The Rise of the ̒I Chiefs of Hilo------Part I: The Early Forbearers

The Rise of the ̒I chiefs of Hilo

Part I:  The Early Forbearers of the ̒I:

Liloa [(1540-1590 (50)] [(20) (1560-1590) (30)]

Waipi̒o Valley circa 1820's

Liloa was a powerful and religious ruling King of Hawaii whose dominion encompassed the entire island of Hawaii. He ruled from his capital in Waipi̒o Valley as did as many as six generations of Kings before him. At the same time he was a King who often visited and lived in other districts in his kingdom.

During one of these sojourns he met a young woman with whom he had an affair. (This is a famous story which is referenced below) Liloa left her with some remembrances on the understanding that if there was a child and it was a male, the boy should present himself to Liloa when he reached the age of entry into the Mua, the men's society. Such was the case, and the boy, who was named Umi, Umi a Liloa, in time went to Waipio and presented himself to King Liloa. Umi was recognized as  a son of Liloa and admitted to the court of the King.

The king had another son, Hakau, the product of a high ranking marriage, who was the chosen successor to the thrown. Yet it is said that despite repeated reassurances of his ultimate ascendency he bore Umi ill will regarding him as an interloper and tormented the boy whenever he could. Despite this, Umi's good temper allowed him to became the king's favorite.

Liloa is said to have been a popular king. He was true to his gods and fair to his people.  His rule was long and peaceful.

Some World Events During the Time of Liloa:

1560   England/Scotland signs Treaty of Edinburgh

1565  1st Spanish settlement in Philippines, Cebu City, forms

1571  Spanish troops occupy Manila

1573  Battle of Mikatagahara, in Japan; Takeda Shingen defeats Tokugawa Ieyasu.

1576  The Mexican city of León is founded

1580  Frances Drake completes circumnavigation of the world.

1587  Queen Elizabeth I of England signs death warrant for Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots

1588  English fleet beats Spanish Armada

1590  Tokugawa Ieyasu enters Edo

Hākau (Overthrown) Reign:[(??) (1590-1592)(2)]

The surviving myths and legends paint Hakau, the ranking son of Liloa, as a bitter, mean spirited man who, on the death of his father, rose to Kingship as promised by Liloa, but who took out his frustrations on his father's court, and the people of the valley of  Waipio. Umi and his followers were particularly singled, out and forced to flee the valley and sought refuge in Hilo. In Hilo Umi was recognized as a contender to the thrown by a powerful priest Ka'oleioku.

                                                                                       Waipi̒o Valley Today

Hakau's rule was harsh and unpredictable. He created unrest throughout the island and even offended two high priests of his father's generation, who in turn fled Waipi'o to Hilo to add their support to Umi.

There a devious plot was hatched to overthrow Hakau. The two priests returned to Waipio with warnings of Umi's growing power, and advised to Hakau to begin preparations to attack Umi in Hilo.  Hakau sent his warriors into the mountains to gather feathers and ohia to refurbish his war god and rededicate his luakini heiau. . In the meantime Umi had marched his forces north to the edges of Waipio valley and descended into the valley to attack a relatively defenseless Hakau. Hakau's entire court was slaughtered with little mercy in retribution for their many crimes against the people.

Some World Events during the reign of Hakau

1590  Tokugawa Ieyasu enters Edo

1591  Roanoke Island colony found abandon on American Coast.

 

Taro Farmer in Waipi̒o Valley  (Honolulu Magazine 2001,Mark Arbeit

Umi (Umi-a-Liloa I) (Usurper) [(1560-1611) (51)] [(32) (1592-1611) (19)]

And so, after only a very brief reign, the suspicious, mean, and high born Hakau fell to Umi, the son of a low ranking mother. Umi's ascendency was however  not without difficulties. Some chiefs welcomed Umi's reign while others resisted. After some time it appears that Umi managed to create good relations with all his district chiefs and ruled a strong and unified island kingdom.

Two major events changed life on the Big Island in the time of Umi. The first is that Umi chose to move his residence to the Kona side of the island. The second is that with this move and the change in crops and climate, the importance of Lono as a god of the planting and harvest  increased, and Makahiki became a much more important aspect of the Hawaii Island way of life. 

