Piʻilani ("ascent to heaven"Piʻilani
/ref>) (born ca. 1460) ruled as Chief of the island of Maui in the later part of the 15th century. At the time Maui was an independent kingdom within the

islands of Hawaii The following is a list of the islands in Hawaii. The state of Hawaii, consisting of the Hawaiian Islands, has the List of U.S. states by coastline, fourth-longest ocean coastline of the 50 states (after Alaska, Florida, and California) at . It ...

. He was the first ''

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 ...

'' to unite the island under a single line. His rule was peaceful for most of his reign. His father was

Kawaokaohele Kawaokaohele (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian for "our days of poverty") was a Aliʻi, High Chief who ruled the island of Maui in ancient Hawaii. Biography Kawaokaohele was a son of Kahekili I and Haukanuimakamaka, who was a High Aliʻi, Chiefess an ...

and his mother was Kepalaoa. Pilʻilani and his offspring are important in legends of Maui, in the same way that

Līloa Līloa was a ruler of the island of Hawaii in the late 15th century. He kept his royal compound in Waipio Valley, Waipi'o Valley. Līloa was the firstborn son of Kiha-nui-lulu-moku, one of the ''noho aliʻi'' (ruling elite). He descended from Hān ...

and his son ʻ

Umi-a-Liloa ʻUmi-a-Līloa (fifteenth century) was the supreme ruler Aliʻi nui of Hawaii, Aliʻi-ʻAimoku (High chief of Hawaiʻi Island) who inherited Hawaiian religion, religious authority of the Hawaiian Islands from his father, High Chief Līloa, whose li ...

in the legends of the island of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. The two family lines of Piʻilani and Liloa were closely associated although from separate islands. ʻUmi was a supporter of

Kiha-a-Piʻilani Kiha-a-Piilani was an Aliʻi nui of Maui (tribal chief of Maui). He was born ca. 1510. Kiha was a son of Piʻilani, who built great ''heiau'' (temple). Kihaʻs mother was named La’ieloheloheikawai. Shortly after Piʻilani died, Kihaʻs brother ...

, Piʻilani's son, when he went to war. The lineage continued in west Hawaii and east Maui in lesser lines and in the lines of Moana ''Kane'' from Liloa and Piʻilaniwahine from Piʻilani in the couple's marriage and offspring. Piʻilani and his sons were circumcised. Piʻilani's is a descendant of Puna-i-mua. His father and grandfathers came from western Maui. Under Piʻilani for the first time this family controlled the eastern side as well. Piʻilani began building a roadway to encircle the entire island, the first such road in the islands. It was wide enough for eight men to walk beside each other. It was completed by his son. Some sections of Piʻilani Highway follow the old path. In places, the old stones are still visible. After Piʻilani's death the line of succession became a struggle similar to that of ʻUmi and Hakua of Hawaii.

Family tree

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pi'ilani Hawaiian chiefs 15th-century monarchs Royalty of Maui