Kameeiamoku (died 1802) was a
Hawaiian high chief and the Counselor of State to King
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 ...
. He was called Kamehameha's uncle, but he was really the cousin of Kamehameha's mother,
Kekuiapoiwa II.
Birth and ancestry
Along with his twin brother
Kamanawa
''For other persons with this name, please see Kamanawa II.''
Kamanawa (died c. 1802?) was a Hawaiian high chief and early supporter of King Kamehameha I, known as one of the royal ''Nīʻaupiʻo'' twins with his brother Kameeiamoku. He later be ...
, Kameeiamoku's parents were the ''keiki aliʻi'' (prince or child of a chief
),
Keawepoepoe
Keawepoepoe was the son and ''keiki aliʻi'' (prince or child of a chief) of aliʻi nui (great noble or king) Lonoikahaupu and aliʻi nui wahine (great noblewoman or queen) Kalanikauleleiaiwi who became father of the royal twins, Kamanawa and Kame ...
and Kanoena (w). As the son of Kalanikauleleiaiwi and Lonoikahaupu, monarch's of several kingdoms between them, Keawepoepoe was an ''aliʻi'' (noble) of Hawaii, Maui, Oahu and Kauai. As well being an ''aliʻi nui'' (great king or supreme monarch) Lonoikahaupu was a kahuna (priest) of the order of Lono (order of Nahulu or Holoa'e), one of two priestly orders, Kū (Kuali'i or Kauali'i) being the other. Through this union Keawepoepoe received the ''kapu o pahenakalani'' (the prostrating kapu) which is how the Hawaii ''aliʻi'' received the ''
kapu'' (a religious code of conduct) called the ''kapu moe''.
Fornander identifies their mother, Kanoena, as the daughter of Lonoanahulu from the Ehu ''ohana'' (family).
Almira Hollander Pitman refers to Kanoena in 1931 as Keawepoepoe's cousin. However, in the Hawaiian Genealogy book volume 44: ''"Eia ka lani ke koi pae moku ka lauhulu paoki o ka aina"'', it shows Lonoanahulu marrying Hikuakanaloauuoo and having Manohili who marries Halao, which is the couple that has Kanoena. That would make Lonoanahulua Kanoena's grandfather.
Kamakau lists Mano-hili as one of the men who assisted Kameʻeiamoku in his attack on the
Fair American
''Fair American'' was a small American sailing vessel described variously as a schooner or sloop or brig. Purchased for use in the maritime fur trade on the Pacific Northwest coast, ''Fair American'' sailed from Macau to Nootka Sound on Vancouv ...
.
Fornander also refers to Lonoanahulu, along with the Kameʻeiamoku and Kamanawa in regards to lands passed down to them from
Liloa;
The Metcalfes, the Eleanora and the Fair American
In 1790, the American
maritime fur trader
Simon Metcalfe
Simon Metcalfe (also spelled Metcalf) (April 23, 1741 – 1794) was a British-born American surveyor and one of the first American maritime fur traders to visit the Pacific Northwest coast.
As early visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in 1789, Metca ...
of the ship ''Eleanora'' mistreated Kameeiamoku when he boarded his ship. Metcalfe later fired his cannons on the villagers of
Olowalu, killing about one hundred. In retaliation, Kameeiamoku attacked the next American ship to appear, the
schooner
A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...
, under the command of
Thomas Humphrey Metcalfe
Thomas Humphrey Metcalfe (also spelled Metcalf) ( – March 16, 1790) was an American maritime fur trader who worked with his father, Simon Metcalfe. After being separated from his father in a storm, Thomas sailed a small schooner with a crew of ...
, the son of Simon Metcalfe. All but one of the schooner's crew was killed, including Thomas Humphrey Metcalfe. The lone survivor was Welsh sailor
Isaac Davis. Another sailor from the ''Eleanora'', Englishman
John Young, was sent ashore to find out what happened, and was also captured. Davis and Young would both become military advisors and translators for Kamehameha.
Kameeiamoku participated in negotiating a treaty in February 1795 with
George Vancouver
Captain (Royal Navy), Captain George Vancouver (; 22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer best known for leading the Vancouver Expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern West Coast of the Uni ...
for British support of Kamehameha.
