John William Pitt Kīnaʻu (December 21/27, 1842 – September 9, 1859) was a
prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
of the
Kingdom of Hawaii and the only surviving son of High Chief
William Pitt Leleiohoku I and
Ruth Keʻelikōlani. As a descendant of King
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. Th ...
, he was chosen to attend the
Chiefs' Children's School (later renamed Royal School) taught by the American missionary
Amos Starr Cooke
Amos Starr Cooke (December 1, 1810 – March 20, 1871) was an American educator and businessman in the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was patriarch of a family that influenced Hawaii during the 20th century.
Life
Amos Starr Cooke was born in Danbury, Co ...
and his wife, Juliette Montague Cooke, alongside fifteen of his royal cousins. At a young age, he inherited the landholdings of his father and his adoptive grandfather including
Huliheʻe Palace, but the prince died under mysterious circumstances before his seventeenth birthday.
Early life and family
Kīnaʻu was born December 21/27, 1842,
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
, on the island of
Oahu
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 ...
. His father was High Chief
William Pitt Leleiohoku I (1821–1848) and his mother was High
Ruth Keʻelikōlani (1826–1883). Through his mother he was
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. Th ...
's great-great-grandchild. His mother's parentage was disputed, but she was a member of the
House of Kamehameha
The House of Kamehameha ''(Hale O Kamehameha)'', or the Kamehameha dynasty, was the reigning Royal Family of the Kingdom of Hawaii, beginning with its founding by Kamehameha I in 1795 and ending with the death of Kamehameha V in 1872 and Lunali ...
through her own mother
Pauahi. His recognized maternal grandmother was
Kekūanāoʻa
Mataio Kekūanaōʻa ( – November 24, 1868), formally referred to as His Honor or His Highness, was a Hawaiian politician who served as governor of the island of Oahu, father of two kings, Kamehameha IV and Kamehameha V, and held the office of ...
, who was the
Governor of Oahu. Through his father, he descended from King
Kekaulike of Maui. His father was the biological son of Prime Minister
Kalanimoku
William Pitt Kalanimoku or Kalaimoku ( – February 7, 1827) was a High Chief who functioned similarly to a prime minister of the Hawaiian Kingdom during the reigns of Kamehameha I, Kamehameha II and the beginning of the reign of Kamehameha III. ...
, who was called ''The Iron Cable of Hawaii'' because of his political savvy and military prowess. His name "William Pitt", shared by his father and grandfather, was originally chosen by Kalanimoku in honor of
Prime Minister William Pitt of England.
His
Hawaiian name Kīnaʻu was given in honor of the
Kuhina Nui,
Kīnaʻu
Princess Kalani Ahumanu i Kaliko o Iwi Kauhipua o Kīnau, also known as Elizabeth Kīnau ( – April 4, 1839) was Kuhina Nui of the Kingdom of Hawaii as Kaahumanu II, Queen regent and Dowager Queen.
Life
Her father was King Kamehameha I and he ...
, Keʻelikōlani's stepmother and childhood guardian. She in turn was named after High Chief
Kahōʻanokū Kīnaʻu.
He had an unnamed younger brother who died in infancy.
During his infancy, he was raised in a large ''hale pili'' (thatched house) named ''Auanakeo'', which stood outside the
Huliheʻe Palace, the principal residence of Leleiohoku's ''hānai'' (adoptive) father
Kuakini
John Adams Kiiapalaoku Kuakini (1789–1844) was an important adviser to Kamehameha I in the early stages of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was responsible for contributing to the infrastructure among other changes in the Kona District during this era. ...
, who was the
Governor of Hawaii Island.
From 1842 until his death in 1844, Governor Kuakini served as a grandfather figure to the child. In 1928
Lucy Kaopaulu Peabody, a ''hapa-haole'' (part Caucasian) chiefess, recalled a scuffle between her and Kīnaʻu in their youth during a visit she and her grandmother paid to the Governor:
One day when we were living at Kawaihae
Kawaihae is an unincorporated community on the west side of the island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii, north of Kailua-Kona. Its harbor is one of only two on the island, together with that of Hilo.
Description
The town's harbor includ ...
my grandmother went to Hulihee to see Kuakini, who was not well. I went with her and when Kinau saw me he chased me as he always did. I think he did not like me. I ran to my grandmother and she protected me. Kuakini saw me and said to my grandmother to let the haole
''Haole'' (; Hawaiian ) is a Hawaiian term for individuals who are not Native Hawaiian, and is applied to people primarily of European ancestry. Background
The origins of the word predate the 1778 arrival of Captain James Cook, as recorded in s ...
go and told us to "hakaka" (fight). She did and we fought. I beat him. Kuakini made fun of Kinau who was about six years old then.
