Individual Details

LINEAGE
"The family, from which she descended, by her father, had governed the island of Hawaii (Owhyhee,) for many generations. The family from which she descended by her mother, had long governed Maui (Mowee,) and for a time had also governed Ranai, Morokai, and Oahu (Woahoo.)" (Richards, Memoirs of Keopuolani, p 2).
LIFE
A. Her name given at birth was Kalanikauikaalaneo, meaning "the heavens hanging cloudless," but by 13 she was called Keopuolani (Mookini, "Keopuolani, Sacred Wife, Queen Mother, 1778-1823, p 4). Keopuolani means "the gathering of the clouds of the heavens" (Richards, Memoirs of Keopuolani, p 2). "Her full name is recorded and translated as: Keopuolani-Ahu-I-Kekai-Makuahine-a-Kama-Kalani-Kau-I-Kealaneo (The Princess of the Gathered Heavens and Blessed by the Sea; Mother of the House of Kama; Queen of the Countless Heavens Born Without Stain)" (Oukah, Hawaiian Royal & Noble Genealogies, p 187).
B. Conflict: Kamakau, Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii, p 259;
Helekunihi Genealogy, Hms G54, p 25;
Stokes, New Bases for Hawaiian Chronology, p. 45
states her birth year was 1780.
C. She was raised by her grandmother, Kalola (Richards, Memoir of Keopuolani, p 11). Her kahu was Ka-lua-i-konahale, aka Kuakini (Kamakau, Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii, p 263).
D. Pairing with Kamehameha I at 13 (Hawaiian Chiefs Biographical Abstract) about 1791 (Stokes, New Bases for Hawaiian Chronology, p. 56). Ahlo et al, Kamehameha Children Today, p 54 lists the year as 1795.
Conflict: Richards, Memoir of Keopuolani, Late Queen of the Sandwich Islands, p 13 states that she became Kamehameha's mate in 1791 at the age of 13. "At seventeen she was a mother; but her first son, bearing the name of the present king, died at an early age."
Conflict: Kwan, et. al, Na Lani Kamehameha, p 15 states she married Kamehameha in 1795 when she was 17.
Kamehameha I greatly desired Keopuolani for mate for the highest of the tabus. He won the right after his victorious battle at Iao, Wailuku, Maui, in 1790 (McKinzie, Hawaiian Genealogies, vol 1 p 94). Kamehameha first desired Kalola for a mate, but finding that she was ill, he received Kalola's assurance that when she died that her granddaughter Keopuolani, then 14, would be his. "She subsequently became the wife of Kamehamea and the mother of the ruling princes of his dynasty. In recognition of her superior rank Kamehameha always approached her on his knees, even after she had become his wife and he was the undisputed sovereign of the group" (Kalakaua, The Legends and Myths of Hawaii, p 404).
E. "the very highest sacred chiefess of all the wives of Kamehameha I; and she was ... from whom comes the basis of the very high kapus of Liholiho, Kauikeaouli, and Nahienaena superior to Kamemalu's and Kinau's kapus, those children of Kamehameha I with Kaheiheimalie" (McKinzie, Hawaiian Genealogies, vol 1 p 28).
"Agreeable to the practice of all the females in the country, she accompanied her husband in all his battles. Her person was counted so sacred that her presence did much to awe the enemy" (Richards, Memoir of Keopuolani, Late Queen of the Sandwich Islands, p 13).
Oukah described her breeding to become so sacred: Kalaniopuu and Keoua Kalanikupuapaikalaninui - half-brothers from mother Kamakaimoku, their fathers were half-brothers - they "conspired to produce the most exalted of all by each marrying the sacred Kalola of Maui. Their son and daughter married to produce the sacred Keopulani" (Oukah, Hawaiian Royal & Noble Genealogies, p 188).
F. As a chiefess of higher rank than Kamehameha, she was privileged to have another mate. She first chose Kalaimoku as a second mate to Kamehameha for a few years, and then she chose Hoapili (Richards, Memoir of Keopuolani, Late Queen of the Sandwich Islands, p 14). Ulumaheihei Hoapili was husband to "the queen-mother" during the reign of Liholiho (Kalakaua , The Legends and Myths of Hawaii, p 443).
When she was full-grown, "Keopuolani became [Kamehameha's] wife. However, they didn't live together as man and wife... Keopuolani and Kalaimoku became lovers. and after that, Kamehameha traveled to Hilo. There Keopulani and Kalaimoku were married. That last woman of kapu had Kalaimoku as her true husband. Kamehameha still required her to sleep with him, and she became pregnant by him.... Kalaimoku was indeed the true husband of Keopuolani, but no child was born of that union.... Keopuolani had three children by Kamehameha while she was with Kalaimoku" (Langas, Davida Malo's Unpublished Account of Keopuolani, p 37).
G. Order of spouses ((Richards, Memoir of Keopuolani, Late Queen of the Sandwich Islands, p 13-14).
H. Order of children with Kamehameha (Buke Ku Auhau Hawaii, G-8, p 10).
Liholiho was born when she was 17 1/2 (Kamakau, Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii, p 220). "Keopuolani loved her children and wept when they were taken from her to be brought up by other chiefs and chiefesses" (Kamakau, Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii, p 260). She had 8 stillborn children (Ahlo, Kamehameha's Children today, p 6). She bore 6 sons and 4 daughters, but only 3 survived (Richards, Memoir of Keopuolani, Late Queen of the Sandwich Islands, p 13).
Conflict: Oukah, Hawaiian Royal & Noble Genealogies, p 187 states 7 sons and 4 daughters.
Fragment: Sinclair, The Sacred Wife of Kamehameha I, p 7 states that Kalanimoku was another of her husbands, prior to Hoapili.
I. "When Keopuolani, the only remaining high tabu chiefess, gave up the [burning, prostrating, drowning] tabu with consent of all the chiefs, the tabu system fell" (Kamakau, Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii, p 223).
J. She is considered "the mother of Christian Hawaii." She moved to Oahu with Liholiho. She was the leader of the Christian faith (Kamakau, Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii, p 247,250,270).
When the American missionaries arrived in April 1820, Keopuolani approved their proposals to establish the mission. But she did not devote herself to instruction until 1822. She and Hoapili requested a personal teacher, who was a Tahitian. She told him: "I have renounced our old religion, the religion of wooden gods; I have embraced a new religion, the religion of Jesus Christ. He is my King and Saviour, and him I desire to obey" (Richards, Memoir of Keopuolani, Late Queen of the Sandwich Islands, p 20).
K. "Strange that Ke-opu-olani should have desired free eating against her own interests and those of her children! She and they were looked upon by the people as gods with powers like fire, heat, light, not through any feeling of inferiority on their part but through long-cherished custom. When she broke down the tabu she became a meek woman, and chiefs and people mingled on an equality. It was Ke-opu-o-lani who first welcomed the missionaries and whose children were first taught letters.... She herself first heard the word of God in 1820 from Thomas Hapu. She became interested and was the first to adopt the teaching that a man should have but one wife and a woman but one husband, and she gave up having more than one husband and took Ulu-maheihei for her husband" (Kamakau, Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii, p 261).
L. She was admired for her compassion and mild behavior. "Often was her compassion manifested towards those, who had broken tabu, violated the laws, or otherwise incurred the king's displeasure. These, if their crimes were not heinous, or if they had any reasonable excuse, always fled to her, and were safe under her protection" (Richards, Memoir of Keopuolani, Late Queen of the Sandwich Islands, p 14).
M. From 1806 through the rest of her life, Keopuolani suffered periodic bouts of illness. She was baptized by sprinkling of water just hours before her death, "so that Keopuolani may be called the first fruits of the mission" (Richards, Memoir of Keopuolani, Late Queen of the Sandwich Islands, p 14-36). She was baptized on the day she died, taking the Christian name of Harriett; "thus, the highest tabu chiefess became the first Hawaiian convert" (Kamakau, Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii, p 261). She died "in her fifty-fifth year" (Kamakau, Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii, p 263).
Conflict: Spencer, Buke Oihana Lapaau me na Apu-Laau Hawaii, p 86 list death year as 1780.

