House of Kawananakoa
Encyclopedia
The House of Kawānanakoa, or the Kawānanakoa Dynasty in Waiting, are presumptive heirs to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii
.
(from Kauai island) and descendants of chiefs of areas such as Waimea on Hawaii island
, the dynastic line was established by Prince David Kawānanakoa
who was declared to be in the line of royal succession through a proclamation of King David Kalākaua
. He was the son of High Chief David Kahalepouli Piikoi and High Chiefess Victoria Kinoiki Kekaulike
. Kawānanakoa was engaged to Princess Victoria Kaiulani
on February 3, 1898, who would have become a monarch in her own right upon the death of Queen Liliuokalani had she not predeceased her.
David Kawānanakoa's paternal ancestry comes from a cadet branch of the Kauai
royal family. His paternal grandmother High Chiefess Kekahili was a half-sister of High Chief Caesar Kapaakea, the father of Kalākaua, both being children of the Chiefess Kamokuiki. This made her an aunt of King Kalākaua and Queen Liliuokalani, which makes the Kawānanakoas the closest surviving collateral relatives of the Kalākaua reigning house. The said grandmother descended, besides from the ancient line of chiefs of Kauai, also from the chief of Kaū
, a great-uncle of King Kamehameha I
.
However, the more higher ranking ancestry of David Kawānanakoa actually is that through his mother. His maternal grandmother High Chiefess Kekaulike Kinoiki was the daughter of the last king of Kauai and Niihau Kaumualii
. She was the granddaughter of Kaneoneo, who attempted to take Oahu back from Kahekili II
in rebellion. She descended from the lines of high chiefs of Niihau
, Koloa, Oahu
, Kauai
and Maui
. High Chief Kūhiō Kalanianaole
the maternal grandfather Kanekoa, on his part, was a descendant of several district of the island of Hawaii (such as Waimea, Kona
and Hilo) and descended directly from the chief of Waimea. Kanekoa was the half-uncle of King Kamehameha I
who himself was originally a chief of Kona. Being descendants of a first cousin of that first king, the Kawānanakoas are next closest of the surviving relatives of the House of Kamehameha
after the House of Laanui
who descend from the Kamehameha's brother, as claimed by Owana Salazar
.
The House of Kawānanakoa survives today and is the only recognized royal family of the United States
. Members of the family are sometimes called prince
and princess
, as a matter of tradition and respect of their status as alii or chiefs of native Hawaiians, being lines of ancient ancestry.
The House of Kawānanakoa in contemporary Hawaiian politics is closely aligned with the Hawaii Republican Party
, a political party it helped organize since the creation of the Territory of Hawaii
. Its matriarch, Abigail Kawānanakoa
, became a national party leader in the early years of the twentieth century.
While many historians, members of the government of Hawaii
(as a matter of opinion and not policy), and some Hawaii residents consider the House of Kawānanakoa the rightful heirs to the throne, smaller factions of native Hawaiians
with objections to the family's ties to the Hawaii Republican Party have chosen instead to support various other branches of alii lines, such as descendants of collateral branches of the extended House of Kamehameha
(to which both the Kalākaua and Kawānanakoa dynasties are distantly related, too) as having rights to the throne. An even smaller group would like to maintain the abolition of the monarchy and organize a democratic
republic
should native Hawaiians achieve independence.
in 1953. His sisters (in birth order) Abigail Kapiolani Kawānanakoa
and Lydia Liliuokalani Kawānanakoa
each had children. Abigail Kapiolani Kawānanakoa had three children (in birth order): Edward Keliiahonui Kawānanakoa (1924–1997), Virginia Poomaikelani Kawānanakoa
(1926–1998) and Esther Kapiolani Kawānanakoa
(1928–present). Edward Keliiahonui Kawānanakoa is survived by five children. Virginia Poomaikelani Kawānanakoa died childless. Esther Kapiolani Kawānanakoa married the Marchese Filippo Marignoli and has three children.
Lydia Liliuokalani Kawānanakoa has one daughter, Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawānanakoa
, who has been active in various causes for the preservation of native Hawaiian culture, most especially the restoration of Iolani Palace; she created a bit of a stir when she allowed Life
magazine to publish a photograph of herself sitting on the throne—which some thought was claiming to be Queen. However, she never married and is beyond childbearing years, so her claim would pass in any case to her cousin, Quentin Kawānanakoa
.
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
.
Origins
A collateral branch of the reigning House of KalākauaHouse of Kalakaua
The House of Kalākaua, or the Kalākaua Dynasty, was the reigning family of the Kingdom of Hawaii between the assumption of King David Kalākaua to the throne in 1874 and the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani in 1893. Liliuokalani died in 1917, leaving only cousins as heirs...
(from Kauai island) and descendants of chiefs of areas such as Waimea on Hawaii island
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
, the dynastic line was established by Prince David Kawānanakoa
David Kawananakoa
Prince David Laamea Kahalepouli Kinoiki Kawānanakoa Piikoi , was the patriarch of the House of Kawānanakoa. He was in the line of succession to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii around the time of the kingdom's overthrow.-Life:...
who was declared to be in the line of royal succession through a proclamation of King David Kalākaua
Kalakaua
Kalākaua, born David Laamea Kamanakapuu Mahinulani Nalaiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua and sometimes called The Merrie Monarch , was the last reigning king of the Kingdom of Hawaii...
