Wakinikona Hawaiian Club

Seattle, Washington

[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Feedback ] [ Contents ] [ Search ] [ WHC Links ]

Early Hawaiians and Captain Cook

Hawaii is the only U.S. state that was once a kingdom with its own monarchy. The only real royal palaces in the United States are in Hawaii. The Iolani Palace was completed in 1882, during the reign of David Kalakaua, the last king of Hawaii. It had electricity years before the White House did. The last royal to live there was Kalakaua's sister, Queen Liliuokalani, who ruled after him. The palace was used as Hawaii's capitol building until 1969. Today it's a museum.

The royal family also had a vacation residence, Hulihe'e Palace on the Island of Hawaii. It too is now a museum.

The first residents of Hawaii reached the islands approximately 2,000 years ago. They may have come from the Marquesas Islands, which are north of Tahiti. Many more Tahitian immigrants arrived in Hawaii in the 14th and 15th centuries. The first known European to visit Hawaii was a Spanish navigator named Gaetano, who charted the islands in 1555.

Hawaii was forgotten by Europeans, then rediscovered in 1778 by British explorer James Cook. Captain Cook named Hawaii "the Sandwich Islands" after his sponsor, John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, the inventor of the sandwich.

In 1779 Cook visited one of the islands and left, then returned to repair a broken mast. A boat was stolen from one of Cook's ships, and Cook and his men decided to detain a chief until the boat was returned. A fight broke out between the Hawaiians and Europeans, and people were killed on both sides, including Captain Cook. Despite such disputes, outsiders continued to visit Hawaii, and the islands became a hub for traders and whalers.

Kamehameha the Great

The birth date of King Kamehameha I, also called Kamehameha the Great, is not known. According to legend, there was a bright star in the sky when he was born; this may have been Halley's Comet, which was visible in 1758. Believing that the star portended the birth of a fearsome conqueror, a chief named Alapai tried to have the baby killed, but the child was secretly rescued and brought up in isolation. Kamehameha means "the lonely one."

As an adult, Kamehameha became chief of the northern half of the island of Hawaii. Eventually he brought the entire island under his reign. The other Hawaiian islands were controlled by other kings, but Kamehameha conquered and united them, becoming ruler of all the islands by 1810.

Although the king didn't allow non-Hawaiians to interfere in island politics, he was accepting of foreigners and their innovations, such as muskets and nails. During his reign Hawaii became an important center of the fur and sandalwood trades. Pineapples were first brought to Hawaii from Spain in 1813, and coffee was first planted in the islands in 1818, the year before Kamehameha I died. (Macadamia nut trees weren't introduced until 1892).

In 1883 a statue of King Kamehameha I was unveiled in Honolulu by King David Kalakaua. It was a duplicate; the original, cast by Thomas Gould, had been lost at sea. It was eventually recovered and placed near Kamehameha's birthplace. Another duplicate can be found in the Statuary Hall in Washington DC.

Kamehameha II and Kamehameha III

After Kamehameha the Great's death in 1819, his 22-year-old son Liholiho became King Kamehameha II. However, his stepmother, Queen Kaahumanu, was the power behind the throne.

The first Christian missionaries came to Hawaii shortly after Kamehameha I's death. Queen Kaahumanu converted to their faith. (Kamehameha II did not.) At that time Hawaiians wore little clothing, but the missionaries convinced the queen to adopt a loose, cool version of a Victorian gown. It was so much easier to wear than most Victorian gowns that Hawaiian women exclaimed, "Holo! Ku!" meaning, "We can run in it! We can stand!" So the gown was called the holoku.

Eventually Christian missionaries developed the Hawaiian alphabet and made some changes. The name Kamehameha was originally Tamehameha; the missionaries are said to have changed the T to K.

In 1824, while visiting Hawaii, Liholiho and members of his party came down with measles, for which Hawaiians had no immunity. Liholiho's favorite wife died. Heartbroken, Liholiho also died. Their bodies were returned to Hawaii for burial, and in 1825 Liholiho's brother Kauikeaouli, who was still a child, became Kamehameha III.

Queen Kaahumanu served as Kamehameha III's regent until her death in 1832. She was a strong and cunning ruler. Under her influence Kamehameha III became a Christian and banned traditional Hawaiian beliefs and practices, such as hula.

In 1839 Kamehameha III guaranteed religious freedom to the people of Hawaii. He was also responsible for transforming the kingdom into a modern constitutional monarchy. The 1840 constitution gave male citizens the vote and established a representative legislature. By 1843 France, England and the United States had recognized Hawaii as an independent nation.

By now Hawaii was a center of the whaling industry. Commercial sugar cane production began in Hawaii in 1835, and became especially important to the economy after whaling declined in the 1860s. Hawaii's prosperity made it desirable to both Americans and Europeans. Kamehameha III offered to place his islands under Queen Victoria's protection, but she refused for political reasons. In the 1840s America tried to annex Hawaii, but Kamehameha III thwarted this effort.

