Royal Order of Kapiolani
Encyclopedia
Kalakaua
Kalākaua, born David Laamea Kamanakapuu Mahinulani Nalaiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua and sometimes called The Merrie Monarch , was the last reigning king of the Kingdom of Hawaii...
to recognize services in the cause of humanity, for merit in Science and the Arts, or for special services rendered to the 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...
. He named the Order in memory of his wife Queen Kapiolani
Queen Kapiolani
Queen Kapiolani formally Esther Kapiolani or Esther Kapiolani Napelakapuokakae, was married to King David Kalākaua and reigned as Queen Consort of the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:...
and early exponent of Christianity in 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...
, and namesake of Chiefess Kapiolani
Chiefess Kapiolani
High Chiefess Kapiolani was an important member of the Hawaiian nobility at the time of the founding of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the arrival of Christian missionaries...
. This Order was awarded 177 times in all grades during Kalākaua's reign, and three more times by his successor, Queen Liliuokalani. The last award of the Order took place on June 2, 1892; in 1893 the Order became obsolete.
Grades
The Order was awarded in six grades. Granting the insignia and awards of the Order was determined by the number of living members of the Order. At any given time there could only be:- Grand Cross - 12 recipients
- High Grand Officer - 15 recipients
- Grand Officer - 20 recipients
- Commander - 30 recipients
- Officer - 50 recipients
- Companion (Knight) - 60 recipients
- Medal of Honor - no limit to recipients, 1st (silver) and 2nd-degree (bronze)
Grand Cross
The Order's badge comprises a red enameled gold Maltese cross, surmounted by a gold Hawaiian crown. Between the arms of the cross are gold Hawaiian crowns in angles. A center disc of red and white enamel displays a gold double-K monogram, surrounded by a white enamel band, on which is inscribed "KULIA I KANUU" - "Strive to Reach the Summit". At end of the cross is a small, gold locket with the portrait of Queen Kapiolani. On the reverse is a single red disc, with the motto "KULIA".
The star of the Grand Cross of Order is an octagonal silver star, on which is superimposed the badge without the surmounted crown.
The grand cordon is yellow, bordered by narrow stripes of the colors the Hawaiian flag: white, red and dark-blue. The badge is fastened to the sash's bow and rests on the hip.
High Grand Officer
High Grand Officers bear the same insignia as the Grand Cross, except the badge is not worn on a sash, rather on a neck ribbon of alternating yellow and red strips.Commander
The insignia of Commander is identical to that of Grand Cross, except the Commander wears only the sash. In addition, on the badge the crowns between the arms of the cross are silver, not gold.
Officer & Companion
The Officer and Companion cross use an identical badge to that of the Commander, albeit markedly smaller in size. These decorations are breast badges suspended by the badge's crown on a riband of alternating yellow and red stripes. A rosette is affixed to the riband of the Officer cross.Medals of Honor
The Medals of Honor are similar to the Companion cross; however they lack the crowns between the arms of the cross and the badge's crown surmounting the cross. The medal of the 1st-degree is made of silver, and the 2nd-degree of bronze.Annuity
Along with being granted insignia of the Order, an annuity was given to the recipients: $150 for the Grand Cross, $130 for the Grand High Officer, $125 for the Grand Officer, $100 for the Commander, $75 for the Officer and $50 for the Companion.Recipients
The first recipient of the Royal Order of Kapiolani was Auguste Jean Baptiste Marques. He was made Commander in 1880.Dr. Charles M. Newell, of Boston wrote several romantic novels about the Hawaiian Islands in the late 19th century, including Kalani of Oahu (1881), Kamehameha the Conquering King (1885) and The Voyage of the Fleetwing (1886) and The Isle of Palms (1888). His Companion is believed awarded in 1885 and was sold by Cowans Auctions in 2010.
The Blessed Marianne of Molokai (born Barbara Koob) was awarded the Companion on November 9, 1885, for her work in Hawaiian hospitals and the Hansens Disease (Leprosy) settlement of Kalaupapa
Kalaupapa, Hawaii
Kalaupapa is a small unincorporated community on the island of Molokai in the U.S. state of Hawaii, within Kalawao County.The village is located on the Kalaupapa peninsula at the base of the highest sea cliffs in the world, dropping about into the Pacific Ocean.- Volcanic origin :Kalaupapa...
.
Dr. Eduard Arning
Eduard Arning
Eduard Arning was an English-German dermatologist and microbiologist from Manchester. Arning was educated at the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums. In 1879 he obtained his medical doctorate from Strassburg, and afterwards was a medical assistant in Strassburg under Adolf Kussmaul , and in Berlin...
, British-German bacteriologist, was awarded the Companion in 1886 for research in Hansens Disease.