Some world events during the time of Umi a Liloa

1593  State of Holland grants patent on windmill with crankshaft

1594  Dutch East India Company established

1595  Alvara Mendana discovers Marquesas Island

1597  1st Dutch East India Company ships return from Far East

1598  Netherland sailors discover Mauritius

1600  Battle of Sekigahara sets Tokugawa clan as Japan's ruling shogun

1603 Elizabeth I of England dies.

1607  Jamestown, 1st permanent English settlement in New World

The Kona Uplands

The Kona Uplands were developed into the Kona Field System of productive agriculture. This productivity is what gave power to the leeward coast. Plus its weather patterns are more pleasant than the windward coast.   

Notes:

Dating Explained:

[(1560-1611) (51)] [(32) (1592-1611) (19)]

[(Estimated year of birth-Estimated year of death) (Age at death)] [(Age at beginning of reign) (Estimated year of beginning of reign-Estimated year of end of reign) (Years of reign)]

Further Reading:

Cordy:  Exalted Sits the Chief, The Ancient History of Hawaii Island

Malo:  Hawaiian Antiquities

Fornander: Ancient History of the Hawaiian People

A Friend's Comments on The Vengeance of Kahekili

A friend's review of The Vegeance of Kahekili

I really love your book The Vengeance of Kahekili. I wish I was a book reviewer or critic so I could give you worthy comments but I guess I’ll stick with my inarticulate thoughts.

First, when your books arrived, thought I would pay a visit to each before diving in. But started with Vengeance and found myself totally engrossed. It’s a fascinating story and you really have done an excellent job capturing it.  I am a big history nut and read lots of fiction and non-fiction history. My favorite is historical fiction with accurate facts but enough imagination to make the characters and events come alive, aka your book and things like Hillary Mantel’s Wolf Hall.

 I’ve not read a lot on Hawaiian history other than Michener’s Hawaii and Sarah Vowell’s Unfamiliar Fishes. Most of my history knowledge focuses on Europe and the Americas with smatterings of everywhere else on earth. My only recollection from Michener is the geological development of the islands. Sarah Vowell’s book focuses on a later period and the Americanization (theft) of Hawaii. So I enjoyed learning about the earlier more authentic Hawaii.

 What I find so interesting in your book are the intricacies of the Hawaiian culture and politics before the real onslaught of traders and Missionaries. Most accounts and/or images portray ancient Hawaii as an idyllic peaceful culture (& ecologically responsible) that was decimated by the Europeans & Americans. You present a picture of incredible brutality and a warrior culture that permeates all the islands and tribes. I was really shocked by the magnitude of destruction the Hawaiians brought upon themselves with all their warring. So different from the enduring image. The integration of traditional Hawaiian religion, gods, customs, ceremonies, titles and social hierarchy of that era is quite fascinating.

 I love your complex character development as it lends motivation to actions that otherwise seem illogical. Ka’eokulani, in particular, is a complicated victim of  Kahekili, current politics and his own weaknesses. He, of all the characters, makes the infighting understandable while still irrational on many levels. Kamohomoho is my favorite character as he embodies wisdom and cunning as the ultimate warrior with a human side.

 And of course there’s the man you love to hate, the smarmy Captain William Brown. Loved the section on pages 379-380 on his musings about Kendrick’s death. It starts describing Brown as a man who does not feel guilt. But then he seems so horrified by his own actions that he might finally feel remorse and guilt ridden. But by the end he’s worked out how it all benefits him. Great writing.

 I cannot imagine the dedication behind researching and writing this book! But it does read like a labor of love. I am thoroughly enjoying it.

The Great Mahele: The Land Distribution

Hawaiian History Question of the Week.

The Great Mahele was an:

a.  Equitable distribution of lands among the people of Hawaii.
b.  A real estate rip-off sponsored by the Europeans.
c.  An attempt by the chiefs to steal land from the kama'aina.
d.  Was resisted by the chiefs who loved and protected their people.

Not an easy one really.

A Hawaiian Hale and Residents

A.  Equitably distribute lands among the people of Hawaii.

The Great Mahele was NOT an equitable distribution of land.

Title was awarded based on historical residence, but the residents of the land, for the most part were not fully aware of their heritage.  Their relational awarenesses were primarily based on horizontal dependencies among active cultivators.  In addition there is a rotational aspect to Hawaiian agriculture, and cultivation was not necessarily continuous in any particular area.  This is particularly evident in dry land farming where cultivation did not often extend beyond a few years.

So, when asked about 'title' to land, it was often difficult for a family to trace back active use of a particular land parcel.  They often had difficulty identifying what lands previous generations farmed, and might find exact genealogical reference difficult. They might know what lands the family farmed in the last twenty years, but these lands may have changed over time as new, or rested areas were exploited.  

