Chiefess Kapiolani

Kapiolani was the daughter of Keawe-mau-hili, who was the high chief of the district of Hilo. He was the uncle of Kiwalao, the young king of the island Hawaii, who was killed by Kamehameha's warriors when Kamehameha became king of that island.

Kapiolani as a little child was in the camp with her father at the time of the battle. She was in danger of death, but some men carried her over

the mountains through a multitude of difficulties back to Hilo. She became a tall, portly woman, with keen black eyes and an engaging countenance, a queen in appearance when with other chiefs or chiefesses. She was not a queen, nor was she even a princess, although by blood relationship she belonged to the royal family. She was the wife of Na-ihe, who was the high chief of the district of Kona on the western side of the island Hawaii.

Na-ihe (The spears) was said to be the national orator or best speaker on government affairs among the chiefs. Kapiolani (The-bending-arch-of-heaven) was very intelligent, quick-witted, and fearless. They were both so influential that they were chosen by the great Kamehameha, as members of his council of chiefs and were retained by his son Liholiho, or Kamehameha II.

When the missionaries of the American Board from Boston arrived, April 4, 1820, at Kailua Bay on the western coast of Hawaii, they landed in territory nominally controlled by Na-ihe and Kapiolani, although at that particular time the young king, Liholiho, and his court were in Kona, and were the real rulers.

However, when the missionaries had reduced the language to writing and had begun to print leaflets for spelling and reading, in 1822, Na-ihe and Kapiolani were among the first chiefs to welcome instruction and accept Christianity as far as they could understand it.

In 1823 a delegation of missionaries went around the island Hawaii. They visited the volcano Kilauea and wrote the first really good description of the crater and its activity. The natives were astonished to see the perfect safety of the missionaries, although the worship and tabus of Pele were absolutely ignored. Ohelo[1] berries and strawberries growing on the brink of the crater were freely eaten and the lake of fire explored without even a thought of fear of the goddess.

In the course of their journey the missionaries met a priestess of Pele. The priestess, assuming a haughty air, said: "I am Pele, I shall never die. Those who follow me, if part of their bones are taken to Kilauea, will live in the bright fire there." A missionary said, "Are you Pele?" She said, "Yes, I am Pele," then proceeded to state her powers. A chief of low rank who had been a royal messenger under Kamehameha, and who was making the journey with the missionaries, interrupted the woman, saying: "Then it is true, you are Pele, and have destroyed the land, killed the people, and have spoiled the fishing-grounds. If I were the king I would throw you into the sea." The priestess was quick-witted and said that truly she had done some harm, but the rum of the foreigners was far more destructive.

All this prepared the way for Kapiolani to attempt to break down the worship of the fire-goddess. It must be remembered that Kapiolani had been under the influence of thoughtful civilization only about three years when she decided that she would attack the idolatry which, of all idol worship, was the most firmly entrenched in the hearts of her people because it was founded on the mysterious forces of nature. She accepted implicitly the word of the missionaries, that their God was the one god of nature. Therefore she had rejected the fire-goddess with all the other deities formerly worshipped in Hawaii. She was, however, practically alone in her determination to strike a blow against the worship of Pele.

Priests of Pele were numerous on the island Hawaii. Women were among those of highest rank in that priesthood. Many of the personal followers of Kapiolani were worshippers. Even Na-ihe, her husband, had not been able to free himself from superstitious fears. When Kapiolani said that she was going to prove the falsity of the worship of Pele, there was a storm of heartfelt opposition. The priests and worshippers of Pele honestly believed that divine punishment would fall on her. Those who were Christians were afraid that some awful explosion might overwhelm the company, as a large body of warriors had been destroyed thirty-four years before.

Na-ihe, still strongly under the influence of superstition, urged her not to go. All this opposition arose from her warm friends. When her determination was seen to be immovable, some of the priests of Pele became bitterly angry and in their rage prophesied most awful results.

