Prince Kūhiō Day: Honoring Hawai’i’s Last Royal

Prince Jonah Kūhiō during his time as a Congressional delegate representing Hawai’i.

March 26 marks the celebration of one of Hawai’i’s most important figures: Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana’ole. Born into a family of Kaua’i Ali’i (royalty), and adopted into the Kalākaua Dynasty, Prince Kūhiō was an important figure across Hawai’i’s history; he came of age in the sovereign Kingdom of Hawai’i, participated in the 1895 Wilcox Rebellion against imperial forces, and eventually became a United States Congressional Delegate, where he advocated for the rights of his people until his death in 1922. Read on to learn more about the last Prince of Hawai’i as we prepare to celebrate Prince Kūhiō Day across the islands. 

 

Early Life: “Prince Cupid” on World Tour

 

Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana’ole was born in 1871 in the small town of Kōloa on Kaua’i. Named after his grandfathers, the high chiefs of Hilo and Kaua’i respectively, and descended from Kaumuali’i, the last ruling chief of Kaua’i before Hawaiian unification, Prince Kūhiō was as royal as they come. When his parents died and his maternal aunt, Queen Kapi’olani, ascended to the throne as the wife of king David Kalākaua, he was adopted through hānai and declared a Prince of the Kingdom of Hawai’i. His royal status allowed him access to the highest quality schools and education, and Kūhiō was sent abroad for his studies twice: the first time to Saint Matthew’s School in San Mateo, California, and the second to the Royal Agricultural College in England. 

 

A young “Prince Cupid”, long before his entry into the world of politics.

While in school, Prince Kūhiō was known for both his athleticism and likeable personality. His perpetual smile and merry expression earned him the nickname “Prince Cupid”, and he is credited with introducing surfing to locals on California beaches in Santa Cruz, and to his English tutor in Bridlington while studying abroad. Although the surfing scene in Bridlington seems to have died with Prince Kūhiō’s departure, Santa Cruz beaches have become a surfing hotspot, and the sport has taken off across the world thanks to Kūhiō’s willingness to share his culture. 

 

Return to Hawai’i and Rebel Activity

 

Upon his return to Hawai’i in 1891, Prince Kūhiō became a close confidante and advisor to Queen Lili’uokalani, who had assumed the throne after King David Kalākaua’s death. Just two years later, in 1893, the Hawaiian Kingdom was overthrown in a coup d’etat orchestrated by pro-annexationists who were fearful of Queen Lili’uokalani’s unwavering commitment to her people, and her efforts to dissolved the 1887 Bayonet Constitution that weakened the monarchy. Supported by United States Marines, non-Hawaiian annexationists successfully removed Lili’uokalani from the throne, and established a Provisional Government of Hawai’i under the leadership of Sanford Dole (of the Dole fruit company, yes). 

 

Two years after the 1893 Coup, Prince Kūhiō took part in the 1895 Wilcox Rebellion against Dole’s illegally formed Republic of Hawai’i. Seeking to restore the monarchy as the seat of Hawaiian power, the rebels, or “royalists” as they were called, planned to attack key government buildings in Honolulu, and reinstate Queen Lili’uokalani. Prince Kūhiō was among the rebels, and upon their failure was captured and sentenced to imprisonment for a year. He served his full term, but upon his release left Hawai’i with his wife Princess Elizabeth Kalaniana’ole in self-imposed exile, as hopes of restoring the monarchy were dim, and spirits were low. 

 

From Prince to Congressman: Kūhiō’s Second Return to Hawai’i

 

After two years spent traveling Europe and South Africa in his exile, Prince Kūhiō recovered his desire to be in action, and returned to what was now the Territory of Hawai’i in 1901. Wanting to influence the direction of politics in his homeland, Kūhiō joined the Republican Party in 1902, and was elected as the Party’s delegate to the U.S. Congress, a position which he held until his death in 1922. 

 

During his tenure as a United States Congressman, Prince Kūhiō continuously advocated for the rights and protections of the Hawaiian people, specifically kānaka maoli (Native Hawaiians). He was responsible for the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1921, which set aside 200,000 acres of land in a federal trust for homesteading by Native Hawaiians. The HHCA sought to ensure that Native Hawaiians would not be pushed out of their homeland, and would have access to the land necessary to build homes, farms, churches, and communities, and to maintain traditional ties to the ‘āina. The HCCA is still in effect to this day, and despite the government’s controversial management of the land trust, continues to be an important resource for preserving Hawaiian land.

