Volume 6 / Part 2 — Chronological List.
Reading edition
Every people, possessed of some culture or civilization, attempts to preserve a record of its past, whether that record is handed down orally, or by some sort of writing. With the Hawaiians as with their Polynesian congeners everywhere, such records were passed down orally from father to child, or from master to disciple, within the professional circle of those to whom immemorial usage has consigned the preservation of them. But history, or a record of the past, would become unintelligible and rank confusion unless set forth or arranged upon some system of chronology. Some peoples counted time by the number of generations from some common ancestor; some counted by the length of reign of each successive king or chief; some counted each individual year within a, by them, generally adopted era. The Hawaiians counted by generations of their principal chiefs or kings. They started from Wakea as a common ancestor of all the chiefs on all the islands of the Hawaiian group; but, for convenience or clearness sake, time was counted by either of the reigning families on the four principal islands: Kauai, Oahu, Maui, or Hawaii. Thus an event, worthy of being preserved on the national records, was said to have occurred “in the time of”—“i ke au o”—such or such a prominent chief of this or that island; and, in order to ascertain when, the generations were counted either down from Wakea, or more generally up (back) from the then present generation. Thus Hawaiian chronology was not very exact, it must be admitted; but to a people, who depended entirely upon the faithful memory of their bards and priests, it was sufficiently approximate to bring order and sequence in their unwritten records of the past. To us, of a later and more developed civilization, the exactitude of dates is of the very essence of history, or at least one of its most necessary elements; but an approximation to truth satisfied the ancient Hawaiian.
In my work, “The Polynesian Race, its Origin and Migrations,” Vol. I, p. 166, I have approximately fixed the period of Wakea at about 190 A.D., and the length of a generation, for the purposes of historical computation, at 30 years. Counting 13 generations after Wakea we arrive at Nanaulu, in whose time the Hawaiian group was undoubtedly occupied by the Hawaiian branch of the Polynesian Race, say 580 A.D. Continuing on the genealogical line of Nanaulu, as the safest and most correct, we arrive after 15 more generations, or 450 years, at the period of Maweke, say 1030 A.D., when that remarkable intermigratory movement between the southern and northern Polynesian groups, of which their legends and chants give so ample evidence, had already commenced. From Maweke down, therefore, Hawaiian chronology may be computed from any of the leading genealogies, counting Maweke as No. 29, Paumakua as No. 30, Pilikaeaea as No. 31 from Wakea.
Thus, to take only two genealogies out of many, we get the following approximate, chronological lists, viz:
Oahu. Hawaii.
No. A.D. No. A.D.
29. Maweke 1030
30. Mulielealii 1060
31. Moikeha 1090 31. Pilikacaca 1090
32. Hookamalii 1120 32. Kukohau 1120
33. Kahai 1150 33. Kaniuhi 1150
34. Kuolono 1180 34. Kanipahu 1180
35. Maelo (w) and Lauli-a-Laa (k) 1210 35. Kalapana 1210
36. Laulihewa 1240 36. Kahaimoelea 1240
37. Kahuoi 1270 37. Kalaunuiohua 1270
38. Pua-a-Kahuoi 1300 38. Kuaiwa 1300
39. Kukahiaililani 1330 39. Kahoukapu 1330
40. Mailikukahi 1360 40. Kauholanuimahu 1360
41. Kalona-iki 1390 41. Kihanuilulumoku 1390
42. Piliwale 1420 42. Liloa 1420
43. Kukaniloko (w) 1450 43. Umi-a-Liloa 1450
44. Kalaimanuia (w) 1480 44. Kealiilokaloa 1480
45. Kaihikapu-a-Manuia 1510 45. Kukailani 1510
46. Kakuhihewa 1540 46. Kaikilani (w) 1540
47. Kaihikapu-a-Kakuhihewa 1570 47. Keakealanikane 1570
48. Kahoowahaokalani 1600 48. Keakamahana (w) 1600
49. Kauakahi-a-Kahoowaha 1630 49. Keakealani (w) 1630
50. Kualii 1660 50. Kalanikauleleiaiwi (w) 1660
51. Peleioholani 1690 51. Keawepoepoe 1690
52. Kumahana 1720 52. Kameeiamoku 1720
53. Kaneoneo 1750 53. Kepookalani 1750
54. Kapuaamohu (w) 1774 54. Aikanaka 1780
55. Kinoiki (w) 1804 55. Keohokalole (w) 1810
56. Kapiolani (w) born 1834 56. Kalakaua born 1836
Hawaii. Maui.
No. A.D. No. A.D.
