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Colorized photo by Keʻala Jones

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Keʻelikōlani is a mana wahine, champion of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi!

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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The state Board of Education Thursday approved the name of Central Middle School be changed back to its original moniker, Princess Ruth Keelikolani Middle School.

Officials said the school's name honors Princess Ruth Keelikolani, whose palace once stood on the grounds of the campus off Queen Emma Street.

A building on campus still bears the princess's name.

Keelikolani was once said to be the wealthiest land owner in all of Hawaii and even persuaded the goddess Pele from destroying Hilo.

School leaders and community members said they had been working since 2019 to make the switch.

"In the 1930s, because people couldn't pronounce the name, they changed it back to Central," said the school's principal, Joseph Passantino. "So the significance is huge, especially for the staff who's dedicated over two years to give her that duty and honor."

Passantino said a large mural at the school honoring Princess Keelikolani is in the works and will be finished in time to celebrate her birthday on Feb. 9.

"As we continue to learn more about our school's history, it became clear that changing the name of the school to Keelikolani Middle School would solidify and celebrate the school's proud history and profound connection to a cherished alii," Passantino added.

The school has 336 students in grades six through eight.
Copyright 2021 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

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Central Middle will once again be known by its original name honoring a Hawaiian princess

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The name change honors Princess Ruth Keelikolani, whose palace once stood on the grounds of the campus in downtown.

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Here Are The Oldest Photos Ever Taken In Hawaii And They’re Incredible

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Jan 7, 2014 - Princess Keelikōlani's hale pili (grass house) where she was born at Hulihee Palace in Kailua, Kona, Hawai‘i. ca. 1883.Ruth made Huliheʻe her chief residence for most of her life, but she preferred to sleep in a grass hut on the palace grounds rather than in the palace. She invited all of the reigning monarchs to vacation at Huliheʻe, from Kamehameha III to Liliuokalani. Ruth died and left the palace to her cousin and sole heir Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Hawaii State Archives Photograph Collection

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Haleʻōlelo: Ka Haka ʻUla's Home

Ma hope o ke kanakolu a ʻoi makahiki o ke kōkua ma ka hoʻokele ʻana i kekahi o nā aukahi hoʻōla ʻōlelo ʻōiwi ikaika loa a puni ka honua, ua paʻa maila he home no ke koleke ʻo Ka Haka ʻUla ʻO Keʻelikōlani, ʻo Haleʻōlelo nō ia.

"Kēia Haleʻōlelo nei, he inoa hoʻomanaʻo nō hoʻi i ke aliʻi Keʻelikōlani," wahi a Hiapo Perreira, he Hope Polopeka hoʻi ma Ka Haka ʻUla ʻO Keʻelikōlani. "Ke kumu hoʻi a Keʻelikōlani i kapa aku ai i kona hale, ʻo Haleʻōlelo, no ka mea, no loko mai o kona kauhale, e pua ai ka ʻōlelo, hahai kānaka. Kēia kapa ʻana i kēia hale nei, ʻo Haleʻōlelo, ʻaʻole he pili i kēia wahi wale nō, ʻaʻole i pili i kēia mau kānaka wale nō, ʻaʻole he pili iā kākou wale nō, i hoʻi ka mana o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, ʻo ia ke aliʻi."

A i mea e kō maoli ai kēlā, pono e laha a lohe ʻia ka ʻōlelo ma nā ʻano wahi like ʻole e ʻōlelo ʻia nei e nā ʻano kānaka like ʻole. A i loko o kēia mau makahiki kanakolu i hala iho nei, ua nui nō ka holomua.

"I loko o kēlā ʻimi ʻana a hoʻokō a piha ka papahana mai nā pēpē Hiʻipēpē, kēlā pae a hiki loa aku i ke kauka, ʻeā, me ka loaʻa ʻole o ka hale, ua nui ke kō," wahi a Keiki Kawaiʻaeʻa, ka Luna Hoʻokele hoʻi o Ka Haka ʻUla ʻO Keʻelikōlani. "Ua ulu ke aukahi hoʻōla ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi me ka loaʻa ʻole o kekahi hale. Eia nō naʻe, ke kū nei ka hale i kēia manawa."

He hale piha a paʻa pono. Piha i nā lako e pono ai, nā ʻano lumi like ʻole e pono ai, a me ka ʻohana kūpaʻa i ka ʻōlelo e ola maoli ai ko kēia hale nei.

"No kēlā mau poʻe a pau ma Hawaiʻi nei i kākoʻo mai ma ka ʻimi ʻana i ke kālā, ke kākoʻo mai ma ke kūkulu ʻana i ka papahana, nā mākua i kūpaʻa a hoʻoholo a laila kūpaʻa no nā makahiki he lōʻihi, a me nā kūpuna i kū ma ko kākou ʻaoʻao," wahi a Keiki.

"Iā Matthews mā, iā Kanakaʻole mā, iā Makuakāne mā, iā Kealoha mā, iā Kaʻilianu mā, a ia mau kūpuna aku, ia mau kūpuna aku, ʻo kēlā nō wā o nā makahiki hoʻomaka, he piko kēia, he honua kekahi e hui pū nei me nā honua ʻē aʻe a pau o Hawaiʻi nui ākea a puni, e hoʻi hou ai ka mana o kā kākou ʻōlelo kūpuna i ka niʻo ma kona ʻāina kūpuna iho nō," wahi a Hiapo. "A ke hea aku nei wau iā ʻoukou e paia mā e paʻa maikaʻi ʻoukou a no ka mea, i loko o ko ʻoukou mau alo, kahi e lawelawe nui ʻia ai ka hana i loko nei. No kā kākou mau keiki kēia hale, no kā kākou poʻe moʻopuna a mau loa aku nō kēia wahi e kū mai a mau. He kia hoʻomanaʻo no ke ola o kā kākou ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi."

A ua ʻike ʻia nō ka hua o kā Hiapo e ʻōlelo nei ma o ke keiki Pūnana Leo, nāna i pani i ka Hoʻolaʻa Hale o Haleʻōlelo.

"ʻO Kahaʻiʻōlelo Helm koʻu inoa, ʻehā oʻu makahiki, noho wau ma ʻŌlaʻa. ʻO Malcom me Kapua koʻu mau mākua. E komo mai i loko o ka hale!"

After 30 years of leading one of the strongest language movements ever, the Hawaiian Language College has its own home, Haleʻōlelo.

"It is a name that honors the College's namesake, Chiefess Ruth Keʻelikōlani," says Hiapo Perreira, who is the Assistant Professor at Ka Haka ʻUla ʻO Keʻelikōlani. "It was from this "hale" that significant "ʻōlelo" or proclamations were decreed to her people. Naming our hale "Haleʻōlelo" is not just about this place, or those of us here, it is about returning that status to our language, as if an aliʻi."

Our ʻōlelo must therefore be heard everywhere, spoken by all ages and we've seen this happening for 30 years.

"An entire Hawaiian medium educational system has been established from an infant-toddler program all the way to the Ph.D. level," says Keiki Kawaiʻaeʻa, who is the Director at Ka Haka ʻUla ʻO Keʻelikōlani. "And while we grew this movement without a hale of our own, we do have one today."

An impressive structure, complete with the necessary ammenities, various meeting and teaching spaces, that will be a home for those ensuring our ʻōlelo contineus to thrive.

"This ʻohana includes those who helped secure the resources to build this program, thos efamilies who have been involved from the start, and the steadfast elders who stood with us all along," says Keiki.

"Matthews, Kanakaʻole, Makuakāne, Kealoha, Kaʻilinanu and all the kūpuna that were with us from the beginning. This is a place where all of us can work together on returning our ʻōlelo to the status it deserves in its homeland," says Hiapo. "I call out to you, the walls of this hale, to stand firm in support of the significant work that will take place before you. This hale will stand for generations to come as a testament to our living Hawaiian language."

And Hiapo's words were solidified by a Pūnana Leo student, whose voice concluded the opening ceremony of Haleʻōlelo and welcomed the future of his ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

"My name is Kahaʻiʻōlelo Helm. I am four years old and am from ʻŌlaʻa. My parents are Malcom and Kapua. Welcome to Haleʻōlelo."

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Haleʻōlelo: Ka Haka ʻUla's Home - ʻŌiwi TV

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After 30 years of leading one of the strongest language movements ever, the Hawaiian Language College has its own home, Haleʻōlelo. #hawaiiisland #olelohawaii #universityofhawaii

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New Hale'olelo at UH College of Hawaiian Language

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HILO, Hawaii - A grand, new building for the University of Hawaii-Hilo's Ka Haka `Ula O Ke`elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language was celebrated on Saturday. Located on Nowelo Street just below the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center, the $21 million complex consolidates the College's programs and operation

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Ua hoʻokumu ʻia ke koleke ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ʻo Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani i ka makahiki 1998, ʻo ia hoʻi ke koleke ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi mua loa a puni ka honua. Ua kapa ʻia ke koleke no ke Aliʻi wahine hanohano o ke kenekulia 19 ʻo Luka Keʻelikōlani Keanolani Kanāhoahoa ma muli o kona kūpaʻa ma hope o ka ʻōlelo a moʻomeheu Hawaiʻi.

