Ho'olau Ali'i

Kii: Ku'ialuaopuna

Ka Hoku o Hawaii

Kamehameha and his warrior Kekūhaupi‘o

Written in Hawaiian by Reverend Stephen L. Desha

Translated by Frances N. Frazier

Kamehameha Schools Press Honolulu • 2000

pg 374-376

  There were a number of reasons for Ka‘ahumanu’s anger at Kamehameha, one of the main ones being Ka‘iana’s pretensions of importance. She was embittered by this, and if she had spoken of it to Kamehameha, he had not understood this fault-finding against the Kaua‘i ali‘i. She was also angry because Kamehameha had taken some other women and therefore their affectionate relationship had become disturbed (haunaele).

     It was also said that in the time before the arrival of Vancouver, Kamehameha had conferred with his kahuna concerning the status of the rulership on the island of Hawai‘i. The question arose about a possible rebellion and the kahuna Holo‘ae said emphatically: “E Kalani ē, there is no remaining rebel on your land [island of Hawai‘i] except only one, and that is your intimate wife (ko ali‘i wahine i ka ‘ili), Ka‘ahumanu.” Kamehameha was greatly startled by these words from his trusted kahuna, and he questioned him privately as to the meaning of his words which called Ka‘ahumanu “the main rebel of Kamehameha’s kingdom.” Holo‘ae then said these important words to Kamehameha:

E Kalani ē, you know that your work progressed through the help of those prominent, high-ranking ali‘i of your court who are uncles (mau mākua kāne) of Ka‘ahumanu. If your wife should be attracted to another ali‘i and she should love this new man, then she would turn and give the kingdom to this new man. Her uncles would also turn and help their niece, and you, e Kalani, would be in trouble. Here is what you should do: set up a law to kapu Ka‘ahumanu—her body must be yours alone, and if any other ali‘i should fall into wrongdoing with Ka‘ahumanu, he must be punished with death. That ali‘i would be no favorite of yours, nor would he be able to escape death. And when the ali‘i learn that you have placed a kapu on the body of Ka‘ahumanu, not one of them will oppose you if Ka‘ahumanu should fall into wrong doing. You should also impose punishment upon that great ali‘i—none of them will find fault with you.

 Because of these good words of advice by Holo‘ae, the kahuna nui, supported by Kekūhaupi‘o who was Holo‘ae’s son-in-law, Kamehameha called together his council of chiefs which was attended by all the ali‘i of his court. When they had gathered, Kamehameha spoke these words to them:

Ka'ahumanu

Kii: Herb Kawainui Kane

E nā ali‘i, you all know that Hawai‘i has six districts, and I say to you that the upland is yours and also the sea. Reserve, however, the own farms (kipona mahakea) of the maka‘āinana, the people by whom you the ali‘i live. The seventh of the districts is mine. No great ali‘i nor any favorite nor indeed any maka‘āinana shall be upon this district and the one who only steps upon this district will be punished with death. This seventh district is Ka‘ahumanu. This district is kapu solely for myself. Hear me, you ali‘i and all persons gathered here at this council of ours: heed well this command of mine, and you have heard of the punishment of the person who does not obey these words of mine.

     The ali‘i who were knowledgeable in statecraft understood the hidden meaning of Kamehameha’s words, and they also inwardly understood his cleverness about something which they had wondered about amongst themselves. These words, however, had been spread about before this third arrival of Vancouver at Hilo.

Vancouver Listens to Ho‘olau Ali‘i, the Sacred Coconut Shell

          The construction of Kamehameha’s ship continued. The ribs were made of māmane wood and, when nails were not available, pegs or dowels (kui) were made of kauwila and moemoe wood. Some of the kahuna kālai wa‘a became very clever at boat building because they were a people quick to grasp the good things. The only trouble is the grasping of the bad things of the foreigner.

