Great Māhele facts for kids

The Great Māhele (pronounced Mah-heh-leh) was a huge change in how land was owned in the Hawaiian Islands. It means "to divide" or "to portion out." King Kamehameha III suggested this big change.

The Great Māhele was one of the most important events in Hawaiian history. It was meant to give Hawaiian people clear ownership of their land. But, over time, it actually caused many Hawaiians to lose their connection to their ancestral lands.

Hawaiian Bill of Rights

In 1839, King Kamehameha III and his chiefs created the Hawaiian Bill of Rights. This document, also called the 1839 Constitution of Hawaii, was an important step. It tried to make sure that Hawaiian people would not lose the land they had lived on for generations.

It also helped set up a system for people to own businesses and trade freely. Boaz Mahune, who went to the Lahainaluna missionary school, wrote the first version. The King and his Council of Chiefs then reviewed and changed it in June 1839.

The 1840 Hawaiian Constitution

The 1840 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii created a new type of government. It set up a constitutional monarchy, which means the king would share power with other parts of the government.

This constitution said that the land belonged to the people of Hawaii. The king was in charge of managing it. It also created three main parts of government:

• The executive branch (like the king and his advisors)
• The legislative branch (who make laws)
• The judicial branch (who interpret laws and handle justice)

The document also created a new idea called "allodial title." This meant people could fully own their land. The goal was to keep the land in the hands of Hawaiian people so they could mālama (nurture and sustain) it.

To protect Hawaiian lands, King Kamehameha III decided to divide them. The land was shared among everyone: the aliʻi (chiefs), konohiki (land managers), and makaʻāinana (common people).

Before this, private land ownership did not exist. The king gave kuleana (responsibility) for ahupuaʻa (land divisions) to high chiefs. These chiefs and their managers collected taxes from people who worked the land together.

The Great Māhele officially happened on March 7, 1848. It divided the land into three main parts:

• One-third went to the mōʻī (king) as Hawaiian crown lands.
• Another third was given to the aliʻi and konohiki.
• The last third was meant for the makaʻāinana (common people).

A law called the Kuleana Act of 1850 said people had two years to claim their land. However, many Hawaiians did not make a claim.

Over time, much of this land was sold. It went to settlers from the United States or to large companies known as The Big Five (Hawaii). Today, about 32% of Hawaii's land is owned by the state. Another 4.8% is set aside as Hawaiian Homelands for native Hawaiians.

Important Laws of 1850

Alien Land Ownership Act

On July 10, 1850, a new law was passed called the Alien Land Ownership Act. This law allowed people from other countries to own land in Hawaii. Some important leaders like Kamehameha IV, Kamehameha V, and Gerrit P. Judd were away when this law was passed.

Chief Justice William Little Lee wrote this Act. The idea behind it was that allowing foreigners to own land would bring in money and workers. This, they hoped, would make Hawaii more prosperous.

Kuleana Act of 1850

Another very important part of the Great Māhele was the Kuleana Act of 1850. This law allowed common people to ask for official ownership of the land they farmed and lived on. It was similar to "homesteading" laws in the United States.

However, this Act also ended the right of commoners to farm or graze animals on the larger, shared lands of the ahupuaʻa. The ownership of these larger lands went to the chiefs, the crown, or the government.

For ordinary Hawaiians, the idea of owning land was new. Many did not understand why they needed to claim land they already lived and worked on. Information spread by word-of-mouth or through written documents. To make a claim, people needed money for a land survey. They also needed two witnesses to confirm they had worked the land.

About 18,000 plots of land, each about 3 acres, were successfully claimed. At that time, the Kingdom's population was around 82,000 people. Most of the land ended up being owned by higher classes and the aliʻi (chiefs). Sadly, due to Western diseases and property taxes, many Hawaiians later lost their land.

See also

In Spanish: Gran Mahele para niños