When Kapiolani left her home in Kona her people, with great wailing, again attempted to persuade her to stay with them. The grief, stimulated by fear of things supernatural, was uncontrollable. The people followed their chiefess some distance with prayers and tears.

For more than a hundred miles she journeyed, usually walking, sometimes having a smooth path, but again having to cross miles of the roughest, most rugged and sharp-edged lava on the island Hawaii. At last the party came to the vicinity of the volcano. This was not by the present road, but along the smoother, better way, used for centuries on the south side of the crater toward the ocean.

Toward the close of the day they crossed steaming cracks and chasms and drew nearer to the foul-smelling, gaseous clouds of smoke which blew toward them from the great crater. Here a priestess of Pele of the highest rank came to meet the party and turn them away from the dominions of the fire-goddess unless they would offer appropriate sacrifices. She knew Kapiolani's purpose, and determined to frustrate it.

Formerly there had been a temple near the brink of the crater on the southeast side. This, according to Ellis, bore the name Oala-laua. He says, "It was a temple of Pele, of which Ka-maka-a-ke-akua (The-eye-of-God), a distinguished soothsayer who died in the reign of Kamehameha, was many years priest." The temple was apparently deserted at the time of the overthrow of the tabu in 1819, and the priests had gone to the lower and better cultivated lands of Puna, where they had their headquarters. However, they still worshipped Pele and sacrificed to her.

This priestess who faced Kapiolani was very haughty and bold. She forbade her to approach any nearer to the volcano on pain of death at the hands of the furious goddess Pele.

"Who are you?" asked Kapiolani.

"I am one in whom the God dwells."

"If God dwells in you, then you are wise and can teach me. Come and sit down."

The priestess had seen printed pages or heard about them, so she drew out a piece of kapa, or paper made from the bark of trees,[1] and saying that this was a letter from Pele began to read or rather mumble an awful curse.

The people with Kapiolani were hushed into a terrified silence, but she listened quietly until the priestess, carried beyond her depth, read a confused mass of jumbled words, and unintelligible noises, which she called "The dialect of the ancient Pele."

Then Kapiolani took her spelling-book, and a little book of a few printed hymns, and said: "You have pretended to deliver a message from your god, but we have not understood it. Now I will read you a message which you can understand, for I, too, have a letter." Then she read clearly the Biblical sentences printed in the spelling-book and some of the hymns. The priestess was silenced.

Meanwhile, the missionaries at Hilo, a hundred and fifty miles from Kona, heard that Kapiolani had started on this strenuous undertaking. They felt that some one of the Christian teachers should be with her. Mr. Ruggles had been without shoes for several months and could not go. Mr. Goodrich, the other missionary stationed at Hilo, was almost as badly off, but was more accustomed at ravelling barefoot. So he went up through the tangled masses of sharp-edged lava, grass, strong-leaved ferns, and thick woods to meet the chiefess as she came to the crater.

Kapiolani passed the priestess, went on to the crater, met Mr. Goodrich, and was much affected by the effort he had made to aid her in her attempt to break down the worship of Pele. It was now evening, and a hut was built to shelter her until the next day came, when she could have the opportunity of descending into the crater.

Mr. Richards, a missionary, later wrote as follows: "Along the way to the volcano she was accosted by multitudes and entreated not to proceed. She answered, 'If I am destroyed, then you may all believe in Pele, but if I am not, you must all turn to the true writings.'"

The great crater at that time had a black ledge or shelf, below which the active lakes and fountains of fire, in many places, broke through and kept turbulent a continually changing mass over five miles in circumference. Here in the large cones built up by leaping lava, the natives said, were the homes of the family of Pele. Here the deities amused themselves in games. The roaring of the furnaces and crackling of flames was the music of drums beaten for the accompaniment of the household dances. The red flaming surge was the surf wherein they played.

