Kualii

Kūaliʻi Kunuiakea Kuikealaikauaokalani, the 19th Alii Aimoku of Oahu and 20th Alii Aimoku of Kauai. He ruled as titular King or chief of Oahu and of Kauai. Kūaliʻi is remembered for his famous kanawai, Law of Ni'aupi'o Kolowalu, which required farmers and fishermen to welcome and feed hungry strangers. He had inherited the kumukanawai of his great-grandmother Kalua-a-Hoohila (sometimes Kahamaluihi). He was known for uniting the island of Oahu under one rule and his raids on neighbouring, uncommon practice of the peaceful Oahuan chieftains. His longest name is Kualiʻilanipipililanioakaiakunuiakealuanuʻuokuiʻialiʻiʻikahalau. ^[1]

Birth and Early Life

He was the son of Kauakahiakahoowaha, 18th Alii Aimoku of Oahu, and of his wife Mahulua. He was their first-born and only son. If he had any siblings, they are now eclipsed and forgotten. Kūaliʻi was born at Kalapawai, on the land of Kailua, Koolaupoko district. The ceremony of cutting the navel-string was performed at the Heiau of Alala, and thither, for that occasion, was brought the sacred drums of Opuku and Hawea. During his youth Kūaliʻi was brought up sometimes at Kailua, at other times at Kualoa. One of the special kapus attached to his childhood home of Kualoa, was whenever a chief resided there, all canoes, when passing by the land of Kualoa, on arriving at Makawai, should lower their masts and keep them down until they had passed the sea off Kualoa and got into that of Kaaawa. It is not certain of the underlying motive of this kapu and custom. It may have been a religious observance on account of the sacred character of the "Pali o Kualoa," or a conventional mode of deference to the high chief residing there. It was strictly observed, however, and serious consequence would come to the infractor of the kapu.

Mystery Surrounding Kualii

As of today, only one legend of the acts of Kūaliʻi has been reduced to writing and preserved. There doubtless were at one time several other legends regarding a king so widely known, so thoroughly feared, and so intimately connected with the highest families on Maui, Molokai, and Kauai as was Kūaliʻi, and as was his hardly less illustrious son, Peleioholani. But the political destruction of the royal house of Kūaliʻi by Kahekili II of Maui, the spoliation of the territorial resources of its scions by the successful conquerors, and perhaps in no inconsiderable degree the idea set afloat by both the Maui and Hawaii victors that the Kualiis were a doomed race. All these co-operative causes first rendered the recital of such legends treasonable, next unfashionable, and lastly forgotten. As a singular good fortune, yet, amidst the destruction of so much ancient lore that doubtless clustered round the names of Kualii and Peleioholani, several copies of the celebrated Mele or chant of Kualii have been preserved and reduced to writing; and Polynesian students are under great obligation to Mr. Curtis J. Lyons for his English translation of the same

The only significant subject remaining in the legends of Kualii appears to be rather a compilation of previous existing legends than an original one, and its compilation was probably as late as the latter part of the reign of Kamehameha I, when upwards of a century had elapsed since the death of Kualii, and time had covered the original historical data with its ivy of fable and myth. Subjecting this legend, however, to the same critical examination with which I have treated other legends; allowing for the exaggerations and embellishments incident to and unavoidable in a legend that is told by professional raconteurs to admiring audiences, and is orally handed down for several generations; and having compared it with other legends treating of Kualii's contemporaries, and with the chant just referred to, the conclusion is that the following data as probably historical facts.

Reign

Kualii succeeded his father as the Moi of Oahu, but by that time it would appear that the title had become more nominal than real, and that the Ewa and Waialua chiefs ruled their portions of the island with but little regard for the suzerainty of the King, who, since the time of Kanekapua-Kakuhihewa, resided primarily on their patrimonial domains in the Koolaupoko district.

Reunification of Oahu

Kualii's first attempt to bring the Oahu chiefs to their proper status as feudatories of the Moi of Oahu was directed against the chief of the Kona district. The legend gives the name of the principal chief in the Kona district on Oahu as Lonoikaika, but the name lacks correctness. The occasion of the collision was this: — In the valley of Waolani, a side valley from the great Nuuanu, stood one of the sacred Heiaus called Kawaluna, which only the highest chief of the island was entitled to consecrate at the yearly sacrifice. As Moi of Oahu the undoubted right to perform the ritual was with Kualii, and he resolved to assert his privilege and try conclusions with the Kona chiefs, who were preparing to resist what they considered an assumption of authority by the Koolaupoko chief. Crossing the mountain by the Nuuanu and Kalihi passes, Kualii brought together his men on the ridge of Keanakamano, overlooking the Waolani valley, descended to the Heiau, performed the customary ceremony on such occasions, and at the conclusion fought and routed the Kona forces that had ascended the valley to resist and prevent him. The Kona chiefs submitted themselves, and Kualii returned to Kailua.

