There was an expression used in olden times to designate certain chiefs, male or female, which expression in those days did not mark a fixed or certain degree of nobility, but was a relative term of a large degree of elasticity. That term was kaukau-alii. In later and modern times the term has been made to imply inferiority and dependence. To illustrate: In olden time the children of Hakau-a-Liloa looked upon the children of Umi-a-Liloa, their cousins, as kaukau alii compared to themselves, though the sovereignty of Hawaii and the highest political kapus rested with the latter. Thus the children of Kalaninuiamamao and of Keeaumoku of Hawaii looked upon the children of Kumukoa and of Awili, their cousins, as kaukau-alii compared with themselves. Thus Kalaipaihala, the son of Kalaniopuu of Hawaii, was a kaukau-alii to his brother Kiwalao, although he was a niau-pio chief in his own right. The term was relative and did not mark a degree of nobility. [[312]]

[[Contents]]

Chronological List.

Every people, possessed of some culture or civilization, attempts to preserve a record of its past, whether that record is handed down orally, or by some sort of writing. With the Hawaiians as with their Polynesian congeners everywhere, such records were passed down orally from father to child, or from master to disciple, within the professional circle of those to whom immemorial usage has consigned the preservation of them. But history, or a record of the past, would become unintelligible and rank confusion unless set forth or arranged upon some system of chronology. Some peoples counted time by the number of generations from some common ancestor; some counted by the length of reign of each successive king or chief; some counted each individual year within a, by them, generally adopted era. The Hawaiians counted by generations of their principal chiefs or kings. They started from Wakea as a common ancestor of all the chiefs on all the islands of the Hawaiian group; but, for convenience or clearness sake, time was counted by either of the reigning families on the four principal islands: Kauai, Oahu, Maui, or Hawaii. Thus an event, worthy of being preserved on the national records, was said to have occurred “in the time of”—“i ke au o”—such or such a prominent chief of this or that island; and, in order to ascertain when, the generations were counted either down from Wakea, or more generally up (back) from the then present generation. Thus Hawaiian chronology was not very exact, it must be admitted; but to a people, who depended entirely upon the faithful memory of their bards and priests, it was sufficiently approximate to bring order and sequence in their unwritten records of the past. To us, of a later and more developed civilization, the exactitude of dates is of the very essence of history, or at least one of its most necessary elements; but an approximation to truth satisfied the ancient Hawaiian.

In my work, “The Polynesian Race, its Origin and Migrations,” Vol. I, p. 166, I have approximately fixed the period of Wakea at about 190 A.D., and the length of a generation, for the purposes of historical computation, at 30 years. Counting 13 generations after Wakea we arrive at Nanaulu, in whose time the Hawaiian group was undoubtedly occupied by the Hawaiian branch of the Polynesian Race, say 580 A.D. Continuing on the genealogical line of Nanaulu, as the safest and most correct, we arrive after 15 more generations, or 450 years, at the period of Maweke, say 1030 A.D., when that remarkable intermigratory movement between the southern and northern Polynesian groups, of which their legends and chants give so ample evidence, had already commenced. From Maweke down, therefore, Hawaiian chronology may be computed from any of the leading genealogies, counting Maweke as No. 29, Paumakua as No. 30, Pilikaeaea as No. 31 from Wakea.

Thus, to take only two genealogies out of many, we get the following approximate, chronological lists, viz: [[313]]

