Plate III in Louis Choris’s Voyage Pittoresque Autour du Monde, 1822
When Kamehameha I, founder of the Hawaiian Kingdom, died in May 1819, his favorite (and most political) wife, Ka‘ahumanu, emerged from the hale and proclaimed that his dying wish was that she, Ka‘ahumanu, should share the rule of the kingdom with his heir Liholiho—as Kuhina Nui, a co-regent, creating this new office then and there. All the ali‘i women who held the position after her took the name “Ka‘ahumanu” as a title of office; and the co-regency remained part of the structure of the Hawaiian monarchy until 1864, when Kamehameha V abolished the position with his new constitution.
By popular demand, Hawai`i Island historian Boyd D. Bond reprises the tale of these important, “other” rulers of the Hawaiian monarchy, twice—on Monday evening, and a matinée presentation on Tuesday afternoon.
Free to Museum members: $3 for nonmembers.
Doors open Monday at 6:30 p.m. First come, first seated.