. He was the son of High Chief David Kahalepouli Piikoi and High Chiefess Victoria Kinoiki Kekaulike
Victoria Kinoiki Kekaulike
Victoria Kūhiō Kinoiki Kekaulike II was a Princess of the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:She was born on May 12, 1843, the youngest daughter of her father High Chief Kūhiō Kalanianaole of Hilo, and her mother Princess Kinoiki Kekaulike I from Kauai island...
. Kawānanakoa was engaged to Princess Victoria Kaiulani
Ka'iulani
Victoria Kaiulani Kalaninuiahilapalapa Kawēkiu i Lunalilo Cleghorn was heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii and held the title of crown princess. Kaiulani became known throughout the world for her intelligence, beauty and determination...
on February 3, 1898, who would have become a monarch in her own right upon the death of Queen Liliuokalani had she not predeceased her.
David Kawānanakoa's paternal ancestry comes from a cadet branch of the Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
royal family. His paternal grandmother High Chiefess Kekahili was a half-sister of High Chief Caesar Kapaakea, the father of Kalākaua, both being children of the Chiefess Kamokuiki. This made her an aunt of King Kalākaua and Queen Liliuokalani, which makes the Kawānanakoas the closest surviving collateral relatives of the Kalākaua reigning house. The said grandmother descended, besides from the ancient line of chiefs of Kauai, also from the chief of Kaū
Kau
Kau or KAU may refer to:*Kau, Hawaii, the southernmost district on the island of Hawaii*Karlstad University*Kenya African Union*Kerala Agricultural University*King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia...
, a great-uncle of King Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I , also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawaii's independence under his rule...
.
However, the more higher ranking ancestry of David Kawānanakoa actually is that through his mother. His maternal grandmother High Chiefess Kekaulike Kinoiki was the daughter of the last king of Kauai and Niihau Kaumualii
Kaumualii
Kaumualii was the last independent Alii Aimoku of Kauai and Niihau before becoming a vassal of Kamehameha I of the unified Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810...
. She was the granddaughter of Kaneoneo, who attempted to take Oahu back from Kahekili II
Kahekili II
Kahekili II, full name Kahekilinuiahumanu, was the twenty fifth King of Maui. His name was short for Kāne-Hekili after the Hawaiian god of thunder. Because Kāne-Hekili was believed to be black on one side, Kahekili tattooed one side of his body from head to foot.-Family:He was born about...
in rebellion. She descended from the lines of high chiefs of Niihau
Niihau
Niihau or Niihau is the seventh largest of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii, having an area of . Niihau lies southwest of Kauai across the Kaulakahi Channel. Several intermittent playa lakes provide wetland habitats for the Hawaiian Coot, the Black-winged Stilt, and the...
, Koloa, Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
and Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
. High Chief Kūhiō Kalanianaole
Kuhio Kalanianaole
Kūhiō Kalanianaole was a Hawaiian high chief of Hilo and father of Queen Kapiolani.He was born c. 1814 to Alii Elelule Laakeaelelulu and his wife Poomaikelani, daughter of Alii Kanekoa, of Waimea, by his first wife, Kalani-kau-lelei-awi, daughter of Kepoomahoe...
the maternal grandfather Kanekoa, on his part, was a descendant of several district of the island of Hawaii (such as Waimea, Kona
Kona District, Hawaii
Kona is the name of a moku or district on the Big Island of Hawaii in the State of Hawaii. In the current system of administration of Hawaii County, the moku of Kona is divided into North Kona District and South Kona District . The term "Kona" is sometimes used to refer to its largest town,...
and Hilo) and descended directly from the chief of Waimea. Kanekoa was the half-uncle of King Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I , also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawaii's independence under his rule...
who himself was originally a chief of Kona. Being descendants of a first cousin of that first king, the Kawānanakoas are next closest of the surviving relatives of the House of Kamehameha
House of Kamehameha
The House of Kamehameha , or the Kamehameha Dynasty, was the reigning family of the Kingdom of Hawaii between the unification of the islands by Kamehameha I in 1810 and the death of Kamehameha V in 1872...
after the House of Laanui
House of Laanui
The House of Laanui is a family of heirs to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii collateral to the House of Kamehameha. Both houses are branches of the House of Keōua Nui.- History:...
who descend from the Kamehameha's brother, as claimed by Owana Salazar
Owana Salazar
Owana Kaohelelani Mahaelani-rose Salazar is a musician who is related to the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii. She used her popularity to promote discussion of Hawaiian sovereignty issues.-Early years:Owana Salazar was born October 30, 1953....
.
The House of Kawānanakoa survives today and is the only recognized royal family of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Members of the family are sometimes called prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
and princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
, as a matter of tradition and respect of their status as alii or chiefs of native Hawaiians, being lines of ancient ancestry.