As the morning light brought a wonderful view of the Lua Pele (The-pit-of-Pele) with its great masses of steam and smoke rising from the immense field of volcanic activity below, and as the rush of mighty waves of lava broke again and again against the black ledge with a roar exceeding that of a storm-driven surf beating upon rocky shores, and as fierce explosions of gases bursting from the underworld in a continual cannonade, deafened the ears of the company, Kapiolani prepared to go down to defy Pele.

This must have been one of the few grand scenes of history. There was the strong, brave convert to Christianity standing above the open lake of fire, the red glowing lava rolling in waves below, with rough blocks of hardened lava on every side, the locks (Pele's hair) of the fire-goddess, torn out and whirling around in the air, the timid fearful faces of the people and their attitude of terror and anxiety showing the half-hope that the tabu might be broken and the half-dread lest the evil spirit might breathe fire upon them and destroy them at once.

Mr. Richards says: "A man whose duty it was to feed Pele, by throwing berries and the like into the volcano, entreated her to go no farther. 'And what,' said she, 'will be the harm?' The man replied, 'You will die by Pele.' Kapiolani answered, 'I shall not die by your god. That fire was kindled by my God.' The man was silent and she went onward, descending several hundred feet, and there joined in a prayer to Jehovah. She also ate the berries consecrated to Pele, and threw stones into the volcano."

Bingham in his "Sandwich Islands" says: "Then with the terrific bellowing and whizzing of the volcanic gases they mingled their voices in a solemn hymn of praise to the true God, and at the instance of the chiefess, Alapai, one of Kapiolani's attendants, led them in prayer."

The party returned to the brink of the crater, and journeyed down to Hilo.

Alexander in the "History of the Hawaiian People" says, "This has justly been called one of the greatest acts of moral courage ever performed."

Richards states that the leader of Kapiolani's party said to him: "All the people of the district saw that she was not injured and have pronounced Pele to be powerless."

The influence of Kapiolani against this most influential form of idolatrous worship was felt throughout the whole nation.

In 1836, twelve years later, Rev. Titus Coan wrote about the coming of many natives into a Christian life. He says: "In 1836, twelve years after the visit of Kapiolani, among these converts was the High Priest of the volcano, He was more than six feet tall, and was of lofty bearing. He had been an idolater, a drunkard, an adulterer, a robber, and a murderer. His sister was more haughty and stubborn. She, too, was tall and majestic in her bearing. At length she yielded and with her brother became a docile member of the church."

But it was Lord Tennyson who set down for posterity the heroic deed of the great queen in the following beautiful poem:

KAPIOLANI.

I.

When from the terrors of Nature a people have fashion'd and worship a Spirit of Evil

Blest be the Voice of the Teacher who calls to them,

"Set yourselves free!"

II

Noble the Saxon who hurled at his Idol a valorous weapon in olden England!

Great, and greater, and greatest of women, island heroine Kapiolani

Clomb the mountain, and flung the berries and dared the Goddess, and freed the people

Of Hawa-i-ee!

III

A people believing that Peelè the Goddess would wallow in fiery riot and revel

On Kilauea,

Dance in a fountain of flame with her devils or shake with her thunders and shatter her island,

Rolling her anger

Thro' blasted valley and flowing forest in blood-red cataracts down to the sea!

IV.

Long as the lava-light

   Glares from the lava-take,

Dazing the starlight;
Long as the silvery vapor in daylight,

   Over the mountain

Floats, will the glory of Kapiolani be mingled with either on Hawa-i-ee.

V.

What said her Priesthood?

"Woe to this island if ever a woman should handle or gather the berries of Peelè

Accursed were she!

And woe to this island if ever a woman should climb to the dwelling of Peelè the Goddess!

Accursed were she!"

VI.

