A ''konohiki'' is a headman of a land division or ahupuaʻa of 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 ...

who administered the land ruled by an

aliʻi The aliʻi were the traditional nobility of the Hawaiian islands. They were part of a hereditary line of rulers, the ''noho aliʻi''. The word ''aliʻi'' has a similar meaning in the Samoan language and other Polynesian languages, and in Māori ...

chief.

Background

The lands of the

ruling chiefs of Hawaii The original rulers of the Hawaiian islands (''noho aliʻi o ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻAina'') were a line of native Hawaiians who were independent monarchs of various subdivisions of the land and islands of Hawaii. Their genealogy is traced to Hānalaʻan ...

were divided into radial divisions of land when possible. These divisions were under the control of other smaller chiefs and managed by a steward. Land was divided up in strict adherence to the wishes of the ''ali‘i nui''. The island was called the ''mokupuni'' and was split into several ''moku''. The ''moku'' (district) parameters ran from the highest mountain top, down to the sea. These divisions were ruled by an ''aliʻi ʻaimoku'' who would have been appointed by the ruling chief. Each of these ''mokus'' were further split into ''ahupuaau'', named after the dividing boundary alter where taxes were collected for each area during the

Makahiki The Makahiki season is the ancient Hawaiian New Year festival, in honor of the god Lono of the Hawaiian religion. It is a holiday covering four consecutive lunar months, approximately from October or November through February or March. The focu ...

. Each ''ahupuaau'' was then run by a headman or chief called a Konohiki. In Keelikolani vs Robinson, the term is also defined as a

Land Agent Land agent may be used in at least three different contexts. Traditionally, a land agent was a managerial employee who conducted the business affairs of a large estate (house), landed estate for a member of the landed gentry, supervising the farmi ...

. In Territory vs Bishop Trust Co. LTD., when the agent was appointed by a chief they were referred to by the title of ''konohiki''. When referring to the titled person as Konohiki, this meant that they were charged with the care of the division of land for the king or nobility the land was awarded to. The term could also be a designated area of land owned privately as compared to being owned by the government. A chief of lands could not lose life tenure on the land even after being discharged from the position, but a head man overseeing the same land has no such right. Often ''

'' and ''konohiki'' are referenced together; however, while most or all konohiki were aliʻi nobility, not all aliʻi were konohiki. The Hawaiian dictionary gives the definition as a headman of a land division, but it is also used in describing fishing rights as well. The term when broken in two parts is as follows: Kono being defined as to entice, or prompt and hiki defined as something that can be done. The konohiki was a

relative Relative may refer to: General use *Kinship and family, the principle binding the most basic social units society. If two people are connected by circumstances of birth, they are said to be ''relatives'' Philosophy *Relativism, the concept that ...

of the aliʻi and would oversee the coordination of the property, including

water rights Water right in water law refers to the right of a user to use water from a water source, e.g., a river, stream, pond or source of groundwater. In areas with plentiful water and few users, such systems are generally not complicated or contentious ...

land distribution In economics, distribution is the way total Output (economics), output, income, or Wealth#Economic analysis, wealth is distributed among individuals or among the factors of production (such as Labour (economics), labour, Land (economics), land, a ...

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

use and any maintenance. The Konohiki would also make sure the right amounts of gifts and tributes to the aliʻi were properly made at the right times. As

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...

was incorporated into the kingdom the konohiki would become the tax collectors, landlords and wardens over the fisheries.

References

{{reflist, 33em Hawaiian Kingdom Hawaiiana Hawaii culture Hawaiian nobility Nobility of the Americas