Keōpūolani facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Keōpūolani
Queen consort of Hawaii
A later romanticized illustration of the Queen and her retinue in the 1855 publication of The Christian Queen.
Born	c. 1778 Wailuku, Maui
Died	September 16, 1823 (aged 45) Kaluaokiha, Luaʻehu, Lahaina, Maui
Burial	Mokuʻula then Waiola Church
Spouse	Kamehameha I Ulumāheihei Hoapili
Issue	Kamehameha II Kamehameha III Nāhienaena eight others
Full name Kalanikauikaʻalaneo Kai Keōpūolani-Ahu-i-Kekai-Makuahine-a-Kama-Kalani-Kau-i-Kealaneo
House	House of Kamehameha
Father	Kīwalaʻō
Mother	Kekuʻiapoiwa Liliha

Keōpūolani (1778–1823) was a very important queen of Hawaiʻi. She was the highest-ranking wife of King Kamehameha I, who united the Hawaiian Islands.

Early Life and Royal Family

Keōpūolani was born around 1778 in a place called Pahoehoe of Pāpōhaku, near Wailuku, on the island of Maui. Her full name was Kalanikauikaʻalaneo Kai Keōpūolani-Ahu-i-Kekai-Makuahine-a-Kama-Kalani-Kau-i-Kealaneo. Her name Keōpūolani means "Gathering of the Clouds of Heaven."

Her father was Kīwalaʻō, who was the King of Hawaiʻi island. He was the son of King Kalaniʻōpuʻu, who met Captain James Cook.

Her mother was Queen Kekuʻiapoiwa Liliha. She was also the half-sister of Kamehameha I. Keōpūolani's parents were half-siblings themselves. This was a special type of royal marriage in ancient Hawaiʻi.

As a child, Keōpūolani lived in Hāna for a while. Later, she moved back to the Wailuku area on Maui.

The Battle of Kepaniwai

In 1790, when Keōpūolani was about 11 years old, Kamehameha attacked Maui. This was during the Battle of Kepaniwai. Maui's king, Kahekili II, was away on Oʻahu.

Maui's forces, led by Kalanikupule, lost the battle. Keōpūolani's grandmother and other important Maui chiefesses tried to escape. They were caught by Kamehameha's army on Molokaʻi.

To make peace, Keōpūolani's grandmother offered her as a future bride to Kamehameha. She also agreed to recognize Kamehameha as the ruler of Maui. Many other Maui chiefesses joined Kamehameha's court.

High Rank and Influence

Keōpūolani had a very high rank among the aliʻi (chiefs) of Hawaiʻi. Her family background was very important. Marrying her helped Kamehameha strengthen his power. It connected his family, the House of Kamehameha, to the ruling families of Maui and old Hawaiʻi. This made his rule even more legitimate.

She had a special kapu (sacred rule) called kapu moe. This meant common people had to lie face down when she was near. If chanters said her name, people removed their upper clothing. Even touching her shadow could be punished by death. However, Keōpūolani was kind and rarely enforced these strict rules. Even Kamehameha had to show respect in her presence. She was known for being friendly and loving.

Her Children

Keōpūolani had at least three children with Kamehameha. These were:

• Prince Liholiho, born in 1797. He later became King Kamehameha II.
• Prince Kauikeaouli, born in 1814. He later became King Kamehameha III.
• Princess Nāhienaena, born in 1815.

She may have had more children, but most of them died young.

Kamehameha considered his children with Keōpūolani to be very sacred. They were the only ones allowed to sit on his chest as a sign of their high status. Usually, Hawaiian children were raised by others in a tradition called hānai. But Keōpūolani kept her daughter Nāhienaena by her side.

After King Kamehameha's Death

When Kamehameha I died in 1819, Keōpūolani's oldest son, Liholiho, became King Kamehameha II. Keōpūolani mostly stayed out of politics. However, she supported Kaʻahumanu, Kamehameha I's favorite wife. Kaʻahumanu served as Kuhina Nui (a powerful co-ruler or regent) during Liholiho's short reign.

After Kamehameha I's death, Keōpūolani married High Chief Hoapili. Hoapili was a close friend of Kamehameha. He was given the special honor of secretly carrying Kamehameha's remains to a hidden burial site.

Breaking the Kapu and Christianity

Keōpūolani played a key role in the ʻAi Noa, which was the overthrow of the old Hawaiian kapu system. She worked with Queen Kaʻahumanu and the high priest Hewahewa. They shared a meal of foods that were forbidden for men and women to eat together. When they were not punished by the gods, it showed that the kapu system could be broken.

This breaking of the kapu happened just before Christian missionaries arrived in 1820. Keōpūolani was one of the first aliʻi to become a Christian. She started wearing Western clothes and learned to read and write.

In 1823, Keōpūolani declared that Hawaiian royalty would no longer have multiple spouses. This was to follow Christian practices. Hoapili became her only husband.

Illness and Death

Keōpūolani became very ill in August 1823. Many chiefs gathered to pay their respects. Messengers were sent to bring doctors and other important people.

On September 8, she felt she was dying and asked for the mission families to come. She greeted them with a smile and said, "Good! Great is my love to God."

When the prime minister, Kalanimoku, arrived, she told him: "Jehovah is a good God. I love him and I love Jesus Christ. I have given myself to him. When I die, do not follow the old customs. Put my body in a coffin. Let the teachers speak at my burial. Bury me like Christian people are buried. I think of my ancestors who died before hearing about Jesus Christ. I am sad for them because they did not see these good times."

Baptism and Funeral

Keōpūolani wanted to be baptized as a Christian. Missionaries in Lahaina, Charles Stewart and William Richards, agreed. They wanted a Hawaiian-speaking person to explain the ceremony clearly.

Sketch by Ellis of the funeral

English missionary William Ellis arrived. The dying queen was accepted into the church. The king and other leaders listened as Ellis explained baptism. When water was sprinkled on her, they said, "She is no longer ours. She has given herself to Jesus Christ. We believe she is his and will go to dwell with him."

She wanted her daughter Nāhiʻenaʻena to be raised as a Christian. Keōpūolani took the Christian name Harriet, after Charles Stewart's wife. Her daughter would also take this name. An hour later, on the evening of September 16, 1823, Keōpūolani died.

The next day, ships in the harbor fired their guns in salute. A large public funeral was held on September 18, 1823.

She was first buried in a new tomb in Lahaina. In 1837, King Kamehameha III moved her body to the sacred island of Mokuʻula in Lahaina. Later, her remains were likely reburied at the Christian cemetery at Waiola Church. Her daughter and many other royals are also buried there.

Today, Keōpūolani Park in Wailuku and Keōpūolani Dormitory at Kamehameha Schools are named after her.

Family

Family tree

Ancestry

See also

In Spanish: Keopuolani para niños