Pili line
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Pili line (House of Pili, Pili dynasty;
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 ...
: ''Hale o Pili'') was a royal house in
ancient Hawaii Ancient Hawaii is the period of Hawaiian history preceding the unification in 1810 of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great. Traditionally, researchers estimated the first settlement of the Hawaiian islands as having occurred sporadicall ...
that ruled over the island of Hawaiʻi with deep roots in the history of Samoa and possibly beyond further to the west, Ao-Po ("gathering of night"; metaphorically: "extreme west", "the land of the dead"), in
Pulotu Pulotu is the resting place of those passed on in the Polynesian narrative of Tonga and Samoa, the world of darkness "lalo fonua" (as opposed to the human world of light). Tonga In the Tongan narrative, Pulotu is presided over by Havea Hikule ...
, the Samoan Underworld. It was founded on unknown date by King
Pilikaʻaiea Pilikaʻaiea (or Pili-auau; the short form: Pili) was '' Aliʻi Nui'' of Hawaiʻi. He was a sovereign chief, who deposed the indigenous chief, Kapawa. Name The Hawaiian word ''pili'' is the native Hawaiian name of ''Heteropogon contortus''. B ...
(Pili), who either was born in or came from either
Upolu Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long and in area, making it the second largest of the Samoan Islands by area. With approximatel ...
,
Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
or Uporu,
Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...
, but came to
Hawaii 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 established his own
dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
of kings (''
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 ...
''). The overall arc of his career describes a brilliant young chief from foreign lands who was eager to share his abundant knowledge of advanced technology with distant frontier rustics. Some stories relate how his ambition got the better of him and damaged his relationships with his subjects. These stories cast him as a libidinous, restless and petty tyrant ever on the move searching for new conquests. According to Samoan lore, Pili's parents were foreigners named Muli-o-vai-lele and Tagaloa-a-lagi. Being something of a rascal, Pili had a falling out with his father Tagaloa of the Heavens and was cast out under threat of death. His mother encouraged him to travel to Manu'a and begin a new life on the frontier. Once there he took to wife the daughter of Tuimanu'a and was for a time even granted the title of Tuimanu'a for educating the locals on
taro Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...
cultivation and
cooking Cooking, cookery, or culinary arts is the art, science and craft of using heat to Outline of food preparation, prepare food for consumption. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric ...
, but he grew dissatisfied and relocated to Tutuila. Other Samoan accounts tell of how Pili dishonorably took liberties with the daughter of Tuimanu'a, a young maiden named Sina-sa'umani. This is the origin of the story of Hina and the Eel, and Sina and the Eel. In these versions it is Tuimanu'a's wrath over Sina's violated maidenhead that drives Pili to flee from Manu'a. It was in Tutuila that he first took refuge, and where he acquired the Tuitele title, but again grew discontent with the chiefs there who appointed him and later mocked his lack of skill in fishing, so onward he traveled to Upolu. On Upolu he took as wife the daughter of Tui-a-Ana. Now, most Samoan lore agrees that Pili's sons were in order of birth Tua (founder of Atua), Ana (founder of Aana), Saga (founder of Tua-ma-Saga), and Tolufale (founder of Manono and Sapapalii). This suggests that Pili may have taken to wife his own granddaughter, not unlike the custom of Egyptian pharaohs. Again, Pili grew dissatisfied with the Tui-a-ana's demands for fish instead of taro (likely a metaphor for conquest), and Pili commissioned a fleet of canoes that he uses to great effect, using a net to extract a mind-boggling haul to the amazement of Tui-a-ana and his chiefs. Samoan lore at this point recounts Pili's departure for Aopo where he established a vast plantation, became king, had many descendants, and later died. It is in this window of the narrative that he likely found sojourn in Hawai'i at the behest of po'o-kahuna Pa'ao and established the Pili line there. Legends tell of a pair of dragons in Wailuku river near Hilo, one named Pili-a-mo'o, the other Noho-a-mo'o, who were defeated in a contest of arms and magic by Hiiaka the sister of volcano goddess Pele. This may recount the end of Pili's tyrannical reign in Hawai'i Island . Each leg of the journey, Pili is credited with bringing some advancements as with agriculture and fishing. According to Hawaiian lore, his parents were named Kukamolimaulialoha and Laʻau. According to the myth, he was a descendant of the god of sky,
Wākea In the Hawaiian religion, Wākea, the Sky father weds Papahānaumoku, the earth mother. The two are considered the parent couple of the ruling chiefs of Hawaii. ''Wākea'' was the eldest son of Kahiko ("Ancient One"), who lived in Olalowaia. ...
. Pilikaʻaiea married his sister, Hina-au-kekelePeleioholani, Solomon Lehuanui Kalaniomaiheuila (1906). ''Genealogy of the Robinson family, and ancient legends and chants of Hawaii''. and was succeeded by his descendant
Kukohou Kukohou (or Kukohoa) was High Chief of the Island of Hawaiʻi in ancient Hawaii. His title was ''Alii Nui'' — "Chief of the island". His famous descendant was King Kamehameha I. A member of the Pili line, Kukohou was son of Loʻe and his wif ...
.