In either case, the kama'aina were at a severe disadvantage to a system that awarded lands on genealogical residence and use.

Kamehameha's Rule; a Boon to the Common People?

Quick!  Kamehameha's conquering of the Hawaiian Islands was beneficial to the kama'aina, the common people.  True or False?

The story goes that Kamehameha, the benevolent conqueror who promulgated the ground braking,  (near skull breaking in reality), 'Law of the Sacred Paddle' and turned the diverse rule of Island chiefs into a Monarchy, brought peace to the islands and prosperity to the common man.

There can be little doubt that the 'Law of the Sacred Paddle' which enjoined chiefs and ali'i to limit their depredations on the weak and defenseless brought some relief to the most odious of actions by rapacious local chiefs.  But if we examine the history of the islands, particularly as it is reflected in the 'Great Mahele', land division, we find that chiefs utilized central power to coerce the commoners under their control to a much greater extent, and at the same time, the ability of the common man to respond by violent resistance, or appeal to competing chiefs who vied for power, was almost extinguished.

The chiefs under Kamehameha, and his line of dependents  were noted as a generally mad and avarice lot of secondary law enforcers who were quick to steal whatever the common man might possess, including wife and children.   The notorious 'Sandalwood' era is perhaps the most odious period in this sad history of plunder of people and resources.  The King is said to have demanded vast quantities of sandalwood from his chiefs, who forced the common people into the hills for months on end in order to collect the living gold.   This was then sold to Traders who exchanged it with the besotted King for European goods, which generally rotted in store houses stuffed with other such items.  The people received nothing for their efforts, and suffered not only from deprivation of decent shelter for months on end, but came home to find their fields stripped, and were then forced to face long periods of famine.  

First European to Enter Honolulu Harbor?

Firsts always seem to be important to people. So can you answer the question "Who the first European was to enter and moor in Honolulu Harbor?"

The Lady Washington was actually the third vessel to enter the harbor, a week or so after the Jackal, but no body bothered to catch the Jackal on their iphone. Above is pictured the Lady Washington (90 tonnes) and the Columbia her sister ship, (after which the river is named) 

Times up.... no it wasn't Cook and it wasn't Vancouver, but good try on the latter. It was a British former Naval Lieutenant, and Atlantic Whaling Captain, William Brown, pictured below with his crew..

Brown's first command as he entered the Honolulu Harbor  
......" Make is so!"
(Though some report is was actually "Where's the warf Worf?"

Who? You ask. That’s right, few people know the man’s name and fewer know who he was, or why he was bothering with Honolulu. Well the fact was is that the lagoon was called Kou back before the turn of the 19th Century. So it sometimes gets confusing. To add to that, Brown himself named the harbor Fair Haven, but it was a bit of a misnomer; at least from his point of view.

Haumea: Hawaiian Goddess of Fertility and Childbirth

Haumea

art by Reena Burton http://www.reenaburton.com/portfolio/

The myths that describe the origins of Haumea are complex, diverse and many. But most all accept, in one manner or another, that Haumea in her first of many physical forms, was Papa, the mother of all Hawaiians. 

Haumea the goddess, through the granting of a  gift of painless birth or natural birth to the daughter of a god, gained access to the tree of life and the ability to form change, or be reborn. Haumea could look old and well as young, her form was as she desired. Through this power she returned to earth again and again assuming her younger female form and marrying successive generations of her own progeny. This process continued until she was discovered in these transitions, and that generation marks the emergence of the chiefly class of men.

The Death of a Hawaiian King

The death of a Hawaiian King, if it occurred in a relatively peaceful and non-combative atmosphere, was never-the-less, a traumatic societal event. The king was not only the ruler, he was man's representative before the god's and he lived in union with the soul of the island.  His life was intertwined with that of the island, and his death was regarded as a great physical calamity. 

The king's death brought into question the foundations of life.  What had been unwavering during his life, was suddenly gone or uncertain. The permanence of the waters, the wind, the sun and the moon were no longer assured.  It was in many ways a ritualized ending of the world.

The opening of my book The Vengeance of Kahekili, (Click HERE for the buying options )  describes the passing of the Great King Kahekili, the 25th Mo'i of the Maui Kingdom. Kahekili, having conquered Oahu, sought respite there from the wars of Maui, and died on Oahu in the month of July 1794. 

Perhaps this is what occurred......

