaiian monarchy is overthrown in 1893; the Hawaiian Islands are annexed to the United States in 1898; sugar becomes the driving force of the economy through the first half of the 1900s; the Islands are increasingly utilized by the U.S. as a strategic military location, and become the 50^th state in 1959; tourism grows to seven million annual visitors by 2005.

 

Major Battles of King Kamehameha I

1782—The Battle of Moku‘ōhai

1790—The Battle of Kepaniwai—Kamehameha Invades Maui

1791—Kepūwaha‘ula‘ula—War of the Red Mouthed Cannon

1795—The Battle of Nu‘uanu

Hawai‘i’s Major Political Periods

1795—1893 Kingdom of Hawai‘i

1893—1894 Provisional Government

1894—1900 Republic of Hawai‘i

1900—1959 Territory of Hawai‘i

1959—Present Statehood

 

Biographical Sketches

Table of Contents 

Nā Mō‘ī Hawai‘i—The Hawaiian Monarchy

(See Year of Birth in Timeline for Biographical Sketch)

 

Hawaiian Monarch

King Kamehameha I

[Kamehameha] (c.1753-1819) 

King Kamehameha II

[Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho] (1797-1824) 

King Kamehameha III

[Kauikeaouli] (1814-1854)

King Kamehameha IV

[Alexander Liholiho ‘Iolani)] (1834-1863)

King Kamehameha V

[Lot Kapuāiwa Kamehameha] (1830-1872)

King Lunalilo

[William Charles Lunalilo] (1835-1874)

King Kalākaua

[David La‘amea Kalākaua] (1836-1891)

Queen Lili‘uokalani

[Lydia Kamaka‘eha Pākī-Dominis Lili‘uokalani] (1838-1917)

Other Hawaiian Ali‘i (Royalty) and Chiefs

(See Year of Birth in Timeline for Biographical Sketch)

 

Hawaiian Historical Figure

Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] (c.1713-1794)

Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe (c.1736-1804)

Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo] (1748-1794)

Ka‘iana‘ahu‘ula

[Keawe-Ka‘iana a ‘Ahu‘ula; Ka‘iana] (c.1756-1795)

Kalanikūpule (1760-1795)

Kaikio‘ewa (1765-1839)

Kalanimoku

[Kālaimoku; William (Billy) Pitt] (1768-1827)

Queen Ka‘ahumanu (c.1768-1832)

Ulumāheihei

[Ulumāheiheihoapili; Hoapili] (1776-1840)

Queen Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani] (1778-1823)

King Kaumuali‘i (c.1780-1824)

Queen Kapi‘olani (1781-1841)

‘Ōpūkaha‘ia (1792-1818)

Queen Kamāmalu [Kamāmalunuiomano] (1802-1824)

Kīna‘u (1805-1839)

Princess Nāhi‘ena‘ena

[Nāhi‘ena‘enaikekapuewela‘aikapēkapuokeakua;

Nā‘ahi‘ena‘ena; Nahienaena;

Harriet Keōpūolani] (1815-1836)

Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani (1826-1883)

Princess Pauahi

[Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop] (1831-1884)

Queen Kapi‘olani (II) (1834-1899)

Queen Emma [Emma Na‘ea Rooke;

Kalanikaumakeamano; Kaleleonālani] (1836-1885)

Princess Victoria Kamāmalu (1838-1866)

Prince Kūhiō

[Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole Pi‘ikoi] (1871-1922)

Princess Ka‘iulani

[Victoria Kawēkiu Ka‘iulani] (1875-1899)

 

Governors of Hawai‘i

Governors of the Territory of Hawai‘i

Appointed by the United States President

 

Sanford B. Dole (Annexationist (Republican)

Born: 1844.

Died: 1926.

Term: 1900-1903

George R. Carter (Republican)

Born: 1866

Died: 1933

Term: 1903-1907

Walter F. Frear (Republican)

Born: 1863

Died: 1948

Term: 1907-1913

Lucius E. Pinkham (Democrat)

Born: 1850

Died: 1922

Term: 1913-1918

Charles J. McCarthy (Democrat)

Born: 1861

Died:1929

Term: 1918-1921

Wallace R. Farrington (Republican)

Born: 1871

Died: 1933

Term: 1921-1929

Lawrence M. Judd (Republican)

Born: 1877

Died: 1968

Term: 1929-1934

Joseph B. Poindexter (Democrat)

Born: 1869

Died: 1951

Term: 1934-1942

Ingram M. Stainback (Democrat)

Born: 1883

Died: 1961

Term: 1942-1951

Oren Ethelbert Long (Democrat)

Born: 1889

Died: 1965

Term: 1951-1953

Samuel Wilder King (Republican)

Born: 1886

Died: 1959

Term: 1953-1957

William Francis Quinn (Republican)

Born: 1919

Died: 2006

Term: 1957-1959

Governors of the State of Hawai‘i

Elected after Statehood

William Francis Quinn (Republican)

Born: 1919

Died: 2006

Term: 1959-1962

John Anthony Burns (Democrat)

Born: 1909

Died: 1975

Term: 1962-1964

George R. Ariyoshi (Democrat)

Born: 1926

Died: -----

Term: 1974-1986

John D. Waihee III (Democrat)

Born: 1946

Died:-----

Term: 1986-1994

Benjamin J. Cayetano (Democrat)

Born: 1939

Died:-----

Term: 1994-2002

Linda Lingle (Republican)

Born: 1953

Died:-----

Term: 2002-

 

Introduction to the

Complete Timeline of Hawaiian History

In 1789, new nations were forming in two very different places. In the Hawaiian Islands, the brave, young warrior Kamehameha was leading an invasion of Maui, and he would soon conquer all of the Hawaiian Islands. In the United States, George Washington was elected as that country’s first president.

One revolution was the result of the American colonists’ resistance to the dominance of Great Britain. The other was the result of battles led by a young ali‘i (royal) chief who would eventually form a united Hawaiian Kingdom and become known as King Kamehameha the Great.

This Timeline of Hawaiian History chronicles the major events and people that comprise the history of the Hawaiian Islands, including:

the arrival of the Polynesians, the first humans to reach the Hawaiian Islands;

the development of a native Hawaiian culture unique in all of Polynesia;

early inter-island and intra-island battles between warrior chiefs and their armies;

the battles of King Kamehameha I uniting the Hawaiian Islands under one ruler;

the arrival of British Captain James Cook in the Hawaiian Islands in 1778;

the wide-ranging effects of Western contact;

the eight rulers of Hawaiian monarchy and other ali‘i (royalty);

the arrival of the twelve companies of American missionaries beginning in 1820;

the eras of sandalwood trading and whaling in the early 1800s;

the Great Māhele in 1848 that instituted a new system of private property ownership;

the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893;

the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands to the United States in 1898;

the rise of the sugarcane industry in the 1900s including the mass immigration of laborers and the plantation era;

the pineapple industry; milestones of aviation and other forms of transportation;

advances in communication technology;

the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941;

the Democratic Revolution of 1954;

the advent of Statehood in 1959, ushering in a new era of jet travel and rapidly increasing tourism;

the construction of historic buildings;

the “Hawaiian Renaissance”;

natural disasters—volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and hurricanes;

native and endangered species,

extinctions and efforts at restoration of species populations;

important cultural and political issues;

and other major events of Hawaiian history from ancient times up to the present day.

This Timeline of Hawaiian History, as with this Hawaiian Encyclopedia overall, seeks to include all relevant information while remaining objective and impartial, and in all cases avoids subjective interpretations of major historical events (e.g., the arrival of missionaries, the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, etc.).

When specific details of particular events remain uncertain, controversial, or are subject to varying and contrasting historical interpretations, the pertinent issues are qualified and clarified, and in some cases opposing points of view are provided.

See Appendices 1 and 2 for a more complete discussion of issues regarding Hawaiian history and how they are treated in this text.

 

Complete Timeline of Hawaiian History

c. 4000 B.C. – c.3000 B.C.—Beginning of several waves of seafaring migrations from the Southeast Asian mainland by voyagers (Austronesians) who eventually inhabit hundreds of Pacific islands.

These ancient mariners sailing voyaging canoes first migrate from Taiwan and China to the Philippines and Indonesia (see approximate dates below), then to West Polynesia, East Polynesia, New Zealand, and eventually Tonga, Sāmoa and the Hawaiian Islands.[i] (See DNA Research on Polynesian/Hawaiian Origins and Migrations, Chapter 3.)

Note: Genetic studies indicate that humans first migrated out of Africa into Europe and Asia about 50,000 years ago.

[Illustration: Map (sketch) of migration paths of early Polynesians]

c.2500 B.C.—Early Austronesian voyagers travel from Taiwan to the Philippines likely by outrigger canoe.

Note: Root words for outrigger canoes show up in the language at about this time.

c.1500 B.C.—The Lapita, an ancient Pacific Ocean people, migrate eastward from the Bismarck Archipelago, a group of volcanic islands off the northeast coast of New Guinea in the southwest Pacific. The eastward expansion of this Early Eastern Lapita people continues an early migration into the Western Pacific from Southeast Asia, and eventually gives rise to the Polynesians.[ii]

The rapid migration activities of the Lapita begin about 1500 B.C., reaching the Solomon Islands in Melanesia by about 1300 B.C. and then New Caledonia by about 1200 B.C..

Note: The Lapita culture is known for its distinctive and colorful earthenware pottery, which can be traced through Melanesia to Sāmoa, Fiji, and Tonga, where many characteristics of typical Polynesian culture evolve during the first millennium. By the time the Hawaiian Islands are settled, however, the use of pottery disappears and is replaced instead by stone adzes and other crafts.

Lapita pottery appears in Melanesia and then New Caledonia and Sāmoa. The people of the Lapita culture are the founding members of Tonga, Sāmoa, and Fiji. (See Ancient Polynesians, Chapter 12.)

c.900 B.C. – c.800 B.C.—The Lapita people migrate east as far as Tonga and Sāmoa where the culture then disappears and the Polynesian culture arises.

Note: About this time, mentions of the Polynesian gods first appear and this is also likely when the double voyaging canoe is developed, allowing the Polynesians to make long voyages extending thousands of miles.

c.1000 B.C. – 900 B.C.—Western Polynesia (including Tonga and Sāmoa) is first settled, and becomes the homeland of the Polynesians who develop a Proto-Polynesian language that leads to at least 36 documented Polynesian languages. More than 4,000 words of this Proto Polynesian language have been reconstructed.[iii]

c.500 B.C. – c.A.D. 900—Polynesian settlers migrate north, east, and southwest, and settle Eastern Polynesia, including the Marquesas Islands, Society Islands, Austral Islands, Cook Islands, and eventually New Zealand, Easter Island, and the Hawaiian Islands.

Austronesian voyagers journey from the Philippines in several directions, reaching the Marianas Islands in Micronesia by about 2000 B.C. to 1500 B.C., and reaching Indonesia by about 500 B.C.

Note: Molecular biologists have discovered phenotypic homogeneity and common genetic markers among Polynesians, suggesting a “genetic bottleneck” took place early in the history of the Polynesian race, likely around the time that Fiji, Tonga, and Sāmoa were settled. [iv]

[Illustration: Map (sketch) of migration paths of early Polynesians]

Austronesian Dispersal Theory

Recent research by Bishop Museum chairman of anthropology Tianlong Jiao and Taiwanese archeologists Dr. Li Kuang-ti and Dr. Tsang Cheng-hwa produced results in agreement with the research of University of California Berkeley scientist Patrick V. Kirch and Peter Bellwood of the Australian National University.