Education and career
![Royal School (1853)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Royal_School_%281853%29.jpg)
Kīnaʻu entered the
Chiefs' Children's School (later renamed the Royal School) on February 26, 1844, at the age of two as its sixteenth and last pupil.
He was the youngest with
Victoria Kamāmalu
Victoria Kamāmalu Kaʻahumanu IV (November 1, 1838 – May 29, 1866) was ''Kuhina Nui'' of Hawaii and its crown princess. Named Wikolia Kamehamalu Keawenui Kaʻahumanu-a-Kekūanaōʻa and also named Kalehelani Kiheahealani, she was mainly refe ...
and
Lydia Kamakaʻeha, both being four years older. He was chosen by
Kamehameha III to be eligible for the throne of the
Kingdom of Hawaii. He was taught in English by American missionaries
Amos Starr Cooke
Amos Starr Cooke (December 1, 1810 – March 20, 1871) was an American educator and businessman in the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was patriarch of a family that influenced Hawaii during the 20th century.
Life
Amos Starr Cooke was born in Danbury, Co ...
and his wife, Juliette Montague Cooke, alongside his royal cousins. During their Sunday procession to church it was customary for boys and girls to walk side by side, Kīnaʻu would walk beside Lydia Kamakaʻeha, the future Queen Liliʻuokalani of Hawaii. In Liliʻuokalani's memoir, he is mentioned as John Kīnaʻu Pitt.
The boarding school discontinued in 1850, and his family sent him to the day school (also called Royal School) ran by Reverend Edward G. Beckwith along with his former classmates Victoria Kamāmalu and Lydia Kamakaʻeha and new classmates
Gideon Laʻanui,
Nancy Sumner, Jane and Martha Swinton, and
Mary Waterhouse. During his youth, the prince was often found on the parade ground of the old
Honolulu Fort, instructing his friends while they were drilling as boy scouts. Kīnaʻu was considered to be a promising young man with an extremely bright mind and leadership qualities.
In January 1850, a correspondent of the American newspaper ''
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle'' in Honolulu gave a description of the royal children and his impression of Kīnaʻu (the only he mentioned by name):
In 1848 his father died of
measles, followed by his classmate
Moses Kekūāiwa
Moses Kekūāiwa (July 20, 1829 – November 24, 1848) was a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Early life and family
Kekūāiwa was born on July 20, 1829, in Honolulu, as noted by American merchant Stephen Reynolds, who call ...
and Liliʻuokalani's sister
Kaʻiminaʻauao. Leleiohoku, the sixth-largest landholder after the
Great Mahele, had inherited the estates of his biological father
Kalanimoku
William Pitt Kalanimoku or Kalaimoku ( – February 7, 1827) was a High Chief who functioned similarly to a prime minister of the Hawaiian Kingdom during the reigns of Kamehameha I, Kamehameha II and the beginning of the reign of Kamehameha III. ...
and his ''hānai'' (adoptive) father
Kuakini
John Adams Kiiapalaoku Kuakini (1789–1844) was an important adviser to Kamehameha I in the early stages of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was responsible for contributing to the infrastructure among other changes in the Kona District during this era. ...
, two of the most power chiefs in the kingdom.
Leleiohoku had received thirty-six ''ʻāina'' (land parcels), mainly on the island of
Hawaiʻi
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
and
Maui from King Kamehameha III. Thus after Leleiohoku's death, Kīnaʻu became the heir to all his father's property, including
Huliheʻe Palace in
Kailua-Kona
Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is also known as Kailua (a name it shares with a community located on the windward side of Oahu), as Kona (a name it share ...
. His ample inheritance made him one of the wealthiest people in the kingdom.
He was popularly called the "Prince of Kona" during his lifetime. On his sixteen birthday, the ambitious young prince asked his former classmate King
Kamehameha IV
Kamehameha IV (Alekanetero ʻIolani Kalanikualiholiho Maka o ʻIouli Kūnuiākea o Kūkāʻilimoku; anglicized as Alexander Liholiho) (February 9, 1834 – November 30, 1863), reigned as the fourth monarch of Hawaii under the title ''Ke Aliʻi ...
to award him with all the lands whose names started with "Wai" (
Hawaiian for "water") such as
Waimea,
Waianae
Waianae () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 13,614.
Its name means "waters of the mullet". Its etymology is shared with the far northern Wellington subu ...
,
Waikapu,
Wailuku
Wailuku is a census-designated place (CDP) in and county seat of Maui County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 17,697 at the 2020 census.
Wailuku is located just west of Kahului, at the mouth of the Iao Valley. In the early 20th centur ...
,
Waihee,
Waialua,
Waikane and so on, a request that the King refused.
After completing his education, Kīnaʻu served as
aide-de-camp to King Kamehameha IV, and in his lifetime, he was considered "a very handsome young man".
