Kalama

For other uses, see Kalama (disambiguation).
Kalama
Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands
Tenure February 14, 1837 – December 15, 1854
Born (1817-03-17)March 17, 1817
Ka'elepulu near Kailua, Hawaii,
Died September 20, 1870(1870-09-20) (aged 53)
Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
Burial October 8, 1870
Mauna Ala
Spouse Kamehameha III
Issue Keaweaweʻulaokalani I
Keaweaweʻulaokalani II
Full name
Kalama Hakaleleponi Kapakuhaili
House House of Kamehameha
Father High Chief Naihekukui
Mother High Chiefess Iʻahuʻula

Kalama Hakaleleponi Kapakuhaili (1817September 20, 1870) was a Queen consort of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi alongside her husband, Kauikeaouli, who reigned as King Kamehameha III. Her second name is Hazelelponi in Hawaiian.[1]

Early life

She was the only child of Kona chief Naihekukui, who was commander of the native Hawaiian fleet at Honolulu. Her mother was Chiefess Iʻahuʻula, the younger sister of Charles Kanaʻina. Kanaʻina would become hānai (Hawaiian form of adoption) parent of the child.

Kalama means "The Torch" in the Hawaiian language.

Marriage

The young Kamehameha III, the boy king at the time, was needing a suitable royal bride. Many of the traditional chiefs wanted a union between the king and his sister Nāhienaena, like it had been customary to in the Hawaiian court since the beginning of time, but the missionaries and Christian chiefs, who held the most political power, opposed this suggestion, calling it incest.

Kamanele, the daughter of Governor John Adams Kuakini, was proposed as the most suitable in age, rank, and education. The young king fell in love with Kalama in 1832. This angered his sister Kīnaʻu and many of the high chiefs. Kamehameha III married her on February 14, 1837. This was only a few months after Nahienaena's death.[2][3]

Children

Kamehameha III and Queen Kalama with Albert Kūnuiākea.

Kalama and Kamehameha III had two children who died in their infancy. Both were named Keaweaweulaokalani, after their father.

She and Kamehameha III would later hānai (adopt) their nephew Alexander Liholiho, who later became Kamehameha IV. She also adopted Kaʻiminaʻauao, the daughter of Analea Keohokālole and Caesar Kapaʻakea as her own. She even adopted her husband's son Albert Kukaʻilimoku Kunuiakea by Jane Lahilahi Young.

Later life

Kalama in later life

She would outlive both her husband Kamehameha III and her nephew Kamehameha IV, becoming known as the Queen dowager of Hawaii. She met Prince Alfred on his visit to Hawaii in the reign of Kamehameha V. She drove out to Waikīkī in her own carriage of state, accompanied by her adopted son, Kunuiakea, and Miriam Likelike. The drivers of these carriages wore the royal feather shoulder capes, and the footmen were clad in like royal fashion. It was considered one of the grandest occasions in the history of those days.[4] Kalama skillfully managed her properties and at the time of her death, she owned over 22,000 acres on the windward side of the island of Oahu.[5][6]:185 In her will, her uncle Charles Kanaina was declared as the heir to her vast lands and properties.[1] She died on September 20, 1870, in Honolulu at the age of 53. On September 21, American marines had to be landed to place the American flag at half-mast, when the American consul at Honolulu would not assume responsibility for doing so, owing to a past instance where the Queen's death was falsely reported.[4]

Namesakes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Queen Kalama.
Royal titles
Preceded by
Kamāmalu
Queen consort of Hawaiʻi
1837 - 1854
Succeeded by
Queen Emma
Preceded by
Kaʻahumanu
Queen Dowager of Hawaiʻi
1854 - 1870
Succeeded by
Queen Emma

References

  1. 1 2 "KALAMA, H. ALii Award L.C.A. 4452" (PDF). Kanaka Genealogy web site. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  2. Hiram Bingham I (1855) [1848]. "Chapter XVII". A Residence of Twenty-one Years in the Sandwich Islands (Third ed.). H.D. Goodwin.
  3. Gavan Daws (1968). Shoal of time: a History of the Hawaiian Islands. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 91–94. ISBN 0-8248-0324-8.
  4. 1 2 Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen written by Liliuokalani
  5. Keauhouresort
  6. Barbara Bennett Peterson (1984). Notable Women of Hawaii. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-0820-7.
  7. Clark, John R. K. (2002). Hawaiʻi Place Names. Honolulu, HI, USA: University of Hawaiʻi Press. p. 150. ISBN 978-0-8248-2451-8. OCLC 53481915. Retrieved 2013-03-23. (subscription required)
  8. Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
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