Kirch and Bellwood espouse an Austronesian dispersal theory that Micronesians, Melanesians, and Polynesians are not separate races (as previously believed) but instead are all descended from the Austronesians who originated on the southern coast of China.[v]

c.A.D. 200 – c.A.D. 800—Humans Arrive in the Hawaiian Islands—The First Hawaiians

Polynesian voyagers sailing double-hulled voyaging canoes reach the Hawaiian Islands, probably from the Marquesas Islands, a ring of ten steep, volcanic islands about 2,500 miles (4,023 km) to the southeast of the Hawaiian Islands, 740 miles (1,191 km) northeast of Tahiti, and 3,700 miles (5,955 km) west of Peru.

The Marquesas are part of the South Pacific island group known as French Polynesia, an archipelago that includes 130 islands divided into five groups: the Gambier Islands, the Australs, the Tuamotus, the Society Islands, and the Marquesas. By A.D. 1200 the Polynesian voyagers settle nearly every habitable island over some ten million square miles of the Pacific Ocean.

The Polynesians bring with them to the Hawaiian Islands on their voyaging canoes many different species of plants and animals, including pua‘a (Sus scrofa, pigs), moa (Gallus gallus gallus, chickens), and ‘īlio (Canis familiaris, dogs) along with at least 24 (probably more than 26) species of plants for food and other uses. (See Polynesian-Introduced Plants, Chapter 9.)

The Hawaiian settlers construct houses of pili grass (Heteropogon contortus, twisted beardgrass) thatched on a wooden frame. They clear the lowland forests to plant kalo (Colocasia esculenta, taro). The eat taro’s lū‘au (young leaves) and pound the underground tubers (corms) into poi, a staple of their diet. The taro is grown in earthen and rock-terraced fields irrigated by networks of ‘auwai (irrigation channels).

These first Polynesian settlers of the Hawaiian Islands also catch a variety of fish and shellfish from the ocean, eat honu (sea turtles) as well as limu (seaweed), and utilize many native Hawaiian plants as well as dozens of Polynesian-introduced species that they brought with them to the Hawaiian Islands on their voyaging canoes. In the coastal shallows the ancient Hawaiians build large loko i‘a (fishponds) that they keep well stocked.

The Polynesians reach the Marquesas and Tahiti about A.D. 700, Easter Island by A.D. 900, and New Zealand by A.D. 1200.

(For more information about Polynesian migrations, see First Polynesians, First Hawaiians, Chapter 3; The First Hawaiians; Traditional Uses of Native Hawaiian Species; and Traditional Uses of Polynesian-Introduced Species, Chapter 12.)

c.A.D. 1000—The existence of the sweet potato in Polynesia by this date suggests South American contact because the sweet potato is indigenous to South America. Polynesians may have sailed to South America, or the sweet potato may have been brought to Polynesia or arrived by some other means.

c.1000 – c.A.D. 1200 (perhaps one or two centuries later)—Tahitians, sailing voyaging canoes first arrive in the Hawaiian Islands. The Tahitians comprise a second wave of immigrants to the Hawaiian Islands, and they conquer and dominate the earlier Marquesan settlers.

Note: Tahiti encompasses 402 square miles (1,041 sq. km), and is the largest island of the Society Islands group of French Polynesia, which also includes the Marquesas. The island of Tahiti is almost directly below the Hawaiian Islands and about half way between California and Australia.

c.1100—A Tahitian kahuna (priest) named Pā‘ao arrives in the Hawaiian Islands to start a high priest line known as kahuna nui, introducing the war god Kūkā‘ilimoku and constructing luakini heiau (temples of human sacrifice).

Pā‘ao returns to Tahiti and brings back a chief named Pili [Kaaiea], who rules Hawai‘i Island and sires the royal line that begins a 700-year dynasty culminating with the Kamehamehas. (See Hawaiian Culture, Chapter 3; ‘Aumākua—Sacred Guardians; and Heiau and Kapu, Chapter 12.)

c.1300 – c.1400—Contact with southern Polynesia ceases or severely diminishes, and a period of time begins in which Hawaiians no longer complete long-distance, open-ocean voyages.

During this time a unique Hawaiian culture develops and continues to evolve. (See A Unique Hawaiian Culture; Celestial Navigation, ‘Ōahi—The Fire-Throwing Ceremony; Medicinal Plants—The Kahuna Lā‘au Lapa‘au; and Kapa (Tapa) Barkcloth, Chapter 12.)

c.1400s—Surfing is likely introduced to the Hawaiian Islands around this time. The first papa he‘e nalu (surfboards) are up to 18 feet (5.5 m) long and weigh up to 175 pounds (79 kg). (See History of Surfing, Chapter 3.)

1492—Spanish explorer Cristobal Colón (Christopher Columbus) reaches North America.

c.1500—Ruling chiefs battle for power, and engage in numerous interisland wars. The paramount chief of Maui is Kiha-a-pi‘ilani. Early rulers of Hawai‘i Island include Līloa and his son ‘Umi-a-Līloa [‘Umi] (son of Līloa).

1519—Spanish Explorer Ferdinand Magellan (Fernão de Magalhães) completes the first trans-Pacific voyage, as captain of the first ship to circumnavigate the Earth, though Magellan dies before the ship makes it back to Spain. Soon after this, many other ships begin to traverse the Pacific Ocean, including Spanish, French, Dutch and English ships.

Note: Despite the fact that ships of many countries sail the Pacific Ocean in the early 1500s, there are no verifiable records of any European ships or other Western ships reaching the Hawaiian Islands until more than 250 years later, in 1778, when British Captain James Cook officially becomes the first Westerner to visit the Hawaiian Islands.

However, Spanish galleons voyaging between Mexico and the Philippines may have encountered the Hawaiian Islands earlier (see 1555; 1620), but this remains speculative.

c.1555—Spanish navigator Juan Gaetano (Gaytan) documents an island group at the latitude of Hawaiian Islands, but records an incorrect longitude. Gaetano names the island group “Islas de Mesa,” (“Table Islands”) or “Los Majos” (“The Tableland”).

Other maps and charts dating to the 1600s also show an island group thought to be the Hawaiian Islands, which are located just a few hundred miles from the routes known to be used by Spanish ships traveling between the Far East and Latin America during this time period.

c.1580 – c.1600—The paramount chief of Hawai‘i Island is Līloa, whose reign is relatively peaceful.

c.1600—Hawai‘i Island chief ‘Umi-a-Līloa [‘Umi] marries Pi‘ikea, the daughter of the Maui ruler Pi‘ilani. Lono-a-Pi‘ilani, the eldest son of Pi‘ilani, becomes ruler of Maui after his father dies, and then is defeated by his younger brother Kiha-a-Pi‘ilani who is victorious in the battle due to the assistance of his brother-in-law ‘Umi-a-Līloa, who continues to rule the Hāna district. Kiha-a-Pi‘ilani builds a road known as alaloa circling the island.

c.1600 – c.1620—Hawai‘i Island ruler ‘Umi-a-Līloa [‘Umi] inherits the guardianship of the war god Kūkā‘ilimoku (though he was not named heir), and becomes ruler of Hawai‘i Island after defeating his half-brother Hākau at Waipi‘o and uniting the Hawai‘i Island chiefs under his rule.

c.1620—The legendary Konaliloa wrecks at Ke‘ei near Kealakekua Bay on Hawai‘i Island, according to Thrum’s first chronology in 1882 listing the marine casualties of the Hawaiian Islands (some accounts say the wreck occurred up to one century earlier).

It is said that the vessel’s captain and his sister barely made it to shore, where they were cared for by the natives.

Also in 1620, a group of Puritans known as the Pilgrims who are dissatisfied with the Church of England colonize New England, arriving there on the ship Mayflower.

c.1620—c.1640—Keali‘iokaloa, the son of ‘Umi-a-Līloa [‘Umi], rules Hawai‘i Island, but he is not a popular leader and his son Kuka‘ilani is defeated by Keawenui-a-‘Umi [Keawenui] (another son of ‘Umi-a-Līloa [‘Umi]), who becomes the ruling chief of Hawai‘i Island.

c.1700—Lonoikamakahiki [Lono] is ruling chief of Hawai‘i Island. Kanaloakua‘ana, the grandson of ‘Umi-a-Līloa [‘Umi]. serves as Regent because Lonoikamakahiki [Lono] is so young. The warriors of Lonoikamakahiki [Lono] battle rebel chiefs on Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, and Moloka‘i.

c.1700—The forces of Alapa‘iniu, the paramount chief of Hawai‘i Island, attack the forces of Kekaulikenuiahumanu [Kekaulike] on Maui. Kekaulike responds with a counterattack against Hawai‘i Island.

Kekaulike is the great grandfather of King Kamehameha I’s sacred wife Queen Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani], and the great great grandfather of King Kamehameha IV (Alexander Liholiho ‘Iolani), and King Kamehameha V (Lot Kapuāiwa Kamehameha).

c.1713—Birth of Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] to Kekaulikenuiahumanu [Kekaulike] and Keku‘iapoiwa (I) [Keku‘iapoiwanui].

Kahekilinui‘ahumanu

Kahekili 

Biographical Sketch: Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili]: 

Born: c.1713.

Died: 1794.

Father: Kekaulikenuiahumanu [Kekaulike].

Mother: Keku‘iapoiwa (I) [Keku‘iapoiwanui].

Brother: Kamehamehanui.

Sister: Kalola.

Sons: Kalanikūpule; Koalaukani [Koholokalani]; possibly also King Kamehameha I (see below).

Half-Brothers: Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo], Kekuamanohā.

Half-Sister: Nāmāhānaikaleleonalani [Nāmāhana]

Summary of Life of Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili]:

· Chief of Maui and O‘ahu.

· Enemy of warriors Kalani‘ōpu‘u and Kamehameha I.

· May have been true biological father of King Kamehameha I. Though the father of King Kamehameha I is usually listed as Keōuakupuapāikalaninui [Keōuanui], many think Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] is indeed the true biological father because Kamehameha’s mother Keku‘iapoiwa (II) had visited Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] before the young ali‘i Pai‘ea Kamehameha (the future King Kamehameha I) was born.

· Tattooed black over one side of his body from head to toe; sometimes referred to as “Pā‘ele kū chief of the Bays of Pi‘ilani [Maui],” referring to “the solid black tattoo covering half of Kahekili’s body.”[vi]

· Assisted by his half-brother Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo], became ali‘i ‘ai moku (paramount chief) of Maui (succeeded Kamehamehanui) and then O‘ahu, leaving his son, Kalanikūpule to rule Maui.

· Visited ship of British Captain James Cook (1728—1779) in November 1778.

· In 1790, Kahekilinui‘ahumanu was the most powerful ali‘i (chief) in the Hawaiian Islands, ruling Maui, Lāna‘i, and Moloka‘i. He was in alliance with his half-brother, Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo], ruler of Kaua‘i, who seized O‘ahu by killing its chief and sacrificing him to his own war god, also killing lesser chiefs of O‘ahu and using their skeletons to construct a house of bones.

· Fearing conquest of Hawai‘i Island by Kā‘eokūlani and Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili], Kamehameha decided to strike first, and landed his troops on Maui to fight against Kalanikūkupule, son of Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili]. Kamehameha considered it a good omen when the feathers of his war god Kūkā‘ilimoku bristled.

· Fighting between the two groups of warriors began in Wailuku, and then proceeded up into ‘Īao Valley where the precipitous cliffs at the head of the valley blocked escape. Kamehameha’s forces had the advantage of superior western weapons (muskets) as well as a cannon manned by the foreigners John Young (I) [‘Olohana] (c.1749—1835) and Isaac Davis [‘Aikake].