ʻO ke ala nuʻukia o ke koleke ka hoʻōla a hoʻoholomua mau ʻia o ka ʻōlelo a mauli ola Hawaiʻi. ʻO ke ehuehu o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ke ala e kuluma hou aʻe ai ka mauli ola Hawaiʻi ma nā pōʻaiapili kuʻuna a me ka wā e kū nei. Kākoʻo a kōkua aku hoʻi ke koleke i nā ʻōiwi a puni ka honua ma ka hoʻōla ana i kā lākou mau ʻōlelo a me ko lākou mau moʻomeheu ponoʻī. ʻO kēia alu like ʻana ke ala e mau ai nā hana kūloko, kaumokuʻāina, a kauʻāina e hoʻokumu ai i ke ehuehu ʻōlelo a moʻomeheu ʻōiwi a puni ka honua.

Kēnā ʻia ma ke kānāwai mokuʻāina (Kānāwai 315), ʻo Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani kahi e kualena ai ka Mokuʻāina ma ka hoʻōla ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma o ka hoʻomākaukau kumu mauli ola Hawaiʻi, ka mokuna kālaiʻike ma ka pae muapuka a mulipuka, ke alu like me ke kaiaulu, ka noiʻi a hoʻomohala, ka hoʻohua, hoʻomohala, a hoʻohana ʻenehana, ka laulima kaumokuʻāina a kauʻāina, a me ka hoʻomohala ʻia o ka hoʻonaʻauao laulā ma o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi no nā hanauna ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi e hiki mai ana. Mālama ʻo Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani i nā papahana e alu like ai me nā lāhui ʻōiwi kaumokuʻāina a kauʻāina a no ia kumu i ʻike ʻia ai ʻo Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani ʻo ia ke alakaʻi ma ka hoʻōla ʻōlelo ʻōiwi ma ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa a me ka Poho ʻĀina o ka Pākīpika ʻĀkau.

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Ua hoʻokumu ʻia ke koleke ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ʻo Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani i ka makahiki 1998, ʻo ia hoʻi ke koleke ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi mua loa a puni ka honua. Ua kapa ʻia ke koleke no ke Aliʻi wahine hanohano o ke kenekulia 19 ʻo Luka Keʻelikōlani Keanolani Kanāhoahoa ma muli o kona kūpaʻa ma hope o ka ʻōlelo a moʻomeheu Hawaiʻi.

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He mau mele hīmeni a mele oli kēia e hīmeni a oli 'ia e ko Ka Haka 'Ula O Ke'elikōlani.

Ua mālama 'ia nā waihona leo ma ke 'ano he waihona MP3 a AAC paha.

Nā Mele Oli

He Hale Aloha
He Hale Aloha, He Mele Heahea na nā haumāna a Larry Kimura
Mele Komo
Mele Komo No Ke Kulanui O Hawaiʻi Ma Hilo, na Larry L. Kimura 1994
A uka ho'i o Waiākea i ka Uluau
Aheahe ana (e) ka hone a ka wai ua.
Ua hiki mai ho'i me ka mana'o ē
He wai lani ko Kūlanihāko'i ē.
He aha ho'i ko nēia honua lā ē?
He ui 'ano'ai e welina aku nei ē.

There above Waiākea in the Uluau breeze
Rustles the soft sound of rain water.
It (the rain) has arrived with the thought that
Kūlanihāko'i Lake (source of all rain) contains heavenly water.
Now what might the earth have as its own to offer?
This is the question in the greeting I extend to you.

Note: In traditional Hawaiian education, before each meeting of class, students must ask the teacher to accept and teach them. This is in keeping with basic Hawaiian etiquette where one always asks for something, be it a juicy, ripe mango hanging on the tree in someone else's yard or ferns growing in the forest. You ask to enter this class using the mele komo because education is very important; accordingly, poetic language and not everyday speech is used.

Mele Kāhea
He Hālaulani I Ke Ao ʻO Hilo, na Larry Kimura ke mele, na Kalena Silva ka leo
He hālaulani i ke ao ʻo Hilo i ka ua Kanilehua.
ʻO aʻu lehua hoʻi i ke ēulu hoʻolāʻau a nā manu.
Mikʻala ai ka manaʻo e pūpūkahi i o Kulukuluʻā.
ʻAkahi hoʻi a lono aʻe i ka ʻālaʻi a ka Uluau
I ka nenehe mai i ka uluwehi aʻo Waiakea ē.
Eia ke kūhea aku nei i ka mea kipa aʻe komo.
E komo mai hoʻi a hoʻolaʻi me ko Hilo kini nei ē.

Ke Lei Maila ʻO Kaʻula I Ke Kai
He Mele Lei
Ke lei maila ʻo Kaʻula i ke kai, ʻeā
ʻO ka mālamalama o Niʻihau, ua mālie ē.
A mālie, ua pā e ka Inuwai lā,
Ke inu maila nā hala o Naue i ke kai.
No Naue ka hala, no Puna e ka wahine,
No ka lua nō i Kīlauea.

Wahine Lei ʻUla
Wahine Lei ʻUla, Na Haunani Bernardino, No Keʻelikōlani
ʻAʻole nō he lua (e like ai)
Me ka wahine lei ʻula (hīhīmanu)
Hoʻomoe a moe iho (i hoapili)
Kinai ahi lawe pio (a lanakila)
ʻAe, kinai ahi lawe pio a lanakila!

A Luna Au O Maunaloa
A Luna Au o Maunaloa, Mai ka nūpepa Ke Au 'Oko'a I Hui 'Ia, 16 Iune 1883

1. A luna au o Maunaloa
Nānā i ke alo o Wahinekapu.

2. Ke 'oni a'e nei i Pu'uonioni
Ka pali kapu o Kohoali'i.

3. Ka hale noho i Halema'uma'u
Lauahi (e) ka hana a ka wahine.

4. Ke Kuini nui o Kīlauea
Nāna i palaina kai o Hilo.

5. Ke āiwaiwa o nā moku
'Ena'ena ka lehua i ka hāpapa.

6. Hā'ina (e) ka pua i kaulana
'O Keanolani nō he inoa.

He inoa no Keanolani Kanāhoahoa Ke'elikōlani.

Kūnihi Ka Mauna

Mele Kāhea I Ke Aliʻi Keʻelikōlani
Mele Kāhea I Ke Aliʻi Keʻeikōlani, na Alohalani Housman
Mele Kāhea I Ke Ali'i Ke'elikōlani (MP3)

Mele Hoʻomoloa Kīhei
No Kahuawaiola
Mele Hoʻomoloa Kīhei (MP3)

Hoʻomoloa ʻia e ke kīhei a paʻa,
Paʻa ke kāhiko ʻo ka ʻike,
Kū i ka mālamalama o ke ao ʻōlino nei ē.

He Mau Leo Oli

Nā Mele Leo Kūlauna

Ua Ao Hawaiʻi
Ua Ao Hawaiʻi, Na Larry L. Kimura ke mele, na Kalena Silva ka leo oli:
Ua Ao Hawaiʻi, Oli ʻia e Kalena (MP3)

Kau e ka wena o ke ao i ka lani
He wekeweke i ka pō pilipuka
He ʻelele o ka ponipnoi hikina
Kau ke kāheʻa wanaʻao i ka ʻālaʻapapa
Laʻi ana i luna o ke kūkulu o ka lani lā
ʻO kaʻu ia e huli alo nei i ka ulu ē
ʻAe, ua ao ē.
He mau ʻoki leo:
Hawai'i Pono'ī

Pulelo Ha'aheo

'O Ke'elikōlani 'Oe
ʻO Keʻelikōlani ʻOe, Haku ʻia na ka papa HAW 102 Elem Hawaiian II (4) a Kalena Silva
ʻO Keʻelikōlani ʻOe (nā leo ʻekolu)

1. He pua lei ʻoe na nā mākua
Na Kekūanāoʻa a me Pauahi
He mamo hiwahiwa na ke kupuna
Na paiʻea, na Kamehameha.

2. Aia i Honolulu kou home nani
Hiehie nō ʻoe i ka laʻi Keoua
Aia i Kailua ʻo Huliheʻe
I ka malu o ke kuahiwi ʻo Hualalai.

3. Aia i Hilo ka wahine ʻo Pele
ʻOhana ʻaumakua no Keʻelikōlani
Kau aʻe nō ʻoe i ke olioli
A moe, moe mālie mai ka wahine o ka lua.