One from the Sunrise

Dawned on His people and slowly before him

   Vanished shadow-like

Gods and Goddesses,
None but the terrible Peelè remaining as Kapiolani

   Ascended her mountain,

Baffled her priesthood,

   Broke the Taboo,

Dipt to the crater,
Called on the Power adored by the Christian and crying, "I dare her, let Peelè avenge herself!"

Into the flame-billows dashed the berries, and drove the demon from Hawa-i-ee.

High Chiefess Kapiʻolani (c. 1781–1841) was an important member of the Hawaiian nobility at the time of the founding of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the arrival of Christian missionaries. One of the first Hawaiians to read and write and sponsor a church, she made a dramatic display of her new faith which made her the subject of a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Ancestry---

Kapiʻolani was the product of generations of inbreeding within the royalties of all four islands. Every high chief in the Hawaiian Islands was her cousin, including Kamehameha I, who was both her second cousin and her third cousin through different relationships. Her ancestors included royalty of Kauaʻi, royalty of Maui and the royalty of Hawaiʻi island. The name probably comes from ka pi'o lani meaning "heavenly arch" in the Hawaiian language.

The father of Kapiʻolani was Keawemauhili (also spelled Keawe-mau-hili), who was high chief (Aliʻi Nui) of the district of Hilo on the island of Hawaiʻi. She was probably born there about 1781. Keawemauhili was half-brother to Kalaniʻōpuʻu who was king of the island during the fatal visit of Captain James Cook in 1779. Her mother was his second wife Kekikipaʻa, the daughter of Kameʻeiamoku. Kekikipaʻa was one of the wives of Kamehameha I before she moved to the east side of the island with Keawemauhili. She was a cousin of Kiwalaʻo, the young king of the island who was killed when Kamehameha I first came to power at the battle of Mokuʻōhai in July 1782.

Life---

After a quiet period of a few years, the civil wars continued in 1790. Her father Keawemauhili joined forces with Kamehameha, but was then killed by his nephew Keōua Kuahuʻula. The young Kapiʻolani was thrown in the bushes as the army fled, but was saved and sent to live with her aunt Akahi in the village of Kealia in the Kona District near the religious centers on Kealakekua Bay. She was instructed in the Hawaiian religion and its strict social rules known as kapu. For example, women were not allowed to eat bananas. Once she sent a servant boy to secretly get some for her to taste. When the local priest found out, the boy was reportedly sacrificed.

She was still a young girl when the Vancouver Expedition arrived at Kealakekua Bay in 1793 and 1794. This time, through interpreters, Hawaiians could start to learn about other cultures.[5] In 1805, an epidemic known as mai oku'u broke out. Much of the royalty, including Kamehameha I and Kapiʻolani got very sick. She might have briefly married Chief Kuakini, who later became the royal governor of the island. She became known as having liaisons with several members of the ruling class.

The death of Kamehameha in 1819 put the kingdom into turmoil. The period known as ʻAi Noa (literally, "free eating") after one king's death was traditionally followed by the new king imposing similar Kapu rules. However, this time, powerful women such as Queen Kaʻahumanu (then Regent), Keōpūolani (mother of the new King Kamehameha II), along with Kapiʻolani, were not satisfied with the old ways. Chief Keaoua Kekuaokalani attempted to gather followers of the old system at the temple near where she was living, but he was defeated at the battle of Kuamoʻo.

American Christian Missionaries led by Rev. Asa Thurston arrived only a few months later, in March 1820 at Kailua-Kona about 12 miles (19 km) to the north. They had already embarked on the ship Thaddeus before Kamehameha's death. They describe meeting Kapiʻolani for the first time as she was sunbathing while applying coconut oil, "basking in the noonday tropical sun, like a seal". They also describe finding her "with her two husbands, all nearly nude, and in a state of beastly intoxication".

She followed the missionaries to Honolulu in 1821, where a school had been set up. She quickly learned to read and write, and found that the new religion might mean more than freely eating bananas. She settled into a monogamous relationship with her husband Naihe (her stepbrother, since her father married his mother). She returned to Kealakekua Bay in the spring of 1823, but wanted to continue her education. She would send boats up to Kailua to pick up a preacher for Sunday services.

