Kauikeaouli was Hawai‘i’s longest-reigning monarch, ruling as Kamehameha III from 1825 – 1854. Born to Keōpūolani and Kamehameha I, he carried the highest kapu, the most sacred of the ali‘i. While his name has been translated as “placed in the dark clouds,” both “uli” and “ao” are powerful concepts with deeper meanings, vaulting the combined term into a name appropriate for the future king.
This exhibit is named “Ke Ao Uli” excerpted from his name, to recognize the King’s pivotal rule during this period. Translated as the time of darkness or dark clouds, the phrase is associated with Kāne, and culturally reminiscent of times of change or transcendence. It reminds us of the great uncertainty that swept the islands during his rule as Kauikeaouli led Hawai‘i’s transformation from kingdom to constitutional monarchy. This was an epic undertaking.
From 1825 – 1841, a span of 26 years, Kauikeaouli surmounted a series of cultural, social and governmental changes that monarchies in Europe had taken 150 years to navigate.1 During this period, the King and his ali‘i sought to balance the urgent need for change against the imperative to retain Hawai‘i’s sovereignty. For insight and guidance, they turned to trusted allies, the American missionaries.
Explore the timeline below.
View the interactive map of the islands of Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Maui and Hawai‘i to see key Ali‘i and mission members during this time.
Hawaiians quickly took to reading and writing but were slower to accept Christianity.
From the time of Captain Cook, Hawaiians saw that foreigners used writing to both formalize agreements and communicate ideas.
The printing press made an indelible impact on Hawaiian history.
Kapunahou has long been celebrated for its legendary freshwater spring.
In 1839, Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) established the Chiefs’ Children’s School in Honolulu, to educate Hawai‘i’s future leaders.
The Rev. Hiram Bingham led the first company of missionaries to Hawai‘i in 1819 – 1820.
In 1827, a small group of Catholics from France arrived in Honolulu to establish a mission.
With the arrival of foreigners, Hawai‘i’s economy expanded beyond traditional systems.
From the first arrival of foreigners in Hawai‘i in 1778, Hawaiians perished from introduced diseases at an alarming rate.
David Malo was a Hawaiian scholar and royal adviser, who is perhaps best remembered today for his book, Hawaiian Antiquities, which illuminates Hawaiian cultural traditions.
John (Ioane) Kāneiakama Papa ‘Ī‘ī was an esteemed statesman and royal adviser, who ultimately served four consecutive monarchs, from Kamehameha I to Alexander Liholiho (Kamehameha IV).
For Hawaiians, land was not something to be bought and sold but a living ancestor.
By the mid-1830s, Hawai‘i had endured a series of escalating foreign conflicts.
Though sometimes criticized for being a product of Western ideas, the Declaration of Rights and Constitution transformed Hawai‘i.
Kauikeaouli was the son of Kamehameha I and his sacred wife, Keōpūolani.
William Richards arrived in Hawaiʻi in 1823 with the second company of missionaries.
On July 11, 1842, Levi Chamberlain, business agent for the Mission, bundled four of his children and two others into his horse-drawn wagon and set out from the Mission compound in Honolulu across the treeless plain to Kapunahou.
A graduate of Bowdoin College and Bangor Seminary, Dole was a classical scholar who arrived with his wife, Emily, in the Ninth Company of missionaries in May 1841.
During the 1840s, the Hawaiian government continued to reorganize, establishing departments and administrative structures.
View the interactive map of the islands of Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Maui and Hawai‘i to see key Ali‘i and mission members during this time.
On this anniversary marking the 200th year of the missionaries’ departure from New England and arrival in Hawai‘i, we acknowledge the pivotal impact the missionaries had on Hawai‘i, its people and what the nation would become.
1 “It had taken a century and a half for European monarchs who ruled by divine right and brute force to be replaced by constitutional democracies and the rule of law.” Lepore, Jill, “In Every Dark Hour,” TheNew Yorker, Feb. 3, 2020, p. 20.