Prologue

Kahekili died at Ulukou, Waikiki, in the month of Ka‘aona, which is perhaps known now as July and perhaps the year was 1794. [[i]]

...Fornander, Ancient History of the Hawaiian People, pg. 260.

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K

ahekilinui‘ahumanua, known to his subjects as Kahekili[[ii]], the 25^th Mō‘ī[[iii] [iv]] of the Maui kingdom, Great King of the islands of O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, and Maui, lay dying, surrounded by terrified servants and powerless kāhuna priests[[v]]. He wheezed and stirred, interrupting the rattle of his final moments. Then, pulling strength from deep within, he rolled onto his left side, revealing the intricate almost black body tattoo along his entire right side[[vi]]; long his personal sign of condemnation. The servants shuddered and moaned in fear at such a curse from their dying king. His kāhuna softly chanted a darkly toned prayer. Then a strong tremor shook the land, rocking the hale and tossing the king’s attendants to their knees. Boiling angry clouds, dark and ominous, rolled off the high Ko‘olau mountain ridges, sliding down over Waikiki, blotting out the sun and turning day to twilight. Rain squalls whipped out of the valleys and mad sheets of water lashed the sides of the great hale where Kahekili lay. Gusty winds tore at the roof thatch, shaking the building to its foundations, reaching in and tugging at the attendants and priests. In the distance the surf rose, roaring and thundering against the reef, threatening to sweep in and cover the lands. It was as if the island itself was suffering its own death throes and reluctantly sharing the fate of the great and terrible king.

Time slowed, like the king’s labored breaths, seconds passed uncertainly, minutes sticking in the evil intent of Kahekili’s last thoughts, the wheels of time mired in the dark chanting of the king’s sorcerers who sang the last of the old man’s damnations. Hearing the black curses sung, he was finally ready and let his breath slip away, and amid a barrage of lightning strikes and shattering thunder cracks, the old warrior king’s final breath fled him. His body shuddered and tensed, and the rattle of escaping life echoed through the hale like gravel tossed by the wind. The servants froze in fear, terrified of the consequences of being the first to know, the first to announce the terrible event.

The wind blew out of the east, whipped around from the north, and then screamed out of the south, seemingly uncertain of its purpose. Finally, as if losing its own will to live, it moaned quietly and stopped altogether. The roar of the surf against the reef settled into an uneasy growl. Just as suddenly as the violent outbursts of nature had begun, they ended, and stillness settled over the island. It was as if it too had given up its life. The king, retreating from the world, had taken the soul of the island hostage; fleeing with it into the blackness of the spirit land, leaving the living captive to a world without a soul.

Chaos erupted from the shocked quiet following the king’s passing. The order and purpose of life dissolved. People slipped dazed from their homes; roaming unclothed and disoriented. Trees dropped their leaves out of season. Random couples fornicated on open terraces. Birds fell from tree limbs; dead for no obvious reason. Women strolled unchecked through the most sacred heiau. Fear and terror stalked village lanes, sweeping people into senseless violence and mayhem. Dogs hunted in packs attacking children and ravaging livestock. The rains fled the mountains and streams dried-up. The ancient ways of life were ignored, fields went untended, crops were pillaged, and trees dropped their fruit. Ali‘i were assaulted or forced to flee, the words of kāhuna were ridiculed, and women ate with men in orgies of forbidden delicacies. The sacred was profaned, and the kapu consumed or practiced in a gluttony of perversions. Vendetta, retribution, and lust ruled the actions of the living. The world as the people had known it, the strict order of life, perished with the king; and society foundered, lost in a chaotic world lacking traditional landmarks. [[vii]]

Slowly, after many days of mayhem, the people awoke from their disorientation, and realization of their loss gave way to intense grief. In their lamenting, they cut their hair, gashed themselves, knocked teeth from their mouths, and wailed and grieved the passing of their king through the days and long into the nights. Finally, amid the great despair, the prayers of kāhuna were heard, and the vast loss of purpose, the drifting fear of abandonment was stilled. A new king stepped forward to lead in mourning the old king’s tragic passing. Familiar ceremonies and significant rituals were performed to mark the venerable king’s death and to celebrate the new king’s union with the land. The priests sang chants and made sacrifices, marking the new king’s marriage with the spiritual world and dominion over the lands. They appealed to the people to follow their newly anointed leader. Hearing the chants and prayers of the priests, and reconfirming order and purpose in the world, the people honored the new king and brought gifts to seal their sacred trust. With the ascent of the new ali‘i‘ai‘moku[[viii]], balance was restored, and the breath of the island was heard once again in the soft breezes flowing lightly out of the valleys. What had been lost was reborn in the union of the new king with the island.