In the summer of 1823 William Ellis toured the island to determine locations for mission stations, and identified Kapiʻolani and Naihe as "friends and patrons of missionary efforts". Because of this, he suggested the village of Kaʻawaloa at the north end of Kealakekua Bay as one of the first sites for a church. Later on the tour, after a long journey to the volcano Kīlauea with little food, Ellis eagerly ate the wild berries they found growing there. The berries of the ʻŌhelo (Vaccinium reticulatum) plant were considered sacred to the goddess Pele, who lived in the volcano according to Hawaiian mythology. Traditionally prayers and offerings to Pele were always made before eating the berries. The volcano crater was an active lava lake, which the natives feared was a sign that Pele was not pleased with the violation.

In February 1824 Kapiʻolani constructed a thatched house about 60 feet (18 m) by 30 feet (9.1 m) for use as a church, and Rev. James Ely starting using it for services in April. Although other leaders had tolerated the missionaries, this was the first time a major noble had constructed a building specifically for them.

married Naihe (Na-ihe, Naihenui).

   Kapiolani's mother is Ululani, not Kekipa'a as suggested by some genealogists.

Magistrate of Ka'u and South Kona 1831-1845. m. several husbands, including her half-brother, The Hon. Naihe.
S.L.K. Peleioholani clearly states Kapiolani is the daughter of keawemauhili and Ululani.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search For the Queen Consort (1834–1899), see Queen Kapiolani. Kapiʻolani High Chiefess of Ka'ū and South Kona Silhouette by Persis Goodale Thurston Taylor, 1839 Spouse High Chief Naihe (others?) Father Keawemauhili, Aliʻi Nui of Hilo Mother High Chiefess Kekikipaʻa Born c. 1781 Hilo, Hawaii Died May 5, 1841 Honolulu

High Chiefess Kapiʻolani (c. 1781–1841) was an important member of the Hawaiian nobility at the time of the founding of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the arrival of Christian missionaries. One of the first Hawaiians to read and write and sponsor a church, she made a dramatic display of her new faith which made her the subject of a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Contents [hide]

   * 1 Ancestry

   * 2 Life

   * 3 Challenging Pele

   * 4 Legacy

   * 5 See also

   * 6 References

[edit] Ancestry

Kapiʻolani was the product of generations of inbreeding within the royalties of all four islands. Every high chief in the Hawaiian Islands was her cousin, including Kamehameha I, who was both her second cousin and her third cousin through different relationships. Her ancestors included royalty of Kauaʻi, royalty of Maui and the royalty of Hawaiʻi island. The name probably comes from ka pi'o lani meaning "heavenly arch" in the Hawaiian language.[1]

The father of Kapiʻolani was Keawemauhili (also spelled Keawe-mau-hili), who was high chief (Aliʻi Nui) of the district of Hilo on the island of Hawaiʻi. She was probably born there about 1781. Keawemauhili was half-brother to Kalaniʻōpuʻu who was king of the island during the fatal visit of Captain James Cook in 1779. Her mother was his second wife Kekikipaʻa, the daughter of Kameʻeiamoku.[2] Kekikipaʻa was one of the wives of Kamehameha I before she moved to the east side of the island with Keawemauhili.[3] She was a cousin of Kiwalaʻo, the young king of the island who was killed when Kamehameha I first came to power at the battle of Mokuʻōhai in July 1782. [edit] Life

After a quiet period of a few years, the civil wars continued in 1790. Her father Keawemauhili joined forces with Kamehameha, but was then killed by his nephew Keōua Kuahuʻula. The young Kapiʻolani was thrown in the bushes as the army fled, but was saved and sent to live with her aunt Akahi in the village of Kealia in the Kona District near the religious centers on Kealakekua Bay. She was instructed in the Hawaiian religion and its strict social rules known as kapu. For example, women were not allowed to eat bananas. Once she sent a servant boy to secretly get some for her to taste. When the local priest found out, the boy was reportedly sacrificed.[4]