We next hear of Kualii making an expedition to Kauai for the purpose of procuring suitable wood from which to manufacture spears for his soldiers. Succeeding in this, and fully prepared, Kualii turned his attention to the Ewa and Waialua chiefs and their subjection to his authority. The two armies met on the land of Kalena and the plain of Heleauau, not far from Lihue, where Kualii was victorious. The Ewa chiefs, however, made another effort to regain the upper hand, and fought a second battle with Kualii at Malamanui and Paupauwela, in which they were thoroughly defeated, and the authority of Kualii as Moi of Oahu finally secured and acknowledged.

Raiding Hawaii

Having thus subdued the great district chiefs of Oahu, it is related, and the Chant confirms the fact, that Kualii started with a well-equipped fleet to make war on the Big Island of Hawaii. But, in reality, this was really only a well-organized raid on the coast of Hilo. These kinds of expeditions were not at all uncommon in those days, and undertaken as much for the purpose of keeping a chief’s warriors and fleet in practice and acquiring renown for himself. Kualii’s other goal was to obtain territorial additions to his kingdom. As this expedition took place in the earlier part of Kualii's life and reign, it probably occurred while Keakealaniwahine was still the Queen of Hawaii, and before the accession of her son Keaweikekahialiiokamoku.

Landing at Laupahoehoe, the subordinate chief there hastily assembled what force he could command to repel the invader. The name of this chief is given as Haalilo, but as this is the only time and the only legend that mentions him, it is unable to connect his name with any of the great Hawaii families. In the battle that ensued this Haalilo was defeated, and Kualii having secured such plunder as usually fell to the victors on such excursions, was preparing to make his next descent on the Puna district, when news came to him from Oahu that the Ewa and Waianae chiefs had revolted again. Hastily returning to Oahu, he met the hostile chiefs at Waianae, and after a severe contest, routed them effectually with great slaughter near the watercourse of Kalapo and below Eleu.

Having again crushed rebellion at home, it is said in the legend that Kualii made a second voyage to the Hilo district, but what he did or how he succeeded is not stated. On his return from Hilo, however, while recruiting his force at Kaanapali, Maui, he was met by a deputation from the Kona chiefs of Molokai, invoking his assistance against the Koolau chiefs of that island, who had encroached upon the fishing-grounds of the former. The deputation consisted of a chief named Paepae and a chiefess named Kapolei, the daughter of Keopuolono. According to their request, Kualii crossed over to Molokai and landed at Kaunakakai, where the Kona chiefs were assembled. After agreeing upon their operations, their forces and Kualii's fleet rendezvoused at Moomomi on Kaluakoi, and from there made their descent on Kalaupapa, where the Koolau chiefs had collected. A wellcontested battle was fought, the Koolau chiefs were beaten, and having satisfactorily settled the conflicts of the Molokai chiefs, Kualii returned to Oahu.

The legend refers to an expedition that Kualii made to Lanai, but the incidents related are so full of anachronisms, as to render the whole account unreliable. That Kualii made an armed excursion to Lanai is quite probable, and in accordance with the spirit and customs of his age, but that the excursion was made as related in the legend is highly improbable.

Succession to Kauai

But what neither legend nor Mele refers to, however, is Kualii's connection with the Kauai chiefs and his influence there. And yet it is incontestable, that during his own lifetime he had established his son Peleioholani as Moi over at least the Kona section of Kauai. Had this connection been the result of war and conquest, it is hardly probable that the legend and the chant would have both been silent about it. It arose then, probably, from a matrimonial connection of himself as well as of his said son Peleioholani with Kauai chiefesses, heiresses of the Kona districts.

No legends that have state how it happened, but they all concur in representing Kualii of Oahu as the next chief over the windward side of Kauai after the assassination of Kawelo-a-Maihunalii, the former king. The historical probability is that Kualii reclaimed the succession to that portion of the island, as well as the sovereignty, in the name of his grandmother, Kawelolauhuki, one of the daughters of Kawelomahamahaia. It is also possible that the suceesion was because Kualii's predessors strucked a deal with Kaweloamaihunalii of Kauai, agreeing to cede Kauai to Oahu in case both he and his enemy Kaweloaikanaka as result of the coming war, in order to obtain a handful of warrios and a double canoe, which Kaihikapu-a-Kakuhihewa gladly did.

He had also been to Kauai once as a young man to gather kauila wood for the weapons he needed for his warriors. He also made a war club of kauila, which he called Huli-moku-alana (Victorious land turning). The legends of Kualii never speak of Kauai as a conquered country. The belief is that he came into possession by inheritance, as understood in those days. He installed his son Peleioholani as governor in his stead, reporting to Kualii himself.

From this time forward, to the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778, a mist has fallen over the history of Kauai, its legends and traditions, through which are but indistinctly seen the outlines of some of her prominent men. Kualii is called the Moi of Kauai, but, except on occasional visits, does not seem to have resided there, preferring Oahu and his paternal estates. He accessed Kauai for its ability to produce raw material and men for his army. But when he grew old he placed his son, Peleioholani, as his viceroy over Kauai, and the latter resided there for many years; yet of his administration and exploits while thus governing Kauai not a whisper has come down to break the silence brooding over Kauai history.

