Chief Kūali'i was a Hawaiian
aliʻi
The aliʻi were the traditional nobility of the Hawaiian islands. They were part of a hereditary line of rulers, the ''noho aliʻi''.
Cognates of the word ''aliʻi'' have a similar meaning in other Polynesian languages; in Māori it is pronoun ...
of Oʻahu, who reigned in the 1700s.
He was from
Kailua, and led wars against the chiefs of Waialua, Ewa, and Waianae.
Kualii was the subject of a famous ''mele'' or chant of 600 lines, originally composed by two brothers, Kapaahulani and Kamaaulani, to gain favor with the chief.
The chant was handed down orally over a 150-year period, and was collected by Judge
Abraham Fornander
Abraham Fornander (November 4, 1812 – November 1, 1887) was a Swedish-born emigrant who became an important journalist, judge, and ethnologist in Hawaii.
Early life and education
Fornander was born in Öland, Sweden on November 4, 1812, to An ...
.
The chant was translated by Judge
Lorrin Andrews
Lorrin Andrews (April 29, 1795 – September 29, 1868) was an early American missionary to Hawaii and a judge. He opened the first post-secondary school for Hawaiians called Lahainaluna Seminary, prepared a Hawaiian dictionary and several works ...
and Curtis J. Lyons and recorded by historian
Samuel M. Kamakau.
Some ancient historians claimed that he lived for 175 years.
References
{{Reflist
Hawaiian chiefs