Like his mother in later life, Kīnaʻu was often associated with supernatural power due to his royal rank. During a trip to the island of Hawaii in January 1859, his arrival on the island coincided with the eruption of
Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa ( or ; Hawaiian: ; en, Long Mountain) is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The largest subaerial volcano (as opposed to subaqueous volcanoes) in both mass and ...
. It was reported that "it was believed by large proportion of the native population of the island, that
Pele had thrown forth the lava stream in special honor of his arrival".
Death and burial
![Keelikolani01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Keelikolani01.jpg)
Kīnaʻu died on September 9, 1859, in
Kapaʻau,
Kohala district on the
island of Hawaiʻi. The cause of his death was said to be an accident, although the details are unknown. An accusation of poisoning was forwarded by a noted priest and the whole of Kona became outraged over the rumors. One source claimed he was killed in a riding accident. While his obituary in the Hawaiian newspapers ''
The Polynesian
''The Polynesian'' was a 4-8 page weekly newspaper published in Honolulu, that had two periods of publication: from June 6, 1840, to December 11, 1841, and then from May 18, 1844, to February 6, 1864. From 1845 to 1861, it was the official publicat ...
'' and ''The Pacific Commercial Advertiser'' claimed it was
consumption
Consumption may refer to:
*Resource consumption
*Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically
* Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms
* Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...
.
Heartbroken over the loss of her husband and son, Keʻelikōlani kept his lead coffin in her house for weeks, with mourners chanting and reciting the traditional Hawaiian ''kanikau'' (poetic dirges) night and day.
On November 24, the remains of the prince were transported back to Oahu, on board the schooler ''Kaluna'', for a proper burial suited for his rank.
The state funeral procession occurred on December 27, and was attended by thousands of natives, foreign residents and visitors including the royal family and members of the government.
[; ; ] Russian traveler Aleksei Vysheslavtsev, who arrived in Honolulu days before, latter wrote down a detail account of the events in ''Ocherki perom i karandashom, iz krugosvetnogo plavaniya'' (''Sketches in Pen and Pencil from a Voyage around the World''). A contradictory report by Scottish traveling performer
John Henry Anderson
John Henry Anderson (1814–1874) was a Scottish professional magician. Anderson is credited with helping bring the art of magic from street performances into theatres and presenting magic performances to entertain and delight the audience.
C ...
described an earlier funeral service for the prince which was held at
Kawaiahaʻo Church
Kawaiahaʻo Church is a historic Congregational church located in Downtown Honolulu on the Hawaiian Island of Oʻahu. The church, along with the Mission Houses, comprise the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site, which was designated a U.S. Nati ...
on Sunday, November 6. The funeral was estimated to have cost at least $10,000.
Initially buried in the Pohukaina Tomb, located on grounds of
ʻIolani Palace
The Iolani Palace ( haw, Hale Aliʻi ʻIolani) was the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii beginning with Kamehameha III under the Kamehameha Dynasty (1845) and ending with Queen Liliʻuokalani (1893) under the Kalākaua D ...
, his remains were later transported along with those of his father's and other royals in a midnight torchlight procession on October 30, 1865, to the newly constructed
Royal Mausoleum at Mauna ʻAla in the
Nuʻuanu Valley.
His mother's remain were also
buried here after her death in 1883. In 1887, after the Mausoleum building became too crowded, the coffins belonging to members of the Kamehameha Dynasty including Kīnaʻu's were moved to the newly built Kamehameha Tomb. The name "W. P. Kinau" was inscribed on the ''
mauka
Mauka can refer to different things:
* Mauka Mauka, an Indian television advertisement campaign
* ''Mauka'' (snail), a subgenus of snail in the genus ''Philonesia''
*''Mirabilis expansa
''Mirabilis expansa'' (mauka or chago) is a species of flo ...
'' (mountainward) side of the monument above his final resting place.
Legacy
His landholdings and properties along with
Huliheʻe Palace were inherited by his mother; beside his estates, Keʻelikōlani also inherited much of her son's debt.
These lands along with subsequent inheritances that Keʻelikōlani would receive over her lifetime later became part of the
Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate which funds the
Kamehameha Schools to this day.
Historian
Albert Pierce Taylor, calling him by the name of "Liliulani", gave this posthumous description of the prince:
He was one of the most ambitious and promising of the young princes of the Kamehameha realm. It is believed by old Hawaiians today that had he lived he would have become a real and constructive leader of the Hawaiian people. He had a splendid physique and a magnetic personality. The glance of his eyes made him friends everywhere.
Notes
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinau, John William Pitt
1842 births
1859 deaths
Princes of Hawaii
House of Kamehameha
Burials at the Royal Mausoleum (Mauna ʻAla)
Royal School (Hawaii) alumni