4. Ua nui ke aloha o nā Hawaiʻi
I ke aliʻi wahine a ka lāhui
Ua kamahaʻo kou leo aloha
He leo mana nui, he leo Hawaiʻi.

Panina:
Ua kamahaʻo kou leo aloha
ʻO Keʻelikōlani ʻoe, e ō mai.
ʻO Keʻelikōlani ʻoe, e ō mai.
He mau ʻoki leo:
Kulaiwi

Mai ka piʻina a ka lā i Ha'eha'e
A i ka mole 'olu o Lehua
Eia au ko kama ē
He mamo aloha na Hāloa

Nā Huaʻōlelo Mele

Mālama 'ia hoʻi nā 'ōlelo mele ma ke 'ano he waihona PDF.

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He mau mele hīmeni a mele oli kēia e hīmeni a oli 'ia e ko Ka Haka 'Ula O Ke'elikōlani. Ua mālama 'ia nā waihona leo ma ke 'ano he waihona MP3 a AAC paha. He Hale Aloha, He Mele Heahea na nā haumāna a Larry Kimura Mele Komo No Ke Kulanui O Hawaiʻi Ma Hilo, na Larry L.

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Nā Mamo Na Keʻelikōlani - Haʻiʻōlelo & Pānela

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PBS Hawaiʻ'i Presents
"Ke'elikōlani" follows the name change of Central Middle School in downtown Honolulu to Princess Ruth Ke'elikōlani Middle School. It explores the royal history of the campus and its links to the Native Hawaiian princess it is now named after.

Aired: 10/20/22

Rating: NR

Problems Playing Video? Report a Problem |

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PBS Hawaiʻ'i Presents | School Stories: Keʻelikōlani | PBS

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PBS Hawaiʻ'i Presents "Ke'elikōlani" follows the name change of Central Middle School in downtown Honolulu to Princess Ruth Ke'elikōlani Middle School. It explores the royal history of the campus and its links to the Native Hawaiian princess it is now named after. Aired: 10/20/22 Rating: NR Problems Playing Video?

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This mo'olelo is part of Kūkahekahe - Cultural Conversations - featuring personal experiences and insights from faculty, staff and friends about compelling cultural happenings within the KS organization, throughout the Hawaiian Islands, and across the larger Pacific and global communities.

Welina mai e nā hoa ʻōlelo o kēia pae ʻāina aloha ʻo Hawaiʻi! Ke holomua nei nō kēia mahina ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, he wā e lohe ʻia ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi i ʻō a i ʻaneʻi o ko kākou kulaiwi. I kēia mahina, e mahalo ana kākou i nā meʻe, ʻo ia nō nā poʻe i mālama, hoʻoikaika, a hoʻolaha i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi no nā hanauna e hiki mai ana. Kamaʻāina nō paha ʻoe i ke Kamāliʻiwahine Ruta Keʻelikōlani Keanolani Kanāhoahoa. He meʻe ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi nō ʻo ia!

He wā huliau ke kenekulia 1800 ma Hawaiʻi a ma ka honua holoʻokoʻa. Akā naʻe, he kākoʻo nui ʻo Keʻelikōlani i ka ʻike kuʻuna Hawaiʻi. Ua hiki iā ia ke ʻōlelo, kākau, a heluhelu ma ka ʻōlelo Pelekānia. Akā, i loko nō o kona poeko ma ka ʻōlelo Pelekānia, ua ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi wale nō ʻo ia, a ua koi ʻia ka poʻe a pau e kamaʻilio ana me ia e ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a i ʻole e kiʻi i mea mahele ʻōlelo.

Ua hoʻokohu ʻia ʻo Keʻelikōlani i lālā o ka ʻAha Kūkākūkā Malū o Kamehameha III (1847) a me ka Hale ʻAhaʻōlelo Aliʻi no 1855-1857. I ka makahiki 1855, ua hoʻokohu ʻia ʻo ia i kiaʻāina no ka mokupuni ʻo Hawaiʻi, e like me kona makuakāne, ʻo Mataio Kekūanāoʻa, kai noho kiaʻāina no Oʻahu ma nā makahiki 1839-1864. Ua kākau ʻia no Keʻelikōlani, "He Alii aloha no ia i na makaainana o kona Mokupuni, [oiai] e noho Kiaaina ana," (Ka Hae Hawaii, 8 Iune 1859). E ka mea heluhelu, nui ka naʻauao a me ka mana o kēia wahine, a ua aloha nui ʻia ʻo ia e ka lāhui.

He mana aliʻi kahiko ko Keʻelikōlani. I ka mahina ʻo Nowemapa o ka makahiki 1880, hū ka pele ma Mauna Loa. ʻIke ʻia ka wena o ka pele i ka pō. I ka mahina ʻo Malaki 1881, nome ihola ka pele a ma uka pono o ke kaona ʻo Hilo, a ua kau ka weli o nā kanaka a pau. Koi aku lākou iā Keʻelikōlani nāna e hoʻopakele. A laila, ua haʻalele ʻo ia iā Honolulu no Hilo i ka mahina ʻo Iulai. Ua hoʻāumoe ʻo ia ma ka hale lole ma kahi o ka puʻu ʻo Puʻuhonu, kokoke i ke kahena pele (Ko Hawaii Pae Aina, 22 Aukake, 1881). Ma ke kakahiaka o ka lā 7 o Aukake, hele ʻo ia i kahi o ka pele, a oli ʻo ia me ka hāʻawi i nā hoʻokupu no Pele. Ma laila nō i kū ai ke ʻā pele, a ua hoʻopakele ʻia ke kaona ʻo Hilo.

Ua makeʻe nui ʻo Keʻelikōlani i kona mau ʻāina, ʻaʻole ʻo ia i kūʻai wale aku; he hoʻolimalima wale nō kāna hana. ʻO ia kekahi kumu i mau ai kona waiwai. Eia nō naʻe, nui kona lokomaikaʻi i kona ʻohana aloha ma ka hoʻoili aku i kona mau ʻāina; Hāʻawi ʻia ʻo ʻĀinahau ma Waikīkī iā Kaʻiulani, kāna keiki papakema. A, ua aloha nui ʻo Keʻelikōlani iā Pauahi, kona hoahānau, a he pilina hemo ʻole ko lāua. I kona hala ʻana ma ka lā 24 o Mei, makahiki 1883, ua hoʻoili ʻo ia i kona mau waiwai a pau loa iā Pauahi. Mai ia manawa, ʻo kēia mau ʻāina ka hapanui loa o ka hoʻoilina aliʻi o Ke Kula ʻo Kamehameha.

I kēia lā, ua maopopo leʻa ka mana a me ke aloha o Keʻelikōlani, a mahalo nui kākou iā ia no kona kūpaʻa ʻana i ka nohona Hawaiʻi, ka ʻike, a me ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. He meʻe aloha nui ʻia nō ʻo Keʻelikōlani.

Greetings, language friends of these beloved islands of Hawaiʻi! Hawaiian language month continues: it is a time when 'ōlelo Hawaiʻi can be heard throughout our homeland. This month, we thank the heroes, those individuals who have cared for, strengthened, and promoted the Hawaiian language for future generations. Perhaps you are familiar with Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani Keanolani Kanāhoahoa. She is indeed a Hawaiian language hero!

The 1800s was a time of change for Hawaiʻi and the entire world. However, Keʻelikōlani was a staunch supporter of traditional knowledge. She could speak, write, and read in English but chose to speak only in Hawaiian; individuals who didn't speak Hawaiian needed translators to communicate with her.

She was appointed to the Privy Council of Kamehameha III (1847) and the House of Nobles for 1855-1857. In 1855, she was appointed governor of Hawaiʻi Island, like her father, Mataiao Kekūanāoʻa, who served as governor of Oʻahu (1839-1864). It was written, "She is indeed a benevolent chief to the people of her island, who is governor," (Ka Hae Hawaii, June 8, 1859). Dear reader, great indeed was the wisdom and power of this woman, and she was greatly loved by the people.

Keʻelikōlani embodied the power of the ancient chiefs. In November of 1880, Mauna Loa erupted. The red glow of lava was seen at night. By March 1881, the lava crept directly above Hilo Town, and the people were terrified. They urged Keʻelikōlani to intervene and save them. So, she left Honolulu for Hilo in July. She spent nights in a tent beneath Puʻuhonu Hill, close to the flow (Ko Hawaii Pae Aina, August 22, 1881). On the morning of August 7, she went to the site of the lava, and chanted and placed offerings to Pele. It was there indeed that the lava stopped and the town of Hilo was saved.

