Kalaniʻōpuʻu

Kalaniʻōpuʻu-a-Kaiamamao
Aliʻi Nui of Kaʻū
Aliʻi Aimoku of Hawaiʻi
The original ʻahu ʻula and mahiole of Kalaniʻōpuʻu that was given to Captain James Cook as a gift in 1779 and now on display at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu Hawaii
Bornc. 1729
DiedApril 1782 (aged 52–53)
Kāʻilikiʻi, WaioʻahukiniKaʻū
SpouseKalola Pupuka-o-Honokawailani
Kalaiwahineuli
Kamakolunuiokalani
Mulehu
Kānekapōlei
Kekupuohi[1]
IssueKīwalaʻō
Kalaipaihala
Pualinui
Keōua Kuahuʻula
Keōua Peʻeale
Kaoiwikapuokalani
HouseHouse of Keawe
FatherKalaninuiamamao
MotherKamakaimoku

Kalaniʻōpuʻu-a-Kaiamamao (c. 1729 – April 1782) was the aliʻi nui (supreme monarch) of the island of Hawaiʻi.[2] He was called Terreeoboo, King of Owhyhee by James Cook and other Europeans. His name has also been written as Kaleiopuu.[3][5]

Biography

Kalaniʻōpuʻu was the son of Kalaninuiamamao and his wife Kamakaʻīmoku, a high ranking aliʻi wahine (female of hereditary nobility). She had another son, Keōua, with another husband named Kalanikeʻeaumoku. This made her the grandmother of Kamehameha I.[6] During his reign, Alapainui had kept the two young princes, Kalaniʻōpuʻu and Keōua, close to him out of either kindness or for political reasons.[6][7]

Kalaniʻōpuʻu-a-Kaiamamao was the king of the island when Captain James Cook came to Hawaiʻi, and the king went aboard Cook's ship on November 26, 1778.[8] After Cook anchored at Kealakekua Bay in January 1779, Kalaniʻōpuʻu-a-Kaiamamao paid a ceremonial visit on January 26, 1779, and exchanged gifts including a ʻahuʻula (feathered cloak)[10][11][12] and mahiole (ceremonial helmet),[13] since it was during the Makahiki season. Cook's ships returned on February 11 to repair storm damage. This time relations were not as good, resulting in a violent struggle when Cook tried to take Kalaniʻōpuʻu hostage after the theft of a longboat, which led to Cook's death.

Kalaniʻōpuʻu-a-Kaiamamao died at Kāʻilikiʻi, Waioʻahukini, Kaʻū, in April 1782. He was succeeded by his son, Kīwalaʻō, as king of Hawaiʻi island; and his nephew, Kamehameha I,[14] who was given guardianship of Kū-ka-ili-moku, the god of war. His nephew would eventually overthrow his son at the battle of Mokuʻōhai. The island of Hawaiʻi was then effectively divided into three parts: his nephew Kamehameha ruled the western districts, his younger son Keōua Kuahuula controlled Kaʻū, and his brother Keawemauhili controlled Hilo.

Further reading

References

  1. ^ "MAKE". Ke Kumu Hawaii. Vol. 2, no. 6. Honolulu. March 16, 1836. p. 21.
  2. ^ Kahanu, Noelle M. K. Y. (September 1, 2017). "Fated feathers, unfurling futures". Tuhinga. 28: 24–30. doi:10.3897/tuhinga.28.e34230. ISSN 2253-5861.
  3. ^ Jarves, James Jackson (1843). History of the Hawaiian Islands: Embracing Their Antiquities, Mythology, Legends, Discovery by Europeans in the Sixteenth Century, Re-discovery by Cook. London: Edward Moxon. pp. 99, 2.
  4. ^ Cook (1842), p. 428.
  5. ^ Cook's Journal, March 1779: "Terreeoboo, the present king of Owhyhee, had a son named Teewarro, by Rora-rora.."[4] Webber's engraving (Journals, pub. 1784. Pl. 61) is captioned using the "Tereoboo" spelling, as shown Webber's engraving, below.
  6. ^ a b Abraham Fornander (1880). An Account of the Polynesian Race: Its Origins and Migrations, and the Ancient History of the Hawaiian People to the Times of Kamehameha I. Trubner & Company. p. 135.
  7. ^ Hawaiian Historical Society (1904). Annual Report of the Hawaiian Historical Society. The Society. p. 7.
  8. ^ William De Witt Alexander (1891). A brief history of the Hawaiian people. American Book Co. pp. 104–116.
  9. ^ Cook (1842), p. 376.
  10. ^ Cook's Journal, January 1779: "..the king rose up, and.. threw over the Captain's shoulders the cloak he himself wore.."[9]
  11. ^ Jarves (1843), p. 105.
  12. ^ "'ahu 'ula (Feathered cloak)". Museum of New Zealand web site. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
  13. ^ "Mahiole (helmet)". Museum of New Zealand web site. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
  14. ^ "Cultural History of Three Traditional Hawaiian Sites (Chapter 7)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
Bibliography