Abner Paki
Encyclopedia
Abner Kuhooheiheipahu Pākī (c. 1808–1855) was a Hawaiian
high chief during the reign of King Kamehameha III
, the father of Bernice Pauahi Pākī
, founder of Kamehameha Schools
.
. His father was High Chief Kalani-hele-maiiluna, whose father was Kamehamehanui Ailuau the King of Maui, and mother was his wife Kahooheiheipahu.
Pākī was a close friend of King Kamehameha III
. He served as Privy Councillor, Chamberlain to the King, Assistant Judge of the Supreme Court, and in the House of Nobles
from its founding 1841 until 1855. The most prominent feature of his character was his firmness; when he took a stand he was immovable.
but their marriage produced no children. He then married Kamehameha III's niece Laura Kōnia
, daughter of Kamehameha III's half-brother Pauli Kaōleiokū.
It was one of the first Christian weddings for native Hawaiians at Kawaiahao Church in Honolulu on December 5, 1828.
Konia and Pākī lived at Lahaina when it was the capitol, and the King and the Premier Auhea
, had their residence there. Gorham D. Gilman, a merchant from Boston
, mentions visiting Kōnia and Pākī at Lahaina in their "fine new house" in his diary on June 26, 1845.
At this time he also writes:
"Called on Paki and Konia, the parents of Bernice and the foster-parents of Lydia, and the first of the nobility that I became acquainted with. They have always been very kind to me, she (Konia) calling me her keiki (child). The Premier has also done so. Konia conferred quite a favor on me by lending me a nice travelling calabash, not wishing to take my trunk, being too heavy."
At this time Lahaina was the capital and the favorite residence of King Kamehameha III. It was an important port, filled with whaling
ships. Families often accompanied officers to spend winter in the tropics. When the king eventually transferred the seat of government to Honolulu, Pākī and Konia accompanied him. The change was made by the King very reluctantly, for, as Gilman observed, he much preferred the retirement and leisure which he could command at Lahaina.
In his unpublished sketches of the "Chiefs of Honolulu," at the court of Kamehameha III, Gilman has written of Pākī in detail:
To this may be added a reminiscence of Mrs. Rice, one of the pioneer teachers of Hawaii. She recalled Pākī as a man of towering height and proportionate strength of which she one witnessed a remarkable exhibition. He had driven down to the beach upon the sailing of a vessel and the horses attached to his carriage became frightened and attempted to run away. Pākī did not try to check them with the reins, but threw himself across the plunging animals and held them by main force, as he might have held a pair of unruly dogs, and so succeeded in quieting them.
. She was hānai (adopted) at birth to the Premier Kinau. Hānai was a tradition of giving up ones child, practiced by the Hawaiian chiefs and commoners alike, to a close relative or friend. It was to strengthen family ties (ohana
). The missionaries condemned hānai as immoral and wrong, stating that you should not give up your child like puppies. He and his wife arranged a marriage between her daughter and Kinau's and Kekuanaoa's son, Prince Lot
.
His daughter opposed her parent's decision. She wished to marry for love and said there was no love between her and Lot besides the love of a brother toward his sister. He, his wife, and Governor Kekuanaoa told Bernice it was her duty as a high chiefess to marry a high chief of rank. His daughter later married Charles Reed Bishop
, an American. He never attended his daughter's wedding at the Royal School.
Bernice and her parents later reconciled at the constant urginig of the twelve year old Princess Victoria Kamāmalu
.
He and Kōnia had a hānai daughter, Lydia Pākī. Their foster daughter was the natural daughter of Analea Keohokalole and Caesar Kapaakea. Lydia grew up on Pākī's residence in Honolulu, on King Street. The house was called Haleākala, sometimes translated as House of the Sun (Haleakalā), but probably meant Pink House after the coral rock that the house was constructed of. The house was originally called Aikupika (Egypt). Later it became the Arlington Hotel.
The two-story coral house was built by Pākī himself, from the original grass hut complex of the same name at the same site, financed by the sale of Mākaha Valley
and would later become one of the primary residence of his daughter Bernice Pauahi and her husband.
Native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.According to the U.S...
high chief during the reign of King Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III was the King of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name was Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa Kalani Waiakua Kalanikau Iokikilo Kiwalao i ke kapu Kamehameha when he ascended the throne.Under his...