· In Kamehameha’s victory at ‘Īao Valley, dead bodies from both sides are said to have blocked the river, giving the battle its name, the Battle of Kepaniwai (“The Water Dam”). The bloody confrontation is also referred to as Ka‘uwa‘upali (“Precipice-clawing”), referring to the fleeing warriors climbing the steep cliffs of ‘Īao Valley as they tried to escape.[vii]

· Facing imminent defeat, Kalanikūpule, the son of Kahekilinui‘ahumanu fled over a narrow mountain pass along with his high chiefs, and they sailed to O‘ahu where Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] began war preparations.

· Defeated in 1791 by forces of Kamehameha I off the northeast coast of Hawai‘i Island in the sea battle known as Kepūwaha‘ula‘ula (“War of the Red Mouthed Cannon”), the first Hawaiian sea battle in which both sides were armed with foreign gunners and cannons. (See Chapter 11, Timeline: 1791.)

· Died in summer of 1794 and left his domains to his half-brother, Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo], and his son, Kalanikūpule, who became enemies, instigating the battles that led to the rise of the young warrior Pai‘ea Kamehameha (the future King Kamehameha I). (See Chapter 11, Timeline: 1794.)

· The house of Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] at Wailuku was known as Lanikeha.

· Known as the “Famous warrior chief of the Bays of Pi‘ilani,” “King of Maui of Kama,” and “Maui mō‘i ‘ai moku.”[viii]

(For more information about Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili], see 1748; 1753; 1760; 1775; 1784; 1786; 1790; 1791; 1794; also see The Early Battles of Pai‘ea Kamehameha, Chapter 17.)

c.1720—c.1740—Hawai‘i Island is ruled by Keaweikekahiali‘iokamoku [Keawe], the great-grandnephew of Lonoikamakahiki [Lono].

1722 (Easter Sunday)—A Dutch navigator spots Rapa Nui, later known as Easter Island.

1728—James Cook is born in Yorkshire, England. Fifty years later, as captain of the HMS Discovery and the HMS Resolution, he becomes the first documented Westerner to reach the Hawaiian Islands. (See 1778, Jan.18.)

c.1736—Birth of Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe to Keawepoepoe and Kūma‘aikū.

Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe 

Biographical Sketch: Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe (c.1736—1804)

Born: c.1736.

Died: 1804.

Father: Keawepoepoe.

Mother: Kūma‘aikū.

Wife: Nāmāhānaikaleleonalani [Nāmāhana].

Daughter: Ka‘ahumanu (queen as wife of King Kamehameha I).

Sons: Kuakini [Kaluaikonahale; John Adams]; Ke‘eaumoku (II) [Governor Cox].

Older brothers (on father’s side): Sacred twins Kamanawa and Kame‘eiamoku (these brothers were allies of Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe).

Granddaughter: Ka‘ua‘umokuokamānele [Kamānele] (daughter of Kuakini [Kaluaikonahale; John Adams]).

Summary of Life of Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe:

· Fought numerous interisland battles, eventually joining forces with Kamehameha I.

· Was the most prominent of Kona’s four high chiefs, leading canoe fleets and land battles supporting Kamehameha I.

· In 1782, at the Battle of Moku‘ōhai in Ke‘ei, Kona; the young warrior Kamehameha led his warriors to victory, and Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] was killed, and when he died he was wearing an ‘ahu ‘ula (feathered cloak), which then became the property of Kamehameha (this feathered cloak is now in the collection of the Bishop Museum).

One account states that the injured Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe crawled to Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli], who also had been injured, and then Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe slit the neck of Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] with a leiomano (shark-tooth weapon). (Accounts differ). (See The Early Battles of Pai‘ea Kamehameha, Chapter 17.)

· Said to have killed Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula [Keōua] at Kawaihae in 1791. (See 1791, Summer.)

· Became governor of large areas of Hawai‘i Island.

· Died in 1804, likely of ma‘i ‘ōku‘u (thought to be cholera), during an 1804 invasion of O‘ahu with the troops of Kamehameha I.

· An ancient Hawaiian proverb states, “Ka aku la ka‘u lā‘au i ka ‘a‘ama kua lenalena.” (“My spear pierced the yellow-shelled crab.”). “This was the boast of the warrior who speared Ke‘eaumoku at the Battle of Moku‘ohai. Ke‘eaumoku revived and shortly after killed Kīwala‘ō. This battle was between the two cousins Kamehameha and Kīwala‘ō.”[ix]

(For more information about Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe, see 1753; 1768; 1776; 1780; 1782; 1785; 1790; 1791, Summer; 1802; 1804; 1805; 1822, Jan.7; 1830, Dec.11; 1834, Feb.9; 1838; also see The Early Battles of Pai‘ea Kamehameha, Chapter 17.)

1736—Warriors of Hawai‘i Island and Moloka‘i, led by Alapa‘inui [Alapa‘i], battle O‘ahu’s warriors at Kawela in south Moloka‘i. Five days of fighting result in the defeat of O‘ahu’s forces and the death of O‘ahu’s chief Kapi‘ioho-o-kalani (“The head curls of the royal chief”).

Two years later, the warriors of Alapa‘inui again invade Maui. (See 1738; and Kawela in Moloka‘i section, Chapter 2.)

1738—Warriors of Hawai‘i Island, led by Alapa‘inui [Alapa‘i], invade Maui along with Moloka‘i warriors, and defeat the warriors of O‘ahu.

1748—Birth of Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo] to Kekaulikenuiahumanu [Kekaulike] and Holau.

Kā‘eokūlani

Kā‘eo 

Biographical Sketch: Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo]:

Born: 1748.

Died: 1794.

Father: Kekaulikenuiahumanu [Kekaulike].

Mother: Holau.

Wife: Kamakahelei.

Son: Kaumuali‘i.

Grandson: Kinoiki (daughter of Kekelaokalani [Kapuaamohu] and Kaumuali‘i).

Great grandchildren: Kapi‘olani (II), Virginia Kapo‘oloku Po‘omaikelani, and Esther Kinoiki Kekaulike (children of Kūhiō and Kinoiki).

Great great grandchildren: Edward Keali‘ihonui, David Kawānanakoa, and Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole Pi‘ikoi (children of Esther Kinoiki and David Kahalepouli Pi‘ikoi).

Half-brother: Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili]. 

Summary of Life of Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo]: 

· Ruler of Kaua‘i.

· Helped Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] conquer Maui and O‘ahu.

· When Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] died in 1794, his domains were divided between Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo] and Kalanikūpule (son of Kahekili).

· Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo] and Kalanikūpule became enemies, and Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo] was killed in a 1794 battle against Kalanikūpule, who was assisted by foreigners and foreign ships. The battle took place near what is now called Pearl Harbor. (See 1794, Dec. 12.)

(For more information about Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo], see 1713; 1753; 1760; 1780; 1786; 1790; 1794, Summer; 1794, Dec. 12.)

c.1753—Birth of Pai‘ea Kamehameha (the future King Kamehameha I), to Keōuakupuapāikalaninui [Keōuanui] and Keku‘iapoiwa (II).

King Kamehameha I

[Pai‘ea Kamehameha; Pai‘ea Kalaninuimehameha; Kalaninui Pai‘ea; Kalaninuimehameha; Kalaninui Pai‘ea; Kalaninuimehameha; Kalani Ali‘i Kamehameha; Pai‘ea Kalaninuimehameha; Pai‘ea Laninuimehameha]

Born: c.1753.

Died: 1819.

Father: Keōuakupuapāikalaninui [Keōuanui]

Mother: Keku‘iapoiwa (II).

Grandparents: Kamaka‘īmoku and Ke‘eaumokunui [Kalanike‘eaumoku] (parents of Keōuakupuapāikalaninui [Keōuanui]).

Grandparents: Kekaulikenuiahumanu [Kekaulike] and Keku‘iapoiwa (I) [Keku‘iapoiwanui] (parents of Keku‘iapoiwa (II)). 

Great grandparents: Keaweikekahiali‘iokamoku [Keawe] and Kalanikauleleiaiwinui (parents of Ke‘eaumokunui [Kalanike‘eaumoku]). 

Father of Pauli Ka‘ōleiokū with Kānekapolei.

Grandfather of Konia [Laura Konia] (daughter of Pauli Ka‘ōleiokū and Luahine).

Great grandfather of Princess Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop (daughter of Abner Pākī and Konia [Laura Konia]).

Grandfather of Kalani Pauahi (daughter of Pauli Ka‘ōleiokū and Keōuawahine).

Great grandfather of Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani (daughter of Mataio Kekūanaō‘a and Kalani Pauahi).

Great great grandfather of William Pitt Kīna‘u (son of William Pitt Leleiōhoku (I) and Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani).

Husband of Queen Ka‘ahumanu (his favorite wife).

Husband of Queen Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani] (sacred wife).

Father of King Kamehameha II (Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho), King Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli), and Princess Nāhi‘ena‘ena [Nāhi‘ena‘enaikekapuewela‘aikapēkapuokeakua; Nā‘ahi‘ena‘ena; Nahienaena; Harriet Keōpūolani] with Queen Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani].

Father of Kīna‘u and Kamāmalu [Kamāmalunuiomano] with Kalākua.

Grandfather of Moses Kekūāiwa, Princess Victoria Kamāmalu, King Kamehameha IV (Alexander Liholiho ‘Iolani), and King Kamehameha V (Lot Kapuāiwa Kamehameha) (children of Mataio Kekūanaō‘a and Kīna‘u).

Great grandfather of Prince Albert [Albert Edward Kauikeaouli Leiopapa o Kamehameha] (1858—1862) (son of King Kamehameha IV (Alexander Liholiho ‘Iolani) and Queen Emma [Emma Na‘ea Rooke; Kalanikaumakeamano; Kaleleonālani].

Summary of Life of King Kamehameha I:

· Born at Kapākai in Kokoiki, near ‘Upolu Point in the North Kohala area of Hawai‘i Island. Soon after being born, Kamehameha was taken by canoe to Mo‘okini Heiau for a ritual, and then to ‘Āwini Valley, where he was kept safe from any potential enemies. An ancient Hawaiian proverb states, “E ‘aki maka o ka lauhue.” (“Nip off the bud of the poison gourd.”) These words were “...uttered by some chiefs of the court of Alapa‘i, ruler of Hawai‘i Island, who wanted Kamehameha destroyed at birth.”[x]

· Kamehameha’s childhood name was Pai‘ea.

· As a young man, Kamehameha overturned the Pōhaku Naha (Naha Stone) on Hawai‘i Island in 1775. A high priestess had predicted that whoever could move this nearly 5,000-pound stone would conquer all of the Hawaiian Islands.

· In November of 1778, the young chief Kamehameha, with Kalani‘ōpu‘u (the ruler of Hawai‘i Island) went aboard Captain Cook’s ship, the HMS Resolution, which was anchored off Maui’s east side near Hāna. Kamehameha remained on board overnight, with six other chiefs.

· On January 17, 1779, Captain Cook sailed the Resolution into Kealakekua Bay on Hawai‘i Island’s Kona coast, seeking to restock his ships and let his men recover from their journey so they could press on for further exploration. During this visit, Cook met the young chief Pai‘ea Kamehameha (for the second time), along with Hawai‘i Island high (paramount) chief Kalani‘ōpu‘u. (See 1779, Jan. 17.)

· In 1780, Hawai‘i Island ruler Kalani‘ōpu‘u met with his chiefs in Waipi‘o Valley, telling them that, that after he died: his oldest son Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] would become the new ruler of Hawai‘i Island; his son Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula [Keōua] would get land; and Kamehameha (Kalani‘ōpu‘u’s nephew) would become chief of Kohala, on land that was Kamehameha’s by inheritance.