Birth	1778	Wailuku, Maui
Marriage	Abt 1820	Ulumaheihei
Death	16 Sep 1823	Lahaina, Maui
Alt name		Keopuolani Kalanikauikealaneo
Alt name		Kalanikauikaalaneo
Alt name		Kalani Keopuolani AhuiKekai MakuahineaKama Kalani KauiKealaneo
Alt name		Kalanikauikaalaneo Keopuolani
Alt name		Harriet Keopuolani
Alt name		Hikawainui
Alt name		Hikawainui Keopulani Kai Kahueikauikaalaneo
Alt name		Keopuolanimokeia
Alt name		Meawahine
Alt name		Kalanikaukaalaneo
Alt name		Kai
Alt name		Kalanikauikealanea
Alt name		Makuahanaukama

Spouse	Kamehameha I (1736 - 1819)
Child	Liholiho (1797 - 1824)
Child	Laamea ( - )
Child	Kukaoo ( - )
Child	Kauikeaouli (1813 - 1854)
Child	Nahienaena (1815 - 1836)

Spouse

Ulumaheihei (1775 - 1840)

Spouse

Kalaimoku (1768 - 1827)

Father	Kiwalao ( - 1782)
Mother	Kekuiapoiwa Liliha ( - 1815)
Sibling	Manono ( - )
Sibling	Kaikilani Kualii ( - )
Sibling	Kamoaakeawe ( - )