Kaʻahumanu (March 17, 1768 – June 5, 1832) (''"the feathered mantle"'') was
queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...
and acted as
regent
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
of the
Kingdom of Hawaiʻi as
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 offi ...
. She was the favorite wife of
King Kamehameha I and also the most politically powerful, and continued to wield considerable power as co-ruler in the kingdom during reigns of his first two successors.
Early life
Kaʻahumanu was born in a cave called Puu Kauiki in
Hāna on the
Hawaiian island of
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 ...
. She was born on 17 March 1768. The present
Kaahumanu Society celebrates the birthday of its namesake on March 17.
Her father was
Keʻeaumoku Papaʻiahiahi, a fugitive
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 ...
(noble) from the
island of Hawaiʻi, and her mother was Nāmāhānaikaleleokalani, daughter of King Kekaulike Kalani-nui-Kui-Hono-i-Kamoku and the wife of her half-brother the late king of Maui,
Kamehameha Nui. Through her mother she was related to many kings of Maui. Through her father, she was the third cousin of
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 ...
, both sharing the common ancestor, Princess
Kalanikauleleiaiwi of the
island of Hawaiʻi. She was named after her father's rival,
Kahekilinuiʻahumanu because it was from him that her father was fleeing at the time.
Her siblings include Governor John Adams
Kuakini
John Adams Kiiapalaoku Kuakini (1789–1844) was an important adviser to Kamehameha I in the early stages of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was responsible for contributing to the infrastructure among other changes in the Kona District during this e ...
of Hawaii island, Queen
Kalākua Kaheiheimālie
Kalākua Kaheiheimālie, later known as Hoapili Wahine (–1842) was a member of Hawaiian royalty who was one of the queen consorts at the founding of the Kingdom of Hawaii. She was the mother of another queen consort, and grandmother of two futu ...
, and Governor George
Keʻeaumoku II of Maui.
Her father became an advisor and friend to Kamehameha I, eventually becoming royal governor of Maui. He arranged for Kaʻahumanu to marry him when she was thirteen. Kamehameha had numerous wives but Kaʻahumanu would become a favorite and encouraged his war to unify the islands.
Queen Regent
Kaʻahumanu was one of
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 ...
's favorite wives and his most powerful. Upon Kamehameha's death on May 8, 1819, Kaʻahumanu announced that late king had wished that she share governance over the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi with his 22-year-old son
Liholiho, who took the name of Kamehameha II. The council of advisors agreed and created the post 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 offi ...
'' for her, which was similar to
co-regent
A coregency is the situation where a monarchical position (such as prince, princess, king, queen, emperor or empress), normally held by only a single person, is held by two or more. It is to be distinguished from diarchies or duumvirates (su ...
or modern-day
prime minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
. Her power base grew and she ruled as Queen Regent during the reigns of both Kamehameha II and
Kauikeaouli, who assumed the throne as Kamehameha III.
In some ways Kaʻahumanu was ahead of her time and championed the rights of native Hawaiian women, although this was to her own advantage. In what became known as the ''
'Ai Noa'' (free eating), Kaʻahumanu conspired with
Keōpūolani, another of her late husband's wives who was also Kamehameha II's mother, to eat at the same table with the young king. Notably, she also convinced the ''
Kahuna
Kahuna (; ) is a Hawaiian word that refers to an expert in any field. Historically, it has been used to refer to doctors, surgeons and dentists, as well as priests, ministers, and sorcerers.
Background
A may be versed in agriculture,Archiv ...
-nui'' (translatable to High Priest) of the kingdom,
Hewahewa, to support her efforts to abolish the ''kapu''. While breaking a major
kapu was a death penalty offence, Kamehameha II refused to kill his mother, Keōpūolani; this event effectively broke the monarchy's support of the ''kapu'', and resulted in the system being outlawed.
Kaumualiʻi of Kauaʻi
The island of
Kauaʻi
Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands.
It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 mi ...
and its subject island
Niʻihau
Niihau (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ), anglicized as Niihau ( ), is the seventh largest island in Hawaii and the westernmost of the main islands. It is southwest of Kauai, Kauai across the Channels of the Hawaiian Islands#Kaulakahi Channel, Ka ...
had never been forcibly conquered by Kamehameha. After years of resistance they negotiated a bloodless surrender in the face of Kamehameha's armada. In 1810 the island's King,
Kaumualiʻi, became a vassal to Kamehameha. When Kamehameha I died, Kamehameha II and Kaʻahumanu feared Kauaʻi would break away from the kingdom. To preserve the union they kidnapped Kaumualiʻi on October 9, 1821, and Kaʻahumanu married him by force. After Kaumualiʻi died in 1824, and a rebellion by Kaumualiʻi's son
Humehume was put down, she married his other son
Kealiʻiahonui
Aaron Kealiʻiahonui (1800–1849) was member of the nobility of the Alii nui of Kauai, Kingdom of Kauaʻi and the Hawaiian Kingdom, Kingdom of Hawaii. He is often called Keliʻiahonui, a contraction of Kealiʻiahonui. His name was given to him by ...
