Alapaʻi (full name: Alapaʻinuiakauaua; also known as Alapaʻi I or Alapaʻi Nui, "Alapaʻi the Great") (died 1754) was a Chief of

Hawaiʻi Hawaii ( ; ) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, th ...

ancient Hawaii Ancient Hawaii is the period of Hawaiian history preceding the establishment in 1795 of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great. Traditionally, researchers estimated the first settlement of the Hawaiian islands as having occurred sporad ...

. He was a usurper to the throne, but was considered a good ruler, one who loved the common people, although there is a story that he was responsible for the death of High Chief Keōua. Alapaʻi's title in Hawaiian was ''

Aliʻi The aliʻi were the traditional nobility of the Hawaiian islands. They were part of a hereditary line of rulers, the ''noho aliʻi''. Cognates of the word ''aliʻi'' have a similar meaning in other Polynesian languages; in Māori it is pronoun ...

''.

Biography

Family

Alapaʻi was a son of Chief Kauaua-a-Mahi and Chiefess

Kalanikauleleiaiwi Kalanikauleleiaiwi was a High Chiefess (''aliʻi nui'') of the island of Hawaiʻi. She was considered to be the co-ruler of the island of Hawaiʻi with her half-brother, Keaweʻīkekahialiʻiokamoku, the 21st Aliʻi nui of Hawaii. Their shared ...

. Alapaʻi's brother was Haae-a-Mahi, and Alapaʻi's half-siblings included

Kekuʻiapoiwa I Kekū‘iapoiwa I was a chiefess of the island of Hawaii and Maui. She was also known as Kekū‘iapoiwa Nui ("Kekū‘iapoiwa the Great"). Her full name was Kekū‘iapoiwa-nui Kalani-kauhihiwakama Wanakapu. Biography Kekū‘iapoiwa was born a ...

and

Kalanikeʻeaumoku Kalanikeʻeaumoku was an aliʻi (noble) of Hawaii (island) of the Kona district and part of Kohala district and grandfather of Kamehameha I. Family His mother was Kalanikauleleiaiwi and his father was Keaweʻīkekahialiʻiokamoku. He would '' ...

, who were also Alapaʻi's first cousins by virtue of Kalanikauleleiaiwi's other marriages. The king of the island was

Keaweʻīkekahialiʻiokamoku Keaweʻīkekahialiʻiokamoku (c. 1660 – c. 1725) was the king of Hawaiʻi Island in the late 17th century. He was the great-grandfather of Kamehameha I, the first King of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was a progenitor of the House of Keawe. Bi ...

. Alapaʻi ruled as the chief of Kohala, subordinate to the King of Hawaiʻi.

Reign

After the death of his uncle Keaweʻīkekahialiʻiokamoku and the subsequent civil war between

and

Kalaninuiamamao Kalaninuiamamao (sometimes called Ka-I-i-Mamao or Kaeamamao) was a prince of the Big Island of Hawaii, or 1st Alii Nui of Kaū, an ancestor of the Queen Liliuokalani.Hawaiian history in an era of great warrior king fighting for the domination over the neighboring islands. War continued between the century-old rivals Hawaiʻi and Maui during the early part of his rule while the old Kekaulike was still on the throne. After Kekaulike's death, his relations with Maui were friendly, and he helped his nephew Kamehamehanui Aiʻlūʻau regain his throne from his half-brother Kauhiaimokuakama. His reign also saw a bitter conflict between Hawaiʻi and

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

over the latter's invasion of the island of

Molokai Molokai or Molokai ( or ; Molokaʻi dialect: Morotaʻi ) is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its g ...

, where Alapaʻi's relatives ruled. Alapaʻi invaded Moloka`i and killed Oʻahu's Ali`i Aimoku Kapiiohookalani (Kapiono-o-kalani) at the Battle of Kawela and later invaded the island of Oʻahu in 1736. Kanaha-o-kalani became 21st Ali`i Aimoku of O`ahu succeeding his father Kapiiohookalani. Kapiʻiohookalani's brother Peleʻioholani returned from Kauaʻi and repelled Alapaʻi's invasion force on O`ahu, taking up a counter-offensive on Moloka`i and Maui by allying with Chief Kauhiaimokuakama, Ali`i of Maui. The war eventually ended in a truce between Alapaʻi and Peleʻioholani. When his niece

Kekuʻiapoiwa II Kekuʻiapoiwa II was a Hawaiian chiefess and the mother of the king Kamehameha I. Biography She was named after her aunt Kekuʻiapoiwa Nui (also known as Kekuʻiapoiwa I), the wife of King Kekaulike of Maui. Her father was High Chief Haae, ...

was pregnant with

Kamehameha I Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kauʻi Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; to May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii ...

, she had a craving for the

eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

ball of a

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...

, a sign that the child would be a killer of chiefs. Alapaʻi secretly made plans to have the newborn infant killed but was thwarted by the intervention Naeʻole who escaped with the child. He later reconciled with the baby and allowed it to be raised at his court placing him in the charge of his favorite wife Keaka.

Marriages

Alapaʻinui had many wives, but only the names of three principal wives survived, and the name of one minor wife. Alapaʻi's first wife was Keaka. Their son was

Keaweʻōpala Keaweʻōpala is the first born son of Alapainui (the usurping Rulers of the Hawaiian Islands, aliʻi nui of Hawaii (island), Hawaii Island) and his wife Keaka, who cared for Kamehameha I, Kamehameha the Great in his youth along with her sister Hāk ...

. Alapaʻi's second wife was Kamakaʻīmoku and their daughter was

Manono I Manono I was a Hawaiian High Chiefess. She was the daughter of Alapainui and Chiefess Kamakaʻīmoku. Manono was the granddaughter of Chiefess Kalanikauleleiaiwi of Hawaiʻi and niece of chief Haae-a-Mahi Manono married her half-brother Keō ...

. Alapaʻi's third wife was Kamaua with whom he had Kauwaʻa, a daughter, and Mahiua, a son. Kauwaʻa had two daughters:

Julia Alapai Julia Alapaʻi Kauwaʻa (c. 1814 – August 2, 1849) was a high chiefess of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Her name has been given as Julia Alapaʻi Kauwa and sometimes as Juliana instead. Life Born in circa 1814, her father was High Chief Nāhili and he ...

and Kaulunae, who married Kanehiwa and was the mother of Lipoa, a son, and Julia Moemalie, a daughter. Alapaʻinui was also married to ʻUmiaemoku; they had a child, Keaweamahi. Alapa’i had many descendants,

Duke Kahanamoku Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku (August 24, 1890 – January 22, 1968) was a Hawaiian competition swimmer, lifeguard, and popularizer of the sport of surfing. A Native Hawaiian, he was born three years before the overthrow of the ...

, and Kawaawaaiki Alapa’inui Naehu Nā’ehu Genealogy
/ref> were some of many of Alapaʻi's descendants. Julia Alapai (poor quality).jpg, File:Duke Kahanamoku in his late teens.jpg, After his death in 1754, Alapaʻinui was initially succeeded by his son Keaweʻōpala, however, Keaweʻōpala would eventually be overthrown by

Kalaniʻōpuʻu Kalaniōpuu-a-Kaiamamao (c. 1729 – April 1782) was the aliʻi nui (supreme monarch) of the island of Hawaiʻi. He was called ''Terreeoboo, King of Owhyhee'' by James Cook and other Europeans. His name has also been written as Kaleiopuu. Bio ...

References

External links

Hawaii Under Alapaʻi-nui
{{s-end Usurpers Hawaiian monarchs 1754 deaths 18th-century monarchs in Oceania Date of birth unknown