Marriage

Of Kualii's wives only one is known by name, Kalanikahimakeialii, a Maui chiefess, whose mother was Kalaniomaiheuila, a daughter of Lonohonuakini, king of Maui. His wife thus was the daughter of Kalaniomaiheuila and her brother Kaulahea II, king of Maui, and thus a chiefess of the highest rank, an Alii Pio. Other legends speak of the large family of Kualii, but without mentioning his wives or their descents. It may fairly be assumed, therefore, that his relations with Kauai originated from such a cause. Three children were born from this union, two sons, Kapiohookalani and Peleioholani, and one daughter, Kukuiaimakalani. (Kukuimakalani); also it is mentioned that he had a daughter named Kapionuilanilalahai, the mother of Kahahana, last Moi of Oahu.

Kualii is said to have lived to an extremely old age, and to have possessed unusual strength and vigour to the last. It is related that when Kualii was upwards of ninety years old, Peleioholani arrived one time from Kauai on a visit to his father on Oahu. Without endorsing the details of the legend, it suffices to say that a quarrel arose between father and son, that the latter assaulted the former, and a scuffle ensued, in which the old man, getting the grip of the ‘’lua’’ on his son, punished him so severely that, when released from the paternal grasp, he started at once for Kauai, and never revisited Oahu until after his father's death.

Death

Kailua, in Koolaupoko, seems to have been the favourite residence of Kualii, and there he died at a very advanced age. Kualii had lived to an extremely old age-"until he was bent and feeble, with eyes drooped and bleary, with skin like a dried hala leaf, and was bound up in netting as though he had been made an ancestral god." He was repored to have been carried into his last battle in a hammock slung from the shoulders of two warriors. Kamakau reports he died in 1730 at the age of 175. His longevity may be debated since the average Hawaiian had a much shorter life span. Some historians speculate Hawaiian lived to 30 or 40 years of age, which probably compares favorably with Europeans at the time. Because of their special diets, nurturing and genetic inheritance, alii like Kualii may have enjoyed longer life spans. ^[2]

Shortly before his death he called his trustiest Kahu and friend to his side and strictly enjoined upon him the duty of hiding his bones after death, so that mortal man should never get access to them or be able to desecrate them. When Kualii was dead, and the body, according to custom, had been dissected and the flesh burned, the Kahu carefully wrapped the bones up in a bundle and started off, as everybody thought, to hide them in some cave or sink them in the ocean. Instead of which, he repaired to a lonely spot and there pounded up the bones of the dead king into the finest kind of powder. Secreting this about his person, the Kahu returned to court and ordered a grand feast to be held in commemoration of the deceased. Immense preparations were made, and the chiefs from far and near were invited to attend. The night before the feast the Kahu quietly and unobserved mixed the powdered bones of the dead king in the Poi prepared for the morning's feast. At the close of the meal the following day the Kahu was asked by the chiefs present if he had faithfully executed the wishes of the late king regarding his bones. With conscious pride at his successful device, the Kahu pointed to the stomachs of the assembled company and replied that he had hidden his master's bones in a hundred living tombs. The legend does not say how the guests liked their repast, but the Kahu was greatly applauded.

When Kualii died he was followed as Moi of Oahu by his son Kapiohookalani, and his other son. Peleioholani, succeeded him as sovereign over that portion of Kauai which in some now forgotten manner had come under the sway of Kualii. The throne of Oahu would not outlive that of his grandchildren's. Three of his grandchildren: Kanahaokalani, Kumahana, and Kahahana would rule separately as the 21st, 23rd and 24th Moi of Oahu.

Chant of Kualii

The chant of Kualii was composed about 1700 to celebrate the royal conqueor of Oahu. It opens with an obscure allusion to the fishing up by Maui from the hill Kauwiki, of Hawaii, out of the bottom of the sea, and the fetching o f the gods Kane and Kanaloa, Kauakahi and Maliu to these islands. ^[3]

References

1. ^ 9016 Kekoolani Genealogy 16 Oahu Kahahana.XLS
2. ^ Waikiki 100 B.C. to 1900 A.D.: An Untold Story By George S. Kanahele Page 75
3. ^ The Hawaiian Romance of Laieikawai by S. N. Haleole, Martha Warren Beckwith

• Frederick B. Wichman, Pua Ali'I O Kaua'i: Ruling Chiefs of Kaua'i, (Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press, 2003), ISBN 0824826388.
• Abraham Fornander, An Account of the Polynesian Race: Its Origin and Migrations, Rutland, VT: Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1969. Page 278-288, 293-297

Preceded by Kauakahiakahoowaha	Alii Aimoku of Oahu	Succeeded by Kapiohookalani
Preceded by Kaweloamaihunalii	Alii Aimoku of Kauai	Succeeded by Peleioholani