The Aliʻi nui of Maui was the supreme ruler of the islands of

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

, one of the four main

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

as well as the smaller island of

Lanai Lanai ( haw, Lānai, , , also ,) is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the smallest publicly accessible inhabited island in the chain. It is colloquially known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple pl ...

. The title is the same as that of the ''Alii nui'' of the other islands. The title or phrase ''Mōʻī'' is sometimes used for the title of the monarchs of Maui; however, it is not an ancient word in the

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language o ...

and has origins in the mid 19th century. The only monarchs to officially hold the title of ''Mōʻī'' are

Kalākaua Kalākaua (David Laʻamea Kamananakapu Mahinulani Naloiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua; November 16, 1836 – January 20, 1891), sometimes called The Merrie Monarch, was the last king and penultimate monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Kin ...

and his sister Liliuokalani.

Overview

The monarchs of

, like those of the other Hawaiian islands, claim descent from

Wākea In the Hawaiian religion, Wākea, the Sky father weds Papahānaumoku, the earth mother. The two are considered the parent couple of the ruling chiefs of Hawaii. ''Wākea'' was the eldest son of Kahiko ("Ancient One"), who lived in Olalowaia. ...

and

Papa Papa is a word used in many languages as an affectionate term for father. Papa or PAPA may refer to: Geography and geology *Pápa, a town in Hungary *Papa village (Samoa), on the island of Savai'i *Papa, Scotland, various islands *Papa rock, ...

. They were sometimes referred to as ''Mōī'' beginning in the mid 19th century, and would later become commonly translated from the

into English as the word "

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Paumakua Paumakua is a name of one ancient chief who lived in ancient Hawaii and was Alii nui of Maui. He is described in legends as a ruler of the island of Maui. His genealogy is given in ancient chant ''Kumulipo''. Because of his father, he is also kno ...

, the first ruler of Maui, was thirty-first in line of descent from Wakea. In the beginning, from about Paumakua of Maui down to

Kawaokaohele Kawaokaohele ( Hawaiian for "our days of poverty") was a High Chief who ruled the island of Maui in ancient Hawaii. Biography Kawaokaohele was a son of Kahekili I and Haukanuimakamaka, who was a High Chiefess and is also known as Hauanuihonial ...

's reign, the ''Alii nui'' of Maui only controlled the much larger western portion of the island while the chiefs of Hana remained independent.

Mauiloa Mauiloa was a High Chief (''Aliʻi'') of Maui. He is mentioned in legends and old chants and was likely a semi-historical person or character from myths. He had control over portions of Western Maui and relied on the allegiance of many district c ...

had tried to unite the island once, but troubles with the Hana chief continued. It was under

Piʻilani Piʻilani ("ascent to heaven") (born ca. 1460) ruled as Mōʻī of the island of Maui in the later part of the 15th century. At the time Maui was an independent kingdom within the islands of Hawaii. He was the first ''Aliʻi'' to unite the isl ...

's reign that he conquered the east and united Maui for the first time.

Kahekili II Kahekili II, full name Kahekilinuiʻahumanu, (c. 1737–1794) was an ali'i (''Moʻi'') of Maui. His name was short for Kāne-Hekili after the Hawaiian god of thunder. Because Kāne-Hekili was believed to be black on one side, Kahekili tattooed o ...

expanded his empire by conquering the neighbouring island of

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

in 1783 and through marriage of his brother allied himself with the Queen of Kauai. However, his son

Kalanikūpule Kalanikūpule (1760–1795) was the Alii nui of Maui, Mōī of Maui and King of Oahu, Oahu. He was the last king to physically fight with Kamehameha I over the Hawaiian Islands. Kalanikūpule was the last of the longest line of ''aliʻi nui'' in th ...

was the last of his line. Maui was weakened when Kalanikupule and his uncle, Kaeokulani, fought over the succession to the throne. Maui along with Oahu fell to

Kamehameha I Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiikui Kamehameha o Iolani i Kaiwikapu kaui Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; – May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii. T ...

in 1795 and ushered in the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island ...

''Alii nui'' of Maui

*Alii nui

1460-1490 *Alii nui Lono-a-Pi'ilani 1490-1520 *Alii nui Kiha-a-Pi'ilani 1520-1550 *Alii nui Kamalalawalu 1550-1580 *Alii nui

Kauhiakama Kauhiakama (Kauhi-a-Kama) was a Alii nui of Maui, king of the island of Maui in ancient Hawaii. He was a son of King Kamalalawalu and his wife, Queen Piʻilaniwahine I. Kauhiakama married Kapukini, who was descended from Līloa. Their child was K ...

1580-1610 *Alii nui

Kalanikaumakaowākea Kalanikaumakaowākea (or Kalanikaumaka-o-Wākea) was an ''Aliʻi nui'' of the island of Maui in ancient Hawaii. He was named after the god called Wākea, who is the Sky father in Hawaiian religion and mythology. Family Kalanikaumakaowākea was t ...

1610-1640 *Alii nui Lonohonuakini 1640-1670 *Alii nui

Kaulahea II Kaulahea may refer to: * Kaulahea I, 10th Moi of Maui * Kaulahea II, 22nd Moi of Maui * Kaulahea Kaohelalani Wilcox, Hawaiian prince, son of Orson Kiha-a-Piilani Wilcox {{Disambiguation ...

1670-1690 *Alii nui Kekaulike 1690–1736 *Alii nui Kamehamehanui Ailuau 1736–1765 *Alii nui

1765–1794 *Alii nui Kaeokulani 1794 *Alii nui

of Maui and Oahu 1794–1795 *Incorporated into

's kingdom

Hāna

During the early years of the Kingdom of Maui the island was divided in half. The much larger western side was under the rule of the descendants of

, and East Maui, comprising the districts of Koolau, Hāna, Kipahulu, and

Kaupo Kaupō is a district of ancient Hawaii (''moku'' in the Hawaiian language) of Maui island in Hawaii. Kaupō is a remote, sparsely populated, sustainable ranching community. Geography Kaupō is located along the southeastern shore of Maui, west ...

, was at times under independent rulers. The monarchs of Hāna, like those of the other Hawaiian chiefdom, probably claimed descent from Wakea and

Pāpa In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

. These monarchs were in some sense district chiefs and

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...

s of the Western rulers of Maui. From Eleio to Hoolae the king of Hāna remained mostly free from West Maui under

Kakaalaneo Kakaalaneo was chief of the island of Maui. Biography Kakaalaneo was a son of King Kaulahea I of Maui and Chiefess Kapohanaupuni of Hilo, Hawaii, Hilo. His brother was King Kakae. Kakaalaneo appears to be the center of the legends of that reign. ...

. The sixth ''Alii Nui'' of Hāna, Hoolae, became a subject of

and even allowed his daughter to marry him. The Kings of Hāna's allegiance to the West Maui ''Mōī'' were always precarious, even in later times after Piilani's conquest. The main strategic advantage of the Kings of Hāna was their command of the fortress of Kauwiki, considered impregnable.

Hāna chiefs

*Alii nui Eleio of Hāna during the reign of

*Alii nui Kalahaeha of Hāna *Alii nui Lei of Hāna *Alii nui Kamohohalii of Hāna *Alii nui Kalaehina of Hāna *Alii nui Hoolae of Hāna

References

External links

*
Hawaiian Roots: Maui Kings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mo'i Of Maui