Kamehameha was also to be given guardianship of the family’s feathered war god, Kūkā‘ilimoku, along with the responsibility of caring for the heiau (sacred places of worship) associated with the war god.

Kalani‘ōpu‘u then captured an enemy chief of Puna named ‘Īmakakoloa [Imakaloa] for a human sacrifice ceremony to consolidate his chiefdom. ‘Īmakakoloa was taken to the Ka‘ū luakini heiau (where human sacrifices were performed) called Hālauwilua in Kamā‘oa in the ahupua‘a of Pākini;

When Kalani‘ōpu‘u’s son, Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli], initiated the sacrificial ceremony, Kamehameha boldly stepped in and finished the ritual, placing ‘Īmakakoloa on the altar.

This action by Kamehameha caused controversy and led to a rift between Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] and Kamehameha, who then returned to Kohala. (See 1780.)

· After Kalani‘ōpu‘u died in April of 1782, Kamehameha and Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula [Keōua] were both slighted by the redivision of lands of Hawai‘i Island by Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli], which took away from Kamehameha and Kona chiefs lands formerly under their rule.

Chief counselor for Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] at this time was Keawemauhili,[xi] who was given large portions of Kona and Hilo.

The redivision of lands on Hawai‘i Island by Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] angered the Kona’s chiefs, causing them to unite with Kamehameha, who became their leader. (See 1780.)

Loyal to Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] are chiefs of Ka‘ū, Puna, and Hilo, including Kalani‘ōpu‘u’s brother, Keawemauhili.

The following Kona chiefs become loyal to Kamehameha:

· Kalua‘apana Keaweāheulu (Kamehameha’s uncle).

· Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe (the father of Ka‘ahumanu, the future queen as wife of King Kamehameha I).

· Kekūhaupi‘o (Warrior teacher of Kamehameha).

· Kala‘imāmahu [Kala‘imamahū] (Son of Keōuakupuapāikalaninui [Keōuanui] and Kamakaeheikuli; half-brother of Kamehameha).

· Kawelo‘okalani (Half-brother of Kamehameha).

· Keli‘imaika‘i [Keali‘imaka‘i; Kalanimālokuloku; Kalanimāloku; Kalanimālokulokuikepo‘okalani; Kalanimālokulokuikapo‘okalani], the brother of Kamehameha.

· Kame‘eiamoku and Kamanawa (sacred royal twins of Kekaulikenuiahumanu [Kekaulike]), the sons of Keawepoepoe and Kanoena (Kame‘eiamoku and Kamanawa are depicted on the State of Hawai‘i’s official coat of arms).

Chiefs aligned against Kamehameha include:

· Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] (Kalani‘ōpu‘u’s oldest son, and heir to his rule of Hawai‘i Island).

· Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula (younger brother of Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] and chief of Puna and Ka‘ū).

· Keawemauhili (Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula’s uncle and Kalani‘ōpu‘u’s half-brother).

I lele no ka lupe i ke pola.

It is the tail that makes the kite fly.

It is the number of followers that raises the prestige of the chief.

(Pukui: 1226—133)

· The forces of Kamehameha and Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] confronted each other in 1782 at the Battle of Moku‘ōhai in Ke‘ei, Kona. Kamehameha led the chiefs allied with him to victory. Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] was killed and Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula [Keōua] fled to Ka‘ū.

· Accounts differ on the sequence of events leading to the death of Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli]. One account states that an injured Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe crawled to Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli], who also had been injured, and then Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe slit the neck of Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli]with a leiomano (shark-tooth weapon).

Other accounts say Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] was stabbed to death, or killed by stones. (See 1782 for more details about the Battle of Moku‘ōhai.)

· When Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] died he was wearing a cloak constructed with the yellow feathers of the ‘ō‘ō (Moho species), and adorned with red triangles made from feathers of ‘i‘iwi (Vestiaria coccinea).

After Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] was killed, the cloak became the property of Kamehameha. (Note: This cloak is now in the Bishop Museum.)

· Keawemauhili was captured, but then allowed to escape, presumably because of his high rank.

· After the Battle of Moku‘ōhai, Hawai‘i Island was divided into three chiefdoms:

Keawemauhili ruled Hilo and a portion of Puna and Hāmākua;

Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula ruled Ka‘ū and part of Puna;

Kamehameha ruled Kona, Kohala and northern Hāmākua.

· Kamehameha then campaigned for nearly a decade to control the rest of Hawai‘i Island. Kamehameha’s two opponents were:

Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula (younger brother of Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] and chief of Puna and Ka‘ū); and

Keawemauhili (Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula’s uncle and Kalani‘ōpu‘u’s half-brother).

· Kamehameha later began a military campaign to conquer the other Hawaiian Islands.

· In 1785, Kamehameha married Ka‘ahumanu, the daughter of Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe (Kamehameha’s advisor) and Nāmāhānaikaleleonalani [Nāmāhana] (sister of Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili]).

· In 1790, Kamehameha invaded Maui and fought the Battle of Kepaniwai. At the time, Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] was the most powerful ali‘i (chief) in the Islands, ruling Maui, Lāna‘i, and Moloka‘i, and in alliance with Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo], the ruler of Kaua‘i who seized O‘ahu by killing the island’s chief and sacrificing him to his own war god.

Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo] also killed lesser chiefs of O‘ahu and used their skeletons to construct a house of bones.

Fearing conquest of Hawai‘i Island by Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo] and Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili], Kamehameha decided to strike first, and landed his troops on Maui to fight against Kalanikūkupule, son of Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili]. When he landed on Maui, it was considered a good omen when the feathers of his war god Kūkā‘ilimoku bristled.

Fighting between the two groups of warriors began in Wailuku, and the battle proceeded up into ‘Īao Valley, where the precipitous cliffs at the head of the valley blocked escape.

Kamehameha’s forces had the advantage of superior western weapons (muskets) as well as a cannon manned by the foreigners John Young (I) [‘Olohana] and Isaac Davis [‘Aikake]. Kamehameha’s forces prevailed, and thus the island of Maui came under Kamehameha’s rule.

In Kamehameha’s victory at ‘Īao Valley, dead bodies from both sides are said to have blocked the river, giving the battle its name, the Battle of Kepaniwai (“The water dam”). Kalanikūpule, the son of Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili], fled over a narrow mountain pass along with his high chiefs, and they sailed to O‘ahu where Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] began war preparations.

· Kamehameha’s troops returned to Hawai‘i Island, but Kamehameha sailed to Moloka‘i with his chiefs and advisers. From Moloka‘i, Kamehameha sent Ha‘alo‘u, the grandmother of the future Queen Ka‘ahumanu, to O‘ahu to consult with Kapoukahi, a highly respected seer and kahuna (priest) of Kaua‘i, who was in Waikīkī at the time.

Kapoukahi answered the request from Kamehameha for an oracle, telling Kamehameha that he would be victorious over all the Hawaiian Islands only if he built a luakini heiau (where human sacrifices were performed) to his war god, Kūkā‘ilimoku. This heiau was to be built at Kawaihae on Hawai‘i Island, and named Pu‘ukoholā. (See Heiau: Hawaiian Sacred Places, Chapter 3.)

Note: Pu‘ukoholā means “Whale hill”[xii] according to Pūku‘i, but was later explained by Frazier to instead be spelled Pu‘ukohola (no macron), and meaning “built as the house of the god, a pu‘u [desire] for death and not for life. The death which was to be bound securely within this heiau was in the lagoon (kai kohola) and not in the deep sea nor on land.”[xiii]

· Kamehameha was in control of Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i, but not O‘ahu. Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula [Keōua] (son of Kalani‘ōpu‘u, and chief of Puna and Ka‘ū districts) attacked Hilo and killed Kalua‘apana Keaweāheulu (Kamehameha’s uncle), and then plundered lands north of there along the Hāmākua Coast.

Kamehameha arrived to battle the invaders but the two resulting brutal confrontations did not lead to victory. Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula proceeded to form a new army after a disaster at Kīlauea Volcano killed many of his troops (see 1790), and he set about recapturing the lands of Lāna‘i, Maui, and Moloka‘i.

· In 1791, Kamehameha’s forces confronted the forces of Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] at the battle known as Kepūwaha‘ula‘ula, or War of the Red Mouthed Cannon. Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] had already recaptured Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, and Maui, and then his army attacked Kamehameha’s northern coastal lands on Hawai‘i Island from Kohala to Waipi‘o.

The forces of Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] met Kamehameha’s fleet off the northeast coast of Hawai‘i Island. Kamehameha’s counterattack began the first Hawaiian sea battle in which both sides were armed with foreign gunners and cannons.

Though the battle between the forces of Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] and Kamehameha did not lead to an outright victory for Kamehameha, the battle did force Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] and his army to return to O‘ahu, and thwarted their intentions of attacking the site of the heiau construction at Kawaihae.

· The dedication of the heiau Pu‘ukoholā at Kawaihae took place in the summer of 1791. Kamehameha asked Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula [Keōua] (chief of Hawai‘i Island’s Puna and Ka‘ū districts) to attend the dedication, saying his presence was important if there was to be peace between the rivals.

Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula and 26 of his chiefs and friends, including the highest chiefs of Ka‘ū, arrived at Kawaihae Bay in two large canoes. Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula was in one of the canoes, and in the other canoe was the young chief Pauli Ka‘ōleiokū, the son of Kamehameha (his first child) and Kānekapōlei (who was also the mother of Keōuakuahu‘ula with Kalani‘ōpu‘u).

Greeting Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula [Keōua] and his men at Kawaihae were Kamehameha’s war canoes arranged in a great crescent shape surrounding Kawaihae Bay to prevent Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula’s escape. Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula was killed, and many of Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula’s chiefs and other members of his group were also slain.

The bodies of the killed chiefs (including Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula) were sacrificed on the altar of the luakini heiau atop the hill at Pu‘ukoholā Heiau. With the death of his rival, Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula [Keōua], Kamehameha now controlled Hawai‘i Island.

· On February 25, 1794, during his third of three annual visits to the Hawaiian Islands, British Captain George Vancouver obtained an informal treaty of cession from Kamehameha I.

The two men were friends, and Kamehameha sought assurance that the Hawaiian Islands would be under British protection. Kamehameha received a gift of a British flag (a Union Jack) from Vancouver.

King Kamehameha flew his British flag for the next 22 years at various places where he lived, though it is uncertain what meaning Kamehameha attributed to the flag, since the apparent cession agreement with Vancouver was never ratified by British Parliament.

During his 1794 visit to Hawai‘i Island, Vancouver’s carpenters also helped Kamehameha in the construction of the 36-foot Britannia, the first foreign-designed ship built in the Hawaiian Islands. (See 1794, Feb. 25.)

· In 1795, after spending more than a decade preparing for war, Kamehameha was determined to defeat the forces of Kalanikūpule (ruler of O‘ahu as the heir of Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili]). Kamehameha’s troops landed on O‘ahu’s south shore from Waikīkī to Wai’alae.

O‘ahu’s forces were gradually overpowered, and retreated up into Nu‘uanu Valley, where many were of the warriors were driven over the edge of the cliff at Nu‘uanu Pali (or jumped rather than surrender), meeting their death on the rocks hundreds of feet below.

Overall, it is estimated that as many as 10,000 warriors (from both sides) died in this encounter, which came to be known as the Battle of Nu‘uanu. The battle was Kamehameha’s final conquest, giving him control of all of the Hawaiian Islands except Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, and furthering his attempt to establish a united Hawaiian kingdom. (See 1795, April for more details about the Battle of Nu‘uanu.)