Rulers

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Pilikaʻaiea Pilikaʻaiea (or Pili-auau; the short form: Pili) was '' Aliʻi Nui'' of Hawaiʻi. He was a sovereign chief, who deposed the indigenous chief, Kapawa. Name The Hawaiian word ''pili'' is the native Hawaiian name of ''Heteropogon contortus''. B ...
*
Kukohou Kukohou (or Kukohoa) was High Chief of the Island of Hawaiʻi in ancient Hawaii. His title was ''Alii Nui'' — "Chief of the island". His famous descendant was King Kamehameha I. A member of the Pili line, Kukohou was son of Loʻe and his wif ...
*
Kanipahu Kanipahu was an ancient Hawaiian chief. He was of the Pili line. Kanipahu was a son of Chief Kaniuhu and Hiliamakani. After Kanipahu lived on Molokaʻi and it was discovered that he was a chief, he was taken (as husband) by Hualani, the rul ...
*
Kalapana of Hawaiʻi Kalapana was a High Chief who lived in ancient Hawaii. Kalapana is also known as Kalapanakuʻioʻiomoa and Kalapaua. Kalapanakuʻioʻiomoa is his longest name that includes the nickname. He is commonly known as either ''Kalapa'' or ''Kalapana''. ...
* Kahaimoelea * Kalaunuiohua *
Kuaiwa Kuaiwa was a High Chief of Hawaii from 1345 to 1375. Kuaiwa was son of Kalaunuiohua and his wife, Kaheka. Kuaiwa followed his father as sovereign of Hawaii. Kuaiwa had two wives, Kumuleilani and Kamanawa. The former descended from Luaehu; the ...
*
Kahoukapu Kahoukapu was an ancient Hawaiian nobleman and High Chief of the Big Island — Hawaiʻi. He was a member of the Pili line—as a descendant of Pilikaʻaiea—and an ancestor of King Kamehameha I the Great of Hawai‘i, the first ruler of the Ki ...
* Kauholanuimahu * Kihanuilulumoku *
Līloa Līloa was a ruler of the island of Hawaii in the late 15th century. He kept his royal compound in Waipi'o Valley. Līloa was the firstborn son of Kiha-nui-lulu-moku, one of the ''noho aliʻi'' (ruling elite). He descended from Hāna-laʻa-nui. L ...
* Hākau *
Umi-a-Liloa ʻUmi-a-Līloa (fifteenth century) was the supreme ruler Aliʻi-ʻAimoku (High chief of Hawaiʻi Island) who inherited religious authority of Hawaiʻi from his father, High Chief Līloa, whose line is traced, unbroken to Hawaiian "creation". Ali ...
* Kealiiokaloa * Keawenuiaumi *
Kaikilani Kaikilani (16th-century-17th-century), also known as Kaʻikilani nui aliʻiwahine ʻo Puna, was a High Chiefess and ruler ''Aliʻi Nui'' of Hawaiʻi island. She was a legendary figure in Hawaiian native oral tradition who dates to around the 16th ...
* Keākealani Kāne *
Keakamahana Keakamāhana (c. 1610–1665) was an '' aliʻi nui'' of Hawaiʻi Island from 1635 to 1665. She ruled as sovereign of the island from the royal complex at Hōlualoa Bay. Life She was the eldest daughter of the King Keakealanikane, the former a ...
* Keakealaniwahine


References

{{Reflist Royalty of Hawaii (island) House of Pili