, the father of Bernice Pauahi Pākī
Bernice Pauahi Bishop
Bernice Pauahi Bishop , born Bernice Pauahi Pākī, was a Hawaiian princess, philanthropist, alii, and direct descendant of the royal House of Kamehameha. She was the great-granddaughter of King Kamehameha I and last surviving heir...
, founder of Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools , formerly called Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate , is a private co-educational college-preparatory institution that specializes in Native Hawaiian language and cultural education. It is located in Hawaii and operates three campuses: Kapālama , Pukalani , and Keaau...
.
Early life
He was born about 1808 on the island of MolokaiMolokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
. His father was High Chief Kalani-hele-maiiluna, whose father was Kamehamehanui Ailuau the King of Maui, and mother was his wife Kahooheiheipahu.
Pākī was a close friend of King Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III was the King of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name was Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa Kalani Waiakua Kalanikau Iokikilo Kiwalao i ke kapu Kamehameha when he ascended the throne.Under his...
. He served as Privy Councillor, Chamberlain to the King, Assistant Judge of the Supreme Court, and in the House of Nobles
Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
The Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom was the bicameral legislature of the Kingdom of Hawaii. A royal legislature was first provided by the 1840 Constitution and the 1852 Constitution was the first to use the term "Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom", and the first to subject the monarch to...
from its founding 1841 until 1855. The most prominent feature of his character was his firmness; when he took a stand he was immovable.
Marriages
Pākī married first High Chiefess Kuini LilihaKuini Liliha
Kuini Liliha was a High Chiefess in the ancient Hawaiian tradition and served the Kingdom of Hawaii as royal governor of Oahu island. She administered the island from 1829 to 1831 following the death of her first husband.-Early life:...
but their marriage produced no children. He then married Kamehameha III's niece Laura Kōnia
Konia
Konia may refer to:* Kōnia a Hawaiian princess* Konia , a cichlid genus containing the Dikume and the Konye * Konia, Guinea* Konia, Paphos, a village in Cyprus* Konia Water, leaders in Water from Air technology...
, daughter of Kamehameha III's half-brother Pauli Kaōleiokū.
It was one of the first Christian weddings for native Hawaiians at Kawaiahao Church in Honolulu on December 5, 1828.
Konia and Pākī lived at Lahaina when it was the capitol, and the King and the Premier Auhea
Kaahumanu III
Queen consort Miriam Auhea Kalani Kui Kawakiu o Kekāuluohi Kealiiuhiwaihanau o Kalani Makahonua Ahilapalapa Kai Wikapu o Kaleilei a Kalakua also known as Kaahumanu III , was Kuhina Nui of the Kingdom of Hawaii, a queen consort of both King Kamehameha I and Kamehameha II, and mother of another...
, had their residence there. Gorham D. Gilman, a merchant from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, mentions visiting Kōnia and Pākī at Lahaina in their "fine new house" in his diary on June 26, 1845.
At this time he also writes:
"Called on Paki and Konia, the parents of Bernice and the foster-parents of Lydia, and the first of the nobility that I became acquainted with. They have always been very kind to me, she (Konia) calling me her keiki (child). The Premier has also done so. Konia conferred quite a favor on me by lending me a nice travelling calabash, not wishing to take my trunk, being too heavy."
At this time Lahaina was the capital and the favorite residence of King Kamehameha III. It was an important port, filled with whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
ships. Families often accompanied officers to spend winter in the tropics. When the king eventually transferred the seat of government to Honolulu, Pākī and Konia accompanied him. The change was made by the King very reluctantly, for, as Gilman observed, he much preferred the retirement and leisure which he could command at Lahaina.