She was still a young girl when the Vancouver Expedition arrived at Kealakekua Bay in 1793 and 1794. This time, through interpreters, Hawaiians could start to learn about other cultures.[5] In 1805, an epidemic known as mai oku'u broke out. Much of the royalty, including Kamehameha I and Kapiʻolani got very sick. She might have briefly married Chief Kuakini, who later became the royal governor of the island. She became known as having liaisons with several members of the ruling class.

The death of Kamehameha in 1819 put the kingdom into turmoil. The period known as ʻAi Noa (literally, "free eating") after one king's death was traditionally followed by the new king imposing similar Kapu rules. However, this time, powerful women such as Queen Kaʻahumanu (then Regent), Keōpūolani (mother of the new King Kamehameha II), along with Kapiʻolani, were not satisfied with the old ways. Chief Keaoua Kekuaokalani attempted to gather followers of the old system at the temple near where she was living, but he was defeated at the battle of Kuamoʻo.

American Christian Missionaries led by Rev. Asa Thurston arrived only a few months later, in March 1820 at Kailua-Kona about 12 miles (19 km) to the north. They had already embarked on the ship Thaddeus before Kamehameha's death. They describe meeting Kapiʻolani for the first time as she was sunbathing while applying coconut oil, "basking in the noonday tropical sun, like a seal". They also describe finding her "with her two husbands, all nearly nude, and in a state of beastly intoxication".[4]:46

She followed the missionaries to Honolulu in 1821, where a school had been set up. She quickly learned to read and write, and found that the new religion might mean more than freely eating bananas. She settled into a monogamous relationship with her husband Naihe (her stepbrother, since her father married his mother). She returned to Kealakekua Bay in the spring of 1823, but wanted to continue her education. She would send boats up to Kailua to pick up a preacher for Sunday services.

In the summer of 1823 William Ellis toured the island to determine locations for mission stations, and identified Kapiʻolani and Naihe as "friends and patrons of missionary efforts".[6]:236 Because of this, he suggested the village of Kaʻawaloa at the north end of Kealakekua Bay as one of the first sites for a church.[6]:19 Later on the tour, after a long journey to the volcano Kīlauea with little food, Ellis eagerly ate the wild berries they found growing there.[6]:128 The berries of the ʻŌhelo (Vaccinium reticulatum) plant were considered sacred to the goddess Pele, who lived in the volcano according to Hawaiian mythology. Traditionally prayers and offerings to Pele were always made before eating the berries. The volcano crater was an active lava lake, which the natives feared was a sign that Pele was not pleased with the violation.[6]:143

In February 1824 Kapiʻolani constructed a thatched house about 60 feet (18 m) by 30 feet (9.1 m) for use as a church, and Rev. James Ely starting using it for services in April. Although other leaders had tolerated the missionaries, this was the first time a major noble had constructed a building specifically for them.[7] [edit] Challenging Pele Molten lava in Kīlauea Book illustration of Kapiolani defying Pele

In the fall of 1824 she decided to show her people a dramatic demonstration of her faith. Although many other temples were destroyed by this time, the native Hawaiians continued to honor the goddess Pele at Kīlauea, which was still active. Following the example of the Ellis trip, she traveled to the volcano. Because of the sharp, barren lava rock on the way, it would have been much faster to use canoes. She set out on foot, gathering a large crowd as she walked about sixty miles. Rev. Goodrich from the Hilo mission met her at the volcano near the end of December. The guardians of Pele warned that if she did not make the customary offerings, she would certainly be killed. Many remembered when their relatives were wiped out by an explosive eruption in 1790. She said a Christian prayer instead of the traditional one to Pele, and descended about 500 feet down into the main vent of Halemaʻumaʻu. There was a molten lava lake at the time, but no eruption and she survived intact, with only bruises on her feet from the long journey. This event has become legendary at the volcano.[8] The tale probably was enhanced through time, often involving the throwing of stones into the pit or eating ʻŌhelo berries.