· After his military victories, King Kamehameha I established a system of government wherein each island had a governor. There was also a Council of Advisers, a Treasurer, and a Prime Minister. Taxes were levied, and could be paid with handicrafts or produce.

Kamehameha also instituted a fee for licensing trade and wharfage, and encouraged the sandalwood trade with foreign ships. He initially ruled from Kawaihae on Hawai‘i Island, then from Hilo (1796—1803), then Lahaina (1803). In 1804 the center of government was moved to Honolulu, which had the best available port. (See 1803; 1804.)

· In 1795, King Kamehameha married 17-year-old Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani], who became his highest-ranking wife. (See 1795.)

With King Kamehameha I, Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani] gave birth to two future kings: Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho (King Kamehameha II), born in 1797; and Kauikeaouli (King Kamehameha III), born in 1814.

King Kamehameha and Queen Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani] were also the parents of Princess, Nāhi‘ena‘ena [Nāhi‘ena‘enaikekapuewela‘aikapēkapuokeakua; Nā‘ahi‘ena‘ena; Nahienaena; Harriet Keōpūolani], born in 1815. (See 1795; 1815.)

· In April of 1796, having already conquered O‘ahu and Maui, King Kamehameha’s invasion fleet set sail for Kaua‘i. The paramount ruler (king) of Kaua‘i at this time was Kaumuali‘i. Kamehameha’s troops left O‘ahu at midnight with an estimated 800 or more canoes and more than 8,000 soldiers.

In the channel between O‘ahu and Kaua‘i, a storm thwarted Kamehameha’s invasion attempt and destroyed many of the fleet’s canoes, which were swamped in the rough seas and stormy winds. The warriors were forced to turn back, but some of the advance troops made it to Kaua‘i and were killed when they reached shore.

· Upon the death of Kalola (the grandmother of Queen Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani]), Kamehameha honored her during the mourning period by getting tattooed and having his eye teeth knocked out.

· The last battle of King Kamehameha I occurred in Hilo in September of 1796, when his warriors defeated an uprising known as Nāmakaehā’s rebellion. Nāmakaehā’s forces were in control of Hilo when Kamehameha’s forces arrived, and a battle ensued at Kaipaloa in south Hilo.

Nāmakaehā was taken captive, and then offered as a sacrifice to Kamehameha’s war god Kūkā‘ilimoku at the heiau at Pi‘ihonua. King Kamehameha remained in Hilo, the capital of the kingdom, for the next six years.

· In 1797, King Kamehameha I forgave a fisherman who 12 years earlier had hit him with a paddle. The man was brought to King Kamehameha to be punished, but instead Kamehameha forgave the man, gave him land, and set him free.

King Kamehameha passed what came to be known as Kānāwai Māmalahoe, or “Law of the Splintered Paddle,” with the intent of protecting weak people from injustices imposed by those who are stronger. This was the first law meant to protect commoners. (See 1797.)

A Hawaiian saying states: “‘Aole i ‘ena‘ena ka imu i ka māmane me ka ‘ūlei, i ‘ena‘ena i ka la‘ola‘o.” (“The imu is not heated by māmane and ‘ūlei wood alone, but also by the kindling.”), which is explained to mean, “To be powerful, a ruler must have the loyalty of the common people as well as the chiefs.”[xiv]

· In 1801, Hualālai Volcano on Hawai‘i Island erupted above Ka‘ūpūlehu at an elevation of about 5,750 feet, and lava flowed to the ocean.

King Kamehameha I obeyed the warning of a kāula (prophet, seer) who told him that the volcano goddess Pele was angry and had to be calmed with gifts.

Kamehameha threw his offerings into the flowing lava to no avail as the eruption continued. Then Kamehameha cuts his own hair and threw it into the lava. This act was symbolic of giving his own self to Pele, and the flow of lava ceased. (See 1801.)

· In 1802, King Kamehameha I and Kalākua gave birth to Kamāmalu [Kamāmalunuiomano], the future queen as wife of King Kamehameha II (Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho). (See 1802.)

· In 1803, King Kamehameha I moved his capital from Hilo to Lahaina, and then in 1804 the capital was moved from Lahaina to Honolulu (see 1803; 1804).

An 1804 epidemic of ma‘i ‘ōku‘u (thought to be cholera) killed thousands of people made many more sick, including King Kamehameha and a significant number of his troops. This delayed (for the second time) Kamehameha’s attempt to conquer Kaua‘i.

The disease killed many of Kamehameha’s warriors, including chief Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe. In a renewed effort for a large-scale attack, Kamehameha began assembling an armada of sailing ships in Waikīkī, using foreigners to construct the vessels. (See 1804.)

· In 1810, Kaumuali‘i, ruler of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, met Kamehameha in Honolulu and signed a treaty ceding Kaua‘i to Kamehameha. Kaumuali‘i agreed to place Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau under Kamehameha’s control and to pledge allegiance to Kamehameha, though Kaumuali‘i was allowed to remain high chief of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau until he died. (See 1824.)

With this act, all the Hawaiian Islands were finally united under King Kamehameha, fulfilling the prophecy of the Pōhaku Naha (Naha Stone). King Kamehameha I declared the Hawaiian Islands to be one nation. (See 1810.) In 1812, King Kamehameha I returned to Hawai‘i Island to live in Kailua-Kona.

· King Kamehamea I died on May 8, 1819 at his Kailua-Kona home called Kamakahonu (“Eye of the Turtle”). His final reigning years were spent on Hawai‘i Island, where he ruled from the South Kona coast. When King Kamehameha became very sick, he refused the advice of a kahuna (priest) to offer one of his men as a human sacrifice to the gods, instead proclaiming “the men are kapu for the king.”

Before dying, King Kamehameha had given instructions to his trusted aid Ulumāheihei [Ulumāheiheihoapili; Hoapili] that his bones should be hidden in a secret place so they would never be found.

This was a customary tradition with chiefs’ bones, which were believed to contain mana (divine power) that must be kept away from enemies. With the help of another man, named Ho‘olulu, Hoapili carried out King Kamehameha’s wish. (Note: To this day the location of King Kamehameha’s bones remains unknown.) (See 1819, May 8.)

· King Kamehameha I was Hawai‘i’s most famous warrior and king, and the first to unite all of the Hawaiian Islands under one rule. His dynasty of succession lived on until 1872. King Kamehameha I was also known as the known as “Kamehameha the Great”; the “Napoleon of the Pacific”; “Kamehameha the Conqueror”; and the “Lion of the Pacific.” 

· For more information about King Kamehameha I, see Statue of King Kamehameha I, and U.S. Army Museum of Hawai‘i: Chapter 2; Heiau: Hawaiian Sacred Places; The Hawaiian Flag, Chapter 3; Chapter 11, Timeline: 1713; 1736; 1756; 1753; 1760; 1765; 1767; 1768; 1775; 1776; 1778, Nov.; 1778; 1779, Jan.17; 1780; 1782; 1784; 1785; 1790; 1791, May 20; 1791; 1791, Summer; 1794, Feb.25; 1794, Summer; 1794; 1795; 1795, Feb.; 1795, April; 1796, Sept.; 1796, Oct.31; 1797; 1798; 1801; 1802; 1803; 1804; 1805; 1806-1816; 1808; 1809, Jan.27; 1810; 1812; 1814, Mar.17; 1815; 1816; 1817; 1818, Oct.; 1819, May 8; 1824; 1829, Dec.2; 1872, June 11; 1882; 1883, Feb.12; 1966; 1969; 1972, Aug.17; and The Early Battles of Pai‘ea Kamehameha, Chapter 17.

c.1756—Birth of Ka‘iana‘ahu‘ula [Keawe-Ka‘iana a ‘Ahu‘ula; Ka‘iana]

to ‘Ahu‘ula [Ahaula] and Kaupekamoku.

Ka‘iana‘ahu‘ula

Keawe-Ka‘iana a ‘Ahu‘ula

Ka‘iana

Biographical Sketch:

Ka‘iana‘ahu‘ula [Keawe-Ka‘iana a ‘Ahu‘ula; Ka‘iana]

Born: c.1756.

Died: 1795.

Father: ‘Ahu‘ula [Ahaula].

Mother: Kaupekamoku.

Half-brother: Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili].

Summary of Life of:

Ka‘iana‘ahu‘ula [Keawe-Ka‘iana a ‘Ahu‘ula; Ka‘iana]:

· First Hawaiian chief to travel to foreign countries. Went to Canton, China in 1787 on the Nootka with Captain John Meares, returning on the Iphigenia with Captain William Douglas in 1788.

· A warrior chief, Ka‘iana‘ahu‘ula [Keawe-Ka‘iana a ‘Ahu‘ula; Ka‘iana] led battles for and against Kamehameha I.

· Ka‘iana‘ahu‘ula had brought back muskets and cannons from his journeys, and his knowledge of foreign weapons and high rank made him a valuable ally of Kamehameha I. This is said to have diminished after 1793 when he is alleged to have had an affair with Queen Ka‘ahumanu, the wife of King Kamehameha I.

· Led Kamehameha I’s forces against Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula [Keōua] (chief of Puna and Ka‘ū districts).

· During the 1795 invasion of O‘ahu, Ka‘iana‘ahu‘ula deserted to Kalanikūpule’s side, and died fighting the forces of Kamehameha I in the Battle of Nu‘uanu.

· An ancient Hawaiian proverb states, “‘Eu kōlea i kona puapua; ‘eu ke kanaka i kona hanu.” (“A plover stirs its tail; a man stirs because of the breath within.”) “Said by Ka‘iana, who led an army in battle under Kamehameha I. When the Puna fighters refused to battle against Keouakuahu‘ula because of the close kinship between their own district and Ka‘ū, Ka‘iana said this to urge them to think of themselves and their own lives. Encouraged, the warriors resumed fighting and won the victory for Kamehameha.”[xv]

(For more information about Ka‘iana‘ahu‘ula, see 1787, Aug.2; 1795, Feb.; 1795, April; also see The Early Battles of Pai‘ea Kamehameha, Chapter 17.)

1760—Birth of Kalanikūpule to Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] and Kauwahine.

Kalanikūpule

Biographical Sketch: Kalanikūpule

Born: 1760.

Died: 1795.

Father: Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili].

Mother: Kauwahine.

Grandparents: Kekaulikenuiahumanu [Kekaulike] and Keku‘iapoiwa (I) [Keku‘iapoiwanui].

Uncle: Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo].

Summary of Life of Kalanikūpule:

· When his father died in 1794 he became ruler of Maui and O‘ahu.

· Fought with his uncle Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo].

· Suffered defeat to Kamehameha I at 1795 Battle of Nu‘uanu Pali, and then hid in the mountains for several months before being captured and sacrificed to Kamehameha’s war god, Kūkā‘ilimoku.

(For more information about Kalanikūpule, see The Early Battles of Pai‘ea Kamehameha, Chapter 17.)

1765—Birth of Kaikio‘ewa.

Kaikio‘ewa

Biographical Sketch: Kaikio‘ewa

Born: 1765.

Died: 1839.

Father: Ka‘ianaukupe Kaolohaka-a-keawe [Ka‘ianaukupe].

Mother: Kekiko‘ola Lalanikauleleaiwi.

Wife: Kalanikaulihiwakama (sister of King Kamehameha I); Keaweamahi.

Children:

Daughter (by Kalanikaulihiwakama): Kuwahine.

Daughter (by Nahaukapu): Likelike.

Summary of Life of Kaikio‘ewa:

· Cousin of King Kamehameha I through both mother and father.

· Supporter of Kamehameha I during the civil wars.

· Guardian of Kauikeaouli, who would later become King Kamehameha III.