30. Paumakua 1060
31. Pilikaeaea 1090 31. Haho 1090
32. Kukohau 1120 32. Palena 1120
33. Kaniuhi 1150 33. Hanalaa 1150
34. Kanipahu 1180 34. Mauiloa 1180
35. Kalapana 1210 35. Alo 1210
36. Kahaimoelea 1240 36. Kuhimana 1240
37. Kalaunuiohua 1270 37. Kamaloohua 1270
38. Kuaiwa 1300 38. Loe 1300
39. Kahoukapu 1330 39. Kaulahea I. 1330
40. Kauholanuimahu 1360 40. Kakae 1360
41. Kiha 1390 41. Kahekili I. 1390
42. Liloa 1420 42. Kawaokaohele 1420
43. Umi-a-Liloa 1450 43. Piilani 1450
44. Kealiiokaloa 1480 44. Kiha-a-Piilani 1480
45. Kukailani 1510 45. Kamalalawalu 1510
46. Kaikilani (w) 1540 46. Kauhi-a-Kama 1540
47. Keakealanikane 1570 47. Kalanikaumakaowakea 1570
48. Keakamahana (w) 1600 48. Lonohonuakini 1600
49. Keakealani (w) 1630 49. Kaulahea II. 1630
50. Kalanikauleleiaiwi 1660 50. Kekaulike 1660
51. Keawepoepoe 1690 51. Kamehamehanui Kahekili 1690
52. Kameeiamoku 1720 52. Kalanikupule 1720
53. Kepookalani 1750 53. Kueliko 1750
54. Aikanaka 1780 54. Kalili 1780
55. Keohokalole (w) 1810 55. Pinao (w) 1824
56. Kalakaua 1836
Oahu. Kauai.
No. A.D. No. A.D.
46. Kaihikapu-a-Kakuhihewa 1570 46. Kanei-a-Haka (w) and
Kealohi (k)
Maikai 1570
47. Kahoowahaokalani 1600 47. Kapulauki 1600
48. Kauakahi-a-Kahoowaha 1630 48. Kuluina (w) 1630
49. Kualii 1660 49. Lonoikahaupu 1660
50. Peleioholani; Kukuiai (w) 1690 50. Kaumeheiwa 1690
51. Peleioholani, died 51. Kamakahelei (w) 1740
Kalanipoo (w) 1770
52. Kumahana, dethroned 1773 52. Kaumualii, last king;
Kapuaanohu (w) 1778
53. Kahahana, conquered by 53. Kinoiki (w) 1808
Kahekili 1783
54. Kahahana, slain 1785 54. Kapiolani (w) 1834
Hawaii. Oahu.
Kalakaua 1836 Kapiolani (w) 1834
Keohokalole (w) 1810 1806 Kinoiki (w) 1804
Aikanaka 1780 1776 Kapuaamohu (w) 1774
Kepookalani 1750 1746 Kamakahelei (w) 1740
Kameeiamoku 1720 1716 Kaumeheiwa 1690 1714
Keawepoepoe 1690 1686 Lonoikahaupu 1660 1684
Kalanikauleleiaiwi (w) 1660 1656 Kuluina (w) 1630 1654
Keakealani (w) 1630 1626 Kapulauki 1600 1624
Keakamahana (w) 1600 1596 Kanei-a-Haka 1570 1594
Keakealanikane 1570 1566 Kauhi-a-Hiwa 1540 1564
Kaikilani (w) 1540 1536 Ilihiwalani 1510 1534
Kukailani 1510 1506 Kalanikukuma 1480 1504
Kealiiokaloa 1480 1476 Kahakumakapaweo 1450 1474
Umi-a-Liloa 1450 1446 Kuwalupaukamoku 1420 1444
Liloa 1420 1416 Kahakuakane 1390 1414
Kiha 1390 1386 Kaumakamano 1360 1384
Kauholanuimahu 1360 1356 Manokalanipo 1330 1354
Kahoukapu 1330 1326 Kukona 1300 1324
Kuaiwa 1300 1296 Luanuu 1270 1294
Kalaunuiohua 1270 1266 Kamahano 1240 1264
Kahaimoelea 1240 1236 Ahukini-a-Laa 1210 1234
Kalapana 1210 1206 Laamaikahiki 1180 1204
Kanipahu 1180 1176 Ahukai 1150 1174
Kaniuhi 1150 1146 Luahiwa 1120 1144
Kukohau 1120 1116 Kumakaha 1090 1114
Pilikaeaea 1090 1086 Paumakua 1060 1084