Virginia Kapoʻoloku Poʻomaikelani (1839–1895) was a member of the royal family of the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian:

ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi Latin epsilon or open E (majuscule: Ɛ, minuscule: ɛ) is a letter of the extended Latin alphabet, based on the lowercase of the Greek letter epsilon (ε). It was introduced in the 16th century by Gian Giorgio Trissino to represent the pronunc ...

, was an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaii ...

Life

She was born at Piʻihonua,

Hilo Hilo () is the largest settlement in and the county seat of Hawaii County, Hawaiʻi, United States, which encompasses the Island of Hawaiʻi, and is a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 census. I ...

, Hawaiʻi Island on April 7, 1839, the second daughter of Princess

Kinoiki Kekaulike Kinoiki Kekaulike I was a Princess of the island of Kauaʻi during the transition from ancient Hawaii to the Kingdom of Hawaii. Biography She was born in the early 19th century. Her father was King Kaumualiʻi (1778–1824), descended from the ...

of Kauaʻi and High Chief

Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole was a Hawaiian high chief of Hilo and father of Queen Kapiʻolani. He was born to Aliʻi Elelule Laʻakeaelelulu and his wife Poʻomaikelani, daughter of Aliʻi Kanekoa, of Waimea, by his first wife, Kalani-kau-lelei-awi, ...

of Hilo. She was the granddaughter of

Kaumualiʻi Kaumualiʻi (c. 1778–May 26, 1824) was the last independent Aliʻi#Background, aliʻi nui (supreme ruler of the island) of Kauai, Kauaʻi and Niʻihau before becoming a vassal of Kamehameha I within the unified Hawaiian Kingdom, Kingdom of Hawai ...

, the last king of 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 ...

before being ceded to the unified

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...

governed by

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 was also the stepdaughter of Queen Regent

Kaʻahumanu Kaʻahumanu (March 17, 1768 – June 5, 1832) (''"the feathered mantle"'') was queen consort and acted as regent of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi as Kuhina Nui. She was the favorite wife of King Kamehameha I and also the most politically powe ...

. She was elder sister of

Victoria Kinoiki Kekaulike Victoria Kūhiō Kinoiki Kekaulike II (1843–1884) was a Princess of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Her name also sometimes spelled as Kinoike Kekaulike has been written as Mary Kinoiki Kekaulike in many sources. Her name Kekaulike translates as "the e ...

and younger sister of

Queen Kapiʻolani Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

, who married to King

Kalākaua Kalākaua (David Laʻamea Kamanakapuʻu Māhinulani Nālaʻiaʻehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua; November 16, 1836 – January 20, 1891), was the last king and penultimate monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, reigning from February 12, 1874, u ...

. Some sources give her different first names; for example Esther, Abigail or even Victoria. The situation was that the three sisters rarely used their Christian names. On March 20, 1855, she married Hiram Kahanawai, a steward of Queen Emma. Poʻomaikelani and her husband served as in the household as retainers of Queen Emma. She was one of the trusted

ladies-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but ...

for many years, but left Emma's employment to join her brother-in-law's court. The couple did not have any children of their own but adopted and raised her nephew Prince

Edward Abnel Keliʻiahonui Edward Abnel Keliʻiahonui (May 13, 1869 – September 21, 1887) was a prince of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. His name means "the chief whose strength is attained through patience". Early life Keliʻiahonui was born May 13, 1869, at Kaʻalaʻa at ...

, the second son of her sister Kekaulike. Her sister's husband became the king of Hawaiʻi in 1874 and she was granted the title of

Princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

and style of

Her Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Kings and their female consorts, as well as queens regnant, are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of add ...

, in 1883 during Kalākaua's coronation. She was made Governor of Hawaiʻi island in 1884 by her brother-in-law and was paid an annual salary of 3500 dollars per year. She also served as President of the Board of Health in 1887. She was Guardian of the Royal Tombs at the

Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...

from October 15, 1888, until her death. Kalākaua appointed her as president of the Board of Genealogy of Hawaiian Chiefs. Poʻomaikelani was kahili bearer during Kalākaua's official coronation.

Death

Suffering from

paralysis Paralysis (: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of Motor skill, motor function in one or more Skeletal muscle, muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory d ...

in her right leg, Poʻomaikelani had been largely incapacitated for the last ten years of her life having to be carried about, especially to service at St. Andrew's Cathedral where she regularly attended. Her condition worsened over the years until she was unable to leave her house. She died at Kalihi Valley,

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 ...

, October 2, 1895, aged 56, two years after

Queen Liliʻuokalani Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * ...

was overthrown. The cause of death was

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

. After a funeral service at St. Andrew's, she was interred in the

. In 1910, after the completion of the separate Kalākaua Crypt, her casket was moved there from the main mausoleum building along with other members of the Kalākaua Dynasty.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poomaikelani, Virginia Kapooloku 1839 births 1895 deaths Burials at the Royal Mausoleum (Mauna ʻAla) Hawaiian ladies-in-waiting Hawaiian princesses Royalty of the Hawaiian Kingdom House of Kalākaua Governors of Hawaii (island) People from Hilo, Hawaii Recipients of the Royal Order of Kalākaua Recipients of the Royal Order of Kapiolani Native Hawaiian women in politics

Life

Death

Ancestry

See also

References