Oahu.Hawaii.
No. A.D.No. A.D.
29. Maweke 1030
30. Mulielealii 1060
31. Moikeha 1090 31. Pilikacaca 1090
32. Hookamalii 1120 32. Kukohau 1120
33. Kahai 1150 33. Kaniuhi 1150
34. Kuolono 1180 34. Kanipahu 1180
35. Maelo (w) and Lauli-a-Laa (k) 1210 35. Kalapana 1210
36. Laulihewa 1240 36. Kahaimoelea 1240
37. Kahuoi 1270 37. Kalaunuiohua 1270
38. Pua-a-Kahuoi 1300 38. Kuaiwa 1300
39. Kukahiaililani 1330 39. Kahoukapu 1330
40. Mailikukahi 1360 40. Kauholanuimahu 1360
41. Kalona-iki 1390 41. Kihanuilulumoku 1390
42. Piliwale 1420 42. Liloa 1420
43. Kukaniloko (w) 1450 43. Umi-a-Liloa 1450
44. Kalaimanuia (w) 1480 44. Kealiilokaloa 1480
45. Kaihikapu-a-Manuia 1510 45. Kukailani 1510
46. Kakuhihewa 1540 46. Kaikilani (w) 1540
47. Kaihikapu-a-Kakuhihewa 1570 47. Keakealanikane 1570
48. Kahoowahaokalani 1600 48. Keakamahana (w) 1600
49. Kauakahi-a-Kahoowaha 1630 49. Keakealani (w) 1630
50. Kualii 1660 50. Kalanikauleleiaiwi (w) 1660
51. Peleioholani 1690 51. Keawepoepoe 1690
52. Kumahana 1720 52. Kameeiamoku 1720
53. Kaneoneo 1750 53. Kepookalani 1750
54. Kapuaamohu (w) 1774 54. Aikanaka 1780
55. Kinoiki (w) 1804 55. Keohokalole (w) 1810
56. Kapiolani (w) born 1834 56. Kalakaua born 1836
Hawaii.Maui.
No. A.D.No. A.D.
30. Paumakua 1060
31. Pilikaeaea 1090 31. Haho 1090
32. Kukohau 1120 32. Palena 1120
33. Kaniuhi 1150 33. Hanalaa 1150
34. Kanipahu 1180 34. Mauiloa 1180
35. Kalapana 1210 35. Alo 1210
36. Kahaimoelea 1240 36. Kuhimana 1240
37. Kalaunuiohua 1270 37. Kamaloohua 1270
38. Kuaiwa 1300 38. Loe 1300
39. Kahoukapu 1330 39. Kaulahea I. 1330
40. Kauholanuimahu 1360 40. Kakae 1360
41. Kiha 1390 41. Kahekili I. 1390
42. Liloa 1420 42. Kawaokaohele 1420
43. Umi-a-Liloa 1450 43. Piilani 1450
44. Kealiiokaloa 1480 44. Kiha-a-Piilani 1480
45. Kukailani 1510 45. Kamalalawalu 1510
46. Kaikilani (w) 1540 46. Kauhi-a-Kama 1540[[314]]
47. Keakealanikane 1570 47. Kalanikaumakaowakea 1570
48. Keakamahana (w) 1600 48. Lonohonuakini 1600
49. Keakealani (w) 1630 49. Kaulahea II. 1630
50. Kalanikauleleiaiwi 1660 50. Kekaulike 1660
51. Keawepoepoe 1690 51. Kamehamehanui Kahekili 1690
52. Kameeiamoku 1720 52. Kalanikupule 1720
53. Kepookalani 1750 53. Kueliko 1750
54. Aikanaka 1780 54. Kalili 1780
55. Keohokalole (w) 1810 55. Pinao (w) 1824
56. Kalakaua 1836
Oahu.Hawaii.
Kapiolani (w) 1834 Kalakaua 1836
Kinoiki (w) 1804 Kapaakea 1806
Kapuaamohu (w) 1774 Kamanawa II 1780
Kaneoneo 1750 1744[1] Alapaiwahine (w) 1750
Kumahana 1720 1714 Kaolanialii (w) 1720
Peleioholani 1690 1684 Kalaninuiamao 1690
Kualii 1660 1654 Lonomaaikanaka (w) 1660
Kauakahi-a-Kahoowaha 1630 1624 Ahu-a-I 1630
Kahoowahaokalani 1600 1594 I 1600
Kaihikapu-a-Kakuhihewa 1570 1564 Makua (Kapoholemai) 1570
Kakuhihewa 1540 1534 Keawenuiaumi Kumulae 1540
Kaihikapu-a-Manuia 1510 1504 Piikea Umi 1510
Kalaimanuia (w) 1480 1474 Laielohelohe 1480
Kukaniloko (w) 1450 1444 Kalamakua 1450
Piliwale 1420 1414 Kalonanui 1420
Kalonaiki 1390 1384
Mailikukahi 1360 1354
Kukahiaililani 1330 1324
Pua-a-Kahuoi 1300 1294
Kahuoi 1270 1264
Laulihewa 1240 1234
Maelo (w) and Lauli-a-Laa 1210 1204
Kuolono 1180 1174
Kahai 1150 1144
Hookamalii 1120 1114
Moikeha 1090 1084
Mulielealii 1060 1054
Maweke 1030 1024
Oahu.Kauai.
No. A.D.No. A.D.
29. Maweke[2] 1030
30. Mailelaulii 1060 30. Paumakua (Oahu) 1060
31. Moikeha 1090 31. Kumakaha 1090
32. Hookamalii 1120 32. Luahiwa 1120[[315]]
33. Kahai 1150 33. Ahukai 1150
34. Kuolono 1180 34. Laamaikahiki 1180
35. Maelo (w) and Lauli-a-Laa (k) 1210 35. Ahukini-a-Laa 1210
36. Laulihewa 1240 36. Kamahano 1240
37. Kahuoi 1270 37. Luanuu 1270
38. Pua-a-Kahuoi 1300 38. Kukona 1300
39. Kukahiaililani 1330 39. Manokalanipo 1330
40. Mailikukahi 1360 40. Kaumakamano 1360
41. Kaonaiki 1390 41. Kahakuakane 1390
42. Piliwale 1420 42. Kuwalupaukamoku 1420
43. Kukaniloko (w) 1450 43. Kahakumakapaweo 1450
44. Kalaimanuia (w) 1480 44. Kalanikukuma 1480
45. Kaihikapu-a-Manuia 1510 45. Ilihiwalani 1510
46. Kakuhihewa 1540 46. Kauhi-a-Hiwa 1540