     When this ship built with Hawaiian pegs (kui) was completed, Kamehameha and Vancouver and the prominent ali‘i of the court sailed for Kawaihae. Vancouver’s ship followed after this new ship of Kamehameha’s, and also on board Vancouver’s ship were more cattle.

     On arrival at Kawaihae, Vancouver again gave Kamehameha some cattle, asking that he promise not to cook and eat them for ten years so that the animals would proliferate. It is said that Kamehameha fulfilled his promise to Vancouver.

     Also, by Kamehameha’s request, Vancouver consented to sail around Hawai‘i so that he could see the affection of the people over whom Kamehameha ruled.

     When Kamehameha and Vancouver and the other ali‘i arrived at that place in Ka‘ū called Waio‘ahukini, they went ashore. This was the place at which Kamehameha had been consecrated as the kahuna who cared for the god Kūkā‘ilimoku and Kamehameha told of this function which had been given to him. Vancouver questioned him as to the nature of this god Kūkā‘ilimoku of which he was hearing. Kamehameha displayed a coconut shell bound with coconut cordage (‘aha niu) which contained within it the hair of some ancient ali‘i ancestors of Hawai‘i Nei.

Kamehameha also told of the antiquity of this sacred coconut shell of Kūkā‘ilimoku from the era of Kūka‘ōhi‘alaka, two thousand (‘elima lau) years ago. If counted by present methods, the age of that supernatural coconut shell was two thousand years, or twenty-six years after the coming of Jesus.

     The name of that supernatural coconut shell which Kamehameha displayed to Vancouver was Ho‘olau Ali‘i. It was a speaking container believed in by the ancients of Hawai‘i Nei, and there were stories about it which were spread about at this time when Captain Vancouver was speaking to Kamehameha.

     Here is a story to make us laugh which was circulated amongst the people of that time and thought to be a true story by them. However, it is difficult for us to believe these legendary words.

     Because Vancouver wished to learn the truth of this speaking coconut shell, he asked Kamehameha to show something to make him believe in this thing. Then Kamehameha pulled on the hair of Wākea placed within Ho‘olau Ali‘i and placed the mouth of the coconut shell at Vancouver’s ear, and he heard a voice saying:

 “Your eye is covetous! Your eye is covetous (Ho‘omakaleho ‘oe)! ” When Vancouver heard this he laughed. Kamehameha also heard this voice, therefore he asked that speaking container: “Who has a covetous eye?” The reply was this: “The seventh of the kapu districts of Keawe,” and then the speaking container moaned, “Lie down, lie down indeed (E moe ē, e moe ho‘i ē).”

 During Vancouver’s brief stay with Kamehameha, he saw the way that the ali‘i Kamehameha cared for his gods, attempting to carry out the kapu of his gods in whom he trusted. Captain Vancouver also saw that Kamehameha was greatly trusted by the prominent ali‘i under him. He also realized that this important Polynesian chief cared for his people. Vancouver instructed Kamehameha about the true God, saying to him: “I see that you take good care of the gods in whom you trust. If you wish to care for the true God, when I return to the king of Britain, I will ask him to send you a kahuna who will instruct you as to the true God in the heavens.” These good words of instruction by Captain Vancouver seemed good in the mind of the ali‘i ‘ai moku Kamehameha, and perhaps it was at this time that Kamehameha spoke some words which some people only thought he said: “Hawai‘i is given to Great Britain.” However, these words spoken by Kamehameha were because of those good words by Captain Vancouver concerning the belief of this famous Polynesian ali‘i in his god. Here perhaps are those words which Kamehameha spoke with good will to Vancouver: “Return to the king of Britain, and ask him to take care of this land of ours.” Let us remember, people of this era, the nature of our ancestors who have gone. They were people who cared for their gods and had complete faith in their ancient worship. When the ali‘i ‘ai moku Kalani‘ōpu‘u instructed Kamehameha to take care of the god, these were words showing that the land was held by religious ali‘i. When Kekūhaupi‘o went to see Kamehameha at North Kohala, and found him playing in the sea (lele kawa ‘ana), and heard that this young chief had been given over to pursuit of women, he uttered these strong words of instruction to him: “The ali‘i who gives himself to pleasure, and does not care for the people and the kapu of his gods, and does not teach farming of the land, shall never achieve control of the island.”

