Mailikukahi
Encyclopedia
Mailikukahi was the eighth Alii Aimoku of Oahu
. He reigned as the titular chieftain or king of the island of Oahu
and all its territories it may of claim at the time. He was Oahu's first true great king, and his successor, one after another were as great as the next, excepting Kuamanuia
. "The most civilized kings, the paragon kings, lived here on O‘ahu. In very, very ancient times, long before King Umi lived, King Ma‘ilikukahi lived in the center of this island in a place only vaguely known; similar to King Arthur
's court at Camelot
. He was the quintessential Hawaiian king, the “King Arthur” of Hawai‘i, in that he was the good king. He took care of people, he took care of the gods, the land prospered, people prospered, many babies are born; he treated the commoners well.
and Paumakua
families; a fact which gave him and his descendants no little importance among the Hawaiian aristocracy. Mailikukahi is said to have been born at Kūkaniloko birth site
, and thus enjoyed the prestige of the kapu
attached to all who were born there. In his childhood he was raised in Wahiawa, Kanewai and Waialua. Aged 20 he was chosen by a fellow chief in council to be the administrator of the kingdom under Haka, the reigning monarch. He succeeded Haka of Oahu after he was overthrown. Unlike his predecessor he does not descend from Kumuhonua
but rather his brother Moikeha
. Tradition does not say whether Mailikukahi had a hand in this affair, but he was clamorously elected by the Oahu chiefs in council convened as Moi and duly installed and anointed as such at the heiau
of Kapukapuakea . After his installation as Moi he made Waikiki
in the Kona district his permanent residence, and with few exceptions the place remained the seat of the Oahu kings until Honolulu harbour was discovered to be accessible to large shipping.
s, and held the priests in honour. The island of Oahu is said to have become very populous during his reign, and thrift and prosperity abounded.
He is said to have ended the practice of human sacrifice
s seven generations after Paao re-introduced it to Hawai'i: Ma'ilikukahi did not sacrifice men in the luakini
temples. That was the practice of the Lo Aliis who were born in Kukaniloko
. There were no sacrificial heiau, po'o kanaka (human heads), anywhere in the kingdom. No trace of the heiau of Kapukapuakea, where Mailikukahi was installed as Moi, remains today. In the aftermath of the abolition of the kapu system (1819), the Hawaiian gods were repudiated and the heiau and images of the gods were destroyed. (Not without some resistance from some of the ali'i and kahuna; by the end of the nineteenth century, most of the native Hawaiian population, the estimated five percent that survived epidemic diseases introduced by colonists and immigrants, had been converted to Christianity by American missionaries. The stones of Kapukapuakea were perhaps used for road-building or other public works. Christians and converts no doubt justified their destruction of the old religion and heiau by pointing to the human sacrifices that took place at luakini heiau. But human sacrifice was hardly the essence of Hawaiian culture. Human sacrifice was practiced to prevent the devastation of wars or famine; and Ma'ilikukahi rejected and banned the practice even for that purpose. He was able to bring peace and prosperity to his kingdom by good management of people and resources instead.
His reign did have some conflict. An expedition by some Hawaii chiefs, Hilo-a-Lakapu, Hilo-a Hilo-Kapuhi, and Punaluu, joined by Luakoa of Maui, invaded Oahu during the reign of Mailikukahi. It cannot be considered as a war between the two islands, but rather as a raid by some restless and turbulent Hawaii chiefs, whom the pacific temper of Mailikukahi and the wealthy condition of his island had emboldened to attempt the enterprise, as well as the éclat that would attend them if successful, a very frequent motive alone in those days. The invading force landed at first at Waikiki, but, for reasons not stated in the legend, proceeded up the Ewa lagoon and marched inland. At Waikakalaua they met Mailikukahi with his forces, and a sanguinary battle ensued. The fight continued from there to the Kipapa gulch. The invaders were thoroughly defeated, and the gulch is said to have been paved with the corpses of the slain, and received its name, "Kipapa". Punaluu was slain on the plain which bears his name, the fugitives were pursued as far as Waimano, and the head of Hilo was cut off and carried in triumph to Honouliuli, and stuck up at a place still called Poo-Hilo.
, descended the [[ʻI]] Family of Hilo.