Keʻelikōlani greatly prized her lands and didn't sell them; only leasing them. This was one reason for her continued wealth. Furthermore, her generosity in giving lands to her beloved family was great. ʻĀinahau in Waikīkī was bequeathed to Kaʻiulani, her godchild. Keʻelikōlani loved Pauahi, her cousin, and they had a very close relationship. When she passed away on May 24, 1883, Keʻelikōlani willed her entire estate to Pauahi. Since that time, these lands have come to represent the vast majority of the chiefly legacy of Kamehameha Schools.

Today, we truly understand the power and love of Keʻelikōlani, and we are thankful to her for her steadfastness in Hawaiian ways of living, Hawaiian knowledge, and Hawaiian language.

Keʻelikōlani is truly a beloved hero.

ʻO Hale ʻŌlelo, ka hale pili o Keʻelikōlani ma Huliheʻe - Hale ʻŌlelo, the grass house of Keʻelikōlani at Huliheʻe, Kailua, Kona, Hawaiʻi. 1883.

TAGS
ōlelo hawai'i, hawaiian language, hookahua, kūkahekahe, cultural conversations, princess ruth ke 'elikōlan

CATEGORIES
Kaipuolono Article, Regions, Themes, Culture, Community, Hawaii Newsroom, KS Hawaii Home, Kapalama Newsroom, Kapalama Home, Maui Newsroom, KS Maui Home, Newsroom, Campus Programs, Hawaii, Kapalama, Maui, Community Education, Department News, Ho'okahua

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Ke'elikōlani: He me'e 'ōlelo Hawai'i - A Hawaiian language hero

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This mo'olelo is part of Kūkahekahe - Cultural Conversations - featuring personal experiences and insights from faculty, staff and friends about compelling cultural happenings within the KS organization, throughout the Hawaiian Islands, and across the larger Pacific and global communities. Welina mai e nā hoa ʻōlelo o kēia pae ʻāina aloha ʻo Hawaiʻi!

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Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani Keanolani Kanāhoahoa was born in Pohukaina, O'ahu on February 9, 1826, to High Chiefess Pauahi and High Chief Kekūanāo'a.

The Princess was a descendant of senior royal lines on a member of both the Kamehameha Dynasty and Kalākaua Dynasty, and a great granddaughter of King Kamehameha I; her half-brother was Lot Kapuāiwa (Kamehameha V.)

Her mother, Pauahi, died while giving birth to Ruth Keʻelikōlani, and was then cared for by Kamehameha's wife, Ka'ahumanu, who herself died six years later. The Princess was then sent to live with her father, Kekūanāoʻa, and her stepmother, Kīna'u.

Despite the pressures to convert to Christianity, Keʻelikōlani saw value in traditional ways and retained many traditional religious practices.

Although she learned English among other subjects at the Chief's Children's School, she was a staunch supporter of the Hawaiian language and traditional cultural practices. People spoke to her only in Hawaiian.

She was a member of the Privy Council (1847,) the House of Nobles (1855-1857) and served as Governor of the island of Hawaiʻi (1855-1874.)

Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani inherited all of the substantial landholdings of the Kamehameha dynasty from her brother, Lot Kapuāiwa; she became the largest landowner in the islands.

She was godmother to Princess Kaʻiulani. At Kaʻiulani's baptism, Ruth gifted 10-acres of her land in Waikīkī where Kaʻiulani's father Archibald Cleghorn built the ʻĀinahau Estate.

Despite owning Huliheʻe Palace, a Western-style house in Kailua-Kona, she chose to live in a large, traditional grass home on the same oceanfront property.

It is interesting, therefore, that she chose to build Keōua Hale, a large, ornate mansion on her land in Honolulu.

Keōua Hale was a Victorian-style mansion, and the most expansive residence of the time; it was larger than ʻIolani Palace.

It followed the Second Empire architecture, or so-called French style of architecture, and was considered a classical Victorian-style mansion. The gas-lit interior of the mansion was celebrated for its ornate plaster work and frescoes.

Surrounded by extensive, well-kept gardens, it was characterized by mansard roof, broad lanais, from which lofty flights of steps led down into the gardens, and a large drawing-room upon the ceiling of which was emblazoned the Hawaiian coat of arms.

The house was completed in 1883; however, Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani never lived in the palace. She became ill immediately after the house warming and birthday luau.

Her doctors recommended that she return to Huliheʻe, her Kailua-Kona residence, where they believed she would more quickly regain her health.

She received medical attention, but did not recover. On May 24, 1883, Keʻelikōlani died at the age of fifty-seven, in her traditional grass home in Kailua-Kona.

At her death, Keʻelikōlani's will stated that she "give and bequeath forever to my beloved younger sister (cousin), Bernice Pauahi Bishop, all of my property, the real property and personal property from Hawaiʻi to Kauaʻi, all of said property to be hers." (about 353,000 acres)

This established the land-base endowment for Pauahi's subsequent formation of Kamehameha Schools at her death. Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop passed away a year later.

In 1908, the building was converted to Central Grammar School. The present buildings were opened in 1926. The school became a junior high school in 1928, an intermediate school in 1932, and a middle school in 1997. The site of Keōua Hale is now Central Middle School.

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Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani Keanolani Kanāhoahoa was born in Pohukaina, O'ahu on February 9, 1826, to High Chiefess Pauahi and High Chief Kekūanāo'a. The Princess was a descendant of senior royal lines on a member of both the Kamehameha Dynasty and Kalākaua Dynasty, and a great granddaughter of King Kamehameha I; her half-brother was Lot Kapuāiwa (Kamehameha V.)

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For more than a century, teachers and students at a middle school in downtown Honolulu had no idea their institution was constructed on the grounds of Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani's grand royal palace.

But one man - the school's janitor - had collected photos and research material on the princess for nearly two decades, in hopes of one day sharing that history with the world.

Rogelio Aquino spent nearly 20 years as the school's janitor. But he did more than just clean.

HPR's Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi met Kamakana Aquino, Rogelio's son, on the grounds of downtown Honolulu's Keʻelikōlani Middle School.

"Dad would sometimes have an assembly out in the field or in the auditorium in 'B' building, where he would do a presentation on Princess Ruth, the significance of her and the school and where the school currently occupies was once her home, Keōua Hale," Aquino said.

Kamakana's mother Marbeth said it all started with an assignment from the school's principal.

"He told me 'I get homework.' I said 'what you mean homework?' They like me do report on Princess Ruth. I went 'Oh my gosh, here is a custodian who got tasked with researching Princess Ruth,'" Marbeth laughed.

It soon became a family affair. Marbeth spent weekends at the state archives, and Kamakana and his brother helped their father build a display case for all the photos and research they uncovered.

Princess Ruth Keanolani Kanāhoahoa Keʻelikōlani was a high-ranking aliʻi born on February 9, 1826. She was known as a staunch defender of Hawaiian traditions, customs, and language.

"Her being very kūpaʻa, standing firm, being staunch in her ways.... We can learn a lot from her by being kūpaʻa in the things that we believe and do," Aquino said.

Last year, the school invited the Aquinos to the campus for a ceremony renaming the former Central Middle School in honor of the princess.

"It was time, and I'm glad that it did happen. Although I wish Dad was here to see it happen," Aquino said.

Rogelio Aquino died in 2015. His research is still on display in a glass case at Keʻelikōlani Middle School.

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Late school janitor who preserved the history of Princess Keʻelikōlani receives recognition

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For more than a century, teachers and students at a middle school in downtown Honolulu had no idea their institution was constructed on the grounds of Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani's grand royal palace. But one man - the school's janitor - collected photos and research on the princess for nearly two decades, in hopes of one day sharing that history with the world.

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THE extinct crater or mountain which forms the background to the city of Honolulu is known as the Punch-Bowl; at its base is situated the Queen's Hospital, so named because of the great interest taken in its erection by Emma, the queen of Kamehameha IV.

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"Last Will and Testament of the Late Hon. Ruth Keelikolani." January 24, 1883.

Published in Wills and Deeds of Trust; Bernice P. Bishop Estate, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Charles R. Bishop Trust. Honolulu: The Hawaiian Gazette Co., LTD., 1898.

Call Number: Library: 12-D-15

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Last Will and Testament of the Late Hon. Ruth Keelikolani - Hawaii Alive

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"Last Will and Testament of the Late Hon. Ruth Keelikolani." January 24, 1883. Published in Wills and Deeds of Trust; Bernice P. Bishop Estate, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Charles R. Bishop Trust. Honolulu: The Hawaiian Gazette Co., LTD., 1898. Call Number: Library: 12-D-15

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Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani was born on February 9, 1826. Nearly 200 years later, the students and teachers of former Central Middle School celebrated her birthday by restoring the school's original name in honor of the princess.

Local film director Ann Marie Kirk participated in the name change committee as a community member. At the name changing celebration, she said, "In 1916, it was named Keʻelikōlani School, but something happens. In 1927, the name was changed because as reported in the newspaper, 'This name proved too difficult for the Anglo-Saxon and Oriental tongues,' and Central Grammer, the school has been renamed."