The House of Kawānanakoa in contemporary Hawaiian politics is closely aligned with the Hawaii Republican Party
Hawaii Republican Party
The Hawaii Republican Party is the state affiliate of the Republican Party of the United States. Based in Honolulu, the party is a central organization established for the promotion of the party platform as it is drafted in convention every other year...
, a political party it helped organize since the creation of the Territory of Hawaii
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
. Its matriarch, Abigail Kawānanakoa
Abigail Campbell Kawananakoa
Abigail Wahiikaahuula Campbell Kawānanakoa , was a politician and Princess of Hawaii.-Life:Abigail Campbell was born January 1, 1882 in Honolulu. Her father was James Campbell, one of the wealthiest industrialists in the Kingdom of Hawaii...
, became a national party leader in the early years of the twentieth century.
While many historians, members of the government of Hawaii
Government of Hawaii
Government of Hawaii may refer to:*Constitution of Hawaii*Ancient Hawaii*Kingdom of Hawaii*Provisional Government of Hawaii*Republic of Hawaii*Territory of Hawaii*State of Hawaii*United States Congressional Delegations from Hawaii...
(as a matter of opinion and not policy), and some Hawaii residents consider the House of Kawānanakoa the rightful heirs to the throne, smaller factions of native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.According to the U.S...
with objections to the family's ties to the Hawaii Republican Party have chosen instead to support various other branches of alii lines, such as descendants of collateral branches of the extended House of Kamehameha
House of Kamehameha
The House of Kamehameha , or the Kamehameha Dynasty, was the reigning family of the Kingdom of Hawaii between the unification of the islands by Kamehameha I in 1810 and the death of Kamehameha V in 1872...
(to which both the Kalākaua and Kawānanakoa dynasties are distantly related, too) as having rights to the throne. An even smaller group would like to maintain the abolition of the monarchy and organize a democratic
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
should native Hawaiians achieve independence.
Heirs Presumptive
Should the Hawaiian sovereignty movement succeed in the reinstitution of the Hawaiian monarchy, the heir presumptive would be declared monarch with the mandate of a plebiscite and constitution. The line split with the childless death of Edward D. KawānanakoaEdward D. Kawananakoa
Edward David Kalākaua Kawānanakoa was the only son of Prince David Kawānanakoa of the House of Kawānanakoa born during his marriage with Princess Abigail Campbell Kawānanakoa, daughter of Hawaiian industrialist James Campbell. He was head of the Royal House of Kawānanakoa 1917 - 1954...
in 1953. His sisters (in birth order) Abigail Kapiolani Kawānanakoa
Abigail Kapiolani Kawananakoa
Princess Abigail Helen Kapiolani Kawānanakoa , was the eldest daughter of Prince David Kawānanakoa and Princess Abigail Campbell Kawānanakoa....
and Lydia Liliuokalani Kawānanakoa
Lydia Liliuokalani Kawananakoa
Princess Helen Lydia Kamakaeha Liliuokalani Kawānanakoa , was the second daughter of Prince David Kawānanakoa born during his marriage with Princess Abigail Wahiikaahuula Campbell Kawānanakoa. According to some she became the head of the House of Kawānanakoa upon the death of her elder brother...
each had children. Abigail Kapiolani Kawānanakoa had three children (in birth order): Edward Keliiahonui Kawānanakoa (1924–1997), Virginia Poomaikelani Kawānanakoa
Virginia Poomaikelani Kawananakoa
Virginia Kapooloku Poomaikelani Kawānanakoa was related to the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Virginia Kapooloku Poomaikelani Kawānanakoa was born November 29, 1926 in Honolulu, Hawaii...
(1926–1998) and Esther Kapiolani Kawānanakoa
Esther Kapiolani Kawananakoa
Esther Kapiolani Kawānanakoa Marignoli dei Marchese di Montecorona is related to the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:...
(1928–present). Edward Keliiahonui Kawānanakoa is survived by five children. Virginia Poomaikelani Kawānanakoa died childless. Esther Kapiolani Kawānanakoa married the Marchese Filippo Marignoli and has three children.
Lydia Liliuokalani Kawānanakoa has one daughter, Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawānanakoa
Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawananakoa
Princess Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike III Kawānanakoa was the only child of Princess Liliuokalani Kawananakoa born during her marriage with William Jeremiah Ellerbrock. According to some she became the head of the House of Kawananakoa upon the death of her mother who succeeded her older brother...
, who has been active in various causes for the preservation of native Hawaiian culture, most especially the restoration of Iolani Palace; she created a bit of a stir when she allowed Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
magazine to publish a photograph of herself sitting on the throne—which some thought was claiming to be Queen. However, she never married and is beyond childbearing years, so her claim would pass in any case to her cousin, Quentin Kawānanakoa
Quentin Kawananakoa
Quentin Kūhiō Kawānanakoa , is the head of the House of Kawānanakoa. His claim to the throne of the lapsed Kingdom of Hawaii was supported by the native Hawaiian community, who refer to him as Prince Kawānanakoa. He is a politician of the State of Hawaii, serving as minority leader in the Hawaii...
.