Alii Aimoku of Oahu
The Alii Aimoku was the sovereign king or queen of one of the four main Hawaiian Islands. The monarchs of island Oahu, like those of the other Hawaiian islands, claim descent from Wakea. Nanaulu, a fourteenth generation descendant of Wakea was the ancestor of Kumuhonua, 1st known King of Oahu,...
. He reigned as the titular chieftain or king of the island of 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...
and all its territories it may of claim at the time. He was Oahu's first true great king, and his successor, one after another were as great as the next, excepting Kuamanuia
Kuamanuia
Ku-a-Manuia was the 13th Alii Aimoku of Oahu. He reign as the titluar chieftain or King of the island of Oahu and all its territories it may of claim at the time. His passion for evil and greed was attributed by the chiefs and commoners to his depleted mana...
. "The most civilized kings, the paragon kings, lived here on O‘ahu. In very, very ancient times, long before King Umi lived, King Ma‘ilikukahi lived in the center of this island in a place only vaguely known; similar to King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
's court at Camelot
Camelot
Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and eventually came to be described as the fantastic capital of Arthur's realm and a symbol of the Arthurian world...
. He was the quintessential Hawaiian king, the “King Arthur” of Hawai‘i, in that he was the good king. He took care of people, he took care of the gods, the land prospered, people prospered, many babies are born; he treated the commoners well.
Early life
Mailikukahi was the son of Kukahiaililani and Kokalola. His father was fourth in descent from Maelo and her husband Lauli-a-Laa, and he thus represented both the MawekeMaweke
Maweke was a northern Hawaiian king. He was of the Nanaulu line being lineal descendent of Nanaulu, the brother of Ulu, from whom the southern chiefs claim their descent. The northern chiefs of Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau descent from Maweke and Nanaulu...
and Paumakua
Paumakua
Paumakua may refer to:*Paumakua of Maui Legendary chief progenitor of the chiefs of Maui and Hawaii*Paumakua of Oahu Legendary chief progenitor of the chiefs of Kauai and Oahu...
families; a fact which gave him and his descendants no little importance among the Hawaiian aristocracy. Mailikukahi is said to have been born at Kūkaniloko birth site
Kukaniloko Birth Site
Kūkaniloko Birth Site, also known as the Kūkaniloko Birthstones State Monument, near the intersection of Kamehameha Highway and Whitmore Avenue just north of Wahiawā, Hawaii, is one of the most important ancient cultural sites on the island of Oahu...
, and thus enjoyed the prestige of the 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...
attached to all who were born there. In his childhood he was raised in Wahiawa, Kanewai and Waialua. Aged 20 he was chosen by a fellow chief in council to be the administrator of the kingdom under Haka, the reigning monarch. He succeeded Haka of Oahu after he was overthrown. Unlike his predecessor he does not descend from Kumuhonua
Kumuhonua
Kumuhonua was 1st Alii Aimoku of Oahu. During his reign Oahu was divided among the sons of Maweke, a legendary figure thought to have colonized the northern islands of Oahu, Kauai and Niihau. He was the grandson of Maweke and son of Mulielealii....
but rather his brother Moikeha
Moikeha
Moikeha was the 1st Alii Aimoku of Kauai. He ruled as the titular King, or chief, of Kauai. He was a chief of the Nanaulu line, being the son of Mulielealii and the grandson of Maweke...
. Tradition does not say whether Mailikukahi had a hand in this affair, but he was clamorously elected by the Oahu chiefs in council convened as Moi and duly installed and anointed as such at the heiau
Heiau
A heiau is a Hawaiian temple. Many types of heiau existed, including heiau to treat the sick , offer first fruits, offer first catch, start rain, stop rain, increase the population, ensure health of the nation, achieve success in distant voyaging, reach peace, and achieve success in war . Only the...
of Kapukapuakea . After his installation as Moi he made Waikiki
Waikiki
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
in the Kona district his permanent residence, and with few exceptions the place remained the seat of the Oahu kings until Honolulu harbour was discovered to be accessible to large shipping.
