Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Island Chronicles | January 1999

Island Chronicles

Born to Power

In ancient times, women of rank wielded power; primarily through birthright, they influenced Hawaiian society

They were nearly invisible to the eyes of the gods. With rare exception, they were not allowed to be present at the sacred rituals performed in the temples of the war god, Ku, and had little function or responsibility in the formal worship conducted by men. Yet, despite this absence of spiritual recognition, women of rank were powerful figures in ancient Hawai'i.

A chiefess's lineage gave her unquestioned social and political influence. The venerated status that she inherited had been passed down from generation to generation within the womb. Such an exalted birthright made her a coveted marriage partner, and a wise chief would seek to join with an equal or a higher-ranking chiefess to ensure a line of successors who would inherit the combined ranks and birthrights of both parents.

Any chief who was unable to find a wife of suitable ancestry would travel to the central plain of O'ahu. There, surrounding the most sacred birthing site for high chiefesses-Kukaniloko-were the lands of Wahiawa, Lihu'e and Halemano, where a class of chiefs known as the Lo had settled. The outsider would seek a wife among the Lo, who were known to strictly maintain their royal status. It is said that many of Hawai'i's great rulers were descended from a Lo mother or father.

One of the wives of Kamehameha, Keopuolani, was the highest-ranking woman of her time. His children by Keopuolani were considered so sacred that the Great Warrior would lie on his back and allow these keiki (children) to sit on his chest as a sign of subservience and his acknowledgment of their superior status. It was an offense punishable by death for a child of unacceptable bloodlines to sit on a royal lap, so allowing a child to sit on a chief's chest was the ultimate gesture of respect toward one of higher birth.

Kamehameha's three surviving children by Keopuolani-two sons, Liholiho and Kauikeaouli, and a daughter, Nahi'ena'ena-were naha chiefs, accorded the most exclusive privileges. These privileges were strictly enforced to preserve the sanctity of their bloodline; in earlier, more rigid, times, any violation of them had been punished with death. But in spite of the careful adherence to sacred observances, this most refined lineage ended with Keopuolani's children; all three married, but produced no succeeding heirs.

Another of Kamehameha's wives was the chiefess Ka'ahumanu, probably the best illustration of the power a woman of rank could hold in those times. Ka'ahumanu was the daughter of Ke'eaumoku, one of the four faithful old chiefs who had fought with Kamehameha and helped him win his kingdom. Ke'eaumoku had been respected by all; Ka'ahumanu was as well, for it was accepted that she understood the thinking of her father and his generation of chiefs. Consequently, she was the only chiefess allowed to sit with Kamehameha's council of advisors. So valued was Ka'ahumanu's counsel that her worth was calculated at half of Kamehameha's kingdom.

Kamehameha honored her by proclaiming the lands she managed as places of refuge, or pu'uhonua. Anyone accused of wrongdoing could enter these lands and be granted sanctuary. He even designated Ka'ahumanu herself as pu'uhonua, in effect giving her complete power to pardon transgressions. After the famous battle of Nu'uanu, many of the ali'i (chiefs) and commoners who had been vanquished approached her and were assured safety.

Ka'ahumanu and Keopuolani demonstrated that women of rank held positions of influence in ancient Hawaiian society. Although they were not acknowledged by the gods as were male chiefs, they nevertheless left their mark on Hawai'i history.

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