 

Prince Kūhiō’s legacy goes even deeper than the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, though. He is responsible for creating the county system of local governing that survives in Hawai’i presently, as well as securing funds for the expansion and improvement of Pearl Harbor, and the construction of the Makapu’u Point Lighthouse. Kūhiō was also responsible for the creation of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, and for the reorganization of the Royal Order of Kamehameha I. He also sponsored the first bill advocating for Hawaiian statehood in 1919, although success would not be found until 1959, well after his death. 

 

Prince Kūhiō Day: Honoring Hawai’i’s Last Prince

 

In 1949, March 26 was declared Prince Kūhiō Day in order to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Prince Jonah Kūhiō. Hawai’i’s last royal remained an important figure across nearly four decades of political turbulence and confusion. From the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai’i, to the burgeoning idea of Hawaiian statehood, Kūhiō was at the forefront through it all, and sought to do right by his people. The next time you’re on Kaua’i, after you pick up your rental car in Lihue and head out across the island, pay attention to the road you’re on. As you make your way toward your condo or resort, you’ll find yourself on Kūhiō Highway, which is the perfect opportunity to take a moment and pay your respects to the last Prince of Hawai’i. 

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From Makahiki to Mele Kalikimaka: How Christmas Came to Hawai’i

If you’ve ever celebrated Christmas on the islands, you know it’s a totally different affair. Kanakaloka, affectionately called Shaka Claus, arrives on an outrigger canoe instead of a sleigh, palm trees get decorated in lieu of traditional evergreens, and Christmas is often a day for family cookouts on the beach. Before the Christian holiday and its traditions arrived with the Protestant missionaries in the 1800’s, though, Native Hawaiians had celebrated with a four-month long New Year Festival called Makahiki. Read on to learn more about Makahiki, the ancient precursor to Christmas and New Years on the islands!

 

Makahiki: A Time of Peace and Celebration

 

Much like the holiday season on the mainland (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years), the festival of Makahiki was a time of celebration, community, and fresh starts for the new year. Makahiki means “year” or “new year” in Hawaiian, and the festival honored the god of fertility, peace, and agriculture, Lono-i-ka-makahiki. During this period, stretching from October/November – February/March, war with neighbors was forbidden, or kapu, as was daily labor, and people could look forward to feasts, sporting events, and hula in their communities. 

 

A Hawaiian one-legged wrestling match at a Makahiki celebration

The start of the festival season was dependent on when the star cluster Makali’i (the Pleiades in Western astronomy), was visible from the Western side of each island after sunset. The next new moon after the sighting of Makali’i would begin the Makahiki season, with traveling celebrations occurring clockwise around the islands. A figure of the god Lono, accompanied by Akua Pa’ani, the god of sports, was carried across the island, with his arrival in an ahupua’a (a traditional Hawaiian land division) marking the start of the actual festival. 

 

 

Before Lono’s arrival, ho’okupu (offerings) were made to both local ali’i (royalty), and Lono himself. Once Lono made his way into the

A game of ‘ulu maika (Hawaiian “bowling”) at Oahu’s Makahiki celebration

ahupua’a, though, it was a time of hula dancing, feasting, music, and sporting events for the people. Wrestling, boxing, Hawaiian “bowling”, and canoe races were all common events, as well as lava sled racing on some of the islands. Priests, or kahuna, held important religious ceremonies to ensure a plentiful growing season, and a large ho’okupu was set adrift at sea as the final offering to Lono.

 

On the final days of the festival, the high chief would take a canoe out to sea, and upon his return he would have to ward off spears being thrown at him, reenacting the legend of Lono. The high chief would then make the final offerings to Lono, and the festival would end with a village-wide feast at dawn. While the high chief and high priest would continue religious ceremonies for several more days, for the average people the festival was over, and the carriers would take Lono to the next ahupua’a to continue the festivities. This circuit of festivals would last about four months before Lono finally returned to the West side of the island. 