 These good words of instruction show the foundation of his life in the works which he loved, and he was trusted by the people under him. This was the beginning of his progress forward.

     Therefore the writer of this story thinks, in applying most of this story to the most famous ali‘i of the land, that Kamehameha did not give the island of Hawai‘i to the king of Britain. Rather, his words were about the worship of god of which Captain Vancouver had spoken to Kamehameha.

     After Kamehameha entertained Captain Vancouver at Hilo, they sailed on his ship, accompanied by some prominent ali‘i of Kamehameha’s court. The ship sailed to a certain place called Pōhue and anchored off the beach. Kamehameha had asked Vancouver to sail to that place because there were some large anchors with their chains in the sea.

     There were also some small anchors left there in the sea, and Kamehameha greatly desired Vancouver to see these things which had been left there long before Kamehameha’s time. Perhaps he desired to learn the reason that these ships’ anchors had been left at that place.

Pohue

Kii: National Park Service

  Some of Kamehameha’s men were divers able to hold their breaths for a long time. Aided by Captain Vancouver, these men dove down and got those anchors and took them ashore. Captain Vancouver and his men removed the rust which hid the marks on those anchors. They saw these words in English on those anchors: Chanelions of London.

When Vancouver saw these words on those anchors he explained:

 Kapena George Vancouver

  A great many years before, a certain British officer named William Lancaster, known perhaps by the name of Duke of Lancaster, had disappeared, and with him were two hundred men, three women, and three children. At the same time there also disappeared a certain foreign British sea traveler named Hannah Humphrey. In the minds of some old people of Hawai‘i, these foreigners who are spoken of, and also that Spanish captain and his sister who ran aground at Ke‘ei, the birthplace of Kekūhaupi‘o, are the ancestors of the light-skinned race of Hawai‘i Nei.

Kii: Public Domain

 It is also thought that from these foreigners first spread the traditional stories of the Hawaiian people concerning Kini Uilama and Mele his wife [King William and Mary]. These were stories told from the memory of the Hawaiian people before the arrival of Captain Cook mā and before the arrival of the missionaries in this land. Perhaps the names of those foreigners which have been mentioned were pronounced by the Hawaiian people as Kūka‘ōhi‘alaka and Ho‘omoepule. In other words, the first name Kūka‘ōhi‘alaka was the Duke of Lancaster, and Humphrey’s was Ho‘omoepule. These were only attempts at pronunciation (ho‘opilipili wale) by the people of ancient Hawai‘i, but nevertheless it was remarkable that those anchors were there until the very time that Kamehameha took Vancouver to see them, and Vancouver’s explanation about the disappearance of those British officers and their ships. Perhaps those were their anchors left in the sea without their stories being known.

 After some days with the ali‘i Kamehameha, Vancouver left for a foreign land (Kahiki), leaving Kamehameha and his ali‘i and people well supplied with foreign guns. They had also been supplied by other ships which had arrived, as well as some weapons from the ali‘i Ka‘iana. Some of Kamehameha’s warriors had been well instructed in the use of these foreign weapons. They also had been taught the use of swords by some of Vancouver’s officers. Not only the men were experienced in using these foreign guns, but also some of the chiefly women learned this skill. The ali‘i wahine Kamāmalu was very adept in the use of a musket. It was said that she was much more skilled in marksmanship than the men.

     Here we shall return from our speaking of the third and last visit of Vancouver to Hawai‘i Nei, and perhaps it would be well to tell what the chief S.L. Peleioholani wrote. This is his description of this last arrival of Captain Vancouver in Hawai‘i Nei.