In July 1825, Admiral Lord Byron (cousin of the famous poet) brought back the bodies of Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu who had died in England.[9] Naihe traveled to Honolulu and helped negotiate the peaceful transition in which the 11 year old Prince Kauikeaouli would be named Kamehameha III, but power would be held again by Queen Kaʻahumanu. Naihe led Byron back to Kealakekua Bay, where his crew looted many artifacts from the temples that remained in the area.[10]

In October 1825 Kapiʻolani was baptized. Commanding the respect of the people, she kept order in her districts of south Kona and Kaʻū, and often traveled to help the less fortunate. This was very different than the strict isolation of the upper classes that was the tradition in ancient Hawaii. She is described as not being "hard and puritanical" but rather having a "nature-loving spirit".[4]:51 Rev. Samuel Ruggles became pastor of the church in 1828. He found the shoreline areas too hot, so Kapiʻolani offered some land at a higher elevation and a few miles inland to build a house. It was near the present town of Captain Cook, an area formerly used to grow taro called Kuapehu.[11] USS Vincennes visited Kealakekua Bay in 1829 and she hosted the officers at her home. The ship chaplin, Rev. Charles Stewart, was a former missionary to Hawaii who had met Kapiʻolani in 1823.[5]

In 1829, she was saddened to find the destruction of the temples included desecrating the bones of her ancestors at the Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau. She removed the remains of the old chiefs and hid them in the Pali Kapu O Keōua cliffs. She then ordered this last temple to be destroyed. The bones were kept hidden safely until they were moved to the Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii in 1858.[12]

Naihe died December 19, 1831, and Kapiʻolani moved uphill to live near the missionaries. She became friends with Persis Goodale Thurston Taylor (daughter of Asa and Lucy Goodale Thurston) who sketched a silhouette in 1839. She started a garden, experimenting with various plants, including guava, oranges, and coffee. This area is now known as the center for growing Kona coffee. In 1839 missionary Cochran Forbes started to build a massive stone church on more of her land. The site was kepulu, just uphill from the current village of Napoʻopoʻo,[13] since the village of Kaʻawaloa was mostly abandoned.

In about 1840 she developed breast cancer. In March 1841 she traveled to Honolulu for surgery by Dr. Gerrit P. Judd (without anesthetic). She recovered, and was preparing to leave when she died on May 5, 1841. She was buried in a royal plot in Honolulu.[4]:52 Chiefess Kapiʻolani Elementary School Location 966 Kilauea Avenue Hilo, Hawaiʻi 96720 Coordinates 19°42′48″N 155°4′41″W / 19.71333°N 155.07806°W / 19.71333; -155.07806 Information Type Public Grades K–6 Number of students 402 Campus type Outdoor Athletics conference Big Island Interscholastic Federation Accreditation(s) Western Association of Schools and Colleges Affiliation State of Hawaii [edit] Legacy

The massive stone church would fall into ruin, but be rebuilt several times. Now known as Kahikolu Church, it is still in use today.

The "Chiefess Kapiʻolani Elementary School" is named for her. As of 2008 enrollment was 402 students.[14] The school is located at 966 Kilauea Avenue in Hilo, Hawaii.

The story of Kapiʻolani became very popular in the middle of the 19th century. The British author Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892) wrote a poem about her, published after his death by his son.[15] Verse IV, for example reads:

   Long as the lava-light

   Glares from the lava-take,

   Dazing the starlight;

   Long as the silvery vapor in daylight,

   Over the mountain

   Floats, will the glory of Kapiolani be mingled with either on Hawa-i-ee.

