The (, ; ) were the traditional nobility of the Hawaiian islands. They were part of a hereditary line of rulers, the . There were many classes of (or chief) and the position could be held by a man or a woman.
Cognates of the word have a similar meaning in other Polynesian languages; in MÃÂori it is and in Tahitian .
Background
In ancient Hawaiian society, the were hereditary nobles (a social class or caste). The consisted of the higher and lesser chiefs of the various levels on the islands. The were the ruling chiefs. The were believed to be descended from the deities.
There were eleven classes of , of both men and women. These included the (priestesses and priests, experts, craftsmen, and canoe makers) as part of four professions practiced by the nobility. Each island had its own , who governed their individual systems. continued to play a role in the governance of the Hawaiian islands until 1893, when Queen Liliûuokalani was overthrown by a coup d'état backed by the United States government.
In Hawaiian, means 'grand', 'great', or 'supreme', so were ruling chiefs. The title could be passed on by right of birth.
Social designations of (ruling line)
Historians David Malo, Samuel M. Kamakau and Abraham Fornander wrote extensively about the different lines and their importance to Hawaiian history. The distinctions between the ranks and lines comes from their writings.
- were supreme high chiefs of an island and no others were above them (during the Kingdom period this title would come to mean 'governor'). The four largest Hawaiian islands (Hawaiûi proper, Maui, Kauaûi, and Oûahu) were usually ruled each by their own . Molokaûi also had a line of island rulers, but was later subjected to the superior power of nearby Maui and Oûahu during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. was a special title for the highest chief of the island of Maui. Later, the title was used for all rulers of the Hawaiian Islands and the Hawaiian monarchs.
- were sacred rulers with special taboos.
- were a rank of chiefs who were considered the very highest in descent and power. Nëûaupiûo chiefs can be from Piûo or Naha unions.
- were a rank of chiefs who were products of full blood sibling unions. Famous chiefs were the royal twins, Kameûeiamoku and Kamanawa.
- were a rank of chiefs who were products of either half-blood sibling unions or the unions of uncle and niece or father and daughter. The exact definition is disputed amongst Malo, Kamakau and Fornander. Chiefs of this rank traditionally possessed the ('sitting kapu'). Famous chiefs include KeÃ
ÂpÃ
«olani.
- were a rank of chiefs who were products of marriage of close relatives other than siblings; one famous Wohi chief was Kamehameha I. These chiefs possessed the , exempting them from ('prostration taboo').
- were chiefs born to mother of the , , or rank with a lower-ranking male chief.
- were chiefs born to high-ranked father with a mother who was a relative through younger siblings.
- ' were chiefs born to parents who are children of high chiefs through secondary unions.
- were lesser chiefs who served the . It is a relative term and not a fixed level of nobility. The expression is elastic in terms of how it is used. In general, it means a relative who is born from a lesser ranking parent. A son's own children, if born of a lesser ranking mother, would descend to a lower rank. Eventually the line descends, leading to ('commoner'). gain rank through marriage with higher-ranking .
- were chiefs born to a high chief and a commoner.
One line descended from Moana KÃÂne, son of KeÃÂkealanikÃÂne, became secondary to the Kamehameha rulers of the kingdom and were responsible for various ('service tasks'). Members of this line married into the Kamehamehas, including Charles Kanaûina and KekÃ
«anaÃ
Âûa. Some bore , royal standards made of feathers, and were attendants of the higher-ranking . During the monarchy some of these chiefs were elevated to positions within the primary political bodies of the Hawaiian legislature and the king's Privy Council. All Hawaiian monarchs after Kamehameha III were the children of Kaukaualiûi fathers who married higher ranking wives.
List of Monarchs of Hawaiian Islands
See also
References
Further reading