Kamehameha IV and Kamehameha V

Kamehameha III died in December 1854 and was succeeded by his nephew (and adopted son) Alexander, who reigned under the name Kamehameha IV. To prevent the annexation of Hawaii by the United States, he developed diplomatic and trade relations with other countries. He also tried to slow the influence of Christian missionaries.

European diseases were taking a serious toll on native Hawaiians. According to one estimate, there were a million native Hawaiians at the start of the 19th century; in 1990 there were 138,000. Because many native Hawaiians were dying and others objected to working on sugar planations, workers flooded into the islands from other Asian countries. This is why modern-day Hawaii has such a diverse population.

Kamehameha IV's wife was named Queen Emma. Her father was a chief, George Naea; her mother, Fanny Kekelaokalani Young, was the daughter of Kamehameha I's niece Ka'oana'eha and the king's British counselor John Young. Emma was adopted by her aunt and uncle Grace and Thomas Rooke, who had no children of their own. (Grace Kamaikui Rooke was Emma's maternal aunt.) Emma spoke both Hawaiian and English, and was a good musician and horsewoman. Before her marriage, some people said she was not worthy to be queen because she was partly white, but she became a popular queen. She helped establish a hospital to help combat the diseases devastating Hawaiians. It was named Queen's Hospital in her honor and still stands in Honolulu.

Alexander and Emma had one son, Prince Albert - the last child ever born to a monarch of Hawaii. In 1862 Albert died of a brain fever. He was four. The king and queen were devastated by their son's death. Queen Emma spent four days sitting beside his grave. To honor Albert the king gave Emma a new name, Kaleleokalani, meaning "The flight of the heavenly chief." When the King died the next year at the age of 29, supposedly of asthma and a broken heart, Queen Emma changed her name to the plural Kaleleonalani, "flight of the heavenly chiefs." (According to rumor, Kamehameha IV was poisoned, but this has never been proven.)

Kamehameha IV's successor was his older brother Lot, who reigned as King Kamehameha V. He replaced the constitution with one that gave him more power, improved the balance of trade in Hawaii, and increased foreigners' power.

Lot was so fat at the end of his life that he couldn't leave his palace. He never married. He had once been engaged to Princess Bernice Pauahi, the last descendant of Kamehameha I, but she married businessman Charles Bishop instead. Kamehameha V tried to name Princess Bernice as his successor, but she didn't want to be queen. She is remembered as a philanthropist who left money to establish Kamehameha Schools for Hawaiian children.

Lunalilo and Kalakaua

King Kamehameha V died on December 11, 1872. He was the last king of the Kamehameha dynasty. The Hawaiian legislature met to choose a new monarch. Prince William Lunalilo, a descendant of a half brother of Kamehameha I, was selected to be the new king.

Lunalilo never married, although he was engaged for a while. He had many foreign advisors, but also had true concern for his own people. After a little over a year as king he died of consumption, leaving his estate to needy Hawaiians. Some believe that he, too, was poisoned because of his concern for the Hawaiian people.

Once again the Hawaiian legislature met to choose a new monarch. Dowager Queen Emma was considered, but David Kalakaua was chosen instead. Kalakaua was a chief. He was of royal blood, being descended from a cousin of Kamehameha the Great. He was well-educated, intelligent, and equally at home with Hawaiians and foreigners. But Queen Emma felt his lineage was less royal than hers, and her supporters were not pleased by the legislature's choice. They rioted and the British Marines had to be called in to control them.

In 1874 Kalakaua went to Washington to negotiate a reciprocal trade treaty. Hawaiian sugar poured into America and American money poured into Hawaii. But the king tried to increase the power of the monarchy, which threatened the interests of foreign businessmen. In 1887 several hundred foreigners formed a secret group called the Hawaiian League. Many members also belonged to the Honolulu Rifles, a militia organization. They intimidated Kalakaua into accepting a new constitution, known as the Bayonet Constitution. It stripped the king of power, making him a figurehead, and permitted white foreigners to vote in elections. Japanese, Chinese and other Asian residents of Hawaii were not permitted to vote.

In 1889 a man named Robert Wilcox led an uprising against the new constitution. The uprising was put down by Cabinet troops, but Wilcox became a hero to native Hawaiians. At his trial for conspiracy, an all-Hawaiian jury found him not guilty.

Kalakaua was accused of squandering Hawaiian money in order to live like European royals. During his long absences from Hawaii his sister Liliuokalani ruled as regent. He and his wife, Queen Kapiolani, travelled the world and threw expensive parties. In 1891, while visiting San Francisco, the king died of kidney disease.

