| John Papa ʻĪʻī | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1800 Waipiʻo, Oʻahu |
| Died | May 2, 1870 |
| Nationality | Kingdom of Hawaii |
| Ethnicity | Native Hawaiian |
| Spouse | Sarai Hiwauli |
| Children | Irene |
| Parents | Kuaena and Wanaoa Kalaikane |
John or Keoni Papa ʻĪʻī (1800–1870) was a 19th century educator, politician and historian in the Kingdom of Hawaii.
ʻĪʻī was born in 1800 and raised under the traditional kapu system. He was the son of Kuaena, a Kona chief and his wife Wanaoa Kalaikane. His elder brother was Daniel Papa ʻĪʻī, who was Kamehameha II's playmate, was prominent in the church, and assisted in the legal reforms at the beginning of the Kingdom. He was born at Waipiʻo, Ewa, Oʻahu.[1] His father and mother were minor chiefs destined to serve the higher chiefs as retainers and kahu (royal attendant) for their children. ʻĪʻī was trained from childhood for a life of service to the high chiefs. At the age of ten he was taken to Honolulu by his uncle Papa, a kahu of Kamehameha I, to become a companion and personal attendant to Prince Liholiho, who became King Kamehameha II in 1819. ʻĪʻī was close to Liholiho during the young heir's instruction in the conduct of government and ancient religious rites. His master died in 1823 in England.[2]
After Liholiho's death, ʻĪʻī continued to serve the rulers of Hawai‘i and including being kahu for Victoria Kamamalu and hānai father of Mary Paaaina. ʻĪʻī was selected to be kahu of the students (effectively a vice principal) at the Chiefs' Children's School in 1840.[3] Throughout his life he was in constant contact with the political, religious, and social concerns of the court, as well as the common people.[4] ʻĪʻī was among the first Hawaiians to study reading and writing with the missionaries, yet although he adopted Christian teachings, he retained a profound love and respect for the culture of his ancestors.[2]
ʻĪʻī served as a general superintendent of Oʻahu schools and was an influential member in the court of Kamehameha III. In 1842, he was appointed by the king to the Treasury Board. He served as a member of the Privy Council 1845–1859 and in 1846 was appointed to the Board of Land Commissioners. ʻĪʻī served in the House of Nobles from 1841 to 1870. In 1852, he represented the House of Nobles in the drafting of the Constitution and became the Speaker of the House of Nobles. He served as a member of the House of Representatives during the session of 1855. He served from 1848 as a superior court judge, and from 1852 to 1864 as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Kingdom.[5] ʻĪʻī died on May 2, 1870.
He left a first-hand account chronicled in a series of articles in the Hawaiian language newspaper Ka Nupepa Ku'oko'a from 1866 until his death.[4] These were translated by Mary Kawena Pukui and published in 1959 as "Fragments of Hawaiian History",[6] which describes life under Kamehameha, through his personal experiences and descriptions of the pattern of Hawaiian culture during a period of great significance in the history of the Hawaiian Kingdom.[2] A second edition was edited by Dorothy Barrère and published in 1983.[7]
His married Sarai Hiwauli, the widow of Haʻalou, a chief executed for adultery. His only child was daughter Irene Kahalelauko-a-Kamāmalu ʻĪʻī. On September 30, 1886 Irene married Charles Augustus Brown and had sons George ʻĪʻī Brown on October 19, 1887 and Francis H. Ii Brown on September 16, 1892. A daughter Bernice died young.[8] She divorced Brown in 1898 and married Carl Sheldon Holloway who died on July 26, 1915. The lands that John ʻĪʻī had been awarded were put into a trust called the John ʻĪʻī Estate, Limited, which was the subject of a lawsuit due to ambiguity in the original will.[9] She died August 22, 1922.