"She would only speak and want to be addressed in Hawaiian, and though taught Christianity, she did not practice it. Puakea Nogelmeier wrote of her, 'She became an icon to many people, especially the makaʻāinana, or common folk, who saw her as a mainstay of tradition in a time of sweeping changes, diminishing population, and the loss of customary practice,'" Kirk said.

The name change committee has been working toward the renaming since 2019. The Board of Education approved the decision in September 2021.

Principal Joseph Passantino said not everyone was in favor of the change.

"There were some alumni that say, 'We don't want to lose what Central was, like that's how we know who we are,'" Passantino said. "So their education of those people would talk about it's not that you're losing who you are, it's a validity to the aliʻi that lived in this space, and it's a second chapter as we continue to grow and get better."

Signs that say "Central Middle School" will be replaced with bright red and yellow signs to symbolize the colors of Hawaiian royalty. All new signage will read "Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani Middle School."

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Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani Middle School restores its name on the princess's birthday

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Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani was born on February 9, 1826. Nearly 200 years later, the students and teachers of former Central Middle School celebrated her birthday by restoring the school's original name in honor of the princess. Local film director Ann Marie Kirk participated in the name change committee as a community member.

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Hoʻōla Lāhui - Revitalizing the Hawaiian People - is a Kamehameha Schools cultural principle that provides opportunities for employees, haumāna and ʻohana to learn about and cultivate Hawaiian identity, history and culture, and the Hawaiian Experience. Celebrating aliʻi, like Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani, who had a tremendous impact of the history of KS, is one such opportunity.
Princess Ruth Keanolani Kanāhoahoa Ke'elikōlani was born on February 9, 1826. Her mother Kalani Pauahi was the daughter of Kamehameha 'Ekahi's eldest biological son, Pauli Ka'ōleiokū. Paternally, she was a keiki po'olua - a child having two recognized fathers and inheriting the mana from both familial lines. Kalani Pauahi's first husband, Kahalai'a, was one of these fathers. Pauahi's second husband was Mataio Kekūanāo'a, whom she was married to at the time of Ke'elikōlani's birth. It is he who would legally claim Princess Ruth as his daughter.

Kalani Pauahi died in childbirth and the babe was given to Ka'ahumanu, favorite wife of Kamehameha 'Ekahi, to be her hānai (adopted child). Ka'ahumanu was then acting Kuhina Nui (Royal Regent) of the Kingdom and subsequently the most powerful woman in Hawai'i. Ke'elikōlani stayed with Ka'ahumanu until her death on June 5, 1832, at which time she was returned to her father Kekūanāo'a to be raised by him and his wife Kīna'u.

Kīna'u was one of the sacred daughters of Kamehameha 'Ekahi and therefore Ke'elikōlani's maternal grand-aunt. Upon Ka'ahumanu's death, it was she who inherited the position as Kuhina Nui to Kamehameha III. She had also recently become the hānai mother to newborn Bernice Pauahi Pākī, namesake of Ke'elikōlani's own biological mother and first cousin to the young Ruth.

Ke'elikōlani and Pauahi would from the time of infancy remain as loyal and close as sisters are to be. Their life-long aloha for one another would eventually inspire the vision that led to the founding of Kamehameha Schools, forever honoring their shared legacy.

Princess Ruth was an anchor supporter of the perpetuation of Hawaiian traditions, culture, and language. Although very well-educated and able to speak English, she refused to do so and conducted all business and correspondence ma ka 'ōlelo Hawai'i, in her mother tongue. Ke'elikōlani is known as being an incredibly formidable force, which can undoubtedly be attributed, at least in part, to the character of the women who reared her.

As hānai daughter to two of the most powerful women in Hawaiian history, Ke'elikōlani would follow in the footsteps of Ka'ahumanu and Kīna'u and find herself in important roles of leadership within her Kingdom. She was a member of the Privy Council and was appointed to the House of Nobles from 1855 to 1857. She also served as Governor of the island of Hawai'i for nearly twenty years, from 1855 to1874.

By the time Ke'elikōlani reached adulthood, the first generation of foreigners had established themselves in the islands. The American Board of Commissioners for the Foreign Missions (ABCFM) missionaries, supported by Ka'ahumanu and Kīna'u, were teaching their ways and permeating all facets of society. Ke'elikōlani witnessed firsthand the influence that foreigners were exerting upon not only Hawaiian Kingdom politics but on daily life as a whole. In response, she firmly stood against the new Western ways even as the political, social, economic, and cultural landscape of Hawai'i so rapidly changed around her.

On May 24, 1883, Ke'elikōlani passed away in her hale pili at Hulihe'e Palace in Kailua, Kona. At the time of her death, she was Hawai'i's largest landowner and designated Ke Ali'i Pauahi Bishop as recipient of the only major bequest in her will.
"Ke haawi a ke hoolilo loa aku nei au no kuu kaikaina i aloha nui ia, ia Bernice Pauahi Bishop, i ko'u mau wai-wai a pauloa, na waiwai paa a me na waiwai lewa mai Hawaii a Kauai, nona ia mau waiwai a pauloa." ["I give and bequeath forever to my beloved younger sister (cousin), Bernice Pauahi Bishop, all of my property, the real property and personal property from Hawai'i to Kaua'i, all of said property to be hers."]
Mrs. Bishop received approximately 353,000 acres from her cousin's inheritance of Kamehameha family lands, which totaled nearly nine percent of all land in the Hawaiian Islands.

Ka Haka 'Ula O Ke'elikōlani, the University of Hawai'i at Hilo's College of Hawaiian Language, was named in honor of Princess Ruth Ke'elikōlani for her strong advocacy of Hawaiian language and culture. The college was established in 1997 and has produced some of the most respected and beloved leaders in the Hawaiian language revitalization movement. The college has an Undergraduate Hawaiian Studies Program which offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in Hawaiian Studies and Linguistics. The college also features various post-graduate level programs. The Kahuawaiola Indigenous Teacher Education Program awards students a Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Education, and the Master of Arts Program offers degrees in Indigenous Language and Culture Education as well as Hawaiian Language and Literature. In 2004, the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents approved UH Hilo's first doctoral program, Ka Haka 'Ula O Ke'elikōlani's Ph.D. in Hawaiian and Indigenous Language and Culture Revitalization.

HULIHE'E

A ka la'i au i Hulihe'e,
Nānā ka maka i ka 'ōpua,
Ka la'i aloha a nā kūpuna,
Noho ana 'o Kalani i ka 'olu,
Ka 'olu kāhela a ke Kēhau,
Ka makani aloha o ka 'āina,
'Āina i noho 'ia e ke aloha,
A kupa kama'āina ilaila,
I ka pō mahina la'ila'i,
Ka ho'olale 'ana mai ia'u,
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana,
No Ke'elikōlani nō he inoa.

There in the tranquility of Hulihe'e
My eyes gaze upon the 'ōpua clouds
Peaceful repose of the ancestors
The Heavenly One resides in comfort
In the cool sprawl of the Kēhau breeze
Beloved wind of this land
A land filled with love
I have become well-acquainted with this place
On a clear moonlit night
It beckons me there
The refrain is told
In honor of Ke'elikōlani

At the time of her death, she was Hawai'i's largest landowner and designated Ke Ali'i Pauahi Bishop as recipient of the only major bequest in her will.

Keōua Hale was Princess Ruth's home in Honolulu.

The hale pili at Huliheʻe Palace.

TAGS
16-17action5, ke 'elikōlani, princess ruth ke 'elikōlan, ali 'i, ho 'okahu, hawaiian history, hawaiian language

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Honoring Princess Ruth Ke 'elikōlani on the day of her birth

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Hoʻōla Lāhui - Revitalizing the Hawaiian People - is a Kamehameha Schools cultural principle that provides opportunities for employees, haumāna and ʻohana to learn about and cultivate Hawaiian identity, history and culture, and the Hawaiian Experience. Celebrating aliʻi, like Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani, who had a tremendous impact of the history of KS, is one such opportunity.

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Princess Ruth Ke’elikolani - Daughters Of The Goddess

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Princess Ruth Keanolani Kanāhoahoa Ke‘elikōlani was born on February 9, 1826. Her mother Kalani Pauahi was the daughter of Kamehameha ‘Ekahi’s eldest biological son, Pauli Ka‘ōleiokū. Paternally, she was a keiki po‘olua – a child having two recognized fathers and inheriting the mana from both famil…

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High Chiefess Ruth was born on February 9, 1826 and was the daughter of High Chief Kahalai`a Luanu`u & High Chiefess Pauahi I. She was a great grand daughter of Kamehameha I and a step sister to King Kamehameha IV & V and to Princess Victoria Kamamalu. For various reasons, Ruth was not considered an heir to throne nor was she named eligible to the throne.

