Ali'i
Encyclopedia
Alii is a word in the Polynesian language (and other related languages) denoting chiefly status in ancient Hawaii
and the Samoa Islands. A similar word with the same concept is found in other Polynesian
societies. In the Cook Islands
, an ariki
is a high chief and the House of Ariki
is a parliamentary house (with very limited power). In New Zealand
a Māori ariki
held a rank of nobility and the Maori monarch held the title Te Arikinui (Great Chief) similar to Ke Alii Nui in Hawaiian. In Tokelau
, the term aliki denotes a chief, on Easter Island
a noble was ariki and in Tahiti
the term is ari'i.
In Samoa, ali'i is a chiefly rank in the fa'amatai
system which lies at the heart of the culture's socio-political organisation and similar to the traditional system in Hawaii.
an society, ali'i was a hereditary chiefly or noble rank (social class
or caste
). The alii class consisted of the high and lesser chiefs of the various realms in the islands. They governed with divine power called mana
. The alii were the highest class, ranking above both kahuna
(priests) and makaāinana (commoners).
Most common translations are "'Chief", and "High Chief", although lord and lady were sometimes sometimes considered equivalent English titles. Proposals to use prince and princess have not received broad support.
Alii were full of mana and could place and remove kapu
(curse or taboo) on objects. Alii continued to rule the Hawaiian islands
until 1893 when Queen Liliuokalani passively resisted the attempts to substitute the Constitutional Monarchy, Government, and supporting Alii, in a coup arranged by filibusters
.
Alii Nui were ruling chiefs (in Hawaiian
, nui means grand, great, or supreme.) and must claim parentage at least of a mother of the highest rank.
Alii is also a term that means hello in Palauan Language.
, Maui
, Kauai
, and Oahu
) were usually ruled each by their own alii aimoku. Molokai also had a line of island kings, but was later subjected to the superior power of nearby Maui and Oahu during the 17th and 18th centuries. Under an alii aimoku, subordinate district alii controlled their petty fiefs. But these petty fiefs could sometimes encompass one-sixth of an island, since the islands were usually divided into six districts. These feudal lords were alii nui of their district and were styled as "Alii-o-Name of District".
Mōī was a special title for the highest chief of the island of Maui, otherwise also known as Alii Aimoku of Maui. Later, the title was used for all kings of the Hawaiian Islands and the Hawaiian monarchs.
Kaukaualii was a chief of inferior rank who was a noble only on his father's side, with an inferior-ranking mother. Kaukaualii usually gain rank through marriage with higher ranking alii. Some bore kahili, royal standards made of feathers, and were attendants of the higher ranking alii. During the monarchy these chiefs served as the primary political figures in the Hawaiian legislature and the king's Privy Council.
Ranks of the Alii: First were the Alii Pio who were product of full blood sibling unions. Famous Pio chiefs were the royal twins, Kameeiamoku and Kamanawa
. Next were the Alii Naha who were product of half blood sibling unions, famous Naha chiefs include Keopuolani
. After that was the Alii Wohi who were product of marriage of close relatives other than siblings; one famous Wohi chief being Kamehameha I
. Last came the inferior chiefs.
. Warfare between chiefs was also common.
Commoner or lesser Alii served the Higher ranking Alii, not for pay, but instead, due to their duty to allegiance to the nation.
The caste organization facilitated a feudal system that resembles other feudal societies, for example the feudal systems
found in Europe circa 1000 AD, in feudal Japan, Ethiopia
, and so on.
Higher alii gave lesser alii parcels of land, which would in turn be governed them. The lesser alii divided the land into plots to be farmed and cultivated by makaainana families. Harvests were returned to the lesser alii, each taking a portion before being sent to the supreme alii.
Both the reigning dynasties of the united Kingdom of Hawaii
(1810–1893) were of alii class. As each relative of those dynasties was entitled to the title alii, they have later, posthumously, been popularly labeled (mostly erroneously) princesses and princes, although only a limited number of royal relatives ever received the princely title from the monarch
.
Ancient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD 300–800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
and the Samoa Islands. A similar word with the same concept is found in other Polynesian
Polynesians
The Polynesian peoples is a grouping of various ethnic groups that speak Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic languages within the Austronesian languages, and inhabit Polynesia. They number approximately 1,500,000 people...
societies. In the Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
, an ariki
Ariki
An Ariki , ‘Ariki , Aliki , Ali‘i , Ari'i or ‘Eiki is or was a member of a hereditary chiefly or noble rank in Polynesia.-Aotearoa Ariki:Political leadership or governance in Māori society has traditionally come from two...
is a high chief and the House of Ariki
House of Ariki
The House of Ariki is a parliamentary body in the Cook Islands. It is composed of Cook Islands high chiefs , appointed by the Queen's Representative...
is a parliamentary house (with very limited power). In New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
a Māori ariki
Ariki
An Ariki , ‘Ariki , Aliki , Ali‘i , Ari'i or ‘Eiki is or was a member of a hereditary chiefly or noble rank in Polynesia.-Aotearoa Ariki:Political leadership or governance in Māori society has traditionally come from two...
held a rank of nobility and the Maori monarch held the title Te Arikinui (Great Chief) similar to Ke Alii Nui in Hawaiian. In Tokelau
Tokelau
Tokelau is a territory of New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean that consists of three tropical coral atolls with a combined land area of 10 km2 and a population of approximately 1,400...
, the term aliki denotes a chief, on Easter Island
Easter Island
Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
a noble was ariki and in Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
the term is ari'i.
