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 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 ...

, father of two kings,

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 ...

and

Kamehameha V Kamehameha V (Lota Kapuāiwa Kalanimakua Aliʻiōlani Kalanikupuapaʻīkalaninui; December 11, 1830 – December 11, 1872), reigned as the fifth monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Kingdom of Hawaiʻi from 1863 to 1872. His motto was "Onipaʻa": i ...

, and held the office of

Kuhina Nui Kuhina Nui was a powerful office in the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1819 to 1864. It was usually held by a relative of the king and was the rough equivalent of the 19th-century European office of Prime Minister or sometimes Regent. Origin of the offic ...

as did his wife, Kīnaʻu and their daughter, Victoria Kamāmalu. His first name is the Hawaiian form of

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Ch ...

. Kekūanaōʻa translates as "the standing projection" 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 ...

Parentage and early life

Kekūanaōʻa was born sometime around the year 1791. His mother is believed to be Inaina. While an obituary at his death identified his father as Nāhiʻōleʻa, on March 14, 1879 the Hawaiian Supreme court identified Kiʻilaweau as the father of Kekuanaoa in probate using the genealogy books of the royal family, proving a legal bloodline line from Keʻelikōlani back to Kiʻilaweau's grandmother, Moana.

John Papa ʻĪʻī John (Ioane) Kaneiakama Papa ʻĪʻī (1800–1870) was a 19th-century educator, politician and historian in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Life ʻĪʻī was born 1800, in the month of Hilinehu, which he calculated to be August 3, in later life. He was b ...

's uncle Nāhiʻōleʻa, the aliʻi that took Kalanikapule's side against Kamehameha I and was killed by his cousins, was listed in the newspaper ''Ke Au Okoa'' as Kekūanaōʻa's father; however, in the chant for Nakanealoha, the name of Kiʻilaweau is mentioned as a ''makua''. This makes some believe he had two fathers, a tradition called ''poolua''. Kiʻilaweau was an aliʻi of the highest rank. While Kekūanaōʻa's children were not as high ranking as Kamehameha II or Kamehameha III, Kekūanaōʻa descends from Keawehanauikawalu, the son of Lonoikamakahiki, his line was considered high-ranking.

Political career

He was the Royal Governor of Oahu 1839–1864. On December 21, 1863 he was made the sixth Kuhina Nui, replacing his daughter who became Crown Princess and heir apparent to the throne. For most of his reign as Kuhina Nui he supported his son Kamehameha V's view of abolishing the position. He held the position until 1864 when the Constitution of 1864 abolished it. He also served as a member of the House of Nobles from 1841–1868, Privy Council 1845–1869, and as President of the Board of Education from 1860. In 1866,

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

wrote of Mataio Kekūanaōa: " man of noble presence.." and " emingly natural and fitted to the place as if he had been born to it...." The

Territorial Building The Territorial Building is a government building of the Territory of Hawaii. Description The building is located at 465 South King Street in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii. The Territorial Building was designed by the architect Arthur Reynolds, in the ...

in the

Hawaii Capital Historic District The Hawaii Capital Historic District in Honolulu, Hawaii, has been the center of government of Hawaii since 1845. Location With the grounds of Iolani Palace and the Hawaii State Capitol at its core, the historic district reaches inland across B ...

was named for him.

Personal life

He was the ''punahele'', or intimate companion of King

Kamehameha II Kamehameha II (November 1797 – July 14, 1824) was the second king of the Kingdom of Hawaii. His birth name was Liholiho and full name was Kalaninui kua Liholiho i ke kapu ʻIolani. It was lengthened to Kalani Kaleiʻaimoku o Kaiwikapu o Laʻ ...

in his youth, and followed him to England where the King and Queen Kamāmalu died of measles in 1824. He was able to escape the sickness and return to Hawaii, stabilizing himself in the court by marrying two wives of his late sovereign. His first marriage to Kalehua was from 1822 to 1825, and the product of this marriage was a son named Paaula. He married again to Pauahi, the widow of

. Their marriage lasted only months, from November 1825 to her death in February 1826. He is considered the father of her daughter Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani. He remarried Elizabeth Kīnau, another Kamehameha II widow, who ruled as the

at the time under the name Kaahumanu II. From her he fathered

David Kamehameha David Kamehameha (1828–1835) was a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Biography Born May 20, 1828, he was the firstborn and eldest son of Mataio Kekūanāoʻa and Elizabeth Kīnaʻu. He was a grandson of King Kamehameha I ...

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 ...

, Lot Kapuāiwa, Alexander Liholiho, and

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 ...

. His sons Alexander and Lot would become King Kamehameha IV and King Kamehameha V. His daughter would become the fifth Kuhina Nui as Kaahumanu IV. The third marriage lasted from 1827 until Kīnau's death in 1839. After 6 years as a widower he remarried again in 1845, to the High Chiefess Kaloloahilani. The marriage resulted in the birth of a son on November 28, 1846.Journal, Amos Starr Cooke, December 1, 1846. Vol. 8, p. 14., Honolulu: Hawaiian Mission Houses Library.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kekuanaoa, Mataio Royalty of the Hawaiian Kingdom 1790s births 1868 deaths Hawaiian Kingdom politicians House of Kamehameha Governors of Oahu Kuhina Nui Members of the Hawaiian Kingdom House of Nobles Members of the Hawaiian Kingdom Privy Council Hawaiian Kingdom chamberlains Commanders-in-chief of the Hawaiian Kingdom