Kaʻōhelelani or Kaohele was a Hawaiian chiefess in the early

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 ...

Life

She was born in the District of Hāna on the island 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 ...

in the mid to late 18th century. Her mother was High Chiefess Kaloiokalani of the royal family of Kahikinui and Honuaula (southern Maui). Her father was Kalokuokamaile, older half-brother of

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 ...

who later unified 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 ...

in to found the

; both were sons of Keōua Kalanikupuapaikalaninui. Her father was the High Chief of Hāna, Kipahulu and Kaupo. Her parents named her Kaʻōhelelani, and she was their only child. She was verging into maidenhood when her father died. His people showed their affection for him by making his grave on the highest peak of their country, Kauwiki. Upon news of his death reaching his brother Kamehameha, he immediately assembled a retinue of followers and retainers to accompany his brother Kealiimaikai to bear his request to Kaloiokalani to permit her daughter Kaʻōhelelani to take up her residence at his court, and to have his brother take charge of the vast patrimonial estate until Kaʻōhelelani should reach her majority. As Kaʻōhelelani approached maturity Kamehameha was looking for a matrimonial alliance for his niece. As the Waimea people, under the rule of their high chief Hinai, had shown reluctance to submit to him, Kamehameha united the ruling families through an offer of the hand of his niece to Nuhi, the eldest son of Hinau. This offer was accepted and soon Kaohele was transported to her new home in Waimea. Kamehameha was sorely disappointed in his expectations. Kaʻōhelelani became attached to her new home and family, but the anticipated peace between the two families was not realized. Possibly she felt resentment toward Kamehameha, since after he conquered Maui king Kalanikupule, he gave her former land to the chiefs who aided him. Nuhi and Kaʻōhelelani had a daughter Kekaikuihala and then a son

Gideon Peleioholani Laanui Gideon Peleʻioholani Laʻanui (1797–1849) was a Hawaiian chief and the grandnephew of Kamehameha the Great, who unified the Hawaiian Islands in 1810. From him descends the House of Laanui. Early life Peleʻioholani Laʻanui was probably bo ...

Family tree

References

External links

* {{cite web , title= Kaohelelani , work= Biography from Hawaiʻi Royal Family web site , publisher= Keali'i Publishing , url= http://www.keouanui.org/Kaohelelani.html , accessdate= November 20, 2010 Royalty of the Hawaiian Kingdom House of Kalokuokamaile Year of birth missing Year of death missing