Ruth was married to High Chief Leleiohoku and with this marriage had a son whose name was John William Pitt Kina`u. He was proclaimed eligible to the throne by King Kamehameha III and was sent to be groomed to rule at the Chiefs Children's School (Royal School), unfortunately he died on September 9, 1859 at only 16 years old.

In the year, 1856, Ruth married her second husband, Isaac Young Davis, with this marriage, she gave birth to another son whose name was Keolaokalani Davis born in February of 1862. Unfortunately he died when he was only one and a half years of age.

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Ruth later adopted a brother of David Kalakaua naming him William Pitt Leleiohoku, an heir to the throne during Kalakaua's reign, unfortunately Leleiohoku died of pneumonia while visiting in California on April 9, 1877.

Ruth was considered the richest woman in the islands because of her vast inherited estate of King Kamehameha V. After Ruth's death her bulk of her estate was left to her cousin, a descendant of Kamehameha I, High Chiefess Bernice Pauahi Bishop.

Princess Ruth Keelikolani

1826-1883

Royal House of Keoua Nui

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High Chiefess Ruth was born on February 9, 1826 and was the daughter of High Chief Kahalai`a Luanu`u & High Chiefess Pauahi I. She was a great grand daughter of Kamehameha I and a step sister to King Kamehameha IV & V and to Princess Victoria Kamamalu.

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Her mother Pauahi died during childbirth, and Luka was raised by the Kūhina Nui and wife of Kamehameha I, Ka'ahumanu. As a high-ranking ali'i wahine and descendant of Kamehameha I, Luka was educated at the Chiefs' Children's School, where she learned, among other things, the English language and tenants of Christianity.

Her high rank meant significant appointments in the government of the Kingdom. Princess Ruth served on the Privy Council and later in 1855 was appointed Governess of Hawai'i Island. She was a very strong-willed woman and as she witnessed continued attacks on native traditions printed in the newspapers and mission press, she fought back with equally strong statements. Although her mission education meant that she understood English, she staunchly refused to do business in anything other than her Native 'Ōlelo Hawai'i. Those who could not speak Hawaiian were required to use an interpreter. The Princess owned a large and stately modern home in Kailua, Kona but preferred to reside in her grass house that stood on the same property. The pā ki'i, a wooden meat platter held by the museum, was one of the ancient symbolic items passed to and preserved by Ruth. Luka also continued many of the ancient traditional religious rites. This adherence to the ways of her ancestors brought great admiration from many maka'āinana.

When Madame Pele threatened the town of Hilo with a voracious lava flow in 1881, the people asked Ke'elikōlani to intercede. The Hawaiian-language newspaper Ko Hawai'i Pae Aina published a letter with the heading "Ka Pele ai Honua ma Hilo" (Pele, devourer of land at Hilo) that describes the immediate danger, "Hapalua Mile ka Mamao mai ke Koana aku" (the distance from town being only one half mile). Ke'elikōlani offered traditional oli (chants) and ho'okupu (tribute) to Pele and later reportedly camped at the foot of the flow. The flow stopped just short of town.

As the half-sister of Kamehameha IV and V, Ke'elikōlani inherited the vast tracts of land that were passed down through the Kamehameha family. Combined with the lands that she owned from her marriage to Isaac Davis, by the 1870's Princess Ruth was one of the largest landholders in the kingdom. She was very close to her cousin Princess Bernice Pauahi and when her son by Davis, Keolaokalani, was born, she gave the child to Bernice to raise. Upon her death on May 24, 1883, the majority of her vast estate was bequeathed to Pauahi. The bulk of these lands would come soon afterwards, at the death of Bernice, to be the Bishop Estate Trust, from which came the Kamehameha Schools. With this foresight, Ke'elikōlani, even after her death, continued to fulfill her traditional kuleana as ali'i nui by providing for her people. Her people in turn continue to honor her memory with love and respect. In 1997, the new Ka Haka 'ula o Ke'elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language at U.H. Hilo was named in her honor.

Location: Bishop Museum
Collection: Princess Ruth Ke'elikōlani
Artifact Number: 408

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Pā Ki'i of Princess Ruth Ke'elikōlani - Hawaii Alive

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Her mother Pauahi died during childbirth, and Luka was raised by the Kūhina Nui and wife of Kamehameha I, Ka'ahumanu. As a high-ranking ali'i wahine and descendant of Kamehameha I, Luka was educated at the Chiefs' Children's School, where she learned, among other things, the English language and tenants of Christianity.

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"We could hear the explosions in Hilo; it was like the noise of battle."

"Day and night the ancient forest was ablaze, and the scene was vivid beyond description. By the 25th of March the lava was within seven miles of Hilo, and steadily advancing. Until this time we had hoped that Hilo would not be threatened. But the stream pursued its way." (Coan)

On November 5, 1880, an eruption located near the 11,000-foot elevation, about a mile above Puʻu Ulaʻula began on Mauna Loa's northeast rift zone that would eventually send lava closer to Hilo Bay than any other in over a thousand years.

May 1st, 1881, a small, short-lived eruption at Mauna Loa's summit heralded the beginning of an eruptive sequence that was to be followed six months later by the voluminous flank eruption which would soon threaten the then-small town of Hilo.

"The glare was intense, and was seen at great distances. Brilliant jets of lava were thrown high in the air, and a pillar of blazing gases mounted thousands of feet skyward, spreading out into a canopy of sanguinary light which resembled, though upon a larger scale, the so-called "pine-tree appendage" formed over Vesuvius during its eruptions by the vertical column of vapors with its great horizontal cloud."

"Meanwhile a raging river of lava, about three-fourths of a mile wide and from fifteen to thirty feet deep, rushed down the north-east flank of the great dome, and ran some thirty miles to the base of Mauna Kea." (Coan)

"We met crowds of people returning from the flow, and all reported it active and coming rapidly down the gulch. We rode up to it before dark and found that the stream was entirely confined to the gulch and intensely active."

"The flow was on an average about seventy-five feet wide and from ten to thirty feet in depth as it filled the gulch up level with its banks. The sight was grand. The whole frontage was one mass of liquid lava carrying on its surface huge cakes of partially cooled lava. Soon after we arrived the flow reached a deep hole, some ten or fifteen feet in depth, with perpendicular sides." (Hitchcock)

"Troops of boys and girls, young men and women, were watching the flow. They plunged poles into the viscid lava as it urged itself slowly onward; drawing out small lumps of the adhering fusion, they moulded it, before it had time to cool, into various forms at will."

"They made cups, canes, vases, tubes, and other articles out of this molten clay, and these they sold to visitors and strangers at from twenty-five cents to a dollar or more for a specimen. All went away with fresh spoils from the spoiler. (Coan)

The advancing lava flow split into three forks at the 2,400-foot elevation (8.5-miles from Hilo Bay), only to reunite into a single flow at the 1,600-foot elevation (6.3 miles from the bay. The flow again split into two forks-north and south-at the 300-foot) elevation (1.6 miles from the bay.) (USGS)

The 1881 lavas reached just north of the present University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo campus. After crossing the present Komohana and Kumukoa Streets, a very narrow section crossed what is now Mohouli Street, about 300 yards above the intersection with Kapiʻolani Street.

Several hundred homes are now built on pāhoehoe lavas of the 1881 flow and can easily be recognized by their ubiquitous "rock gardens" (no soils have yet formed on this flow). Kaumana Cave was formed at this time and was a major supply conduit for the lavas that threatened Hilo. (USGS)

"The lava stream surrounded a single kalo-plant, growing on an islet of eighteen inches in diameter, and on another one twice as broad, a single banana plant. They have survived the heat and are growing finely, the only green things left in the garden". (Coan)

The people asked Keʻelikōlani (Princess Ruth) to intercede. The Hawaiian-language newspaper Ko Hawai'i Pae Aina published a letter with the heading "Ka Pele ai Honua ma Hilo" (Pele, devourer of land at Hilo) that describes the immediate danger, "Hapalua Mile ka Mamao mai ke Koana aku" (the distance from town being only one half mile.) (Bishop Museum)

"Without delay a council, high and solemn, was held in Honolulu by the principal natives; and Princess Ruth, or Luka, as her name was in Hawaiian, a lineal descendant of Kamehameha the Great, the conqueror of all Hawaii, was dispatched to offer compelling sacrifices to the goddess".

"(T)his six decades after the first American missionaries had come to convert the Hawaiians to Christianity, fifty years or so after the zealous Hawaiians had carved blocks of stone from coral reefs and dragged them inland, there to erect churches that stand to this day. ... (T)he princess accordingly embarked on the Iwalani at Honolulu."