Reign
On the Oahu legends Mailikukahi was known for wise, firm, and judicious government. He caused the island to be thoroughly surveyed, and the boundaries between the different divisions and lands to be definitely and permanently marked out, thus obviating future disputes between neighbouring chiefs and landholders. He enacted a code of laws in which theft and rapine were punishable with death. He also caused an ordinance to be enacted and proclaimed, which found great favour with both chiefs and commoners, namely, that all first-born male children should be handed over to the Moi, to be by him brought up and educated. He was a religious chief, built several heiauHeiau
A heiau is a Hawaiian temple. Many types of heiau existed, including heiau to treat the sick , offer first fruits, offer first catch, start rain, stop rain, increase the population, ensure health of the nation, achieve success in distant voyaging, reach peace, and achieve success in war . Only the...
s, and held the priests in honour. The island of Oahu is said to have become very populous during his reign, and thrift and prosperity abounded.
He is said to have ended the practice of human sacrifice
Human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more human beings as part of a religious ritual . Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals and of religious sacrifice in general. Human sacrifice has been practised in various cultures throughout history...
s seven generations after Paao re-introduced it to Hawai'i: Ma'ilikukahi did not sacrifice men in the luakini
Luakini
In ancient Hawai'i, a luakini temple, or luakini heiau, was a Native Hawaiian sacred place where human and animal blood sacrifices were offered....
temples. That was the practice of the Lo Aliis who were born in Kukaniloko
Kukaniloko
Kūkaniloko was the 11th Alii Aimoku of Oahu. She reign as the titluar chieftain or Queen of the island of Oahu and all its territories it may of claim at the time. She was Oahu's first queen regnant and of all eight islands...
. There were no sacrificial heiau, po'o kanaka (human heads), anywhere in the kingdom. No trace of the heiau of Kapukapuakea, where Mailikukahi was installed as Moi, remains today. In the aftermath of the abolition of the kapu system (1819), the Hawaiian gods were repudiated and the heiau and images of the gods were destroyed. (Not without some resistance from some of the ali'i and kahuna; by the end of the nineteenth century, most of the native Hawaiian population, the estimated five percent that survived epidemic diseases introduced by colonists and immigrants, had been converted to Christianity by American missionaries. The stones of Kapukapuakea were perhaps used for road-building or other public works. Christians and converts no doubt justified their destruction of the old religion and heiau by pointing to the human sacrifices that took place at luakini heiau. But human sacrifice was hardly the essence of Hawaiian culture. Human sacrifice was practiced to prevent the devastation of wars or famine; and Ma'ilikukahi rejected and banned the practice even for that purpose. He was able to bring peace and prosperity to his kingdom by good management of people and resources instead.
His reign did have some conflict. An expedition by some Hawaii chiefs, Hilo-a-Lakapu, Hilo-a Hilo-Kapuhi, and Punaluu, joined by Luakoa of Maui, invaded Oahu during the reign of Mailikukahi. It cannot be considered as a war between the two islands, but rather as a raid by some restless and turbulent Hawaii chiefs, whom the pacific temper of Mailikukahi and the wealthy condition of his island had emboldened to attempt the enterprise, as well as the éclat that would attend them if successful, a very frequent motive alone in those days. The invading force landed at first at Waikiki, but, for reasons not stated in the legend, proceeded up the Ewa lagoon and marched inland. At Waikakalaua they met Mailikukahi with his forces, and a sanguinary battle ensued. The fight continued from there to the Kipapa gulch. The invaders were thoroughly defeated, and the gulch is said to have been paved with the corpses of the slain, and received its name, "Kipapa". Punaluu was slain on the plain which bears his name, the fugitives were pursued as far as Waimano, and the head of Hilo was cut off and carried in triumph to Honouliuli, and stuck up at a place still called Poo-Hilo.
Marriage
Mailikukahi's wife was Kanepukoa, but to what family she belonged legend does not relate. They had two sons, Kalona-nui and Kalona-iki, the latter succeeding his father as Moi of Oahu. From Kalona-nui's son, KalamakuaKalamakua
Kalamakua , a Hawaiian high chief and Prince of Oahu. His uncle was King Kalona-iki and his grandfather was King Mailikukahi. He was believed to be responsible for developing the extensive irrigation system that supported several hundred acres of taro fields and fishing, at Waikiki. This...
, descended the [[ʻI]] Family of Hilo.