.
Conversion to Christianity
In April 1824, Kaʻahumanu publicly acknowledged her conversion to
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
Christianity and encouraged her subjects to be
baptized
Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...
into the faith.
That same year, she presented Hawaiʻi with its first codified body of laws modeled after Christian ethics and values, and the
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...
. Kaʻahumanu was
baptized
Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...
on December 5, 1825, at the site where
Kawaiahaʻo Church stands today, taking the name “Elizabeth”.
Missionaries persuaded Kaʻahumanu that the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, which had established the
Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, should be removed from the island nation. On July 7, 1827, she ordered the first Catholic missionaries to leave. In 1830, Kaʻahumanu signed legislation that forbade Catholic teachings and threatened to deport whoever broke the law.
In 1832, Kaʻahumanu visited Maui, and came to the site of what is now
Kaʻahumanu Church, witnessing services being presided by
Jonathan Smith Green. Upon seeing this, Ka‘ahumanu asked the
Congregationalist mission to name the permanent church structure after her.
However, this request was not honored until 1876, when Edward Bailey built the fourth and current structure on the site, naming it after the Queen.
Banning Hula
As regent of Hawai'i after the death of her husband,
King Kamehameha I, Ka'ahumanu took it upon herself to enforce Christian policies with her power, banning of the Hawaiian Dance
hula
Hula () is a Hawaiian dance form expressing chant (''oli'') or song (Mele (Hawaiian language), ''mele''). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli ...
in 1830. After her death in 1832, some chiefs ignored this ban, including
King Kamehameha III. However it was not until
King Kalakaua's reign in 1886 that hula was celebrated openly once again: "Hula is the language of the heart and therefore the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people." Ka'ahumanu's policies on hula have had a ripple effect on the acceptability of the art form ever since.
Establishing American relations
Kaʻahumanu and King Kamehameha III negotiated the first treaty between the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
in 1826, under the administration of President
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...
. The treaty assumed responsibility on behalf of native Hawaiians with debts to American traders and paid the bill with $150,000 worth of sandalwood; this won her the support of chiefs who owed money to the traders. The same document was also a
free trade treaty, ensuring Americans had the right to enter all ports of Hawaiʻi to do business. Americans were also afforded the right to sue in Hawaiian courts and be protected by Hawaiian laws.
In 1827, after Kaʻahumanu returned from a tour of the windward islands, her health steadily declined. During her illness missionaries printed the first copy, bound in red leather with her name engraved in gold letters, of the New Testament in the Hawaiian language. She kept it with her until her death of intestinal illness, June 5, 1832, in the
Mānoa Valley near Honolulu.
Her funeral was held at Kawaiahaʻo Church, often referred to as the
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
of Hawaiʻi. Services were presided by
Hiram Bingham. She was laid to rest on ʻ
Iolani Palace grounds but was later moved to the
Royal Mausoleum. The monument of
Kaumualiʻi in
Waiola Church cemetery includes the inscription, "Kaahumanu was his wife, Year 1822," leading some to mistakenly conclude that she is buried there.
Notes
A portion of the
Hawaii Belt Road, state highway 19, on the
Big Island of Hawaiʻi is named in her honor. It connects the towns of
Kailua-Kona
Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is most commonly referred to simply as Kona (a name it shares with the district to which it belongs), but also as Kona To ...
and
Kawaihae.
Often referred to by locals as "the Queen K," it is used for the bicycle and running portions of the
Ironman World Championship
The Ironman World Championship is a triathlon held annually in Hawaii, United States from 1978 to 2022, with no race in 2020 and an additional race in 1982. It is owned and organized by the World Triathlon Corporation. It is the annual culminat ...
Triathlon
A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the ...
. It also provides access to the
Kona International Airport
Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole is the primary airport on the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaiʻi, located in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, United States. The airport serves leeward (western) Hawaii (island), ...
.
Queen Kaʻahumanu Center shopping mall is located at 275 West Kaʻahumanu Avenue (Hawai state route 32) in
Kahului,
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 ...
, .
Kaʻahumanu Society, a Hawaiian civics club, was founded and named in her honor in 1864 to celebrate her legacy, serve the poor and sick and promote the importance of Hawaiian female leadership.
Ancestry
References
Further reading
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External links
Ka‘Ahumanu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaahumanu 01
1768 births
1832 deaths
19th-century women regents
19th-century regents
Converts to Protestantism from pagan religions
Hawaiian Kingdom Protestants
Hawaiian royal consorts
House of Kamehameha
House of Kekaulike
Kuhina Nui
Native Hawaiian women in politics
Royalty of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Royalty of Maui
Regents of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Remarried queens consort
Burials at Waiola Church
Queen mothers
Converts to Christianity from Hawaiian religion