"An innumerable throng saw her embark and sail from Honolulu for Kailua. ... Other boats took the retainers, pigs, pigeons, and the remainder of the paraphernalia for the rites at the burning mountain, and the second mate, Kauhane, went on shore to supervise operations there." (Cameron, 1928)

"The flood came on until all agreed that in two or three days more it would be pouring into our beautiful bay. On the 10th of August it was but one mile from the sea, and half a mile from Hilo town." (Coan)

Keʻelikōlani offered traditional oli (chants) and hoʻokupu (tribute) to Pele and later reportedly camped at the foot of the flow. (Bishop Museum)

"Ruth did manage to perform the rites, assisted by many kahunas; she made her burnt offerings, which Pele gladly accepted. Perhaps the goddess hungered for roast pig; maybe she was overawed by the royal descent of Ruth; more probably Pele stood in terror of the mortal."

"Whatever the explanation, the lava flow ceased." (Cameron, 1928)

Dynamite explosives had been suggested as a means to divert lava flows threatening Hilo. (Lockwood & Torgerson) However, before that plan could be put into execution, the lava flow stopped - August 10, 1881. (Kuykendall)
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"We could hear the explosions in Hilo; it was like the noise of battle." "Day and night the ancient forest was ablaze, and the scene was vivid beyond description. By the 25th of March the lava was within seven miles of Hilo, and steadily advancing.

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Keʻelikōlani's heritage was controversial. She was the poʻolua ("two heads") child of Kāhalaiʻa and Kekūanāoʻa. (Johnson)

Her mother, Pauahi, was said to be carrying the child of Kāhalaiʻa when she married Kekūanāoʻa. Kekūanāoʻa claimed Keʻelikōlani as his own in court, and the matter was officially settled, though it would be debated again in later years, even by her own half-brother, Lot. (Nogelmeier)

After Pauahi's death, Kekūanāoʻa married Kīna'u, and they became the parents of Lot Kapuāiwa, Alexander Liholiho, and Victoria Kamāmalu, making Keʻelikōlani a half-sister to these three.

Her mother died during her childbirth (February 9, 1826,) and she was raised by the Kuhina Nui and favorite wife of Kamehameha I, Kaʻahumanu. (Kaʻahumanu died six years later; she was then sent to live with her father, Kekūanāoʻa, and her stepmother, Kīnaʻu.)

Keʻelikōlani was an important figure during her lifetime, known for her high rank in the Kamehameha lineage, her social position as a governor and woman of means, and for her character as a woman of dignity, both strong-willed and kind.

She was held in high regard by the general populace, and treated lovingly or respectfully by the ranking chiefs, government officials, and the people of her time.

She was a great-granddaughter of Kamehameha, a grand-niece to Kamehameha II and III, and a half-sister of Kamehameha IV and V. (Nogelmeier)

As a Kamehameha descendant, Keʻelikōlani was part of the royal family and the court for as long as the Kamehameha dynasty ruled. Following the death of Kamehameha V, William Charles Lunalilo ascended the throne by election in 1873.

A Kamehameha through his mother Kekāuluohi, Lunalilo proclaimed the royal family to consist of himself, his father Kanaʻina, Dowager Queen Emma and Keʻelikōlani. His official royal court included these four, along with the king's treasurer, H. G. Crabbe. (Nogelmeier)

When mentioned in the press, Keʻelikōlani was usually listed as Ka Mea Kiʻekiʻe, Ke Ali'i Ruta Keʻelikōlani - Her Highness, Chiefess Ruth Keʻelikōlani. Foreigners knew her as "Princess Ruth." (Nogelmeier)

At the age of sixteen, Keʻelikōlani married William Pitt Leleiōhoku. While serving as governor of Hawai'i Island, Leleiōhoku died, only twenty-two years old. Their surviving son, William Pitt Kīnaʻu, died at the age of seventeen in an accident on Hawai'i. (Silva)

Keʻelikōlani's second husband (June 2, 1856) was the part-Hawaiian Isaac Young Davis, grandson of Isaac Davis, a British advisor to King Kamehameha I. The two had a son (1862,) Keolaokalani, whom Keʻelikōlani gave as a hānai to Bernice Pauahi. Keolaokalani died in about 6-months and Leleiōhoku died of pneumonia in 1877.

She was also the adoptive mother of Leleiōhoku, brother to Kalākaua, Liliʻuokalani and Likelike, and heir apparent, whom she had renamed in honor of her first husband. (Nogelmeier)

"Princess Ruth, daughter of Pauahi and Kekūanāoʻa, who had adopted Leleiōhoku, asked of the king (Kalākaua) if she herself could not be proclaimed heir apparent; and this suggestion was placed before the king's counsellors at a cabinet meeting, but it was objected that ..."

"... if her petition was granted, then Mrs. Pauahi Bishop would be the next heir to the throne, as they were first cousins. At noon of the tenth day of April, 1877, the booming of the cannon was heard which announced that I was heir apparent to the throne of Hawaii." (Liliʻuokalani)

Keʻelikōlani died in 1883 at Haleʻōlelo, her large hale pili native-style home on the grounds of Huliheʻe Palace in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i.

At her death, Keʻelikōlani's will stated that she "give and bequeath forever to my beloved younger sister (cousin), Bernice Pauahi Bishop, all of my property, the real property and personal property from Hawaiʻi to Kauaʻi, all of said property to be hers." (about 353,000 acres)

This established the land-base endowment for Pauahi's subsequent formation of Kamehameha Schools at her death. Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop passed away a year later.
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Keʻelikōlani's heritage was controversial. She was the poʻolua ("two heads") child of Kāhalaiʻa and Kekūanāoʻa. (Johnson) Her mother, Pauahi, was said to be carrying the child of Kāhalaiʻa when she married Kekūanāoʻa. Kekūanāoʻa claimed Keʻelikōlani as his own in court, and the matter was officially settled, though it would be debated again in later years, even by her own half-brother, Lot.

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Princess Ruth Ke'elikolani Middle School is dedicated to nurture, inspire, and empower all students to be resilient learners.

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Volcano Watch - Hilo had a close call from the 1881 Mauna Loa lava flow

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The 1880-1881 eruption of Mauna Loa consisted of two main phases, a summit eruption and a rift zone eruption six months later. The latter was a nearly nine-month-long march that threatened the city of Hilo. Prayers to both Christian and Hawaiian deities were employed to stop its advance.

"Night View 1880-1881, Eruption from Hilo Bay" by Charles Furneaux (National Park Service, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park archives). The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has noted that, "the Ka'ū flow would not have been visible from Hilo Bay so it is shown here probably by artistic license"

On the evening of November 5th, 1880, Princess Liliʻuokalani went to sleep on the first night of her stay at the Volcano House hotel on the rim of Kīlauea. She had come to the Kīlauea summit to see the fires of the long-lasting lava lake in the home of Pele. At 2:00 in the morning, she was jostled awake by hotel staff. They alerted her to a startling event. Mauna Loa, looming in the distance, had let loose a ribbon of glowing molten lava that was pouring down its side.

The distant ribbon of light that Liliʻuokalani witnessed from Volcano House was the begining of the second act of the 1880-1881 Mauna Loa eruption.

The first act had begun six months earlier, on May 1st, with an eruption in Moku'āweoweo, the summit caldera of Mauna Loa. For its first 48 hours, the eruption at the summit was visible from many places on the island. It produced a 10,000-foot (3 km) "column of smoke" by day that was lit by a lava glow at night.

The view of the summit eruption was soon obscured by cloud, but its power was still being felt far below. The sharp fibers of Peleʻs hair drifted into the town of Hilo. Reverend Titus Coan wrote that the town was "in a haze of sulphur smoke, and we see the sun as through smoked glass"

"the astonishing elderly woman has returned to her village at Mokuaweoweo. She has shown her exceptional light, it is evident here in Hilo."
-S.P. Kalaau, referring to Pele and the initial eruption in the Moku'āweoweo summit caldera
After six days, the eruption on the roof of Hawaiʻi quieted down, but more activity would follow later that year. All Mauna Loa eruptions in the modern period have started in the summit area. About half of these eruptions, however, are soon followed by eruptions on the volcanoʻs flank along rift zones. As geologist Frank Trusdell has noted, "most summit and rift zone eruptions are separated by minutes to several days," but in 1880-1881, the rift zone eruption did not begin until an astonishing six months later, "making it the longest summit-rift-zone eruption lag in the recorded history of Mauna Loa volcano."

Act two, on the Northeast Rift Zone, began on November 5th and it would last nearly nine months. In its first few days, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory estimates that these flows advanced an average speed of about 3.7 miles per day (6 km).

Soon the eruption had created three flows. One angled northward toward Mauna Kea, a second flowed more easterly toward Hilo, and a third, which Lili'uokalani had seen from Volcano House, descended into Ka'ū. The eruption continued into the new year of 1881, but of the three flows, only the flow that was advancing toward Hilo remained active. The reported source of these flows was Pūkauahi, a cone northeast of the summit caldera, along what is now the Mauna Loa Trail.

