Alapaʻiwahine was a princess of the Island of Hawaii and great-grandmother of King David Kalākaua and Queen Lydia Liliʻuokalani.[1][2] She was a Naha chiefess: the product of a rare father and daughter marriage uncommon in Hawaiian history.
| Alapaʻi Wahine | |
|---|---|
| Spouse | Kepoʻokalani |
| Issue | Kamanawa II Kapelakapuokakae |
| Father | Kalaninuiamamao |
| Mother | Kaolanialii |
Biography
editShe was probably born in the late 18th century prior to the landing of Captain James Cook on the Hawaiian Islands. She was born into the most powerful family in the island of Hawaii at the time. Her father was Kalaninuiamamao and her mother was his fifth wife, the Naha chiefess Kaolanialii, Kalaninuilamamao's daughter by his wife Kapaihi-a-Ahu.[3][4]
Her father (who was thus also her grandfather) was ruling chief (Aliʻi Nui) of the District of Kaʻū, son of Keaweʻīkekahialiʻiokamoku and Lonomaʻaikanaka. He was once in line to succeed, but due to the contention between him and his higher-ranking brother, Keʻeaumoku Nui, which led to a war that split the island of Hawaiʻi into separate district kingdoms until Kamehameha I, Keʻeaumoku’s grandson, united it and the rest of the major islands. The war between the two brothers gave a chance for his cousin, the King Alapaʻi Nui, to take the throne. Alapaʻi was a common name of the Aliʻi family. Although her father lost the throne, her siblings soon regained power. Her brother Chief Kalaniʻōpuʻu a Kaiamamao ruled Kohala District, Kona District and Kaʻū which encompassed the western half of Hawaiʻi island; her brother Keawemauhili married high chiefess ʻUlulani of Hilo and became joint-ruler of Hilo alongside her.
She was the first cousin once removed of the King Kamehameha I. Her husband was the High Chief Kepoʻokalani, first cousin of Kamehameha, and they had two sons. Her sons were Kamanawa II (ca. 1785–1840) and Kapelakapuokakae.[5] The House of Kalākaua descends from her son Kamanawa.[6] Kamawana II is sometimes called Kamanawa ʻŌpio (meaning "younger" or "junior" in the Hawaiian language).[7]
References
edit- ^ Fuchs, Miriam (2004). The Text is Myself: Women's Life Writing and Catastrophe. Univ of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-299-19064-4.
- ^ Liliʻuokalani (2023-11-21). Hawaii's Story: Written by Hawaii's Queen. DigiCat.
- ^ Holmes, Leilani (2016-08-31). Ancestry of Experience: A Journey into Hawaiian Ways of Knowing. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-6772-0.
- ^ Harden, Jordan Kalani (January 2021). "Understanding Native Hawaiian Land Relations Through Kānaka Maoli Literature". Oregon Undergraduate Research Journal. 18: 94–141. doi:10.5399/uo/ourj/18.1.6. ISSN 2160-617X.
- ^ Henry Soszynski. "Alapaʻiwahine". web page on "Rootsweb". Archived from the original on 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
- ^ Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen
- ^ Pukui and Elbert (2003). "lookup of opio". on Hawaiian dictionary. Ulukau, the Hawaiian Electronic Library, University of Hawaii. Archived from the original on 2012-07-20. Retrieved 2009-12-29.