 

Makahiki Becomes Mele Kalikimaka: Missionaries Arrive in Hawai’i

 

In the 1820’s, the first Protestant missionaries began to arrive in Hawai’i from the United States, which would change the structure of Hawaiian society and the holidays that were deemed important. The missionaries were incredibly successful at imposing Christian values and holy days upon the Native Hawaiians, which meant Makahiki fell to the wayside, and Christmas took over. The first recorded instance of a Christmas celebration in Hawai’i occurred on Kauai in 1786 with the arrival of English sea captain George Dixon, however it did not become a holiday in the Kingdom of Hawai’i until King Kamehameha IV proclaimed it in 1862.  This is not to say Makahiki disappeared completely, though, as it became popular once again during the second Hawaiian Renaissance in the 1970’s!

 

Shaka Claus and Christmas Palm Trees: Modern Christmas in Hawai’i

 

Fabulously festive Christmas palm trees

Like any part of the Western world, Christmas has become firmly rooted as an important winter holiday, even if it looks a little different on the islands! Instead of Santa Claus donning a red suit and gliding across rooftops in a sleigh, Kanakaloka arrives in an outrigger canoe and wears slippers and a Hawaiian shirt. Decorated evergreen trees are replaced by towering palm trees covered in lights, and a cozy Christmas by the fire is swapped for a beachside barbecue. The essence of the holiday remains much the same as when the Hawaiians celebrated Makahiki, though: good food, good company, and eagerly anticipated celebrations to end the old year and ring in the new!

 

 

Whether you’ve already celebrated Makahiki, or you’re looking forward to Christmas and any other winter holidays, the Kauai Kahuna team is wishing you all a very merry holiday season, and best wishes for the new year. Aloha and Mele Kalikimaka!

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Queen Emma Kaleleonalani and the 36th Annual Emalani Festival

The nation of Hawai’i has had many famous monarchs throughout its history, from the long lines of the Kamehameha Dynasty, to the Renaissance King Kalākaua. Almost as powerful as the ali’i (royalty) on the throne, however, were the wives at their side. One such woman, Queen Emma Kaleleonālani, the wife of Kamehameha IV, rose to prominence as a champion of the Hawaiian people, particularly Hawaiian women and the poor. Now, every year on Kauai’s South Shore a festival is held in her honor, and to commemorate the historic journey Queen Emma took to Koke’e in 1871 while grieving the loss of her husband and child. Read on to learn more about this powerful figure, and to find out more about the Eō e Emalani Festival!

 

From Emma to Emalani: the Queen’s Early Life and Rise to Prominence

 

Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV

Even from the time of her birth in 1836, Emma, or Emalani (Royal Emma) as she was often called, was an important person to the upper castes of Hawaiian society. Born to a high chief and chiefess, and adopted into the family of high chiefess Grace Kamaʻikuʻi Young Rooke and physician Thomas Rooke, Emma was raised in high society, and attended the Royal School with other children of Hawaiian ali’i. Her classmates included her future husband and king of Hawai’i, Alexander Liholiho, as well as future king and queen David Kalākaua and Liliʻuokalani. Even though Emma was the great-grandniece of Kamehameha I, because her heritage was mixed Hawaiian and British, some thought her unfit to marry King Kamehameha IV. Nonetheless the two were wed in a happy ceremony, and two years later they had their only son, Prince Albert Edward Kamehameha. 

 

A Champion of the People: The Queen’s Hospital and School for Girls

 

While Kamehameha IV was alive, Queen Emma undertook two significant projects to help her people. The first was Queen’s Hospital in Honolulu, now known as the Queen’s Medical Center. Inspired by her adoptive father’s work as a physician, and further pushed by the growing number of Native Hawaiians dying due to foreign diseases like smallpox, Emma and Kamehameha campaigned door-to-door for donations for the establishment of a public hospital, and in 1859 the Queen’s Hospital was opened to “protect the Hawaiian race”. The hospital offered free healthcare services to poor Hawaiians, most notably free smallpox vaccines, and Queen Emma was said to have visited most every day she was in Honolulu. Queen’s Medical Center remains a world-renowned hospital, and a continuous pillar of financial support for Native Hawaiian health programs. 