Liliuokalani

Kalakaua's sister Lydia Liliuokalani was the last Hawaiian monarch. The third of ten children, Liliuokalani had been adopted at birth by Abner and Konia Paki. Abner was an advisor of Kamehameha III and Konia was descended from Kamehameha I. At the age of four she entered the Royal School, originally called the Chief's Children's School, where she learned to speak English fluently. Her adoptive sister was Princess Bernice, to whom Kamehameha IV had wanted to leave his throne.

Young Liliuokalani enjoyed horseback riding, tea parties, and singing and song-writing. She was part of the court of Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma, and for a time was engaged to future king Lunalilo. Eventually she married John Dominis, the son of an American sea captain. The marriage was not happy, and they had no children.

Liliuokalani was a courageous and intelligent woman. During her brother's reign she served as regent of Hawaii during his absences. She was over 50 when she became queen of Hawaii. Her husband became governor of Oahu and Maui, but died after just seven months. Liliuokalani never remarried. She named her niece, Princess Kaiulani, as her heir. Kaiulani was away at school in London at this time.

A strong nationalist, Liluokalani tried to replace the Bayonet Constitution with one which would favor native Hawaiians, but was intimidated her into letting the old constitution stand. In 1892 the Hawaiian Legislature passed a law permitting the import and sale of opium. The bill favored Chinese businessmen, and Americans were enraged when the queen signed it, although according to the Bayonet Constitution she had no choice but to sign every bill the legislature passed. She was also castigated for signing a bill that legalized the lottery.

U.S. minister John L. Stevens conspired with other non-Hawaiians to overthrow the queen. In January 1893, armed troops were sent ashore from a warship in Honolulu Harbor, and Liliokalani was forced to surrender. A provisional government took control of Hawaii.

The queen's heir, Princess Kaiulani, went to Washington to appeal for help. Her dignity impressed President Cleveland, who ordered an investigation of the revolution. The report he received convinced Cleveland that the queen should be returned to her throne. He made a speech to congress condemning the overthrow of the monarchy, calling it "a misuse of the name and power of the United States." Cleveland refused to annex Hawaii because the majority of Hawaiians were not in favor of it.

In 1894 the Republic of Hawaii was established with Sanford Dole as its president. In 1895 native Hawaiians, led again by Robert Wilcox, revolted in an attempt to return the queen to power. After 10 days of fighting, Wilcox and most of the other royalists were captured. They were sentenced to death, but saved by intervention of the U.S. government.

Firearms were discovered buried in the queen's flower garden, and she was arrested. For eight months she was held prisoner in one room of the Iolani Palace. She was charged with misprision of treason (knowing about treason and not reporting it). Her trial by military tribunal was held in the former throne room of her palace. The queen was found guilty and sentenced to a $5,000 fine and five years of hard labor. The sentence was not carried out, however. She abdicated in 1895.

On New Year's Day, 1896, Wilcox and the other royalists were released. Queen Liliuokalani was not freed until later that year. Upon her release she went to Washington and was warmly welcomed by President Cleveland. But Cleveland was unable to help her. "I am ashamed of the whole affair," he wrote later.

The queen's heir, Princess Kaiulani, died in 1899 at the age of 23. Liliuokalani continued to live in Hawaii. She regained some of her crown lands, received a pension from the state, and also had income from the properties she owned. She attended most state occasions. But she didn't attend the ceremonies marking the U.S. annexation of Hawaii because she didn't want to see the Hawaiian flag lowered and the American flag raised.

In 1917 Liliuokalani had a stroke and died in Honolulu. She was 79. Today she is remembered as the composer of over 100 songs, including the famous "Aloha Oe." There is a statue of the queen, sculpted by Marianne Pineda, at the State Capitol in Honolulu.

Aftermath

In 1898 Hawaii was finally annexed by the United States, and in 1900 it became a U.S. territory. On August 21, 1959 it became the 50th American state. In 1993 Congress and President Clinton formally apologized for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Hawaiian History and Monarchy

Shoal of Time: A History of the Hawaiian Islands by Gavan Daws. A nice and useful overview of Hawaiian history.

Na Pua Ali'I O Kaua'I: Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii by Frederick B. Wichman. Presents the stories of the men and women who ruled the island of Kaua'i from its first settlement to the final rebellion against Kamehameha I in 1824.

To Steal a Kingdom by Michael Dougherty relates in detail how the Hawaiian royal family lost control of their country.

His Hawaiian Excellency by Niklaus R. Schweizer. About the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and the annexation of Hawaii by the United States.

Ancient History of the Hawaiian People to the Times of Kamehameha I by Glen Grant. Traces Hawaii's saga from legendary times to the arrival of Captain Cook, including an account of his demise.

The Hawaiian Kingdom 1778-1854, Foundation and Transformation by Ralph Simpson Kuykendall. First volume in a series about Hawaiian history.