Her nephew Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole named his daughter after her, who became known as Queen Kapiʻolani (1834–1899) when her husband became King Kalākaua. This namesake would in turn lend her name to several notable institutions in Hawaii. [edit] See also

   * List of Missionaries to Hawaii

   * List of Kapiʻolani namesakes

[edit] References Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chiefess Kapiolani

  1. ^ "lookup of "pi'o"". Hawaiian dictionary. University of Hawaiʻi Press. http://www.wehewehe.org/gsdl2.5/cgi-bin/hdict?e=q-0hdict--00-0-0--0.... Retrieved 2009-10-20. 

  2. ^ Christopher Buyers. "The Kamehameha Dynasty Genealogy (Page 4)". http://www.royalark.net/Hawaii/hawaii4.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-14. 

  3. ^ Christopher Buyers. "The Kamehameha Dynasty Genealogy (Page 6)". http://www.royalark.net/Hawaii/hawaii6.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-10. 

  4. ^ a b c d Penrose C. Morris (1920). "Kapiolani". All about Hawaii: Thrum's Hawaiian annual and standard guide (Thomas G. Thrum, Honolulu): 40–53. http://books.google.com/books?id=4I8LAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA9-PA40. 

  5. ^ a b Henry B. Restarick (1928). "Historic Kealakekua Bay". Papers of the Hawaiian Historical Society (The Bulletin Publishing Company). http://hdl.handle.net/10524/964. 

  6. ^ a b c d William Ellis (1823). A journal of a tour around Hawai'i, the largest of the Sandwidch Islands. Crocker and Brewster, New York, republished 2004, Mutual Publishing, Honolulu. ISBN 1-56647-605-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=dN8wuzrh6m8C. 

  7. ^ Lois M. Humphrey (May 26, 1982). "Kahikolu Church nomination form". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/82000148.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-15. 

  8. ^ "The Volcano Goddess". Hawaii Nature Notes (National Park Service) 5 (2). 1953. http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/hawaii-notes/vol5-2.... 

  9. ^ Bloxam, Andrew (1925). Diary of Andrew Bloxam: naturalist of the Blonde on her trip from England to the Hawaiian islands, 1824-25. Volume 10 of Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. 

 10. ^ Rowland Bloxam (1920). "Visit of H.M.S. Blonde to Hawaii in 1825". All about Hawaii: Thrum's Hawaiian annual and standard guide (Thomas G. Thrum, Honolulu): 66–82. http://books.google.com/books?id=4I8LAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA3-PA66. 

 11. ^ Lloyd J. Soehren. "lookup of Kuapehu". Place name of Hawaii. University of Hawaii. http://ulukau.org/cgi-bin/hpn?e=q-0mahele--00-0-0--010---4----dtt--.... Retrieved 2009-10-16. 

 12. ^ William DeWitt Alexander. "The "Hale o Keawe" at Honaunau, Hawaii". Journal of the Polynesian Society 3: pp. 159–161. http://books.google.com/books?id=u6EcAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA2-PA160. 

 13. ^ Lloyd J. Soehren. "lookup of Kepulu". Place name of Hawaii. University of Hawaii. http://ulukau.org/cgi-bin/hpn?e=q-0mahele--00-0-0--010---4----dtt--.... Retrieved 2009-10-15. 

 14. ^ "Chiefess Kapiʻolani Elementary School". School Status and Improvement Report. Hawaii Department of Education. 2008. http://arch.k12.hi.us/PDFs/ssir/2008/Hawaii/SSIR367-5.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-09. 

 15. ^ Alfred Lord Tennyson (1899). Hallam Tennyson. ed. The life and works of Alfred Lord Tennyson. 8. Macmillan. pp. 261–263. http://books.google.com/books?id=CbQCAAAAIAAJ&lpg=PA261&ots=SAkl2mG....

Ke Alakai o Hawaii, Volume III, Number 6, 5 June 1930 make May 1841