In his unpublished sketches of the "Chiefs of Honolulu," at the court of Kamehameha III, Gilman has written of Pākī in detail:
"A. Paki is one of the conspicuous personages in the (audience) room, being upwards of six feet-six feet four inches-in height, and weighing about three hundred pounds. Although of this colossal size, he is of equal and fine proportions-no one feature being more prominent than another. He generally stands to receive the visitors and exerts himself to be attractive and affable His is of high rank by birth, as well as stature, and, it is said, at one time had more land and tenants than his Majesty himself, which, for some political eruption, were taken from him and the other concerned. And for the same reason, he had never received any appointment of influence other thn he hold as one of the superior judges. Be this as it may, he seems to be now in full favor and truly loyal, and is receiving again some of the lands formerly held. He is one of his Majesty's aides and alway accompanies him on visits to different parts of his Kingdom. As Chamberlain, he presides over the internal economy of the palace, the expenditure of funds,etc., and one sight of the whole premised shows that every attention has been bestowed (on them.) He speaks English but litte, tho' he often attempts it. He is a member in the regular standing of the Mis. Ch, [Kawaiahao] as well as his wife, a chiefess of direct descent from the Kings of Hawaiii, and noted for her kind heartendness and hospitality. Tho' not figuring conspicuously at Court in Honolulu, she is known and regarded as one of those who are patterns. Miss Bernice is their daughter, in whom they feel a justifiable pride."
To this may be added a reminiscence of Mrs. Rice, one of the pioneer teachers of Hawaii. She recalled Pākī as a man of towering height and proportionate strength of which she one witnessed a remarkable exhibition. He had driven down to the beach upon the sailing of a vessel and the horses attached to his carriage became frightened and attempted to run away. Pākī did not try to check them with the reins, but threw himself across the plunging animals and held them by main force, as he might have held a pair of unruly dogs, and so succeeded in quieting them.
Family
With Kōnia he had a daughter, Bernice Pauahi PākīBernice Pauahi Bishop
Bernice Pauahi Bishop , born Bernice Pauahi Pākī, was a Hawaiian princess, philanthropist, alii, and direct descendant of the royal House of Kamehameha. She was the great-granddaughter of King Kamehameha I and last surviving heir...
. She was hānai (adopted) at birth to the Premier Kinau. Hānai was a tradition of giving up ones child, practiced by the Hawaiian chiefs and commoners alike, to a close relative or friend. It was to strengthen family ties (ohana
Ohana
Part of Hawaiian culture, ohana means family in an extended sense of the term, including blood-related, adoptive or intentional. It emphasizes that family are bound together and members must cooperate and remember one another...
). The missionaries condemned hānai as immoral and wrong, stating that you should not give up your child like puppies. He and his wife arranged a marriage between her daughter and Kinau's and Kekuanaoa's son, Prince Lot
Kamehameha V
aloghaKamehameha V , born as Lot Kapuāiwa, reigned as monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1863 to 1872. His motto was "Onipa`a": immovable, firm, steadfast or determined; he worked diligently for his people and kingdom and was described as the last great traditional chief...
.
His daughter opposed her parent's decision. She wished to marry for love and said there was no love between her and Lot besides the love of a brother toward his sister. He, his wife, and Governor Kekuanaoa told Bernice it was her duty as a high chiefess to marry a high chief of rank. His daughter later married Charles Reed Bishop
Charles Reed Bishop
Charles Reed Bishop was a businessman and philanthropist in Hawaii.Born in Glens Falls, New York, he sailed to Hawaii in 1846 at the age of 24, and made his home there. Bishop was one of the first trustees of and a major donor to the Kamehameha Schools in Hawaii...
, an American. He never attended his daughter's wedding at the Royal School.
Bernice and her parents later reconciled at the constant urginig of the twelve year old Princess Victoria Kamāmalu
Kaahumanu IV
Victoria Kamāmalu Kaahumanu IV , was Kuhina Nui of Hawaii and its crown princess. Princess Kamāmalu is one of Hawaii's less notable historical figures...
.
He and Kōnia had a hānai daughter, Lydia Pākī. Their foster daughter was the natural daughter of Analea Keohokalole and Caesar Kapaakea. Lydia grew up on Pākī's residence in Honolulu, on King Street. The house was called Haleākala, sometimes translated as House of the Sun (Haleakalā), but probably meant Pink House after the coral rock that the house was constructed of. The house was originally called Aikupika (Egypt). Later it became the Arlington Hotel.
The two-story coral house was built by Pākī himself, from the original grass hut complex of the same name at the same site, financed by the sale of Mākaha Valley
Makaha Valley, Hawai'i
Mākaha Valley is a census-designated place in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 1,289 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mākaha Valley is located at ....
and would later become one of the primary residence of his daughter Bernice Pauahi and her husband.