 

Emma’s other humanitarian undertaking was the establishment of St. Andrew’s Priory school for girls in 1867. Although Emma was rigorously schooled at the American-style Royal School, this was a privilege afforded to her only due to her status as royalty. In broader Hawaiian society, it was typical that only boys were allowed to attend schools, and Queen Emma sought to rectify this by establishing an all-girls school that would provide a high quality education like that of the boys’ schools. After traveling to England to seek the counsel of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Emma returned to Hawai’i with the Sisters of the Church of England, and the school was opened on Ascension Day in 1867. Like the Queen’s Hospital, St. Andrew’s is still operational to this day, and continues to offer high quality education for the young girls of Hawai’i. 

 

The Loss of Kamehameha IV, Prince Albert Edward, and Emma’s Journey to Kaua’i

 

Emma Kaleleonālani in traditional widower’s weeds after the death of her husband Kamehameha IV

Despite the happy marriage between Emma and Kamehameha IV, their son Albert Edward fell seriously ill and died in 1862 at just 4 years old. Both parents were grief-stricken, and Queen Emma came to be known as Kaleleokalani, meaning “the flight of the heavenly chief” in remembrance of her son. King Kamehameha IV became severely depressed due to the loss of his son, and considered abdicating the throne to mourn in peace with his wife. Unfortunately, his depression over the loss of his son led to his worsening health, and in 1863 King Kamehameha IV died at just 29 years old. Now grieving the loss of both husband and child, Queen Emma once again changed her name to Kaleleonālani, “the flight of the heavenly chiefs”, to honor both Kamehameha and Albert Edward. Although she was just 27, Kaleleonālani would not remarry, nor have any more children. 

 

After several years spent traveling the world for personal and religious purposes, Emma Kaleleonālani came to Kaua’i in December of 1870 to heal her wounded soul. She resided in a humble cottage in Lawai on the South Shore, and spent her time tending to her beautiful and extensive garden, and walking by the bluffs in solitude. In January of 1871, wishing to see the beautiful Kilohana of Hanalei (a breathtaking viewpoint of Hanalei town and the Pacific Ocean from the mountain cliffs), Queen Emma set off with her guide Kaluahi and a party of about 100. Starting in Waimea, and continuing through Koke’e and the Alakai Swamp, the group trekked for two days, with Emma keeping spirits high through chants and hula performances the whole time. When they returned from the journey, the Queen was celebrated with a grand luau, which served as the inspiration for today’s Emalani Festival!

 

10 years later, in 1882, Emma Kaleleonālani would again return to Kaua’i, this time to climb to the top of Mauna Kea, the highest and most sacred mountain on Kaua’i. At the top was a spring fed lake, called Wai’au, believed to have sacred, life-giving waters, where Queen Emma swam before beginning the grueling descent back down the mountain. Although her 1871 trip to the Kilohana of Hanalei was met with more fanfare, the symbolism of Queen Emma climbing the sacred peak inspired no less than 8 meles (chants/poems) to be composed. 

 

The Annual Emalani Festival

 

A previous “Queen Emma” arriving at the Festival on horseback.

Since 1988, to honor Queen Emma Kaleleonālani’s first journey to Kaua’i, an annual Emalani Festival has been held in November. Each year people are chosen to represent Queen Emma, her guide Kaluahi, and her attendants, and many hālau (groups or schools) are invited to perform in her honor, much like the original grand luau that was held. Performances include traditional Hawaiian music, chants, and dances, and there is traditional Hawaiian food, lei making, and exhibits available for attendees. Each festival, Queen Emma and her entourage arrive on horseback at 10am, marking the official start of the festivities. From there the hālau will perform in her honor and, as is customary, the Queen may offer a dance of her own in thanks. This beautiful and interesting event is an opportunity to witness the recreation of a historical event, try some genuine Hawaiian cuisine, and witness traditional Hawaiian ceremonial protocol. Attendance is free for all, and the Festival will take place Saturday, November 2nd 2024, from 9am to 4pm in Koke’e State Park. You can park at the Kekaha Neighborhood Center and follow the signs to the Festival from there! For more information you can click here or here. Although the bulletin is several years old, we found the program for the 2020 virtual event to be quite interesting when putting this blog post together. If you’d like to look over it, you can do so here.

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