Sketch by Joseph Nāwahī in the Volcano House register of the eruption in February 1881, as seen from the Kīlauea summit (National Park Service, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park archives)

Throughout the spring months of 1881, the flow moving toward Hilo continued its slow march, an estimated 6- 8 miles from Hilo. By June, estimates place it between 4-5 miles from town. It also split into several branches.

As the distance between the flow and town decreased, some began to appeal to higher powers:
"it is hereby recommended, that on Wednesday the 6th day of July, all places of business in the town and district of Hilo, be closed from 11 A. M. until 3 P. M and that all persons who believe in an Almighty God look to him especially on that day, and so far as practicable, assemble in their several places of worship for that purpose, if so be He may be pleased to avert the threatening calamity, or prepare us for the result"
- Governor F.S. Lyman

Despite determined prayers, by July 7th, the northern branch of the flow was 2.25 miles from Hilo, and the southernmost branch 4.5 miles out. One Hilo resident, Keoni Holo, had property on the outskirts of town and made offerings to Pele in the hopes that she would stop her march and spare his homestead:"Aloha o Pele. Mohai ia oe o Pele. Hail to thee, O, Pele. Receive my gift, O, Pele." He offered his finest pig as well as chickens, fruit, and a lock of his own hair at the foot of the advancing flow. But as the Hawaiian Gazette noted, Pele was unabated, "with a puff of steam and a crackling flow of blood red fire, that smothered the squeak of the poor porker"

The lava seemed to advance in pulses, as opposed to a steady rate of movement. By July 27th, one of the branches, now traveling in Kūkūau Gulch, was only 2.15 miles from the sea.

Painting of the July 20th, 1881 lava cascade in Kūkūau gulch near Hilo by Charles Furneaux (National Park Service, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park archives, catalog number HAVO 808)

In early August 1881, Princess Ke'elikōlani (also known as Princess Ruth) and Princess Regent LIli'uokalani arrived to Hilo separately. Princess Ke'elikōlani, in a now famous scene, reportedly made offerings at one of the flowʻs branches in an effort to appease Pele and stop its advance. At the foot of the flow, the Princess prayed to Pele to return home and offered her brandy and a red hankerchief. According to some reports, that branch of the flow then "stopped at that point and did not flow a foot farther." Some Hawaiians concluded that Keʻelikōlani was responsible for the flow's cessation.

The eruption also saw the first recorded plans for lava diversion in Hawaiʻi. Although never acted upon, there were formal plans to use dynamite to divert the flow. Other groups constructed stone walls. The Reverend Titus Coan, wrote that, "Judge Severance dug a moat around the Hilo prison, with an embankment seven or eight feet high," hoping to avert the necessity of a jail evacuation.

The terminus of the flows nearing Hilo were largely considered dead by August 12th, though still active spots could be found further toward the source vents.

To celebrate the end of the eruption and Hilo's avoidance of disaster, September 18th and 19th were set aside "to praise the Almighty God for His kindness and Compassion in saving the village of Hilo from His Lava's fiery wrath". As USGS notes, services included the reading and singing of a hymn about the lava in Hilo. A year later, in August 1882, a large commemorative lūʻau was staged immediately in front of then-cooled lava flow.

According to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the total length of the 1880-1881 Hilo flow is about 29 mi (47 km), and had an average advance rate of about 3.4 mi (5.5 km) per month over the course of the long rift zone eruption. The furthest reaching flow made it to a mere 1.1 miles (1.8 km) from the Hilo bayfront.

Additional resources:

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1880- 1881 Eruption of Mauna Loa - Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

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The 1880-1881 eruption of Mauna Loa consisted of two main phases, a summit eruption and a rift zone eruption six months later. The latter was a nearly nine-month-long march that threatened the city of Hilo. Prayers to both Christian and Hawaiian deities were employed to stop its advance.

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Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani.
Hawaii State Archives, General Photographic Collection, Keelikolani, Ruth, Princess of Hawaii, 1826-1883, PP-97-18-016.

Article Written By Faith Bennett

Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani was a direct descendent of Kamehameha I, the leader who united the Hawaiian islands and founded the kingdom of Hawai'i. She was an advocate for Hawaiian culture who was best known for defending the town of Hilo during the 1880-1881 eruption of the Mauna Loa Volcano that is part of the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

Keʻelikōlani was born in Pohukaina, Oahu in 1826. Her mother, Chiefess Pauhi, married her third husband, Mataio Kekūanāoʻa, only three months before she died while giving birth to Princess Ruth. Both Kekūanāoʻa and the Chiefess's second husband, High Chief Kahalaiʻa Luanuʻu, claimed Keʻelikōlani as a daughter.1 She was publicly recognized as keiki po'olua, a "two heads" child, or someone who would inherit the mana (spiritual energy) of both fathers.2 This early controversy surrounding her paternity presented enduring challenges as she navigated the U.S. legal system to secure a vast land inheritance.3 When she was sixteen, the princess married Leleiohoku with whom she had two children. After Leleiohoku's death, Keʻelikōlani married Isaac Young Davis, grandson of the haole (a white person) advisor to Kamehameha I. Together they had a son, whom she gave to her cousin Bernice Pauahi Bishop to raise in the Hawaiian tradition of hānai.

Ke'elikōlani maintained distinctive Hawaiian beliefs and practices during a period of ongoing tensions between self-proclaimed traditionalists and Christian Hawaiian chiefs. Educated by missionaries in English, she insisted on conducting business in the 'ōlelo Hawai'i (the Hawaiian language). Inheriting palaces from her father, she preferred to live in a traditional grass house ( hale pili) in Kailua.4 Her rejection of Christianity and the Anglo-American culture made her revered by her countrymen and women, and they turned to her for intervention when the volcano Mauna Loa began erupting in 1880.5 Six months later in a second wave of eruptions, Mauna Loa's rift zones released three steady streams of lava flowing toward the town of Hilo, as well as the bases of Mauna Kea and the district of Ka'ū. Though the lava flows toward Ka'ū District and Mauna Kea ceased, the lava heading toward the town of Hilo steadily advanced for months. In August 1881 Queen Liliʻuokalani and Princess Ke'elikōlani arrived in Hilo. At the foot of the lava flow, Keʻelikōlani chanted ( oli) and made offerings ( ho'okupu) to Pele, the volcano goddess. The lava flow soon ceased and, according to some reports, Keʻelikōlani then camped overnight just beyond the lava's reach.6

She died in May 1883 after a brief illness. At the time of her death she was proclaimed to be the highest ranking descendent of Kamehameha I. She laid claim to 353,000 acres of Kamehameha land, all of which she bequeathed to Bernice Pauahi Bishop, who established the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate to set aside land for the preservation of Hawaiian culture and the advancement of Native Hawaiian people. In her will, Pauahi Bishop dedicated the estate to the development of the Kamehameha Schools for Hawaiian Children.

1 - Rubellite Kawena Johnson, "Ruth Keʻelikōlani Po'Ula Child," in "Biography Hawai'i: Five Lives, A Series of Public Remembrances," Center for Biographical Research at the University of Hawai'i at Mänoa, 2017, 4.

2 - Kamehameha Schools, "Honoring Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani on the Day of Her Birth," news release, February 9, 2017, https://www.pressreleasepoint.com/honoring-princess-ruth-keelikolani-day-her-birth.

3 - John Berger, "Getting to Know Ruth," Star Bulletin, May 30, 2004, http://archives.starbulletin.com/2004/05/30/features/index.html.

4 - Samuel P. King and Randall W. Roth, Broken Trust: Greed, Mismanagement & Political Manipulation at America's Largest Charitable Trust (Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2006), 26.

5 - Michael Tsai, "The Princess Diaries," Honolulu Advertiser, June 7, 2004, http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Jun/07/il/il01a.html.

6 - Kalena Silva, "Princess Ruth," in "Biography Hawai'i," 3.

Acknowledgements:

This project was made possible in part by a grant from the National Park Foundation.

This project was conducted in Partnership with the University of California Davis History Department through the Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, CA# P20AC00946

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Princess Luka Ruth Ke'elikōlani (U.S. National Park Service)

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Article Written By Faith Bennett Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani was a direct descendent of Kamehameha I, the leader who united the Hawaiian islands and founded the kingdom of Hawai'i. She was an advocate for Hawaiian culture who was best known for defending the town of Hilo during the 1880-1881 eruption of the Mauna Loa Volcano that is part of the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

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Ruth Ke‘elikōlani - Kaʻiwakīloumoku - Hawaiian Cultural Center

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Ke‘elikōlani was a believer in her people and fought for the rights of Hawaiians and our traditional way of life.