· Appointed as governor of Kaua‘i in 1825 after Kaua‘i rebellion was thwarted, and remained governor until he died, at which time his wife, Keaweamahi took his place.

· Went into debt during the sandalwood era due to excesses in spending on novelties.

· Converted to Protestantism, and encouraged the expulsion of Catholic priests in 1830.

(For more information about Kaikio‘ewa, see 1814, Mar. 17.)

c.1767—Birth of Pauli Ka‘ōleiokū (c.1767-1818) to Kamehameha I (his first son) and Kānekapōlei.

1768—Birth of Kalanimoku [Kālaimoku; William (Billy) Pitt] to Kekuamanohā and Kamakahukilani.

Kalanimoku

Kālaimoku

William (Billy) Pitt

Biographical Sketch: [Kālaimoku; William (Billy) Pitt]

Born: 1768.

Died: 1827.

Father: Kekuamanohā.

Mother: Kamakahukilani.

Grandparents: Kekaulikenuiahumanu [Kekaulike] and Ha‘alo‘u.

Wife: Kiliwehi.

Son: William Pitt Leleiōhoku (I), (husband of Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani). 

Summary of Life of Kalanimoku:

· Treasurer and Principal Counselor (Kālaimoku) to King Kamehameha I, and later to Kuhina Nui (Premier) Ka‘ahumanu, serving also as Ka‘ahumanu’s Treasurer, supervising all tax and fee collections.

· Present at the death of Captain Cook in 1779.

· Took the nickname of “Billy Pitt” after William Pitt, the English Prime Minister.

· Baptized a Roman Catholic in 1819 aboard the L‘Uranie, in the presence of Kuhina Nui (Premier) Ka‘ahumanu and King Kamehameha II (Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho). The scene was painted by Jacques Arago (1790—1855), the ship‘s artist, who wrote and illustrated accounts of the Hawaiian Islands during the French expedition.

[Illustration: Scene above depicted by Arago.]

· Guardian of young Kamehameha II (Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho).

· Helped defeat Kaua‘i rebellion of 1824 led by George P. Kaumuali‘i. (See 1824.)

· Sent ships on numerous trading voyages, including to America, the South Seas and the Russian-American colonies.

For more information about Kalanimoku [Kālaimoku; William (Billy) Pitt], see 1797; 1819; May 20, 1824.)

1768 – 1771—British explorer Captain James Cook takes his first voyage of “discovery” in the South Pacific.

1768—Birth of Ka‘ahumanu (at Hāna, Maui) to Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe and Nāmāhānaikaleleonalani [Nāmāhana].

Queen Ka‘ahumanu

Biographical Sketch: Queen Ka‘ahumanu

Born: c.1768.

Died: 1832.

Father: Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe.

Mother: Nāmāhānaikaleleonalani [Nāmāhana].

Brothers: Ke‘eaumoku (II) [Governor Cox]; Kuakini [Kaluaikonahale; John Adams].

Sister: Kalākua.

Husband: King Kamehameha I, and then later, Kaua‘i’s paramount ruler King Kamuali‘i, and his heir Keali‘iahonui.

Children: Foster mother of Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho (the future Kamehameha II).

On father’s side:

Grandparents: Keawepoepoe and Kūma‘aikū.

On mother’s side:

Grandparents: Kekaulikenuiahumanu [Kekaulike] and Ha‘alo‘u (parents of Nāmāhānaikaleleonalani [Nāmāhana]).

Summary of Life of Queen Ka‘ahumanu:

· Queen as favorite wife of King Kamehameha I.

· Born in Hāna, Maui at Pōnahakeone (“Circle [of] the sand”).[xvi]

· When King Kamehameha I died, he established the office of Kuhina Nui (Premier, or Regent), allowing Ka‘ahumanu, his favorite wife, to become co-ruler with King Kamehameha II (Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho), and she served in that capacity from 1819 to 1832. This severely diminished the power of King Kamehameha II.

· Within months of assuming the throne, King Kamehameha II ate food in public with the dowager queens Ka‘ahumanu and Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani], thus breaking the kapu against men and women eating together.

Since the defiant act brought no retribution from the gods, eating together was no longer kapu, and this began a process that eroded traditional Hawaiian religious beliefs, and eventually led to the complete overturning of the traditional kapu system. (See 1819, May 20.)

· Known as a strict ruler, Kuhina Nui (Premier) Ka‘ahumanu was left in charge of the government of the Hawaiian Kingdom when the royal party visited London in 1823, and with the assistance of Kalanimoku [Kālaimoku; William (Billy) Pitt] she helped to stop the Kaua‘i rebellion that was led by George P. Kaumuali‘i.

· Became a strong proponent of Protestantism, and was baptized in December of 1825. Ka‘ahumanu was taught to read and write by the Reverend Hiram Bingham (1789—1869), who was the first to translate the New Testament into the Hawaiian language. Bingham presented Ka‘ahumanu with the first copy of the new translation shortly before her death in 1832.

· Died on June 5, 1832 at her Mānoa Valley home called Puka‘ōma‘o, which means “Green opening” (the home had green shutters).

· Ka‘ahumanu means “The bird [feather] cloak.”[xvii]

(For more information about Ka‘ahumanu, see 1768; 1780; 1782; 1785; 1797; 1803; 1805; 1814, Mar.17; 1819, May 8; 1819, May 20; 1821, July 21; 1823, Nov. 27; 1824; 1829, Dec. 2; 1831; 1832, June 5; 1838; 1843, Feb.10.)

1772 – 1775—British explorer Captain James Cook completes a second successful journey in southern waters, covering more than 60,000 miles (96,561 km).

1775—The Hawai‘i Island warriors of Kalani‘ōpu‘u, including the young warrior chief, Kamehameha (the future King Kamehameha I), battle the Maui warriors of Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] in the Battle of Kalaeoka‘īlio (“The Cape of the Dog”). This is Kamehameha’s first major battle.

The battle is instigated by Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili], who is angered by the recent slaughter of his people at Kaupō on Maui and raises an army led by the famous warrior Kāne‘ōlaelae. Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] orders his forces to avenge the attack on his people at Kaupō, and a heated battle takes place at Kaupō between the warriors of Kalani‘ōpu‘u and Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili].

The conflict becomes known as the Battle of Kalaeoka‘īlio (“The Cape of the Dog”). Kekūhaupi‘o, the mentor and war instructor of Kamehameha, shows fearless bravery in this battle, and when Kekūhaupi‘o is suddenly surrounded my Maui warriors he is rescued by the young Kamehameha. This is the first major battle of the rising warrior chief Kamehameha, fighting on the side of Kalani‘ōpu‘u.

Despite the valiant fighting of Kalani‘ōpu‘u’s forces, they are outnumbered and have to flee the battlefield, and the Maui warriors are victorious. Many Hawai‘i Island warriors die in this battle. Those who survive returned to Hawai‘i Island where Kalani‘ōpu‘u again prepares to avenge his defeat by Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili].

The young warrior Kamehameha is displeased at having been ordered to attack the Kaupō people, and tells Kalani‘ōpu‘u that the such cowardly acts of war will not be supported by the war god.

Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] is informed of the valiant fighting of the two warriors Kamehameha and Kekūhaupi‘o, and he mentions to some of his chiefs that perhaps this brave warrior Kamehameha is his son.

[Note: Though the father of King Kamehameha is usually listed as Keōuakupuapāikalaninui [Keōuanui], many think Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] is indeed the true biological father because Kamehameha’s mother Keku‘iapoiwa had visited Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] before the young ali‘i Pai‘ea Kamehameha was born.]

Kalani‘ōpu‘u then orders his most proficient fighters, the 800 warriors of the Chiefly Army of Keawe, to move inland to Wailuku toward the plain of Kama‘oma‘o. There they will confront the Maui warriors of Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] who are also supported by the O‘ahu warriors of Kahāhana.

The Maui and O‘ahu warriors hide at the sand dunes of Waikapū and nearby at a spot seaward of Wailuku, awaiting the arrival of Kalani‘ōpu‘u’s forces, who are soon surrounded.

All of Kalani‘ōpu‘u’s Chiefly Army is slain except for two messengers who are left alive so they may bring the news of the slaughter to Kalani‘ōpu‘u. This battle comes to be known as ‘Ālapa and Pi‘ipi‘i Heaped Up at Kakanilua, or Battle of the Sand Dunes.[xviii] (See Kamehameha’s First Major Battle, Chapter 12.)

1775—Kamehameha I overturns the Pōhaku Naha (Naha Stone) on Hawai‘i Island. A high priestess predicted that whoever could move this nearly 5,000-pound (2,268-kg) stone would conquer all of the Hawaiian Islands. In attendance was the prophetess Kalaniwahine. (See Naha Stone and Pinao Stone in Hawai‘i Island section, Chapter 2.)

1775, April 19—In North America, the Revolutionary War begins.

1776, July—The British government sends Captain James Cook to the North Pacific in search of a “Northwest Passage,” a sea route (that did not exist and so was never found) across the North American continent from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.

1776, July 4—In the United States, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Declaration of Independence is proclaimed.

1776—Birth of Ulumāheihei [Ulumāheiheihoapili; Hoapili] to Kame‘eiamoku and Keali‘iokahekili.

Ulumāheihei

Ulumāheiheihoapili

Hoapili

Biographical Sketch:

Ulumāheihei[Ulumāheiheihoapili; Hoapili]

Born: 1776.

Died: 1840.

Father: Kame‘eiamoku (one of the sacred royal twins of Kekaulikenuiahumanu [Kekaulike]).

Mother: Keali‘iokahekili.

Summary of Life of:

Ulumāheihei[Ulumāheiheihoapili; Hoapili]:

· A close friend of Kamehameha I, Ulumāheihei was given the name Hoapili because of his close friendship with Kamehameha I (Hoapili means “Close personal friend”).

· After King Kamehameha I’s death in 1819, Ulumāheihei [Ulumāheiheihoapili; Hoapili] was entrusted with hiding the King Kamehameha’s bones. (See 1819, May 8.)

· Hoapili was supportive of the overthrow of the traditional kapu system in 1819.

· After Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani] died, Hoapili married Kalākua (the daughter of Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe and Nāmāhānaikaleleonalani [Nāmāhana]), and had a child, Kekāuluohi [Miriam ‘Auhea], who later gave birth, with Charles Kana‘ina, to the future King Lunalilo. Kalākua also gave birth (with King Kamehameha I) to Kamāmalu [Kamāmalunuiomano] (queen as wife of King Kamehameha II (Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho)).

· Hoapili married King Kamehameha’s sacred wife, Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani], becoming her sole husband when she abandoned polygamy.

· From 1836 to 1840, Hoapili was governor of Lāna‘i, Maui, and Moloka‘i.

· An ancient Hawaiian proverb states, “Ulumaheihei wale no, iāia o loko, iāia o waho.” (“Ulumaheihei knows everything inside and out.”) “One who knows everything. Ulumaheihei was a very close friend of Kamehameha, who renamed him Hoapili. He was the king’s most trusted friend and knew every affair of the kingdom. It was to him that Kamehameha entrusted his bones after death.”[xix]

(For more information about Ulumāheihei, see 1819, May 8; 1836-1840.)

1778, January 18—British Captain James Cook (see 1728), on a voyage of discovery for England and in command of the HMS Discovery and the HMS Resolution, comes into view of O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, and Ni‘ihau, and thus the ships’ crews become the first (documented) Westerners and the first non-Polynesians to reach the Hawaiian Islands.