In Samoa, ali'i is a chiefly rank in the fa'amatai
Fa'amatai
Fa'amatai is the chiefly system of Samoa, central to the organization of Samoan society.It is the traditional indigenous form of governance in the Samoa Islands, comprising American Samoa and the Independent State of Samoa...
system which lies at the heart of the culture's socio-political organisation and similar to the traditional system in Hawaii.
Hawaiian ali'i
In ancient HawaiiAncient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD 300–800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
an society, ali'i was a hereditary chiefly or noble rank (social class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
or caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
). The alii class consisted of the high and lesser chiefs of the various realms in the islands. They governed with divine power called mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
. The alii were the highest class, ranking above both kahuna
Kahuna
Kahuna is a Hawaiian word, defined in the as a "Priest, sorcerer, magician, wizard, minister, expert in any profession." Forty different types of kahuna are listed in the book, Tales from the Night Rainbow...
(priests) and makaāinana (commoners).
Most common translations are "'Chief", and "High Chief", although lord and lady were sometimes sometimes considered equivalent English titles. Proposals to use prince and princess have not received broad support.
Description
All the alii Hawaiian dynasties of the several islands were interrelated, and apparently forbidden to intermarry with other classes.Alii were full of mana and could place and remove kapu
Kapu
Kapu refers to the ancient Hawaiian code of conduct of laws and regulations. The kapu system was universal in lifestyle, gender roles, politics, religion, etc. An offense that was kapu was often a corporal offense, but also often denoted a threat to spiritual power, or theft of mana. Kapus were...
(curse or taboo) on objects. Alii continued to rule the Hawaiian islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
until 1893 when Queen Liliuokalani passively resisted the attempts to substitute the Constitutional Monarchy, Government, and supporting Alii, in a coup arranged by filibusters
Filibuster (military)
A filibuster, or freebooter, is someone who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country to foment or support a revolution...
.
Alii Nui were ruling chiefs (in Hawaiian
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
, nui means grand, great, or supreme.) and must claim parentage at least of a mother of the highest rank.
Alii is also a term that means hello in Palauan Language.
Titles
Alii Aimoku were high chiefs of an island. The four largest Hawaiian islands (Hawaii properHawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
, Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
, Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
, and Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
) were usually ruled each by their own alii aimoku. Molokai also had a line of island kings, but was later subjected to the superior power of nearby Maui and Oahu during the 17th and 18th centuries. Under an alii aimoku, subordinate district alii controlled their petty fiefs. But these petty fiefs could sometimes encompass one-sixth of an island, since the islands were usually divided into six districts. These feudal lords were alii nui of their district and were styled as "Alii-o-Name of District".
Mōī was a special title for the highest chief of the island of Maui, otherwise also known as Alii Aimoku of Maui. Later, the title was used for all kings of the Hawaiian Islands and the Hawaiian monarchs.
Kaukaualii was a chief of inferior rank who was a noble only on his father's side, with an inferior-ranking mother. Kaukaualii usually gain rank through marriage with higher ranking alii. Some bore kahili, royal standards made of feathers, and were attendants of the higher ranking alii. During the monarchy these chiefs served as the primary political figures in the Hawaiian legislature and the king's Privy Council.
Ranks of the Alii: First were the Alii Pio who were product of full blood sibling unions. Famous Pio chiefs were the royal twins, Kameeiamoku and Kamanawa
Kamanawa
Kamanawa was a Hawaiian high chief and early supporter of King Kamehameha I, known as one of the royal niau-pio twins with his brother Kameeiamoku...
. Next were the Alii Naha who were product of half blood sibling unions, famous Naha chiefs include Keopuolani
Keopuolani
Kalanikauikaalaneo Kai Keōpūolani-Ahu-i-Kekai-Makuahine-a-Kama-Kalani-Kau-i-Kealaneo was a queen consort of Hawaii and the highest ranking wife of King Kamehameha I.-Early life:...
. After that was the Alii Wohi who were product of marriage of close relatives other than siblings; one famous Wohi chief being Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I , also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawaii's independence under his rule...
. Last came the inferior chiefs.
Feudal social organization
Internecine warfare between heirs of rulers was common in ancient HawaiiAncient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD 300–800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
. Warfare between chiefs was also common.
Commoner or lesser Alii served the Higher ranking Alii, not for pay, but instead, due to their duty to allegiance to the nation.
The caste organization facilitated a feudal system that resembles other feudal societies, for example the feudal systems
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
found in Europe circa 1000 AD, in feudal Japan, Ethiopia
Negus
Negus is a title in Ge'ez, Tigrinya, Tigre and Amharic, used for a king and at times also a vassal ruler in pre-1974 Ethiopia and pre-1890 Eritrea. It is subsequently used to translate the word "king" in Biblical and other literature...
, and so on.
Higher alii gave lesser alii parcels of land, which would in turn be governed them. The lesser alii divided the land into plots to be farmed and cultivated by makaainana families. Harvests were returned to the lesser alii, each taking a portion before being sent to the supreme alii.
Both the reigning dynasties of the united Kingdom of Hawaii
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
(1810–1893) were of alii class. As each relative of those dynasties was entitled to the title alii, they have later, posthumously, been popularly labeled (mostly erroneously) princesses and princes, although only a limited number of royal relatives ever received the princely title from the monarch
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
.
See also
- Ancient HawaiiAncient HawaiiAncient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD 300–800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
- Kingdom of HawaiiKingdom of HawaiiThe Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
- List of Ali'i Aimoku of Hawai'i
- List of Ali'i Aimoku of Kauai
- List of Ali'i Aimoku of Oahu
- List of Ali'i Aimoku of Maui
- List of Ali'i Aimoku of Molokai
- Politics of SamoaPolitics of SamoaPolitics of Samoa takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic state whereby the Prime Minister of Samoa is the head of government...