The aliʻi were the traditional nobility of the

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 ...

. They were part of a hereditary line of rulers, the ''noho aliʻi''. The word ''aliʻi'' has a similar meaning in the

Samoan language Samoan ( or ; ) is a Polynesian language spoken by Samoans of the Samoan Islands. Administratively, the islands are split between the sovereign country of Samoa and the United States territory of American Samoa. It is an official language, alon ...

and other Polynesian languages, and in

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

it is pronounced " ariki".

Background

In ancient Hawaiian society, the ''aliʻi'' were hereditary nobles (a social class or

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

). The ''aliʻi'' consisted of the higher and lesser chiefs of the various levels on the islands. The ''noho aliʻi'' were the ruling chiefs. The ''aliʻi'' were believed to be descended from the deities. There were eleven classes of ''aliʻi'', of both men and women. These included the '' kahuna'' (priestesses and priests, experts, craftsmen, and canoe makers) as part of four professions practiced by the nobility. Each island had its own aliʻi nui, who governed their individual systems. ''Aliʻi'' continued to play a role in the governance of the

until 1893, when Queen

Liliʻuokalani Liliʻuokalani (; Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha; September 2, 1838 – November 11, 1917) was the only queen regnant and the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, ruling from January 29, 1891, until the overthrow of the Haw ...

was overthrown by a coup d'état backed by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

government. ''Aliʻi nui'' were ruling chiefs (in Hawaiian, ''nui'' means grand, great, or supreme.). The ''nui'' title could be passed on by right of birth.

Social designations of noho aliʻi (ruling line)

Samuel M. Kamakau writes extensively about the aliʻi nui and kaukaualiʻi lines and their importance to Hawaiian history. *''Aliʻi nui'' were supreme high chiefs of an island and no others were above them (during the Kingdom period this title would come to mean "Governor"). The four largest Hawaiian islands ( Hawaiʻi proper,

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 ...

Kauaʻi Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the List of islands of th ...

, and

Oʻahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O’ ...

) were usually ruled each by their own aliʻi nui. Molokaʻi also had a line of island rulers, but was later subjected to the superior power of nearby Maui and Oʻahu during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. ''Mōʻī'' was a special title for the highest chief of the island of Maui. Later, the title was used for all rulers of the Hawaiian Islands and the

Hawaiian monarchs Kamehameha I established the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1795 after conquering most of the Hawaiian Islands. In 1810, Kaumualiʻi became a vassal of Kamehameha I, who therefore emerged as the sole sovereign of the island chain of Hawaiʻi. His dynas ...

. *''Aliʻi nui kapu'' were sacred rulers with special taboos. *''Aliʻi Piʻo'' were a rank of chiefs who were products of full blood sibling unions. Famous ''Piʻo'' chiefs were the royal twins, Kameʻeiamoku and Kamanawa. *''Aliʻi Naha'' were a rank of chiefs who were products of half-blood sibling unions; famous ''Naha'' chiefs include

Keōpūolani Kalanikauikaalaneo Kai Keōpūolani-Ahu-i-Kekai-Makuahine-a-Kama-Kalani-Kau-i-Kealaneo (1778–1823) was a queen consort of Hawaii and the highest ranking wife of King Kamehameha I. Early life Keōpuolani was born around 1778 at an area known as ...

. *''Aliʻi Wohi'' were a rank of chiefs who were products of marriage of close relatives other than siblings; one famous Wohi chief was Kamehameha I. These chiefs possessed the ''kapu wohi'', exempting them from ''kapu moe'' (prostration taboo). *''Kaukaualiʻi'' were lesser chiefs who served the aliʻi nui. It is a relative term and not a fixed level of aliʻi nobility. The expression is elastic in terms of how it is used. In general, it means a relative who is born from a lesser ranking parent. A kaukaualiʻi son's own children, if born of a lesser ranking aliʻi mother, would descend to a lower rank. Eventually the line descends, leading to makaʻāinana (commoner). ''Kaukaualiʻi'' gain rank through marriage with higher-ranking ''aliʻi''. One kaukaualiʻi line descended from Moana Kāne, son of

Keākealanikāne Keākealanikāne (1575 – 1635) (Hawaiian: ''Ke-ākea-lani Kāne'' "the male heavenly expanse") was an ''aliʻi nui'' of the island of Hawaiʻi (1605–1635). He was the sovereign of the Big Island. He is mentioned in chant ''Kumulipo''. During ...

, became secondary aliʻi to the

Kamehameha Kamehameha may refer to: House of Kamehameha *House of Kamehameha, the dynasty of the Hawaiian Kings **Kamehameha I (1736–1819), first king of the Hawaiian Islands **Kamehameha II (1797–1824), second king of the Kingdom of Hawaii **Kamehameha ...

rulers of the kingdom and were responsible for various ''hana lawelawe'' (service tasks). Members of this line married into the Kamehamehas, including

Charles Kanaʻina Charles Kanaʻina (Kanaʻina II May 4, 1798 – March 13, 1877), was an aliʻi (hereditary noble) of the Kingdom of Hawaii, prince consort of Kuhina Nui, Kaʻahumanu III and father of William Charles Lunalilo, the 6th monarch of the Kamehameh ...

and Kekūanāoʻa. Some bore ''

Kāhili A ''kāhili'' is a symbol of the aliʻi chiefs and families of the Hawaiian Islands. It was taken by the House of Kamehameha, Kamehamehas as a Hawaiian Kingdom, Hawaiian royal standard and used by the Royal Families to indicate their lineage. H ...

'', royal standards made of

feather Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and a premier ...

s, and were attendants of the higher-ranking ''aliʻi''. During the monarchy some of these chiefs were elevated to positions within the primary political bodies of the Hawaiian legislature and the king's Privy Council. All Hawaiian monarchs after

Kamehameha III Kamehameha III (born Kauikeaouli) (March 17, 1814 – December 15, 1854) was the third king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name is Keaweaweula Kīwalaō Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula K� ...

were the children of Kaukaualiʻi fathers who married higher ranking wives.

Background

Social designations of noho aliʻi (ruling line)

See also

References

Further reading