On January 19, Cook anchors his ships off the mouth of Kaua‘i’s Wailua River and barters with the natives. The ships’ crews trade nails and pieces of iron for water, pigs, fowl, plantains, sweet potatoes, and taro corms. Then on Jan. 20, 1778, Cook and some of his men go ashore for the first time at Waimea Bay, Kaua‘i.

Cook names the islands the Sandwich Islands, in honor of his patron, the First Lord of the Admiralty, the Earl of Sandwich. Cook’s visit also introduces goats and a different (larger) breed of boar to the Hawaiian Islands.

The population of the Hawaiian Islands at this time is later estimated by Captain Cook’s crew to be about 400,000. (Note: Later estimates vary from less than 300,000 to more than 700,000.) (See Captain Cook Establishes Western Contact, Chapter 12.)

1778, February 2— British Captain James Cook visits the island of Ni‘ihau, and leaves behind three goats, including one ram and two ewes. These were the first goats in the Hawaiian Islands. Cook leaves the Hawaiian Islands and sets sail for the American west coast, renewing his search for the elusive (because it is non-existent) “Northwest Passage,” a northwest route to the Atlantic Ocean.

1778, November 25—After a fruitless journey in search of a northwest route to the Atlantic, Cook is back in Hawaiian waters. He first sees the island of Maui, and then continues on to the south in search of safe anchorage.

1778, November—The young ali‘i (royal) chief Kamehameha goes aboard Captain Cook’s ship, the HMS Resolution anchored off Maui’s east side near Hāna. Kamehameha remains on board overnight with six other chiefs, and the following day the Hawai‘i Island ruling chief Kalani‘ōpu‘u visits the ship.

1778—Birth of Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani] (the future queen of Hawai‘i) to Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] and Keku‘iapoiwa Liliha [Kaniu].

Queen Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani]

Biographical Sketch:

Queen Keōpūolani

[Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani]

Born: 1778.

Died: 1823.

Father: Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli].

Mother: Keku‘iapoiwa Liliha [Kaniu].

Grandparents: Kalani‘ōpu‘u and Kalola (parents of Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli]).

Great grandparents: Kekaulikenuiahumanu [Kekaulike] and Keku‘iapoiwa (I) [Keku‘iapoiwanui] (parents of Kalola).

Grandparents: Keōuakupuapāikalaninui [Keōuanui] and Kalola (parents of Keku‘iapoiwa Liliha [Kaniu]).

Husband: King Kamehameha I.

Children: King Kamehameha II (Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho), King Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli), and Princess Nāhi‘ena‘ena [Nāhi‘ena‘enaikekapuewela‘aikapēkapuokeakua; Nā‘ahi‘ena‘ena; Nahienaena; Harriet Keōpūolani].

Summary of Life of Queen Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani]:

· Keōpūolani means “The gathering of the clouds of heaven,” also translated as “The cluster of royal chiefs.” [xx]

· Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani] is a descendent of four high-chiefly lines, including her father, Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli], and her mother Keku‘iapoiwa Liliha [Kaniu].

· As the granddaughter of Kalola, Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani] was raised under many kapu (prohibitions) as a sacred person.

· In 1795, at the age of 17, Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani] became the sacred wife of King Kamehameha I. When Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani] was about 11 years old, Kalola had promised her to Kamehameha in marriage.

· With King Kamehameha I, Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani] gave birth to two future kings, Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho (Kamehameha II) and Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III), and a princess, Nāhi‘ena‘ena [Nāhi‘ena‘enaikekapuewela‘aikapēkapuokeakua; Nā‘ahi‘ena‘ena; Nahienaena; Harriet Keōpūolani].

· An hour before her death, queen mother Keōpūolani [Keōpūolanikauhiakama; Kalanikauika‘alaneokeōpūolani] became the first native Hawaiian to receive the Protestant rite of baptism. (See 1823, September 16.)

(For more information about Keōpūolani, see 1768; 1776; 1795; 1797; 1814, Mar. 17; 1815; 1819, May 20; 1823, Sep. 16.)

1779, January 17—Captain Cook sails the Resolution into Kealakekua Bay on Hawai‘i Island’s Kona coast, seeking to restock his ships and let his men recover from their journey so they may press on for further exploration.

Captain Cook is unaware that he is visiting the Hawaiian Islands during the ancient Hawaiian harvest festival known as Makahiki, which began with the first appearance of the crescent moon following the new moon after the appearance of the constellation Makali‘i (Pleiades) rising in the east after sunset (around the middle of October), and lasted several months.

During the Makahiki, time was taken away from work for feasts, sports games, and other events in honor of Lono, the god of agricultural fertility.

Processions and celebrations, unlike any he had encountered before, greet Cook, who is apparently received as the god Lono. Accounts of this vary, and some dispute whether Cook was indeed revered as Lono, or whether Cook was bestowed with honors for other reasons. (See Appendices 1,2.) Hawaiian beliefs held that Lono had long ago departed from Kealakekua Bay, promising to return.

Cook is brought to Hikiau Heiau, a luakini heiau (where human sacrifices were performed). (Note: Hikiau Heiau is now a State Monument; see Hawai‘i Island section, Chapter 2.)

Though the exact details of Cook’s treatment by the native Hawaiians remains uncertain, many accounts say that kāhuna (native priests) praise Cook as the god Lono, putting sacred red kapa (tapa) barkcloth on him and offering sacred chants. During this visit, Cook meets the young chief Kamehameha (for the second time), along with Kalani‘ōpu‘u, the ruler of the island of Hawai‘i. (See 1778, Nov.)

[Illustration: Map of Cook’s route to Hawaiian Islands in 1778, and then north, returning to the Hawaiian Islands in 1779.]

1779, February 4—Captain Cook leaves Kealakekua Bay on Hawai‘i Island to survey the other Hawaiian Islands before heading off again on his explorations. As Cook and his crew depart, the foremast of the HMS Resolution breaks. Cook returns to Kealakekua Bay.

1779, February 14—British Captain James Cook is killed during a violent encounter with native Hawaiians on the shore of Kealakekua Bay.

Varying written accounts detail how Captain Cook died. The story is generally told as follows: One of Cook’s boats (a cutter, the Discovery’s largest boat) was stolen during the night of February 13.

In the morning Cook’s men blockade the harbor so no one can escape. Cook goes ashore with nine of his men to retrieve the boat. Their plan is to bring Kalani‘ōpu‘u (the ruler of the island of Hawai‘i) back to the ship, and then hold him captive until the stolen boat is returned.

Cook and his men awaken the chief and compel him to come to the ship, and then they proceed toward shore. Meanwhile, a canoe attempts to pass the harbor blockade, and members of Cook’s crew fire on the natives, killing a chief. A large crowd gathers nearshore when the natives learn that one of their chiefs has been killed. Just then Cook and his men, with Kalani‘ōpu‘u, reach shore to go out to the ship.

In an encounter with the angry natives, Cook and his men fire upon the group. As they reload they are attacked. Cook yells for his men to “Take to the boats!,” but it’s too late.

Cook is stabbed in the neck and killed, and floats face down in the water. At least four of Cook’s men are also killed. (Note: Accounts of this event vary—see Captain Cook section, Chapter 3; and The Death of Captain Cook, Chapter 12.)

1780—Birth of Kaumuali‘i to Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo] and Kamakahelei.

King Kaumuali‘i

Biographical Sketch: King Kaumuali‘i 

Born: c.1780.

Died: 1824.

Father: Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo].

Mother: Kamakahelei.

Grandparents: Kekaulikenuiahumanu [Kekaulike] and Holau (parents of Kā‘eokūlani [Kā‘eo]).

Son: George P.(Prince) Kaumuali‘i (Humehume).

Grandchildren: Queen Kapi‘olani, Virginia Kapo‘oloku Po‘omaikelani, and Esther Kinoiki Kekaulike (children of Kūhiō and Kinoiki).

Favorite Queen: Deborah Kapule [Kekaiha‘akūlou]

Summary of Life of King Kaumuali‘i:

· Paramount ruler (king) of Kaua‘i.

· Ceded the island of Kaua‘i to King Kamehameha I in 1810, allowing King Kamehameha I to declare the Hawaiian Islands one nation (the united Hawaiian Kingdom).

· Supported (unauthorized) Russian occupation (led by Georg Anton Schäffer) of Kaua‘i in 1816—1817.

· Pledged his allegiance to King Kamehameha II (Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho) on September 16, 1821, at Waimea, Kaua‘i, and accepted Liholiho’s sovereignty.

· Taken prisoner by King Kamehameha II (Kalaninui ‘Iolani Liholiho) on September 16, 1821, aboard the royal ship, Ha‘aheo o Hawai‘i (Pride of Hawai‘i) and then taken to O‘ahu.

· On October 9, 1821, Kaumuali‘i married Kuhina Nui (Premier) Ka‘ahumanu, former favorite wife of King Kamehameha I. 

(For more information about Kaumuali‘i, see 1768; 1796, April; 1797; 1798; 1810; 1815; 1820, May 3; 1821; 1824, July 21.)

1780—Kalani‘ōpu‘u, the ruler of the island of Hawai‘i, meets with chiefs in Waipi‘o Valley, telling them that, that after he dies: his oldest son, Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli], will be the new ruler of Hawai‘i Island; his son Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula [Keōua] will get land; Kamehameha (Kalani‘ōpu‘u’s nephew) will become chief of Kohala, on land that was Kamehameha’s by inheritance; and Kamehameha will also be given guardianship of the family’s feathered war god, Kūkā‘ilimoku, along with the responsibility of caring for the heiau (sacred places of worship) that are associated with the war god.

Kalani‘ōpu‘u then captures an enemy chief of Puna named ‘Īmakakoloa [Imakaloa] for a human sacrifice ceremony to consolidate his chiefdom. ‘Īmakakoloa is taken to the Ka‘ū luakini heiau (where human sacrifices were performed) called Hālauwilua in Kamā‘oa in the ahupua‘a of Pākini; When Kalani‘ōpu‘u’s son, Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli], initiates the sacrificial ceremony, Kamehameha boldly steps in and finishes the ritual, placing ‘Īmakakoloa on the altar. This action by Kamehameha causes controversy and leads to a rift between Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] and Kamehameha, who then returns to Kohala.

1781—In a battle known as Kaumupīka‘o, Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] regains control of East Maui, including the fort at Hāna.

1781—Birth of Kapi‘olani (I) to Keawemauhili[xxi] and Ululani.

Kapi‘olani (I)

Kapi‘olaninui

Biographical Sketch: Kapi‘olani

Born: 1781.

Died: 1841.

Father: Keawemauhili, high chief of Hilo.

Mother: Ululani.

Brother: Keaweokahikona.

Husband: Nāihe.

Summary of Life of Kapi‘olani (I) [Kapi‘olaninui]:

· As a child, Kapi‘olani (I) was captured with her parents after being defeated in the Battle of Moku‘ōhai; they escaped, but the infant Kapi‘olani (I) was abandoned in the forest, and later found.

· Converted by Protestant missionaries, Kapi‘olani led a march in 1824 on Hawai‘i Island, from Kona to Kīlauea Volcano, where she defied Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes, by proclaiming the power of Jehovah. When the marchers were not engulfed by lava, at least 90 more converts joined with her.

· Kapi‘olani means “The arch of heaven,” referring to a rainbow, which is a traditional sign of royalty.

· Kapi‘olani’s niece and namesake was Queen Kapi‘olani (1834—1899), wife of King Kalākaua [David La‘amea Kalākaua].

· “Kapiolani,” a dramatic poem about Kapi‘olani’s march to the volcano, was written by English poet laureate, Lord Tennyson.

