| Nāhiʻenaʻena | |
|---|---|
| Princess of Hawai | |
| Painting of Nāhiʻenaʻena by Barthélémy Lauvergne in 1836. | |
| Spouse | Kamehameha III (uncanonical) William Pitt Leleiohoku I |
| Issue | |
| Keiki Lot Kapuāiwa (hānai) |
|
| Full name | |
| Harrieta Keōpūolani Nāhiʻenaʻena | |
| House | House of Kamehameha |
| Father | Kamehameha I |
| Mother | Queen Keōpūolani |
| Born | c. 1815 Keauhou Bay at South Kona, Hawaiʻi |
| Died | December 30, 1836 Honolulu, Oahu |
| Burial | Mokuʻula then Waiola Church |
Harriet or Harrieta Keōpūolani Nāhiʻenaʻena (1815–1836) was a high ranking princess during the founding of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the conversion of its royalty to Christianity.
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In the Hawaiian language nā ahi ʻena ʻena means "the red-hot raging fires".[1] [2]
Her father was Kamehameha I, known as Kamehameha the Great, conqueror of the Hawaiian islands. Her mother was Kalanikauikaʻalaneo Kai Keōpūolani the Queen consort with the most respected family background. She was born in 1815 at Keauhou Bay, South Kona, island of Hawaiʻi. Her two older brothers, hiapo (first born) Liholiho, and Kauikeaouli were to become Kings Kamehameha II and III. This sacred muli loa (last born) child was trained for the immense kuleana (privilege and responsibility) that would accompany someone of such high birth.[3]
In 1825, the ship HMS Blonde returned with the bodies of King Kamehameha II and the Queen who had died on a trip to London. Ship's artist Robert Dampier painted a portrait of the ten-year-old princess, dressed in a red feather cloak for the state funeral.[4]
She was in love with her brother Kamehameha III. The old chiefs strongly encouraged their marriage but the missionaries were totally against it, calling it incest and therefore a sin. The practice of marriage between siblings in the royal family was considered a way of keeping the bloodlines pure in ancient Hawaii; her maternal grandparents were half sister and brother. She was betrothed to William Pitt Leleiohoku I, the son of William Pitt Kalanimoku Prime Minister of Hawaii. Kamehameha III tried to delay the wedding by insisting Leleiohoku be educated first. They were married November 25, 1835 by William Richards at Waineʻe Church.[5]:340
In September 1836 she gave birth to a child; Kamehameha III announced that the child would be the heir to the throne because he believed the child to be his, but the child lived for only a few hours. Nāhiʻenaʻena never recovered physically or emotionally from childbirth. British physician Thomas Charles Byde Rooke, the husband of High Chiefess Grace Kamaʻikuʻi, was unable to determine the cause of the illness. He called upon Dr. Ruschenberger, a visiting surgeon, to assist him. She died on December 30, 1836, near Hale Uluhe, the home of her brother, Kamehameha III. After nearly five weeks of intense grieving, her body was brought in procession to Kawaiahaʻo Church for services. The procession was led by traditional warriors and kāhuna laʻau lapaʻau (healers).[6] On April 12, 1837 her body was brought aboard the ship Don Qixote (purchased and renamed Kai Keōpūolani by her brother), to the ancient sacred resting place called Mokuʻula in Lāhainā, Maui to be buried near her mother Keōpūolani.
Her death had a sobering affect on her brother, King Kamehameha III. He turned out to be the longest reigning monarch of the Kingdom. Dealing with the changes taking place in his nation would take the rest of his life.[4]