     On the 13th day of February, 1793, Vancouver arrived on the shores of Hawai‘i Nei at Hilo. Kamehameha and his court were staying at Hilo at that time. Those were days of celebration and happiness for the maka‘āinana of Hilo and the ali‘i who were celebrating the new year as was the way of the ancestors of Hawai‘i Nei. (Not only in this era is the new year observed, but it was also remembered in ancient times.) Captain Vancouver had arrived in Hawai‘i from the shores of North America. He again visited with Kamehameha, and at the end of those days of celebrating the new year, S.L. Peleioholani described something done by Captain Vancouver which it is well to tell our readers. However this was something written by Peleioholani, and it is not substantiated by other writers of Hawaiian history.

     When Vancouver arrived at Hilo this time, he sent Lieutenant Puget ashore with a red British flag on a wooden staff to wave in the breezes of Hilo. By that flag, the island of Hawai‘i was to escape being troubled by other governmental powers. When that flag was hoisted and waved in the breezes of Hilo, the shouts of the people and the ali‘i resounded to the heavens. Lieutenant Puget announced that Hawai‘i Island was conveyed to Britain, and at this same time Kamehameha, the ali‘i ‘ai moku of Hawai‘i, swore to become a British subject. His kaikaina Keali‘imaika‘i; Kaleimamahū; Ke‘eaumoku; Keaweaheulu, ali‘i of Ka‘ū; Ka‘iana, ali‘i of Puna; Kame‘eiamoku, ali‘i of Kohala; Kaleiwohi, hoahānau of Kamehameha; and Keaweokahikona, the ali‘i of Hilo, all became British subjects.

     Not only the ali‘i were sworn under this ceremony, but also sworn were these prominent ali‘i wahine of the land: Keku‘iapoiwa Liliha, Keōpūolani, Kalanikauiōkikilo, Ka‘ahumanu, Kaheiheimālie, Peleuli, Kānekapolei, Hākau, Ululani, and Kekaulikeikawēkiuonālani. These acts of swearing as British subjects were a cause of great joy to the ali‘i and the people of Hilo at that time.

     On the 26th day of February, which was the last day of these acts that have been described, Captain Vancouver’s ship left Hilo. The ship was boarded by Kamehameha and his male and female chiefs, and they sailed for Kealakekua. The ship touched briefly at Kealakekua and then sailed to Kawaihae. After some days at Kawaihae, the ship sailed for Maui so Vancouver could see Kahekili.

     When Vancouver met Kahekili, he told him that the island of Hawai‘i had been conveyed to Britain. Peleioholani described some words spoken between Kamehameha and Vancouver which were not recorded in some other stories written by Kamakau, Malo, and Abraham Fornander. However, it is not wrong to tell of these words in order to fill out our story.Kamehameha spoke some words to Vancouver which were well translated by a certain Hawaiian sailor as follows: “Perhaps it would be well for you to return quickly to Britain, because I have heard from foreigners from Kahiki that the ali‘i of Kahiki have many large ships such as yours.” “It is the truth which I speak to you. Some foreigners of Kahiki are indeed furnished with large ships which are much larger than my ship which you see here. There are ships also which are supplied with weapons of war which are able to fight with the enemy.” Thus Vancouver replied in an agreeable voice to Kamehameha.

     Kamehameha then spoke these admiring words to Vancouver: “Perhaps the difficulty about these British ali‘i is that they may not be like you in your graciousness and the justice of your actions toward us. If these ali‘i are like you, then you must return to Kahiki and send me some teachers to instruct my people in writing. If a person should receive the knowledge of these remarkable things, then if he is in another place, he would be able to see the writing and understand the thought of his companion. How remarkable is this thing, writing.” These are things spoken of between this great ali‘i of Hawai‘i and his friend Vancouver, showing how Kamehameha really trusted Captain Vancouver.