Kapiolani, by Lord Alfred Tennyson

When from the terrors of Nature a people have fashion’d and worship a Spirit of Evil

Blest be the Voice of the Teacher who calls to them,

“Set yourselves free!”

Noble the Saxon who hurled at his Idol a valorous weapon in olden England!

Great, and greater, and greatest of women, island heroine Kapiolani

Clomb the mountain, and flung the berries and dared the Goddess, and freed the people

Of Hawa-i-ee!

A people believing that Peelè the Goddess would wallow in fiery riot and revel

On Kilauea,

Dance in a fountain of flame with her devils or shake with her thunders and shatter her island,

Rolling her anger

Thro’ blasted valley and flowing forest in blood-red cataracts down to the sea!

Long as the lava-light

Glares from the lava-take,

Dazing the starlight;

Long as the silvery vapor in daylight

Over the mountain

Floats, will the glory of Kapiolani be mingled with either on Hawa-i-ee.

What said her Priesthood?

“Woe to this island if ever a woman should handle or gather the berries of Peelè

Accursed were she!

And woe to this island if ever a woman should climb to the dwelling of Peelè the Goddess!

Accursed were she!”

One from the Sunrise

Dawned on His people and slowly before him

Vanished shadow-like

Gods and Goddesses,

None but the terrible Peelè remaining as Kapiolani

Ascended her mountain,

Baffled her priesthood,

Broke the Taboo,

Dipt to the crater,

Called on the Power adored by the Christian and crying, “I dare her, let Peelè avenge herself!”

Into the flame-billows dashed the berries, and drove the demon from Hawa-i-ee.

1782—The young ali‘i (royal) warrior chief Kamehameha leads his warrior army to victory at the Battle of Moku‘ōhai, fought in Ke‘ei, Kona on Hawai‘i Island. The high chief Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] is killed, and Kamehameha leads his chiefs to victory.

When Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli dies he is wearing a cloak constructed with the yellow feathers of the ‘ō‘ō (Moho species), and adorned with red triangles made from feathers of ‘i‘iwi (Vestiaria coccinea). After Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli is killed, the cloak becomes the property of Kamehameha. Note: This cloak is now in the Bishop Museum.

Accounts differ on the sequence of events leading to Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli’s death. One account states that an injured Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe crawled to Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli, who also had been injured, and then Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe slit the neck of Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli with a leiomano (shark-tooth weapon). Other accounts say Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli was stabbed to death, or killed by stones.

After Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli is killed, Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula [Keōua] flees to Ka‘ū and Keawemauhili is captured, but then is allowed to escape, presumably because of his high rank. After the Battle of Moku‘ōhai, the island of Hawai‘i is divided into three chiefdoms:

· Keawemauhili rules Hilo and a portion of Puna and Hāmākua.

· Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula rules Ka‘ū and part of Puna.

· Kamehameha rules Kona, Kohala and northern Hāmākua.

Kamehameha then campaigns for nearly a decade to control the rest of the island of Hawai‘i. Kamehameha’s two opponents are: Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula (the younger brother of Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] and chief of Puna and Ka‘ū) and Keawemauhili (Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula’s uncle and Kalani‘ōpu‘u’s brother).

Kamehameha also begins a military campaign to conquer other Hawaiian Islands. (See The Death of Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli at the Battle of Moku‘ōhai, Chapter 12.)

1782, April—Hawai‘i Island ruler Kalani‘ōpu‘u dies and his oldest son, Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli], brings the deceased ruler’s bones to Hale-o-Keawe, the Royal Mausoleum at Pu‘uhonua o Hōnaunau in Kona on Hawai‘i Island.

As specified by Kalani‘ōpu‘u before his death (see 1780), his oldest son, Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli, becomes the new ruler of Hawai‘i Island, and his other son, Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula [Keōua], is given land.

Kalani‘ōpu‘u’s nephew, Kamehameha, is given guardianship of the family’s feathered war god, Kūkā‘ilimoku, and also becomes chief of Kohala on the island of Hawai‘i.

Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli then redivides the lands of Hawai‘i Island. Chief counselor for Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] at this time is Keawemauhili, who is given large portions of Kona and Hilo. Kamehameha and Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula [Keōua] are both slighted by the redivision of lands, which takes away from Kamehameha and the Kona chiefs lands that were formerly under their rule.

The redivision of lands on Hawai‘i Island by Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli angers the Kona’s chiefs. When Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli attempts to strip away the ahupua‘a (natural watershed land divisions extending from the mountains to the sea), this causes Kamehameha to unite with the chiefs of Kona, and he becomes their leader.

Loyal to Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli are chiefs of Ka‘ū, Puna, and Hilo, including Kalani‘ōpu‘u’s brother, Keawemauhili. (See The Rise of the Warrior Kamehameha, Chapter 12.)

The following Kona chiefs become loyal to Kamehameha:

· Kalua‘apana Keaweāheulu (Kamehameha’s uncle).

· Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe (Queen Ka‘ahumanu’s father).

· Kekūhaupi‘o (Warrior teacher of Kamehameha).

· Kala‘imāmahu [Kala‘imamahū] (Son of Keōuakupuapāikalaninui [Keōuanui] and Kamakaeheikuli; half-brother of Kamehameha).

· Kawelo‘okalani (Half-brother of Kamehameha).

· Keli‘imaika‘i [Keali‘imaka‘i; Kalanimālokuloku; Kalanimāloku; Kalanimālokulokuikepo‘okalani; Kalanimālokulokuikapo‘okalani], the brother of Kamehameha).

· Kame‘eiamoku and Kamanawa (sacred royal twins of Kekaulikenuiahumanu [Kekaulike], the sons of Keawepoepoe and Kanoena (Kame‘eiamoku and Kamanawa are depicted on the State of Hawai‘i’s official coat of arms).

Chiefs aligned against Kamehameha include:

· Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] (Kalani‘ōpu‘u’s oldest son, and heir to his rule of the island of Hawai‘i).

· Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula (the younger brother of Kīwala‘ō Kauikeaouli [Kīwala‘ō Kauikeouli] and chief of Puna and Ka‘ū).

· Keawemauhili (Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula’s uncle and Kalani‘ōpu‘u’s brother).

I lele no ka lupe i ke pola.

It is the tail that makes the kite fly.

It is the number of followers that raises the prestige of the chief.

(Pukui: 1226-133)

1783—The forces of Maui’s ruler Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] attack Kahāhana’s forces on O‘ahu, and Kahekili emerges victorious as the ruler of O‘ahu.

1783—The warriors of Kamehameha battle the warriors of Keawemauhili, his twin brother Keōuape‘e‘ale, and Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula [Keōua], at Pua‘aloa near Pana‘ewa (near Hilo).

Kamehameha and Kekūhaupi‘o lead the land forces, totaling about 12,000 warriors, while Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe leads the sea forces, totaling about 20,000 warriors with 800 canoes.

The fleet lands at Kawaihae during a storm known as Kaua‘awa, and thus the battle is known as Kaua Kaua‘awa (“Battle of the Bitter Rain”). Kamehameha’s warriors are thwarted and retreat to Laupāhoehoe.

1784—Kamehameha’s warrior teacher and mentor, Kekūhaupi‘o (“The standing [of the] arched hau tree”[xxii]), dies while engaged in a mock battle in Nāpō‘opo‘o on Hawai‘i Island.

Kekūhaupi‘o had fought in several battles with, and for, Kamehameha, and Kamehameha had saved Kekūhaupi‘o’s life in the 1775 battle against the forces of Maui’s ruler Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] (see 1775).

Kekūhaupi‘o was also present at Kealakekua Bay when Captain Cook was killed. (See 1779, Feb.14.) It was also Kekūhaupi‘o’s message about the death of a chief across the bay that agitated the Hawaiians against Cook’s group, resulting in Cook’s death.

An ancient Hawaiian proverb states, “O ke ali‘i lilo i ka le‘ale‘a a mālama ‘ole i ke kanaka me ke kapu akua, ‘a‘ole ia he ali‘i e ku ai i ka moku.” (“The chief, who is taken with pleasure seeking and cares not for the welfare of the people or the observation of the kapu of the gods, is not the chief who will become a ruler.”) “Said by Kekuhaupi‘o to Kamehameha. Advice to young people that success comes not by seeking idle pleasure but by living up to one’s beliefs and caring for the welfare of others.”[xxiii]

1784—The official account of Captain James Cook’s third voyage includes the first published chart of the Hawaiian Islands. (See Early Publications, Chapter 12.)

1785—The rising warrior Pai‘ea Kamehameha, the future King Kamehameha I, marries Ka‘ahumanu, the daughter of Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa‘iaheahe and Nāmāhānaikaleleonalani [Nāmāhana] (the sister of Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili]).

1785—Under the command of Captain James Hanna, an unnamed fur-trading brig on its way to China becomes the first trading ship to stop in the Hawaiian Islands.

1785— Kahekilinui‘ahumanu [Kahekili] defeats a conspiracy and revolt against him on O‘ahu. This insurrection is known as Waipi‘o-Kimopo.

 

1785—The warriors of Keōuakū‘ahu‘ula [Keōua] battle the warriors of Kamehameha on Hawai‘i Island at a battle called Hapu‘u. Neither side is victorious, and Kamehameha returns to Kohala.

1786, March 6—French navigator Count de la Pérouse surveys an atoll reef in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, which later comes to be known as French Frigate Shoals.

Two frigates, the Boussole and the Astrolabe, almost wreck on the reef, and the French Frigate Shoals gain their name in honor of this near mishap. This was the first documented Western discovery of French Frigate Shoals. (See 1786, May 29; 1790.)

1786, May 24— Nathaniel Portlock in command of the King George and George Dixon in command of the Queen Charlotte become the first foreign captains to reach the Hawaiian Islands after the death of Captain Cook in 1779 when they arrive at Kealakekua Bay from London.

The two ships stop in the Hawaiian Islands on their way from London to China after having stopped at America’s Northwest Coast.

Both the Queen Charlotte and the King George are sponsored by the King George Sound Company, which had gained exclusive trading rights on America’s Northwest Coast in an attempt to avoid conflict with the East India Company and the South Sea Company.

The ships sail on to Waimea, Kaua‘i, and scout out likely ports for rest and provisioning for future fur trading vessels sailing to China from the Pacific Northwest.

George Dixon had been an armorer on the Discovery under Captain Cook. Nathaniel Portlock also had sailed with Cook on his third Pacific voyage, which was the first to establish Western contact with the Hawaiian Islands.

The King George: first arrives in the Hawaiian Islands on May 24, 1786; leaves June 13, 1786; returns November 16, 1786; spends the winter in the Hawaiian Islands, leaves March 3, 1787; arrives again September 27, 1787; and then leaves on October 7, 1787.

The Queen Charlotte first arrives in the Hawaiian Islands on May 20, 1786; leaves June 13, 1786; returns on November 16, 1786; departs on March 15, 1787, arrives again on September 5, 1787; and then leaves on September 18, 1787.

1786, May 29—Under the command of French navigator Count de la Pérouse, two French naval frigates, the Boussole and the Astrolabe, arrive at Maui.

Pérouse had been chosen by Louis XVI to command the two, 500-ton (452-mton) armed frigates. Sailing along Maui’s southwest coast he is met by about 150 canoes. Pérouse first makes a landing on Maui on May 30, 1786 at the spot now known as La Pérouse Bay (Hawaiian name: Kalepolepo). The next day Pérouse goes ashore with an armed party and exchanges gifts.

The ships also visit the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (see 1786, March 6) and name Necker Island after a French statesman. After other adventures, the ships, carrying goods to trade, leave Australia in 1788 and then mysteriously vanish.

Some 40 years later it is revealed that the ships were caught in a storm