However, the people of O‘ahu secretly rejoiced in the death of the old despot Kahekili and were dishonest in their displays of grief. Their hate for the old king, for the retribution he had exacted upon them, had struck deep at the heart of their belief. The foundations of the old ways had been shattered; their certainty of the unity of king and nature cleaved. The island lay wounded; its people trampled, though unbeaten, and the days of mourning a silent celebration of the old demon’s passing. [[ix]]

The old king, carrying his power into the afterlife, was not fooled by O‘ahu’s lamentations over his passing. He knew the people’s deceitfulness, and had always despised them for it. Leering evilly from of the portals of the after-world he gazed over the conquered island. The old devil, as sly as ever, had sown the seeds of retribution and calamity long before his death. He knew with time’s nourishment his curses would bloom wickedly across the land, and the ungrateful people of O‘ahu would once again feel the noose of his oppression: The Vengeance of Kahekili.

<<>> 

The Vengeance of Kahekili, (Click HERE for the buying options )  

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[i]     Death of Kahekili: Fornander, pg. 260. Fornander notes the date of Kahekili’s death and the circumstances surrounding his final burial. Desha, pg. 349-50, provides a similar date and account. Both note the likelihood that Kahekili was father to Kamehameha and cite coincidental evidence

[ii]     Kahekili: For Pronunciations of Characters' Names see table on pg. ix and x,. For place names see Appendix 1.

[iii]    The author has made significant effort to use accepted Hawaiian language syntax throughout this document. However, much knowledge has been lost and much now often highly debated in this regard. Primary references were the Place Names of Hawaii and the Hawaiian Dictionary, both by Pukui .et.al, and the Ulkau Hawaiian Dictionarys at http://wehewehe.org/gsdl2.5/cgi-bin/hdict?a=q&r=1&hs=1&e=q-0hdict--00-0-0--010---4----den--0-000lpm--1en-Zz-1---Zz-1-home---00031-0000escapewin-00&q=&j=pm&hdid=0&hdds=0  (11/15/2012)

[iv]    Mō‘ī: or Moi, Mo-ee or Moi, depending on source. Great King, title gained by blood or power; often of many islands. For a listing of the Mō‘ī of Maui see Appendix II. This was not a title commonly used by the Hawaiians of earlier era's, and came into vogue in the nineteenth century.

[v]     Kahuna: Priest, servant of a place of worship, healer, or skilled artisan. There were many Kāhuna in Hawaiian society, many, if not most, were non-religious in nature and of the artisan class. 

[vi]    Tattooed side of body, Pushup’: pahupū: ‘cut in two’: Kahekili and a group of his warriors had dark tattoo on one side of the body. Kamakau, Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii, pg. 159, describes them as “strange-looking men tattooed [half] black from top to toe, with eyelids turned inside out and held up by props and only their eyeballs and teeth left in their natural state.”

[vii]   The Death of a King: Dudley, Chapter 11, pg. 109-114. Dudley discusses the special place that the ali‘i‘ai‘moku played in religion and particularly their association with the natural flow of life and nature. Much of what he notes is distilled from Kamakau, Malo, and Fornander. Dudley discusses the sanctioned disorientation that would occur at a king’s death and the traditional forms of mourning and recovery rituals that might take place as society reforms around the new king. Valeri, in Kingship and Sacrifice, also discusses in detail the social consequences of the death of a great chief.

[viii]   Ali‘i‘ai‘moku: King or ruler of an island or district. Moku can mean either a district or an island.

[ix]    King Kahekili’s Excesses on O‘ahu are well documented. Fornander, pg. 224-228, cites Kahekili’s suppression of an O‘ahu chiefs’ revolt. He notes “Men, women and children were killed without discrimination and without mercy. ....The native O‘ahu aristocracy were almost entirely extirpated.” He further notes that chiefs among Kahekili’s ruling elite were also involved in the revolt, Ka‘iana and his brother Nāmākehā were among them and escaped to Kaua'i when Kalanikūpule discovered the plot. Such vicious and widespread suppression was not common. It is unlikely that the survivors would forgive such an act within a few generations, particularly considering the historical link between Maui and O‘ahu. 


The Vengeance of Kahekili, (Click HERE for the buying options )