Hawaiian Kingdom 1854-1874, Twenty Critical Years by Ralph S. Kuykendall. The second volume of Kuykendall's series.

Hawaiian Kingdom 1874-1893, the Kalakaua Dynastism by Ralph S. Kuykendall. Volume 3 of Kuykendall's series.

The Hawaiian Monarchy by Allan Seiden. Tells the story of the Hawaiian kingdom from its foundation to its overthrow in 1898.

Kingship and Sacrifice by Valerio Valeri. The religious role of kings in ancient Hawaii.

Inventing Politics: A New Political Anthropology of the Hawaiian Kingdom by Juri Mykkanen. Looks at how foreigners and Hawaiians themselves viewed Hawaiian politics in the 19th century.

Hawaiian Incident by James Andrew Gillis. An examination of U.S. president Grover Cleveland's attitude toward the revolution of 1893.

Kamehameha the Great

Warrior King: Hawaii's Kamehameha the Great by Richard Tregaskis. Out of print, but available from Alibris.

King Kalakaua

The Legends and Myths of Hawaii: The Fables and Folk-Lore of a Strange People by David Kalakaua. This book was written by Hawaii's last king.

David Kalakaua by Ruby Lowe is about Hawaii's last king.

Around the World With a King by William N. Armstrong. The author accompanied Kalakaua on a trip around the world. Their journey began in 1887 and took them to many countries, including China, Siam, India, Egypt, England, France, Italy, Spain, and the U.S. This book was originally published in 1904.

Queen Emma

Emma: Hawaii's Remarkable Queen by George S. Kanahele.

Emma Naea Rooke (1836-1855 Beloved Queen of Hawaii) by Russell E. Benton.

Books About Liliuokalani

Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen by Queen Liliuokalani. The history of Hawaii, in the words of its most famous queen and songwriter.

The Betrayal of Liliuokalani: Last Queen of Hawaii 1838-1917 by Helena G. Allen is a biography.

Fiction

Kula Keiki Ali'i by Rosemary I. Patterson and Sarah Fitzpatrick is about the upbringing of Hawaii's last five monarchs: Lili'uokalani, Kamehameha IV, Kamehameha V, Lunalilo, and David Kalakaua.

Ambrose Bierce and the Death of Kings by Oakley M. Hall. Historical suspense novel about the Hawaiian royal succession after the death of King Kalakaua.

Hawaii by James A. Michener is a novel covering the entire history of Hawaii. It was first published in 1959.

Princess Ka'iulani

Kaiulani, Crown Princess of Hawaii by Nancy Webb and Jean Francis Webb is a biography of Liliuokalani's heir.

The April of Her Age by John Cummins Mebane is a romantic (and inaccurate) novel about Princess Ka'iulani's friendship with writer Robert Louis Stevenson.

Children's Books

Kamehameha: The Warrior King of Hawai'i by Susan Morrison, illustrated by Karen Kiefer. Fictionalized account of the life of Kamehameha the Great, for children ages 9 to 12.

Queen Lydia Liliuokalani, Last Ruler of Hawaii by Josepha Sherman. Biography for children ages 9 to 12.

Princess Ka'Iulani: Hope of a Nation, Heart of a People by Sharon Linnea. A biography for young adult readers.

The Last Princess: The Story of Princess Ka'Iulani of Hawaii by Fay Stanley. Biography for children ages 4-8.

Kaiulani: The People's Princess, Hawaii, 1889 (The Royal Diaries) by Ellen Emerson White. Fiction for children between the ages of 9 and 12.

Kamehameha III: Kauikeaouli by Jean I. Cachola and Robin Yoko Burningham.

Kamehameha IV: Alexander Liholiho by Ruby Hasegawa Lowe and Robin Yoko Racoma.

Kamehameha V: Lot Kapuaiwa by Rosalin Comeau.

On Video & DVD

These documentaries are formatted for North American audiences. (Note: Some links below may not be visible if you are using the ad-blocking feature of Norton Personal Firewall.)

Conquest of Hawaii. A complete chronicle of Hawaii's history, from Kamehameha to Captain Cook and beyond. Features interviews with leading politicians, historians, and activists. From A&E/the History Channel.

Treasure! Hawaii's Lost Riches. This is the story of the hundred-year odyssey to recover the treasures of the only royal palace ever built in America.

America's Castles: Palaces in Paradise. From Hawaii to the Caribbean, this is a tropical tour of some of the most exotic and historic mansions in the world, including the magnificent Iolani Palace in Honolulu. From A&E.

Hawaii's Vengeful Goddess. From ancient myths to modern-day rituals, this is a fascinating look at Pele, the legendary goddess of Hawaii's magnificent volcanoes. From A&E/the History Channel.

  Send mail to webmaster@wakinikona.com with questions or comments about this web site.
                   Copyright © 2003 Wakinikona Hawaiian Club

Webpage last updated: 11/16/05