Kamehameha and the unification of the islands
Kameʻeiamoku and his twin Kamanawa were among the four great aliʻi warriors of Kona to support Kamehameha I in his rebellion against his cousin
Kīwalaʻō
Kīwalaʻō (c. 1760 – July 1782) was the aliʻi nui of the island of Hawaii in 1782 when he was defeated at the Battle of Mokuohai and overthrown by Kamehameha I.
Early life
Kīwalaʻō was born in 1760 to Aliʻi Nui, Kalaniʻōpuʻu and ...
; the other two being their half brother
Keʻeaumoku Pāpaʻiahiahi, and
Keawe-a-Heulu
Keaweaheulu Kaluaʻapana (sometimes Keawe-a-Heulu, died 1804) was a Hawaiian high chief and maternal great-grandfather of Kalākaua, King Kalākaua and Liliʻuokalani, Queen Liliʻuokalani. He was among Kamehameha I's council of chiefs and was on ...
.
These were known as the "Four Kona chiefs".
They, along with Kamehameha's ''kumu'' (teacher) of
Kapu Kuialua
Kapu Kuialua; Kuʻialua; or Lua; is an ancient Hawaiian martial art based on bone breaking, joint locks, throws, pressure point manipulation, strikes, usage of various weapons, battlefield strategy, open ocean warfare as well as the usage of i ...
named Kekūhaupiʻo, were the center of the war council for Kamehameha when he took power in the
battle of Mokuōhai in 1782, which strengthened his influence.
Family
Kameeiamoku had three or four wives and at least three sons. His first wife, Kamakaeheikuli, was the mother of
Kepookalani (c. 1760–?) who was the double great-grandfather of the last two monarchs of the Kingdom. His second wife Kealiiokahekili was the mother of
Ulumāheihei Hoapili (c. 1776–1840). His third wife Kahikoloa was mother of
Hoolulu (1794–?). Kameeiamoku's descendants succeeded him in assisting Kamehameha after his death in 1802 in
Lahaina
Lahaina (; ) or Lāhainā is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. On the northwest coast of the island of Maui, it encompasses Lahaina town and the Kaanapali, Hawaii, Kaanapali and Kapalua, Hawaii, Kapalua beac ...
on
Maui
Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
.
Legacy
Through his son Kepookalani came the
House of Kalākaua
The House of Kalākaua, or Kalākaua Dynasty, also known as the Keawe-a-Heulu line, was the reigning family of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Kingdom of Hawaiʻi under Kalākaua, King Kalākaua and Liliʻuokalani, Queen Liliʻuokalani. They assumed power ...
. One of his other sons Hoolulu would be the father of
Kinoole o Liliha who married the notable American businessman
Benjamin Pitman
Benjamin Pitman (July 24, 1822 – December 28, 1910), also known as Benn Pitman, was an English-born author and popularizer in the United States of Pitman shorthand, a form of what was then called phonography (shorthand). He was also active ...
. Daughter
Kekikipaa would marry Kamehameha I, but then marry
Keawemauhili
Keawemaʻuhili (1710–1790) was an important member of the Hawaiian nobility at the time of the founding of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
He was a son of Kalaninuiamamao and his half-sister Kekaulike-i-Kawekiuonalani.''Memoirs of the Bernice Pauahi B ...
and become the mother of
High Chiefess Kapiolani.
He lives on the coat of arms of the
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaii ...
. On each side of the coat of arms was the figure of a chief in a feather cloak and a
feather helmet. The one on the left, bearing a spear, was Kamanawa and the one on the right, with a ''Kahili'' (feather standard), was Kameeiamoku.
The land he was given in 1795 was used by his granddaughter
Kuini Liliha
Kuini Liliha (–1839) was a High Chiefess (aliʻi) and noblewoman who served the Kingdom of Hawaii as royal governor of Oʻahu island. She administered the island from 1829 to 1831 following the death of her husband Boki.
Early life
She wa ...
, who donated it to Christian missionaries. It eventually became
Punahou School
Punahou School (known as Oahu College until 1934) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 3,700 students attend the school from kindergarten through 12th grade. The school was established by P ...
in 1841.
Ancestry
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kameeiamoku
Royalty of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Hawaii (island)
Hawaiian Kingdom politicians
House of Kalākaua
House of Keawe
Hawaiian Kingdom twins
18th-century births
1802 deaths