Kamokuiki
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Kamokuiki (c. 1795 – September 26, 1840) was a grandmother of the last two ruling
monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...
s of the
Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian:
ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi Latin epsilon or open E (majuscule: Ɛ, minuscule: ɛ) is a letter of the extended Latin alphabet, based on the lowercase of the Greek letter epsilon (ε). It was introduced in the 16th century by Gian Giorgio Trissino to represent the pronunc ...
, was an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaii ...
.


Life

Kamokuiki was born about 1795 as a daughter of the chief Kanepawale, son of Kaʻihelemoana and Kaʻopa, and his wife chiefess Uaua, daughter of Kaʻehunuiamamaliʻi and Koʻi. Her grandfather's sister was Hikuikekualono, the mother of Kahaopulani, who according to legend hid and nursed the baby
Kamehameha I Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kauʻi Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; to May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii ...
during his infancy when he was being hunted down by Alapainui. Kamokuiki married High Chief
Kamanawa II Kamanawa II known as Kamanawa Ōpio or Kamanawa Elua ( – October 20, 1840) was a Hawaiian high chief and grandfather of the last two ruling monarchs of the Kingdom of Hawaii, King David Kalākaua and Queen Lydia Makaeha Liliuokalani. His fam ...
and with him had a son,
Caesar Kapaʻakea Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war. He ...
(1815–1866). She also had a daughter named Kekahili by another husband named Alapaimaloiki. The
House of Kalākaua The House of Kalākaua, or Kalākaua Dynasty, also known as the Keawe-a-Heulu line, was the reigning family of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Kingdom of Hawaiʻi under Kalākaua, King Kalākaua and Liliʻuokalani, Queen Liliʻuokalani. They assumed power ...
descends from her son Kapaʻakea. The House of Kawānanakoa descends from her daughter Kekahili. After converting to
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
, Kamokuiki grew disgusted at her husband Kamanawa's many affairs. In 1840, she divorced him for the crime of adultery. Kamanawa was not allowed to remarry while she was alive. Six weeks after the divorce, Kamokuiki died in
Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
on September 26, 1840. Two days later an autopsy was performed on her body and her stomach was discovered to be "much inflamed, while everything else was in order." Her ex-husband and his accomplice Lonoapuakau were arrested and placed in chains. They had poisoned her "‘awa" (a name for
kava Kava or kava kava (''Piper methysticum'': Latin 'pepper' and Latinized Ancient Greek, Greek 'intoxicating') is a plant in the Piperaceae, pepper family, native to the Pacific Islands. The name ''kava'' is from Tongan language, Tongan and Marqu ...
, a narcotic drink) with fatal doses of the fishing poisons ʻākia and ʻauhuhu. They were both tried by a jury of twelve chiefs and found guilty of her murder. They were hanged in the Honolulu Fort on October 20, 1840, the first two to be prosecuted under the criminal laws adopted in the Hawaiian constitution of 1840.
Charles Wilkes Charles Wilkes (April 3, 1798 – February 8, 1877) was an American naval officer, ship's captain, and List of explorers, explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–1842). During the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865 ...
of the
United States Exploring Expedition The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...
was in Honolulu during the murder and subsequent trial. Calling her "Kamakinki", Wilkes recounted how the cries of the natives mourning the death of Kamokuiki kept him awake at night, describing it as "one of the most startling and mournful sounds I ever heard which lasted all night, and disturbed the whole town of Honolulu." This incident left a mark on the family and would negatively affect public opinion of Kamokuiki's grandson
Kalākaua Kalākaua (David Laʻamea Kamanakapuʻu Māhinulani Nālaʻiaʻehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua; November 16, 1836 – January 20, 1891), was the last king and penultimate monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, reigning from February 12, 1874, u ...
during his campaign for the throne in 1874. Later opponents of Kalākaua and his sister and successor
Liliʻuokalani Queen Liliʻuokalani (; Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha; September 2, 1838 – November 11, 1917) was the only queen regnant and the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, ruling from January 29, 1891, until the overthrow of th ...
would use the murder case as an example of their family's idolatrous tendencies. Kamokuiki's remains are interred in the cemetery of the
Kawaiahaʻo Church Kawaiahaʻo Church is a historic Congregational church located in Downtown Honolulu on the Hawaiian Island of Oʻahu. The church, along with the Mission Houses, comprise the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site, which was designated a U.S. Nat ...
, in the Kapiʻolani family plot. Her husband Alapaimaloiki,
Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole was a Hawaiian high chief of Hilo and father of Queen Kapiʻolani. He was born to Aliʻi Elelule Laʻakeaelelulu and his wife Poʻomaikelani, daughter of Aliʻi Kanekoa, of Waimea, by his first wife, Kalani-kau-lelei-awi, ...
, the father of
Queen Kapiʻolani Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...
, and other relatives of
Elizabeth Kahanu Kalanianaʻole Elizabeth Kahanu Kaʻauwai Kalanianaʻole Woods (March 8, 1879 – February 19, 1932) was the wife of Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, Hawaii's second delegate to Congress. Early life She was born in Makawao, H ...
are also buried here. Today, an
obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...
marks where the Kapiʻolani family plot is located. Most of her royal descendants are buried at the Royal Mausoleum at Mauna ʻAla.


References


Bibliography

* * * * {{cite book, last=Wilkes, first=Charles, author-link=Charles Wilkes, title=Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8KwbCRdNa3wC, volume=4, year=1844, publisher=C. Sherman, location=Philadelphia 1790s births 1840 deaths Burials at Kawaiahaʻo Church Converts to Christianity from Hawaiian religion Deaths by poisoning House of Kalākaua Murdered royalty People murdered in Hawaii